I've grown accustomed to her face
In September 2014 my neighbour announced that she was getting chickens. "Oh good! I LOVE chickens," I shouted. I had taken care of our back yard chickens in Fernwood many years ago and had grown very fond of them. I thought it would be fun to have chickens around again. My neighbour built a deluxe coop, and five little Black Copper Marans chicks arrived on Labour Day. I don't know exactly when the obsession began, but now, one and a half years later, the girls are leaving, and I am bereft.
My neighbour doesn't want chickens anymore, so I volunteered to find them a new home. Tonight they are having their final sleep on their beloved outdoor roost. In the morning I will let them out for one more run around the yard, give them a generous helping of their favourite food, chickweed, and somehow get them into boxes to transport them to my friend's farm, about one and a half hours north of here. Too far away for regular visits. What am I going to do? I wrote up their bios so my friends would know who they're getting:
BigWig
The Boss. The biggest red hen, with large comb and wattles. Embraces the tao of leadership; doesn’t lord it over them.
BigWig is one of the two red hens that came from a farm in the Cowichan Valley in January 2015 to round out the flock. They were thought to be finished laying, but they rallied and started laying again when they were set aside to be killed, so the owner gave them to us.
She has a gorgeous new set of feathers after her winter molt. She has now finished laying, it seems, and is looking pretty uncomfortable these days, possibly with an internal laying problem. She was the first to have a bath (see video below).
BigWig can’t be bothered with smoothies and other such silly things, but she's crazy about all grains, and shows a passing interest in chickweed and miner’s lettuce. She's perhaps a bit obese, but I wouldn't tell her that. First in pecking order.
Digger
The Explorer. Digger has engineered several escapes from the back yard and has her own secret passageway from one yard to the other. If the kitchen door is left open, she makes a beeline for the cat food.
Last summer Digger laid soft-shelled eggs in the yard several times, and now doesn’t seem to be laying at all. She seemed very uncomfortable in the last week of April so she had a bath and stayed in overnight. She seemed better the next day, although wasn’t able to get up on the roost for a couple more nights. I suspect internal laying or ovarian cancer. She seems to be going bald and her feathers are losing their colour.
Loves dust baths and sunbathing. If you sit on the grass in the sun she’ll be the first to lie down beside you. Eats anything and everything. Hates confinement and yells loudly when bored. Second in pecking order.
Featherfoot
The Champ. Arrived as a chick in September 2014 with her four siblings, three of whom turned out to be roosters and were taken away in winter.
Featherfoot is a Black Copper Marans with a bit more blue in her black feathers than her sister Coppertop, with feathers on her legs (until they rub off), and a smaller comb. Sports an athletic build. Went through a major molt last winter and seems to have forgotten to grow back her last row of tail feathers.
Regular layer. Beautiful dark brown eggs, often scratched (does she scratch them after they come out or has she got scratchy insides?).
Loves smoothies, chickweed, miner’s lettuce, and everything good to eat. Bullied Coppertop last summer and still asserts her dominance occasionally. Prone to random cackling unrelated to egg-laying. Third in pecking order and making sure it stays that way.
Coppertop
The Ingenue. Black Copper Marans with gorgeous copper neck. Had an unknown accident and now seems to have a broken left outer toe.
Coppertop started out as a regular layer, but went broody in summer 2015. It took us a long time to deal with it; consequently it took her a long time to re-integrate into the flock. Her sister Featherfoot bullied her and she didn’t understand. In fact, she doesn’t understand why chickens are mean at all and wishes everyone would just get along.
Since her broodiness she has laid one tiny egg followed by one long skinny one, and possibly nothing more. I suspect internal laying due to egg retention, although she seems healthy so far. She wanders around in circles making worried sounds when she feels the need to lay an egg, then tries for ages in the nestbox, but nothing comes out, although she cackles up a storm for all to hear for up to twenty minutes. Excels at snacking while cackling (see video).
Sweet disposition. Wouldn’t hurt a fly (except by eating it). Accomplished flyer. Once ventured up the stairs to the second floor balcony, then panicked and flew down from the railing with no apparent trouble. Lives for smoothies and chickweed and kind company. Bottom of the pecking order.