You are currently viewing Chicken Update – Round 2 is Going Well
Anabelle is the quiet one, and the low chicken in the pecking order

Chicken Update – Round 2 is Going Well

Some people have been asking for a chicken update, and since we haven’t posted about them in awhile, it seemed like the perfect time. For those new to the blog, here’s our original post about our new girls from last July.

Meet the girls (from right to left): Wilma the Wellsummer, Anabelle the Americauna, and Sylvia the Silver-laced Wyandotte.

Sylvia, Anabelle and Wilma make themselves at home.
Sylvia, Anabelle and Wilma make themselves at home.

These beautiful birds are, as you can see, quite full of personality. As they have grown we’ve enjoyed watching their quirks emerge. It took awhile for Ethel, our Easter Egger, to welcome them to the flock. They were terrified of her for a few months. Now they all slump into the same dirt hole together, preening each other contentedly.

It seems like we waited for ever before anyone started laying. Since we got them in July, I began to wonder if they might skip straight through to spring. I even called Russell at Chickens Galore after 3 months to ask if that was abnormal. He laughed and told me to stop counting the days. They would start soon.

Sylvia's (left) and Wilma's (right) first eggs
Sylvia’s (left) and Wilma’s (right) first eggs

Hooray! One day in late November Sylvia and Wilma started laying. But not before the entire flock broke out with The POX. Ewww. It’s sad and disgusting, so I won’t show you pictures. The poor girls were scratching all day for about a week, but eventually it went away on its own (we were advised to do nothing and let it run its course) after about 3 weeks.

Between The Pox, Ethel’s molting and winter, all the girls stopped laying in December. Anabelle was getting a free ride, since she hadn’t yet started laying at all. Come January, production was up again and Anabelle joined the ranks of womanhood.

Ethel's blue and Anabelle's green/gray egg
Ethel’s blue and Anabelle’s green/gray egg

We’re calling it green, even though in low light it looks as blue as Ethel’s. Don’t you just love how tiny those first eggs are? Nice work Anabelle.

Anabelle is the quiet one, and the low chicken in the pecking order
Anabelle is the quiet one, and is the low chicken in the pecking order

Now we’re in full production, getting 3-4 eggs per day.

Our first 4-egg day. Photo by Andrew Cheeseman
Our first 4-egg day. Photo by Andrew Cheeseman
Pumpkin is a great snack for chickens, and the seeds help prevent worms.
Ethel (front), Wilma, Sylvia and Annabelle enjoying a pumpkin

What are your chickens doing now? Are they huddled in the coop against the snow? Have they started laying yet? Post your hens’ activities here.

This Post Has 3 Comments

  1. RV

    I have 4 chickens that are going to be 5 years old this March. The Americuana and the Bantam are consistently still laying eggs. The Rock Partridge is occasionally laying an egg. The Buff Orpington has not laid any eggs this year, maybe this is it for her. They are busy scratching the mulch I spread out in fall looking for bugs. My chickens fear pumpkin!

    1. Christy

      LOL! Fear pumpkin! That’s hilarious. I think my chickens are just picky. They love cabbage and Lacinato kale but thumb their noses at Red Russian and arugula. What gives?

  2. Susan

    Your hens are beautiful! What a nice variety. And what beautiful eggs! Ethel’s egg is huge. My girls love pumpkins too, I try to collect from neighbors after Halloween – I’ve even rescued a few from the trash. The girls will peck them clean, leaving only a thin shell for the compost pile. My EE is still not laying after her fall molt, I really miss the green eggs. Going into year 2 with my 4 hens and really enjoy them. Was hoping for a dark egg from my Cuckoo Marans, but it’s only light brown. I’ll have to try a Wellsummer next.
    Thanks for sharing and keep those updates coming.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.