Coffee with my Chickens

My chickens are getting full sized now. They are bantams all, save the white polish. The tiniest are my three little Porcelain D'uccle hens.

I have just started to really free range them these past two weeks. My new favorite thing of a morning is letting them out and having my coffee with them.

They are trained to come to my "Chick chick chick" call, so I usually keep a treat of some dried meal worms with me and whilst sipping my coffee will call out "Chick chick chick" and they come a running. This little hen, still unamed, is my favorite she is the bravest and the first to get a treat from me. She is a Lavender (self-blue) bantam Cochin and she has two sisters and there are also two roosters of this breed.

So, in all I have five bantam Lav cochins (three hens two roos) Two full sized white polish hens and three Porcelain D'uccle (which are true bantams and thus very tiny).

I was lucky to only end up with two roosters, as I hatched all these myself (well with an incubator I mean I didn't sit on them). I had originally thought I'd give one of the roos to a family member, or local farm, but the two get along so well. And, as they are tiny, when they free range, having two roos really pays off.

Yesterday our neighbour came by and her dog got off the leash and charged them, they all scattered. The two roos rounded them all back up in the end. And I have witnessed them guarding the flock from either end and with the smallest sound or odd movement, the pair of them make their panic cry and the hens dash for cover, they are hilarious to see run.

Over all I am very happy with this year's hatch. Now, in a few months, I hope to start getting eggs. I also have a some quail in process, but that is another post.

Have a happy day and I hope it is filled with chickens, coffee and sunshine :)