The Chickens

We have seven chickens - all pullets.  They were hatched on February 15, 2011.  We bought them from Wedge Oak Farm in Lebanon, TN on Tuesday, June 14th.  Here they are in their coop and run. 

We have Abby, Annabel and Ariel - They are Easter Eggers and will lay some shade of blue or green eggs.  They were listed as "true Araucanas" but they are far from true Araucanas.  Lots of people call any chicken that carries the blue egg gene an Araucana.  However, these look nothing like an Araucana.  I'm eager to see what color eggs they each will lay.  Abby and Annabel are very similar in markings.  Ariel has more gold and brown in her feathers.

Here's Ariel:

Rosemary - the New Hampshire Red.  Rosemary is the friendliest.  Each time I walk out to the coop, she is there to greet me, and she watches everything I do.  She even lets me pet her - very briefly - at times.  Rosemary will lay a light brown egg.

Blackie - the Jersey Giant.  Blackie's feathers are beautiful.  They're black with some greenish-purplish iridescence to them.  Really lovely.  Blackie will also lay a light brown egg.

Oreo - the Ancona.  Oreo is black with white spots.  We hadn't planned on getting Oreo since she lays white eggs.  However, Lily and Sophie went with us to get the chickens, and they loved the white/black pattern.  So we got seven pullets instead of six.  Oreo is the smallest of the 7 chickens, but she is definitely at the top of the pecking order!  She will come up to one of the others, stretch her neck out and bristle out her neck feathers.  She looks quite intimidating.  Oreo is always the first to go up to the roost each night, too.

Willow - the Welsummer.  Well, at least she is SUPPOSED to be a Welsummer.  Welsummers lay those dark, chocolate-brown eggs.  However, after I shared Willow's photo with some folks at the Backyard Chickens discussion board, they felt that she's actually an Easter Egger.  Welsummers should have yellowish feet.  Willow's feet are a dark slate color.  So I will have to wait until she lays an egg.  If it's dark brown - she's a Wellie.  If she lays an egg that blue or green tinted, then she's an Easter Egger.

Here's Willow:

Other breeds I'd like to have are French Black Copper Marans, Olive Eggers, true rumpless Araucanas, true Ameraucanas.  I select chickens I want by the color of their eggs.  I'd like to have a really wide assortment of egg colors.  The French Black Copper Marans lay the darkest brown eggs, Olive Eggers are a cross between a Maran and and blue-egg layer - resulting in dark green (olive) eggs.  And the true Araucanas and Ameraucanas lay the bright blue/turquoise eggs.

Since I've gotten these chickens, I've read a lot about raising them.  My next endeavor is to try to hatch some eggs.  Incubators are relatively inexpensive, and I'm anxious to raise some from chicks.  "Hatching Eggs" can be bought fairly inexpensively.  I could buy hatching eggs for the Black Copper Marans, the Araucanas and Ameraucanas.  Then I've also thought of getting a rooster or two and trying to breed chicks.

In the photo above, Oreo is the one farthest to the right.  Behind her is Blackie.  The red hen (third from the left) with the black tail is Rosemary. 

The determining factors for whether or not I go into raising chicks and hatching eggs are: (1) maintaining my interest in raising chickens.  I've become quite accustomed to being all excited about new projects - only to lose interest after a few months.  Is this something I will continue to enjoy for years to come?  (2) my ability to build a new coop . . . or have it built . . . or buy it. And (3) whether or not I'm successful with raising young chicks and then incubating eggs.