Hot chix!!!

[godfry n. glad]

Heh...I just went down to feed Hobbes his evening fishy treat and as I finished scooping it out and stood up I looked out the back window....at the chix digs...now a glow of red under the only light in the vicinity....yes, a red light glowed above their abode. It was, of course, the heat lamp.

But that wasn't what was interesting, though. For right there. Sitting' pretty and keeping a close eye on what was going on, was a pointy-eared silhouette. No. It wasn't Hobbes. He was at my feet, nom nom nom on the whitefish paté.

I stepped to the door, unable to discern as to which of the vast hordes of neighborhood cats this might be, turned the knob and threw it open with a flourish. The gazing cat turned its head and looked at me in the door. Already, in an instant, I was determined to be somebody not worth it's precious attention, and turned its head back to the glowing box of peeps....no chix...just peeps. They were all under the overturned cardboard box inside the cage. Perfectly safe.

It looks as though I'm providing the evening entertainment for the nearby feline community. At least the wandering portion.

[Demon]

How can anything possibly be so cute!

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

Heh...I just went down to feed Hobbes his evening fishy treat and as I finished scooping it out and stood up I looked out the back window....at the chix digs...now a glow of red under the only light in the vicinity....yes, a red light glowed above their abode. It was, of course, the heat lamp.

But that wasn't what was interesting, though. For right there. Sitting' pretty and keeping a close eye on what was going on, was a pointy-eared silhouette. No. It wasn't Hobbes. He was at my feet, nom nom nom on the whitefish paté.

I stepped to the door, unable to discern as to which of the vast hordes of neighborhood cats this might be, turned the knob and threw it open with a flourish. The gazing cat turned its head and looked at me in the door. Already, in an instant, I was determined to be somebody not worth it's precious attention, and turned its head back to the glowing box of peeps....no chix...just peeps. They were all under the overturned cardboard box inside the cage. Perfectly safe.

It looks as though I'm providing the evening entertainment for the nearby feline community. At least the wandering portion.

[Listener]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

I couldn't find a decent hen pic, but here's a black cock:

Sorry to be picky about your piccie - but he aint black - he's officially red. Nice shape!

The chick with the white spot on it's head will grow up barred (or "cuckoo")

It could be one of these (but if it's a barred plymouth rock it will be a little different)



Here's a black hen for those who wanted to see one:

[Guinevere]

Too stinkin' cute!

For the Plymouth, I'd use Priscilla (as in Mullins, and John Alden) who were part of the original colony.

A friend of mine lost his entire coop last winter, the heat lamp caused a fire. Poor babes, he'd had his rooster and one of the hens a long long long time.

[Plant Woman]

Oooh, another meaning for roasted chicken.

Sorry that is crass. That would make me sad to lose a whole flock like that.

[godfry n. glad]

Okay...So, PW, Swimmer is cool on that and has decided to pick up a couple more peepers this week, if you're willing to take the extras off our hands. We'll swell our numbers to six and see what comes.

I think this will work out well for you, as the young hens will be very spoiled and atuned to being around humans and cats. 4H hens don't get a lot of chicken-to-person time.

Listener....Are those Blacks? Or Black cross with Rhode Island Reds? The little black one with the white cap is a Barred Plymouth Rock. The Black cross is a Rhode Island Red crossed with a Black and the Golden cross is a RRR crossed with a Golden, is my impression. From the pix over the pens, they'll look like slightly different colored RRRs...one darker, one lighter.

[Corona688]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

Y'know...Not a single one of 'em has a name.

That sounds like a challenge.

That dark yellow one with silver streaks on the wings strikes me as 'Valkyrie', for some reason. I know not why.

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by Corona688

That sounds like a challenge.

That dark yellow one with silver streaks on the wings strikes me as 'Valkyrie', for some reason. I know not why.

Heh...

That would match what my condo/fence building contractor suggested for the back garden gate...."Beware: Attack chickens". I thought "Beware: Vicious chickens". So...I think we'll be going with a "Beware" Vicious attack chickens" sign.

"This is Valkyrie, one of my vicious attack chickens."

*bucca bucca bucca*

"I assume you brung corns?"

*bucca bucca BUCCA*

"No?"



*BUCCAAAAAAA BUCCA BUCCA*

*bucca*

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by Corona688

That sounds like a challenge.

It is.

[Plant Woman]

That sounds like a great plan! So when do you think I should plan on coming down to pick them up? A deadline will help me get the hen housing done and my 6x6 foot chicken tractor's roofing done. Part shaded and part wire so they can choose if they want to bask in the sun or enjoy the shade while they scratch around.

This is so exciting, thanks for doing that!

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by Plant Woman

That sounds like a great plan! So when do you think I should plan on coming down to pick them up? A deadline will help me get the hen housing done and my 6x6 foot chicken tractor's roofing done. Part shaded and part wire so they can choose if they want to bask in the sun or enjoy the shade while they scratch around.

This is so exciting, thanks for doing that!

