17. Look At How They Have Grown

5th January 2014

Look at How They Have Grown

Despite everybody in our home being briefed carefully that there would be no naming of chickens until after we knew which were boys and which were girls(and therefore who would be staying and who would be departing), all six chooks had names by the end of the first week. Some of these names have evolved but so have the chickens! Check out the pictures below of our fabulous five:

1. 'Red' - Named by our son, we are pretty sure this one is a rooster and he was already shaping up as the one who ruled the roost from the end of the first week. After his brave attempts to save 'Darling' from the magpies he has became a firm favourite with the whole family.

Photo on left is taken at 9 weeks old. Photo on right at 13 weeks old.

2. 'Darling' -  The brave little chicken who was attacked and almost killed by magpies.

Photo taken at 10 weeks old (left) and 13 weeks old (right) the hen is being held by the same child as in the first photo.

3. 'Swifty' - Most likely another rooster 'Swifty'  was named by Jamie after he attempted to escape capture when we first picked him up. His speed leading Jamie headfirst into a wheat silo at the chicken farm while in hot pursuit. We may not have a photo of 'Swifty' to commemorate his first week with us(mainly because he is the chicken equivalent of the 'Road Runner') but Jamie will always have the scar on his head where the silo cut him! 

Photo taken at 13 weeks old 

4. 'Fluffy'  - We are pretty sure that 'Fluffy' (named by our second child) is a hen. She is fat and round with a bright red comb and wattles and her bottom is indeed very 'fluffy'.

Photo taken at 6 weeks old (left) and at 10 weeks old (right)

5. 'Mort' - Mort is always doing what he is not supposed to be doing. He is always where he is not supposed to be and is far too curious for his own good. So Jamie and I named him secretly after our son(who demonstrated many of the same tendencies in his youth). So as not to hurt our son's feelings we just referred to this chicken as 'You-Know-Who'. This of course is the name that author J.K. Rowling gave to her evil wizard from the Harry Potter series and started us calling our chicken'Voldemort'. 

'Voldemort' became 'Naughty Mortie' and finally evolved to become 'Mort' which suits him perfectly.

Photo on left taken at 6 weeks old and photo on right taken at 10 weeks old