I love keeping pet chickens. They are so cute, and you will never feel as important as you do summoning chickens. You can stand anywhere in the garden, call, and they will come running with their wings spread and heads down, like raptors in attack mode.
We have four chickens, so I sell the extra eggs at work, which more than covers the cost of their food, with enough left over to buy some tasty chicken treats.
Meet The Ladies
Betsy is the top chicken. She is a speckledy, favouring the whiter markings. She is the best bug hunter, and the first one to appear next to your heel when you go into the garden. She has figured out gardening produces worms, and is always eager to help rake and turn earth. She is some kind of crazy fighter. We got all these chickens from the same place, there were about 30 or 40 free range chickens in a beautiful field. When we got her home, I realised how immaculate she looked, no one had pecked her! She quickly proved to be a brutal fighter, pinning her only rival for top chicken to the ground in minutes.
Lilith is the second top chicken, she is a little haughty, being a fancy bluebell hen. As a bluebell, her eggs are small and pinky cream, so pretty! I love her markings, her black beak and chest, her black talons. She is named for the book by George Macdonald, who was a friend of Lewis Carroll, and has very much lived up to her namesake. It took her a while to take to the flock after she lost her fight for top hen, but she pulled the other two into line and secured her spot in second. She is very quick at mealtime, and likes to puff herself up and remind the lower two where she ranks. She is the best snail hunter, and the only one who had really figured out to pick one up and bash it on the stone path. She is so loud, and chases away ducks and other larger birds that try and steal the food. Luckily she is ok with the family of house sparrows that nest in our roof.
Gracie is a very easy going chuck. She is also a speckledy, but favours the darker colouration. She never really competed for the top positions in our little flock, but managed to get herself in at third, despite objections. She is good at handling her own, appearing to give way to those ranked above her, while really gobbling a separate pile. She is named after the Irish Pirate Queen, Grace O'Malley, a formidable woman who refused to back down and stood her own with Queen Elizabeth the first. Our Gracie doesn't have the fire of her namesake, but with her pretty markings almost like lace, it suits her very well. Her face is somewhat owl like, and I always think it makes her seem more discerning.
Technically Philomena is the lowest ranking member of the flock, but she is just too sweet! Betsy is very protective of her, and won't stand for any bullying in front of her. As time has gone by, Philomena has become best sun bathing and roosting friends with Lilith. Philomena is so cheeky, she tends to get more than her fair share of any treats, because Betsy lets her get away with so much. She tends to grab as much as she can lightening fast. She is very good at being a lower ranking chicken, and clearly always has been. She has developed quick reflexes, and knows just how to endear herself to the others. She is named for Philomena Cunk, the entertaining tv persona of Diane Morgan. Our little Philomena very much embodies her name sake, her wonder seeming both so genuine and so hilarious. It takes her to figure out how to eat new things, but she keeps on trying.
Chickens are so rewarding to look after, it is more like having tenants that shout about laying eggs than normal pets. They roam the lawn, roost on the wooden seat at the bottom of the garden, hunt woodlice in the lengths of tree that keep plantpots out of their reach. They line up at the french doors, and preen for you, showing off their pretty colours in the sun. They eat most of my plants, but that just means I get to grow more. The best thing about chickens, is they eat all the left overs (apart from chicken, obviously) but they get fat cut off bacon, they get fat spooned out of the frying pan soaked into bread. They get so many treats, they sometimes don't want their own food. As a result, their eggs are insanely good! Most of the people who buy eggs from me, used to get them from someone else but after trying to ones from our girls, went on regular order for more. The yolks are rick and orange, and they make the best everything that uses eggs!
Since owning chickens, I can't buy eggs, they just seem lacking in flavour, something about the pale colour seems off putting. They are such a pleasure to keep, I would highly recommend chickens to anyone who has the space for them. There are little chickens called bantums that resemble little Elvis dudes, they don't scratch up the garden or destroy your plants, and you get super cute smaller eggs! It is even possible to make a light sensitive door, so you don't have to get up in the morning and let them out. There are some beautiful houses where I live, that keep bantums to keep the pests in the garden in control naturally. My chickens are so happy, and have so much space, I even have one or two vegan customers!
I was nominated for this my @antimetica
The rules for the 7 Day Positivity Challenge:
• Write a post about something you have to be positive about today - this could be anything from being thankful for your current situation, someone being nice to you, being thankful for your friends and family, or even being thankful for the opportunity you have been given here on Steemit - just keep it positive :)
• Do this for 7 days in a row if you get nominated
• Mention three people who should do this on each day.
• Tag it with #7daypositivitychallenge and include these rules at the bottom of your post
• Include a picture of something positive (related to your story if possible)
Today I nominate:
I'm not going to tag anyone today, but if you read this and want to give it a go, you can tag me in your posts as having nominated you and I will come and check it out :)
Photos by me