Our Cluckies (18 weeks old)
16 Jan 2012 9 Comments
in chickens
When I went out to gather up today’s egg (which was the same size as yesterday’s, but light brown), I took my camera with me to snap some current pictures of our clucky gals. They’re rather inquisitive, so it’s easy to get close-up shots . . . but they don’t like to pose for the camera, so you have to be quick with the trigger finger!
(As of now, the consensus is the larger photo size is preferred, so I’ll stick with that. Thank you for the feedback!)
We have seven, all females. They’re actually all in this picture, although the one in the back on the right only barely made the shot ;-).
I like this next picture because the chicken whose body is facing away from the camera gives you a good view of just how filled out their bodies and feathers are now.
Their feathers are sooooo pretty, especially when the sunlight hits them. I didn’t capture that in these photos, but maybe my sweetie can use his fabulous photography skills + his awesome camera to do that soon (hint, hint, Honey!).
We don’t have names for them anymore. We’d named a couple when they were chicks, but when their feathers started coming in it became too challenging to visually tell them apart. So we refer to them collectively as “the girls”. There is one, however, who is definitely the Queen Bee . . . but you figure that out by her actions, not by her looks. She’s the one: who is not scared of us; who is “in our face” when we’re in the garden or pen, curious about what we’re doing in or to Her Space; and who is the last one to go into the pen and the coop at night. She does things in her own sweet time, thankyouvery much ;-). I get a kick out of her . . . but will probably think differently should she ever get broody!
I love these chickens of ours. They’re beautiful, and funny, and curious, and not the sharpest tools in the shed . . . and they provide me with guaranteed-cornfree eggs, which is the biggest perk of all :-).
Jan 16, 2012 @ 22:30:44
Your hens are beautiful. We currently have 5 of our own. I was wondering why corn free?
Jan 17, 2012 @ 06:22:18
I’m quite intolerant of corn and corn derivatives, so by keeping their diet corn-free and not using any kind of commercial egg cleaner on the eggs we’re able to keep the eggs corn-free for me. And at whatever point the day comes they end up in our freezer or stew pot, we know their meat will be corn-free as well . . . now, me actually wanting to eat their meat by that point is a whole ‘nother story! But it would be nice to have roast-chicken bones and drippings with which to make a yummy, corn-free stock :-).
Feb 03, 2012 @ 10:19:49
I had to put the roosters we processed in the freezer for a couple months before I could eat them. Out of sight and mind for a minute. They were awesome in the crockpot! Keep that in mind. No seasoning or anything.
Feb 07, 2012 @ 18:56:04
Michelle, right now, I could absolutely eat them. Funny how perspective changes when safe food options become more and more limited!
Feb 08, 2012 @ 07:14:31
I thought that to until I assisted in their death. I did the actual gutting.
Jan 18, 2012 @ 16:56:28
They are so pretty and big!!! You will definitely be enjoying lots of yummy eggs in your near future.
Jan 19, 2012 @ 06:37:53
We’re getting eggs daily now, M :-). Not from all the girls, but from at least two of them. And the eggs are increasing in size. It’ll be awesome when all 7 are laying!
Jan 19, 2012 @ 09:59:52
the hens are looking so pretty! i was wondering if they were going to be “pets” or er, uh, stew someday. i vote for keeping them as pets ;) do super fresh eggs taste any different than the veg-fed/organic/free-range eggs we get at the grocery store?
Jan 19, 2012 @ 18:48:21
We talked about having several more so that we could process some, but in the end opted to have only laying hens. When they reach the point they’re no longer laying, they’ll end up in the freezer…but that’s a ways down the road. At some point we may decide to raise some for the purpose of eating them, but not right now :-).
The eggs we buy are the veg-fed, organic, free-range eggs. I honestly have not noticed a whole lot of difference in taste, BUT I rarely eat eggs on their own. I soft-poach them and serve them over pasta, or bake them over pasta, or add in plenty of salt and some butter if I scramble them. I will say, I feel more comfortable eating the soft-poached eggs if they’re from our chickens rather than the store-bought eggs, because I know what’s *not* in our chickens’ diet, I know how clean my hubby keeps their pen and coop, and I know exactly how old the eggs are. I’ll be curious to see what kind of difference there is in using the eggs in baking (once the eggs get to their full size) — Gluten Free Girl had an interesting post about that last summer.