Chicken Update

Some e-correspondence with the Chicken Lady has brought to light that our Supposed Barnevelder is, in fact, a Spangled Russian Orloff.  At first I was ready to trade our Orloffs back to her for the chocolate-brown-egg-laying Barnevelders that we thought we were getting.  However, Paula (at whose house all of our chicks currently reside) tells me that the "Russkis" are her favorites and she's grown attached to them.  So be it.  I'm easily swayed.  Especially when I remind myself that the Barnevelder eggs wouldn't actually taste like chocolate.  What a tease.  Also, the Russkis are pretty neat themselves.  They're very rare and originally from chilly Persia, so they are very cold-hardy and they reliably lay eggs right on through winter.  Our more temperate breeds do OK in winter if they're given supplemental light in the mornings and evenings, but they still slow down to some extent.

 

 

The chicks are growing well at Paula & Tom's house and as of yesterday they were moved outside into the swanky coop that Tom built.  When they get a little bigger we'll bring our four ladies home.  Then we need to decide what to do with our three 2-year-olds, who frankly have been slacking in the egg-laying department.