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Chicken Update

For those wanting to see the new chickens, here are a couple of the Dominiques.

They are so cute and they seem to be growing more slowly than the first two batches but maybe it’s just because I’m seeing how big the older chickens are.  Look at his little striped wings.  Or . . maybe it’s “her” little striped wings!

And these bantams . . we could sit and watch them all day.  All 5 of them are so different.

If I had to guess, I’d say this one in the front and the one with the orange comb might be roosters.  The one in the front is quite a bit bigger than the others and the one with the orange comb . . it’s the tail feathers that make me think it might be a rooster. It’s the only one that isn’t a Silky.  Anyone have any thoughts on the rooster/hen issue?

All the Silkies have feathers on their feet but look at this one!  Those are some HUGE feet with some HUGE feathers.  Poor little guy.  It’s almost like he marches with his feet kicked very high in the air because the shavings get caught in those feathers.  I think he needs a trim!  See the one in the back, it’s just a bit of fuzzy feathers but this guy in the front . . oh, my . . those are long, hard feathers!  I feel bad for him/her.  All  you Silky experts . . ever see one with feet like that?

We have 6  what I think are Red Star or the Golden Comets and I think they’re all hens.  We have one what I think is a Buff Orpington hen.  We have 7 Production Reds that I think are all hens.  We have 6 Dominiques and if I had to guess, I’d say we have 2 roosters and 4 hens and the 5 bantams that I really don’t have a clue which are hens and which are roosters.

When I was reading about them all, I read that the Red Stars hens will each produce about 300 eggs per year.  The bantams will produce eggs that will be less than half as big as the Red Star eggs and a hen will produce about 50 eggs per year.  The bantams better be real cute and real entertaining because otherwise, they won’t be earning their keep!  🙂

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Your “family” sure is growing. How will they be split up once the second coop is ready?

    • The plan is to have a third coop — one for the silkies and one for the Dominiques.

  2. the bantys don’t have to produce a lot of eggs, they don’t eat nearly as much as the regular chickens.
    The one with the comb might be a leghorn banty. Do leave on the feathers, it hurts if you cut them off. AND we have a male porcelain banty that runs around in the yard and he has no problem keeping up with the big layers. Shavings are a bit harder for them to walk in but when they are outside they will be find.
    Hugs!!!

  3. Judy, I have silkies up here at the house. We have all our production layers down by the barn so they can free range. Our silkies are pets. They are terrible layers. They want to set (sit?) so much. We have 6 hens and 4 are always on the roost. We take the eggs away because they won’t stay on them the whole time. We are rethinking how cute they are. I think I’m going to give this bunch to some friends. We have some aracanas setting now and I want to start over with 6 up here. They are great layers and cute to watch. I may crater and keep the 2 silkies that do lay. Our rooster is the noisiest one we’ve ever had. He crows all day.

  4. All of the chickens are so pretty. I love the colors of the new ones. Maybe they will be extra friendly. Next year, I think you better stay out of Tractor Supply. LOL 🙂

  5. I just love the update on the chickies, Martha Stewart just received about 34 of them for her from, you can see the photos on her blog.

  7. All I now know about chickens I have learned from your blog. It is very entertaining.

  8. I had a bantam Rhode Island Red who laid an egg a day year round. That’s way more than 50. I guess it depends on the chicken. Other kinds of bantams that I’ve had usually took a break in the middle of winter.

  9. Did you know there is a “chicken app” for your phone, to tell what they are and what color the eggs are going to be, etc.? My sister-in-laws have it, since they have chickens. Too funny, but I guess, why not? I forget the exact name for it…

  10. The production hybrids are bred to lay a lot for about a year. Then they tail off dramatically. This of course is what the commercial egg producers want. They seem to be much shorter lived than other types. Out of two dozen I have three that made it to four years old and they are ornaments, don’t lay at all. I don’t cull, I couldn’t eat a hen (or any other animal) I was personally acquainted with, I cheerfully admit to being a wuss.

    In contrast my Silver Lace Wyandottes lived for years, Willard the rooster just passed and he was thirteen years old.on March 27th. I have two of his daughters left, both 10 who lay an egg or two a week. They never set, they were hatched by a banty hen.

    • Bummer on the wyandottes, bought a trio from TSC and their sign said they were good mothers. sigh…. So much for signs.
      Hugs!!!!

  11. So cute! I thought the one witha red comb was probably a rooster, in the last pictures you posted. But I’m a city girl, so what do I know? 🙂 What will you do with all the eggs? It looks like you’ll have 5-6 eggs a day just from the Red Stars.

  12. How cute are these new ones and sorry, the only thing I know is what you have posted here. Love watching their progress
    Thanks

  13. Dominiques go broody. We had one hatch out a nest of eggs at about 7 months old. She had disappeared and we thought she was gone for good but it turns out she had a hidden nest. She turned out to be a pretty good mama and the chicks did well. Even though it was November when they hatched, she managed to keep them warm (10 chicks) in the little house we built just for them.

  14. The one with the tail feathers actually looks like a seabright to me. I wanted one of those, they are so pretty.

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