It’s been a while since I’ve posted about the ladies!
We recently moved them onto a bed of dedicated chook fodder. As we’re a bit behind with the garden, one of the beds wasn’t planted out after the last rotation. It was full of crops grown from the scattered grain mix the girls hadn’t eaten (millet, wheat, sunflower), as well as an assortment of green weeds.
The hens were in seventh heaven! They were skipping over the greenery – I’d never seen a chicken skip before – scampering over mountains of plants aided by their flapping wings.
They’re all doing very well – the sudden shortening of days means they’re laying less, and we’re now getting three to five eggs a day. I’m delighted about this – I don’t want them to wear themselves out, and we really don’t need that many eggs all the time.
I tried to take some updated portrait shots so you could see how big they’ve all grown. It took me a couple of days to get them all – the first lot were taken just after the dome rotation, and the second batch the following morning.
Francesca was doing a little dance…
Harriet is the fairest in colour, and sits right in the middle of the pecking order. She was busy contemplating what her next mouthful was going to be…
Our little Maggie, formerly the most pecked and persecuted member of the flock, has grown into the largest hen of all. When she was younger, she had all the feathers in her head pecked off by the others, which distressed me enormously. Now she’s huge and has risen in the social order, and everyone leaves her alone…
Lovely Rosemary sat on Pete’s lap and posed for a closeup. Hasn’t she grown up to be a big girl!
. . . . .
The following morning I went out again with my camera. Bertie and Queenie had been moving too quickly to photograph the previous day, and I didn’t want to put up a post without them.
Don’t let the subdued morning light fool you – these two are tough, smart and seriously bossy. Queenie sits at the top of the pecking order and has since the very beginning; Bertie is her right hand hen.
Bertha rarely stands still, and it took nearly 30 photos to get two good shots of her. Our wild, crooked chicken is still ornery and cantankerous, but Pete loves her to death. She only lifted her head for a photo because he was calling to her…
As you can see, she still has her very distinctive crooked comb. Steve the vet once described her as matronly, and Steve the brother thinks she might have been stepped on as a chick, which would explain why she’s so lopsided…
Queenie was settled into the nesting box, making little purring noises in her throat. She continues to rule the roost with an iron claw…
And Harriet was playing ostrich, with her head almost fully buried as she tried to dig grubs out of the soil. Chickens really do have the fluffiest bottoms!
If you’d like to catch up on all our previous posts about the girls, please have a look at our chicken page, or at our Cheerful Chickens blog!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Love the last picture. Happy Mother’s day! LOL
I think the head shot would make a good postcard.
I feel like a chicken pecking away here on this bit of kit I was on twitter and now I’m in the on swipe version of your blog, rain outside, not in Kansas anymore xx
Thanks for the lovely chook update, always love to hear how they’re getting on!
Fine looking chickens!
They’re absolutely gorgeous! I love reading about them – they’re so entertaining. :)
Thanks for the chook update. What lucky chooks they are – they look so happy and healthy.
Celia I’m sure I can hear them clucking contentedly.
Love your website
I’m so glad Maggie has risen in the ranks and is more her own chook! My favorite shot is the last one with the petticoat showing!
Oh yes Bec, me too. By far the cutest pic. They look much loved chookies Celia :)
Aww they’re looking very content, curious and well fed. Much like how you’d like kids to be too! :)
Your girls really have distinctive personalities and are most photogenic.
:-) Mandy
Fluffy Bottoms would be a great name for a band or a story character. :-) Love the girls!
Glad you posted an update about them, I love to read about them, and always show your posts to my husband, who insists that one day we should get chickens in our backyard… (sigh)
Thank you all! The girls are contentedly happy in their new patch – and gorging themselves on greenery (so much so that they’re passing green poop!). The sun is shining today, and it’s lovely to be outside! :)
Hope you’re all having a wonderful Mother’s Day!
Love the photos! I am thinking about chickens again as our neighbour offered to feed them for us when we are not there… Our neighbours chickens are laying like crazy – I had no idea they were affected by the weather. Thank you for mother’s day reminder too!
My, my, aren’t your girls looking spiffy, Celia! Ahh, to see the dance of the Chicken and the skip over the greenery – YOU must’ve been in seventh heaven!
Our hens have slowed down laying and are moulting..only 2 eggs a day. Have you ever been to a poultry auction? I went to one recently and came home with three black-orphington bantams! What fun. :)
They do look happy indeed!! Love the fluffy bottoms always such a contented feeling to see them so happily engrossed!!
I love it! What wonderful ladies you have. They’re very lucky ladies indeed with their new feed plot.
They look so healthy and happy! You are good chook parents. We are fairly neglectful most of the time. At the moment our chooks are looking great because they have been free ranging all over the garden for the last week. Within a few days of this free ranging freedom they start looking really healthy and plump. But then they start getting really naughty so I have to put them back into their chook yard.
Anna, I hope you end up getting some – I think the kids would love them!
Chris, I’ve never been to a poultry auction, but I don’t know where we’d put any more chooks! We got six eggs today – I think the girls liked the leftover roast lamb.. ;-)
Mrs B, Claire, thank you! We’re very blessed to have such lovely chooks.
Spice Girl, is your chook still laying giant eggs? Your free-ranging girls have had to fight off bush turkeys – that’s hard yakka!
Skipping hens and fluffy bottoms – love it. They looks so sleek and healthy and happy.
The chickens look healthy, happy and contented Celia…like the rest of the family! Glad you had a happy mother’s day Celia xx
sigh…. my Mr13 & I would love to have chooks, it’s just not the right time or place for us though, so I live vicariously through other people’s chooks. lovely update. thank you.
Hopefully I will get our chook dome built soon then my girls should be skipping too as they make their way around the mandala.
Thank you all! The girls are very content today – they had leftover salmon from last night’s bake! :)
Clare, thank you – I’m glad you enjoy them! They bring great joy to us, so it’s wonderful to be able to share them with you!
Jason, we built our dome with a modified roost as the ISA browns aren’t keen flyers. Let me know if you ever want more info on it. Have fun with your chooks! :)