Why don't we plan on the weekend of August 16-17? That way, we'll know whether you'll have anything to pick up by that time and whether you'll have to augment with county fair additions.

By the by, that's not hard and fast, but we should know what the scene is by then and either be willing to part with our extras, or be able to tell you when we could, and how many we'll have.

Ravenswood: Charm School for Vicious Attack Hens...

[godfry n. glad]

Suggestions so far:

Rock: Abigail, Priscilla

Red: Valkyrie

Golden:

Black:

[Listener]

Listener....Are those Blacks? Or Black cross with Rhode Island Reds? The little black one with the white cap is a Barred Plymouth Rock. The Black cross is a Rhode Island Red crossed with a Black and the Golden cross is a RRR crossed with a Golden, is my impression. From the pix over the pens, they'll look like slightly different colored RRRs...one darker, one lighter

I'd need a textbook to explain properly Godfry

The cockerel you illustrated is a good Rhode Island Red:

Fundamentally (e locus) wheaten. Carrying gold on the sex chromosomes ( dubbed w & z as opposed to x & y in mammals), and autosomal mahogany (which makes the cock in the photograph dark enough to be mistaken for black).

The reason for calling the sex chromosomes "w" and "z" in birds is because it is the female in mammals that inherits the "x" chromosome twice, whereas it is the male in birds that can inherit two of the "sex" chromosome. I was brought up calling cockerels "xx" which seems irrational.

I'll do this ad nauseam if you ask so be careful what you wish for!

One of the chicks is typical of Rhode Island red. (The darker of the two that are not black). They change colour a lot as they grow.

The light spot on the head indicates barring (or cuckoo - same gene).

The lighter of the two chicks appears to me to have a head-spot.

"Golden" is not a breed. All chicks are either silver or gold - as above.

A gold cock is "ss" a gold hen is "-s". A silver cock is "SS" a silver hen is "-S".

An "Ss" cock looks silver but he's capable of breeding gold daughters. (I warned you!)

Just say if you want a tour of simple poultry genetics - it's my hobby!!

[godfry n. glad]

Hmmm...okay. I think I'm getting the picture.

They do reference them as "sex-linked crosses". The pix above the individual tubs showed regular Reds, and then the sex-linked crosses as being more golds in the mature birds for the little yellow chick, and more black (or dark) feathers for the black sex-linked cross. Both still red.

Are you suggesting that of the three Rhode Island Reds, that they'll look pretty much the same at maturity?

I've been sorta viewing them as redhead, strawberry blonde, and a deep, dark auburn....or, as I stated earlier, an auburn with a bad Goth dye job (like the "black cock" Rhody I pulled from Google images).

[Listener]

Originally Posted by godfry n. glad

Suggestions so far:

Rock: Abigail, Priscilla

Red: Valkyrie

Golden:

Black:

Red M - roofus

[godfry n. glad]

No males...all are pullets.

[S.Vashti]

Let's see. Names for chickens:

Fryette
Broilerene
StirFrielle
Broasty

[godfry n. glad]

Ahem....

I floated "Breakfast", "Lunch" and "Dinner" during the last batch.

They're layers, anyway....not broilers. Or fryers. (Not that that would preclude such a fate.)

"Scramble", "Poach", "EZOver", and "Boiled" would be in more order.

I don't particularly care to see my garden buddies as food, though. I'd prefer human names.

[Pinecone]

Originally Posted by Chris Porter

Let's see. Names for chickens:

Fryette
Broilerene
StirFrielle
Broasty

Bad Chris...go to your room...

[Qingdai]

Golden: Marilyn

Black: Eartha

[godfry n. glad]

Originally Posted by Qingdai

Golden: Marilyn

Black: Eartha

Now that's more along the lines I was thinking...

Marilyn, Lauren and Jane for the golden, red, and dark Rhodies?

But then...since the Black is a Black cross Red...I was thinking that Angela (as in Davis) might be more in order.

[S.Vashti]

RRRs are "utility fowls" a dual-purpose farm animal providing large eggs and good eating.

I'm not keen on eggs, but I love chicken. If I were to have some chickens, I'd be raising them for both. Sure you can't get too emotionally attached, but you need some attachment, in order to care about them and how well they are. If you give them the best they can get, I shouldn't think there would be all that much morally wrong about killing them, especially if you can do it more humanely than what comes prepackaged in the store. RRR and other farm animals were designed by us for our consumption, I think our moral obligation is to see that they are raised in pleasant surroundings and killed in such a manner as causes the least stress to them.

[godfry n. glad]

Okay...I think I've come up with the answer for the names.

I wanted a single thematic set of female names that were all associated in some way. I've got two...

Jenny
Pauline
Carrie Virginia
Annie Jo
Sara Jean
Opal Ann
Alice


Sue
Dolores
Nellie
Olga
Mary Lou
Rosella
Emily
Grace
Sugar
Colleen


Any recognition?

They're both lists of character names from groups of women in well known american films.

[Corona688]

They sound so... generic...

[Crumb]

Is the second list from A League of Their Own?