Those of you who follow my blog and instagram regularly know that I expanded my little brood of animals a little over a month ago with the addition of 8 baby chicks. I’ve always wanted to own my own chickens, not just for their eggs (although it is going to be SO awesome once they start laying and I can have a steady supply of tasty and organic ones), but I’ve always been fascinated by birds and their mannerisms. My yiayia kept chickens and wild turkeys on their pistachio farm back in Greece, and my parents have always had a fondness for birds, loading their backyard with several well-stocked bird feeders placed in key bird-watching positions, so it appears that love of fluffy feathers and weirdly jilted head movements has been passed on to me.
I wanted a wide variety of egg colors, so we wended up opting for 8 different chicken varieties and got them online. Yep, you can order live chicks off the internet and have them delivered to your house. While the idea of this kinda freaked me out, it is safe because the chicks absorb the yolk right before they hatch, which gives them all the nutrients they need to survive without food or water for a couple days while they’re being shipped. This is because, out in the wilds of nature, the mama bird has to wait for all the eggs to hatch before she can take her chicks over to the water source (if she leaves the unhatched eggs they’re vulnerable to predators), which can take a few days.
When they come, they’re just little balls of down and fluff, and so damn cute it’s frightening. Like the kind where you find yourself uncontrollably cooing “…..eeeeeeee!” out loud while you stare at them. They stay like that for a few days, but then, they start to change. It’s insane how quickly they grow; I thought our chihuahua Ralph grew fast when he was a puppy, but that was nothing compared to these guys. I have photos below of each of the birds, the first one is taken at 1 week old and the next is taken at 1 month old, so there’s about 3 weeks of time that’s passed between the two, and the chicks look Ā so different. Right around the 1-month mark, they’ve hit their awkward teenager phase. They’re starting to loose their fluffy down in patches, and their actual feathers are coming in in its place. It’s pretty funny-looking, the remaining down is sticking out in weird places, especially on Daphne and Maris’ heads. Oh, and I forgot to mention, they’re all named after characters from Frasier. You might not think that there’s 8 female characters on the show, but as it turns out, there are! And most of them are oddly fitting for hens (Lilith!)
So I have a little about each one and their breed below, I hope you enjoy looking through my brood of Ā chicks (pardon the paint on Jeremy’s hands, it’s from coop-painting!), and if any of you are current/former chicken owners and have any tips on raising them, I’d be much obliged! I read these two books to cover, but firsthand experience is always the best kind. We’ll be moving them out to the coop Jeremy just is nearly finished building (will share that another time), so any tips on transitioning them from the brooder to the coop would be much appreciated!
Daphne is aĀ Buff Orpington, she and Alice are the biggest members of the flock. She was the friendliest of the babies when she first arrived, contentedly nesting in your hand when you picked her up without crying. She’s still pretty friendly now, and is very submissive with the other birds even though she’s so big. A really sweet girl.
Roz is an Ancona, if I were to suspect that any of these were accidental roosters, it would be her. From the beginning, she has been the defender of the flock. Every time we put our hand in the brooder to refill the food or water, she’s the first one to run up and chirp at us. At first she was a bit feisty, pecking at our fingers, but she’s mellowed out quite a bit and is now the friendliest and most confident one in the flock, always running up to greet me when I come into the brooder room. She’s definitely the dominant hen.
Alice is a Silver Cuckoo MaransĀ and is the biggest chick along with Daphne. She’s really sweet and friendly, and while definitely not a dominant bird, she is one of the more confident ones in the flock.
Bebe is a WelsummerĀ and has the most beautiful coloring. Just the richest, warmest shade of reddish brown. She is very inquisitive and mild-mannered, not the first to try new things (that’s always Roz) but usually warms up pretty quickly to new introductions in the brooder.
Diane is an Australorp, she’s a bit more on the shy side and kind of blends in with the flock. Very submissive.
Lilith is an Easter Egger Bantam, she is the smallest chick in the group and always will be because of her Bantam lineage (Bantams are miniature breeds of chickens). She is by far the least friendly and is very shy and terrified of anything new or foreign. Whenever I put my hands in the brooder, she flees to the other side crying. When I put a plum half in the brooder as a treat, she waited until everyone was chomping away happily for a good while before finally giving it a try. I’m hoping she mellows out a little with age, but maybe I just need to have some one-on-one feeding time with something tasty like a watermelon rind to get her to warm up to people a bit.
Maris is a Cream Legbar, and is currently sporting a fauxhawk. She is the rarest breed of the bunch and will lay bright blue eggs. She has a nice temperament and is a little shy but warms up fairly quickly, especially when there’s food involved.
Gertrude is an Olive EggerĀ and, as her name implies, will lay earthy green eggs. She’s pretty shy and submissive and tends to just follow along with the group. The Olive Egger variety is a cross breed of a few different chicken varieties, so it’s not really certain what she’s going to end up looking like. I’m looking forward to the surprise!
You've totally made my day with this post! Your chickens are adorable!
I'm tickled that you named them after females from Frasier (my favorite show of all time). I wonder how similar their personalities will be to their namesakes. I really enjoyed your write up on each one …perfect with my morning coffee! š
And, I am jealous. I want chickens toooo!
What a great post. Thanks for introducing us to your new babies.
Raising chickens is so much fun! Can't wait to see the coop post! I lost 2 chickens to egg binding. There is nothing you can do to fix it. Just happens. They strain, and then die. I tried soaking in warm tub of water and taking to vet. Neither worked. I've only kept them 7 years. Only have 4 left and too old to lay. Best pets ever tho!
They are adorable!!!
They're so precious!! I want a chicken!!
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We already talked together about this the other day, but again I have to say I can't believe how many different types of chickens there are with so many different personalities and mannerisms! It will be so fun watching them grow and I can't wait to eat their eggs!
Hi Eva, the chicks are so cute. They grow fast so be sure to capture their swift growth in photos.
It will be fun to see all the different colored eggs incorporated into your food styling.
Have a nice weekend.
Oh my goodness, Eva, these little chickens are precious! I'm feeling a bit like Joey in Friends at the moment… you know the episode where he sees chicks in an ad on TV and immediately orders one? Yeah. Tempted to do that right now. They are so cute! <3
Beautiful chicks you have there. They are such a joy!
I wish I could have chickens! Some day, we will move somewhere we are allowed to have them… and maybe a goat, while planting a small fruit orchard and large veggie patch. Some day….
Ohhhh goat sounds so fun too!!!!
How cute! I wish we could get chickens but we live in an apartment with no garden š Maybe one day! Can't wait to see those bright blue eggs!
They are so adorable! I have two friends with chickens, one has only 3 and the other has around 8. They are fun to watch grow up. Enjoy all that cuteness!!!
Oh my goodness! They are friggin cuteness bombs! I would love to keep chickens, wish I could. I keep trying to convince my parents to do it… and give me a share of the eggs. š
I am so excited for you! Your hens are so cute. We kept chickens, ducks, and turkeys as pets all through my childhood and I was so fascinated by them. I wish I had some advice to offer, but I was mainly just an observer š My favorite breeds ar bantams and Polish hens. The latter have THE BEST hair + temperament in my experience, but it sounds like you have a bunch of sweethearts as it is š
Oh my goodness, I am so incredibly jealous! I am completely fascinated by chickens and I think they are the coolest animals. The whole egg-laying process is so cool. Love the pics and can't wait to see updates on the bunch!
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