The new girls

Better late than never. Gotta introduce the new girls. There's 3 of them. That'll make a total of 8 hens once you account for the 2 boys from the original 9, (who are, we hope, helping make more baby chicks on a farm north of here,) and the sad loss of Sarah and Diana to coons back one winter's night.

We brought these girls home as day-olds (or thereabouts,) but I didn't get around to their portraits until recently.

There was debate over whether we should continue the "ladies of jazz" theme with their names. In the end, there's a nod to jazz - and one of the original girls who was really a boy - but otherwise we just used what came to mind. Calder was much more involved this time around.




Robot (barred rock)




Toshiko Barns (americana with a last name) (Toshiko Akioshi is a fabulous jazz pianist. We couldn't let her name escape our flock with the departure of the original Toshiko.)




Frank (rhode island red)

With the exception of Helen and Ella, our two buff orpingtons, we continue to keep a rainbow flock with a "one of each" aesthetic. This has influenced our ability to view them as pets rather than livestock. Not only are we just inclined to do that anyway, but when they all look different it's easy to tell them apart, call them by name, and develop our relationships with them as individuals. Did I really just type that?

While they are not yet integrated into the primary flock, they have already moved outside the kitchen. Much better timing than the first girls who were in the kitchen with us for almost 2 months. (I guess it's understandable when your mom/granmother/m.i.l. gets run over by an SUV. Geez!)

These three will likely keep their distance from the big ladies for a few more months. From what I've read, they need a good 4 months or so before they're big enough to hold their own in the pecking order.