More Chickens

Miss Friendly's second batch of chicks this year. This is my first hen that has hatched two sets in one year and yikes is she protective! You don't want to mess with her babies! It's encouraging to see hens that still have the mothering instinct.

Aren't they adorable? A Barred Rock and Orpington/Americauna just hatched today.

Blue Andalusian pullet

Blue Andalusian cock (3 1/2 months old)

Silver Spangled Hamburg pullet

 When Nick was fly-fishing and tying flies, he and I came up with the idea to cross Barred Rocks with Phoenix for a super hackle bird. The cross is sex-linked, meaning that from day one you can tell a hen from a rooster by its color. A male Silver Phoenix and female Barred Rock make barred males and black females. It took us two years to finally get the cross we wanted and we (I?) ended up with the stunning young rooster below.

 

In the meantime, I practiced harvesting hackle from purebred Phoenix and figured out how to preserve a nice skin. Alas, Nick now only fishes with lures and no longer ties flies.

 

My handy dandy pluckers (Josh and Nick) said that they had had enough after we finished butchering last year. The told me that they would not pluck one more bird, so we bought a chicken plucker from a friend.