The Downfall of Spice

Ever since Spice was a little chick, she was born a leader. Spice made it very distinguishable at a young age that she was very confident and never feared or doubted her abilities as top hen. But recently I've been noticing a change in the flock. Spice no longer pecked at Charcoal when she got in her way. I was even more surprised when Charcoal even disrespectfully tried to confront Spice. My suspicion was that there was a change in the pecking order.

Lime tries to clean Spice's beak. Spice in the meanwhile, domineers her way through this pesty insolence again.

Usually the way I test the ranks of each chicken, is I hold. .  . for example Spice. I'll grasp her feathered body and move her slowly up and down, let's say in front of Charcoal to see her reaction. *this technique doesn't work 100%  of the time though*. If Charcoal freaks out and makes a dive to the side to avoid the conflict, I will know that she is a lower statues than Spice. However, if Charcoal does not waver her stance and instead raises her head to meet the confrontation growling, she will be confirmed as higher ranked in the pecking order.

This was one problem.

As Spice's head bobbed up and down rudely in front of Charcoal's face, Charcoal snapped."This is an abomination!" she bauwked in her low and dangerous monotonous voice. Charcoal's head shot up and warned of a quick peck of obedience about to be executed. I lowered Spice's head to avoid any unnecessary blood to shed.

I wondered in confusion. Where had the proud, confident, and courageous Spice I had always known disappear off to?

Idle Holi-days

For the holidays, a new Canon EOS was given to me as a present. Immediately, I started snapping pictures and playing with the menu. I also took the camera outside to visit the *chickers* <= not a misspelling error and get some crisp pictures of them.
*Chickers is just a little "nickname" I like to use instead of plain old and regular chickens, I also like to call them chickies.
 "Chick-chic-chickies!" I routinely call out to the flock when I head towards their enclosure. Without my calling, they notice the door swinging backward and begin pacing at the enclosure fence; waiting for me. And constantly as I am bombarded with a crowd of 4 chickens (Mellow is usually less exited about meeting humans), 1 or 2 little sneaky pullets will attempt to wiggle their way past me. Of course, I block them. And if by chance I have some table scraps to offer, their attention will be averted onto the food and I can peacefully and quickly slide through the crowd of chickens, without them noticing the escape route they could have taken advantage of. Anyways, here are some pictures I took of them during the holiday season.

"Run Lemon run!" Lemon managed to slip out while I was opening the gate door.

The chickers were also given some yogurt as a treat today. They happily crowded me and jumped at the cup, bawking while gulping down the delicious lumps of fruit and the strawberry flavored yogurt on the spoon.

Looking up expectantly.

Top and bottom: The flock enjoying a small spoon of strawberry yogurt.

At last when no more of the gooey yogurt was available. . .

. . . the chickens looked at me. Not long after did they resume their usual constant whining and pulling of the pants.

Charcoal and Spice closely examine the black fabric, deciding which fold to tug first.

To be continued. . .

Next Post:
New Egger! (continuation of Idle Holi-days)

Maturing Into Hens. . .

After Thanksgiving, the chicks had big changes in their physical appearance. Lemon had the greatest of all; she got tomato-red and bigger wattles and a comb that flops over to the side  like an adult Leghorn's, she had also increased in body size, and is now about the size on a full grown hen.

Top and bottom: Lemon and her proud big red wattles and comb.

Lime my other White Leghorn on the other hand was still her small slim size, with big bulgy eyes of curiosity, or as some would say, cuteness (I would note deviousness), only a little bit of growth in size of her comb and wattles were most noticeable but they were now as red as Lemon's.

Lime in her dazed stare. A couple of ways to distinguish Lime and Lemon from each other is their size; Lemon is much bigger than Lime, I have also noticed that Lemon's eyes are farther spaced from her beak. Lime's eyes are kept close to her beak, creating an appearance of cuteness and curiosity.

The comb and wattles have also gotten larger in size and redder in Spice as well, the only ones in the flock who had not changed were Charcoal and Mellow. Mellow of course, had already reached adulthood and was frequently every week, laying eggs in the coop. She would presumably look the same in her lifetime, a small dark brown figure running with mad sprint in a hobbled fashion across the yard to catch up with the flock. Charcoal still had the same personality rank, and physical appearance though a tiny bit of her facial parts had become flushed in a vermilion hue; the tips of her comb still bore the same coral color, with lighter yellowish tints.

Spice's comb has now started forming a rounder circle with longer points, and in her holy authority it also appears to resemble a crown.

And again. . . the great! The terrible! And the vigilant Lemon strikes back! Terrifying the soles out of my boots.

The eccentric little buggers peck away at my boots, and ooooo! Their favorite, jeans. . .
* Lemon (left), Charcoal (middle), and Lime (right).

New Baby Chicks!

On July 16th my mail ordered baby chickens arrived! The original order was 1 Partridge Cochin, 1 Jersey Giant, 1 Sicilian Buttercup, and 1 assorted rare chick. But because of the bad hatching, my order was changed and the Jersey Giant and Partridge Cochin were replaced by 2 White Leghorns.

When I arrived back home I instantly went to check and see if there were any casualties (which luckily everyone was fine ). When I had gotten them settled in their brooder, they didn't know where to find water so I dipped their beaks into the waterer. After the chicks ate their fill I started naming them; the 2 White Leghorns almost looked the same but one of them had a yellower head then the other, this baby chicken was named Lemon the one that was less yellow was Lime. Spice the Buttercup was named that way because of her spotted appearance. And apparently the assorted rare chick (which I searched on My Pet Chicken, the website I ordered from) was a Blue Andalusian, named Charcoal for her hazy gray coloring complemented by a yellowish white under belly.

One Day Old

Chubby lil Spice. 

Charcoal is a bit sleepy after their long journey.

This is Lime because when she was day old she had a red spot on her beak (which eventually fell off).

Lemon has a yellower head which you cannot see from this picture.

Will you be my pillow. (top: Lemon, bottom: Lime)

Top and bottom: The little chicks playing outside of their brooder.

I also introduced the baby chicks to fluffy little Mellow. Whenever Mellow catches sight of them he makes weird clucking noises and if they come to close he pecks at them, so when they're near each other I have to watch closely. I you show Mellow a chick and draw your hand back, he follows it like an angry rooster about to attack.

Lime and Mellow are having a stare down.

Soon in a few days their personalities were unraveled and Spice I discovered was a brave and fearless lass, standing up to the foreign object while her sisters ran away in fear therefore deeming her leader of the flock. Lime was a quiet chick who liked to be near people and was not as easily frightened of hands as the others, but I see her very often confronting Spice trying to take her place on the throne (I think that she's second in status). Lemon likes to sleep in the brooder and is less adventurous than the others, she's usually the last to leave the box. Last but least, Charcoal the smallest of all loves being in high places and flies up onto the top of the brooder a lot.

2 Week Old

Top and bottom: Spice the proud flock leader.

Charcoal and Lime.

Synchronized preening.

Lemon with Spice.

Top and bottom: Curious little chickens.