The Hens

Here is a list of my current hens. I thought it might be a useful reference if I mention any of them in my blog posts, so that you know who they are. You may see from this that it is true that all hens have their own personalities and their individual little oddities, that make them so special! I have put them in order of their place in the pecking order, so I have started with Daffy, at the top of the pecking order, and ended with Pudding, at the bottom:

Daffy

Daffy, a leghorn x Legbar cross

 Daffodil, nicknamed "Daffy", is a Legbar x Leghorn cross, which I bought at an auction with the late Birdie, another cross breed. 

She is called "Daffodil" because I got her in April when the daffodils were just finishing, and the nickname "Daffy" came from the fact the she reminded me of a duck (therefore Daffy Duck) when I first saw her in the cage at the auction because of her big yellow legs and bill!

 I don't know her exact age, but I do know she is an older bird, who is kind enough to lay an occasional blue egg for us!

She is quirky, will always make you laugh with her antics and likes to perch on your arm. She is at the top of the pecking order, and knows it! It seems as if she sometimes goes for or pecks Nutmeg just to see her exaggerated reaction!

I have had her 3 years, and in this time she has had two operations on her crop by our very kind and skilled vet. This is because she is predisposed to get crop impaction (see my post on crop impaction). Why we do not know, but the smallest piece of grass or straw is likely to cause it, whereas the other hens are fine. She has to be carefully monitored. Daffy is a tough cookie, as she has managed to survive three impactions, two operations and always got her weight back.

Teazel

Teazel, my beautiful Welsummer

Teazel is one of my first hens, and she is 5 years old. She might be the oldest hen in the flock, but I don't know for certain because I'm not sure on Daffy's exact age.

I have no idea why she is called Teazel, it just happened! She has always looked like an old bird because of the wrinkles around her eyes, but she's had them since she was a few months.

She is a Welsummer, which is the heaviest light breed, and are known for their dark brown eggs. The breed originates from Holland, but Teazel came from down the road!

She had an issue with her bill when I got her (you'll see in the photo) where the front grows too slow and the sides too fast! However, she has coped well and is the fattest in the flock! She used to lay beautiful brown eggs, but her egg laying has slowed down since last summer.

She seems very proud and doesn't like to be held or stroked, but prefers to eat from your hand than the feed hopper or the ground. Her quiet persistence has earned her her place in the pecking order, patiently working her way up from the bottom. She only pecks out if necessary, and only gently when she does, but it's enough to tell the others that she is above them.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg, my Buff-laced Wyandotte bantam

Nutmeg, nickname Meggie, is a Buff-laced Wyandotte bantam. She has a tendency to go broody, see my post on Broodies). She helped me hatch my quail, but she had to be taken away when they hatched because she tried to eat them: so she likes the sitting part, but not the mothering part! She is a good layer of small white eggs (when she isn't broody!).

She is the drama queen of the flock: everything she does is slightly exaggerated. For example, if Daffy pecks her very lightly, sometimes not even touching her, she will run off 'screaming', or when she goes broody, she will sit on nothing for the whole summer if I let her, and refuse to come out, or when she moults, she doesn't just lose a few feathers at a time, she'll lose ALL her feathers at once and then need to come inside for two weeks until they regrow (see my post on the moult, in which she featured).

She is two years old, and not very happy with her position in the pecking order: she is happy to be above Ginger Rogers and Pudding (see below), but overreacts when she is pecked by Daffy or Teazel! If she gets pecked while I'm there she has a tendency to fly up onto my shoulder or head to get away.

Ginger Rogers

Ginger Rogers, my Gingernut Ranger Hybrid

Ginger Rogers is one of my newest additions. She is a Gingernut Ranger hybrid, and is just over a year old. I haven't had her long, but she is named after Ginger Rogers, the famous dancer and actress from black and white days! She is flighty and loves to perch as high as possible, but she pecks before she thinks! She is a very good layer of light-coloured eggs. Despite her feisty nature, she is not far up the pecking order. This is probably due to her young age, it is possible that as she gets older she will make her way up.

Pudding

Pudding: the picture says it all!

Pudding is a Black Rock hybrid. She is a quirky hen with 'wonky tail': a condition where the tail is held slightly to the side rather than straight. I don't know why she has this but she has had it since I got her. I got her the same time I got Ginger Rogers, and she is just over a year old. Pudding is at the bottom of the pecking order, but you wouldn't know it at a casual glance. She hardly gets pecked and is first to the gate when I go up, but Daffy and Teazel will let her know if she gets too confident, and Nutmeg might chase her a bit when she's broody! I think of her as the youngest and most inexperienced member of the flock.