Welcome Chickens!

The coop is empty no more, we have added 10 lovely hens, to fill our kitchen with eggs and fill garden with compost.  Though we are still anxiously waiting for the eggs to appear, in just a few days these young ladies have surprised us with much entertainment.  Especially to my delight, they have "gone bonkers" over all our breakfast, lunch and dinner scraps. 

From a kind lady off Craig's list here's what we added (at least this is what I think they are):

2 Ameraucanas

4 Reds

2  Plymouth Barred

1 White Leg Horn?

1 Cornish Hen?

Well, what ever the variety they now each have their own pet name thoughtfully chosen by each member of our family.   Presenting below........James' "Blanca", Maryanna's "Blueberry" (this actually changes daily, tomorrow it may be something different),  and Peter's "Mendori" (Japanese for hen) who is the pretty one standing right in the little doorway. 

And now........ Daddy's "Denarda" exiting down the ramp.  She got her name from Michigan's Denard Robinson because she is the quickest of the bunch.  And the dainty Barred below is Clara's which she named "Princess Buttercup".

William thought long and hard before naming his Ameraucana "Pedis Viridis", Latin for "green foot".  Sometimes William simply calls her "Pedi" and James suggested I call her "PV" since my Latin pronunciation stinks.

The rest are the reds and honestly I don't think any of us have been able to distinguish them yet.  But Henry, George and myself each have claim on one.  Mine is named "Chiquitita" from ABBA, and you can bet I'll be out there singing my heart out to this little red hen.

Henry has named his "Michigan Football Guy", there was no convincing him of anything else.

And since George's vocabulary has not advanced much beyond Mama, Dada, milk, apple, truck, up, down, choo-choo, shoes, hot, uh-oh, and stuck, the older children have decided to call his hen "Georgia".

So that leaves us with one unnamed hen and the children are still feuding over it.  Here is the list but please offer any other suggestions: Sariah, Rebekah, Nanny McPhee, Mrs. Weaseley, Mary Poppins, Sunny, Cinnamon, Doughy, Cupcake, Frida and the Little Red Hen.

The date of their arrival was facebook worthy, it was not a great day for me.  We had a nice outing planned "into town" to pick out yarn at the knitting store for winter hats, stop by the cider mill for treats, pick up a new feeder at Tractor Supply and finally get our chickens and bring them home before dark.  

Something told me to head first to Tractor Supply.  It was there that a very grizzly looking man approached my window (which freaked me out at first) and alerted me to the thread bear front tires.  I was wondering why the van was shaking so hard on the freeway. The man urged me to head straight to the nearest tire center (luckily just a few miles down the road) where the technician gasped at the condition of the tires and noted how luckily I was that I didn't lose one on way over.  I had no choice but to unload all seven kids, hand over the keys and wait for 3 hours!!!  I'd say that is enough to bust any one's sanity.  

The kids were good as they could be in a small waiting room, we watched TV, read magazines and I treated them to a packet of M&M's.  At one point I tried walking them down Jackson Ave but that was a bad idea, there is nothing lovely about a stroll down an industrial hwy.

Anyways, it was dark by the time we pick up our hens and I was tired.  We had arranged some large Rubbermaid tubs for transport and the older boys impressed me with their ability to handle the chickens. The chickens squawked and hopped and the girls screamed (because they were scared) and the younger two didn't stop crying until we were many miles closer to home.  When we got home I honked the horn for Paul to simply take over, and he did, even the squawking chickens.

When we opened the lid we were impressed to find that one of the larger hens had its wings over the others.  And I think the hens were impressed with their new home.

Paul is starting to feel and look more like a farmer now.

And Clara is still very nervous about getting too close (and too dirty).