Monday, September 21, 2009

New Chicken!


I just couldn't wait to announce the arrival of my new hen. The Chicken Enthusiasts club I started had our first meeting on Saturday. Twenty five people attended. Not too bad for a group that just started a month ago. The meeting was really fun, much chicken knowledge was exchanged and we all got to enjoy meeting other like minded folks.

At the meeting, this chicken arrived in need of a new home. Since I recently lost a hen, it made sense that I offer her a new abode. She is in a cage inside the coop for a few days, at the recommendation of a more experienced chicken keeper in the group. Today I let her out for a bit and the other chickens instantly attacked. Even my tiny silkie bantam got in on the
aggression. So back to the little cage she went. I'll let her out again tomorrow when I can spend more time supervising. Hopefully they will establish the pecking order and everything will calm down.
She is an araucana type chicken and seems very sweet and mellow. She lets me pick her up and seems to enjoy being hand fed. Upon being attacked by the others, she instantly submitted, crouching in a corner.

She laid an egg yesterday and it was a pretty pale green color. I'm very excited about the new addition to the flock.
Posted by Homegrown Neighbor at 7:15 PM
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4 comments:

  1. I have 6 laying hens in the coop(Australorps) and 4 chicks in the brooder.I was told it was easier to add chickens to the flock if you do a few instead of just one that gets ganged up on
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  2. I adore araucaunas ! Love the poofy cheeks. As for her being ganged up on, is it possible to introduce just a hen or two to her at a time, so the pecking order can be established more gradually?
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  3. My chickens are so much more mellow at night, yours might be less likely to fight then too. I think I read somewhere that night is the best time to introduce new members of the flock. Then they wake up together and are like, who are you? Do I know you? I don't remember going home with you! Ha ha ha... And hopefully they figure out a pecking order and go on with their day.
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  4. She looks very much like my Ameraucana chickens, also called Easter Eggers for their colored eggs. They have tails, whereas true araucaunas have more stumpy rears. She's a pretty one, though. I hope it goes well with the others (eventually!).
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