Details:
Romeo - Rooster
He's part of the original flock. He was second fiddle at Yellow Brick Road Farm so I took him on and he's bloomed as the head(and only) rooster. He's always been polite in asking the ladies to dance, and he make sure to announce when he's found something they might like. He escorts them on their daily walkabouts and keeps the feistier ones from causing too much trouble.
Henrietta - Brown plumage, unknown eggs (deceased 2023)
She was the leader of the pack when we first got them. She had a horrible bout of sourcrop/gleet that stopped her laying while I was still figuring out who's eggs where who's. I nursed her through it; at times using a syringe to MAKE her drink. She recovered eventually and seemed a healthy bird for several weeks before one morning she came out of the coop lethargic and was gone 2 hours later.
Isabella - Black plumage, very extra jumbo tan eggs
The new head hen and our over worker. She is just as regular as the other girls but produces eggs that are between 85g and 100g! She also showed her first autumn with us that she is a HEAVY molter. Within 2 days, she went from normal to half naked! She is kind in her rule and assists Romeo in keeping the peace between the lower ranks.
Jennifer - Barred rock plumage, extra large tan eggs
Named after the lovely lady who sold us the original flock, Jennifer is happy in the middle. I hardly ever see her scrapping and she pecks to correct the lower birds without biting. She has had a stay in the hospital crate for scaley leg while moulting, but otherwise is a solid laying hen.
Kelly - White plumage, large to extra large brown eggs
An adventurous spirit who was always ready to lead or follow Romeo to new and exciting things. She was the lowest bird on the pecking order when I got the original flock and seemed okay with that as long as Romeo let her explore with him. When we got the new girls she became quite nasty towards them even after everyone else had settled into acceptance. It's possible she was worried about getting leapfrogged.
Lilly - White plumage with some grey feathers, medium size blue eggs (deceased 2024)
She was shy and deferential to all humans and chickens placing her at the bottom of the pecking order. It wasn't until at least a month after her batch-sister Marsha was actually laying that Lilly started her puberty. During the summer of 2024 (when I had been putting the chicken food indoors during the middle of the day) she died overnight from a sudden increase in protein causing a bacterial imbalance. Unfortunately I didn't know that giving a large amount of meat to the chickens that had been heavily relying on plants could do that. I know now.
Marsha - White plumage, medium size pale blue eggs
She is batch-sisters with Lilly but kept maturing without pause. Her big read comb and sturdy frame almost got to the point I was worried she might be a rooster. Turns out she was just really good at hiding her eggs. :-) Marsha was horribly picked on by Kelly during her puberty and may even still have a scar on her comb to prove it. They've settled down now but even through all that she remained kind to Lilly and looked after her little sister for the few months Romeo wasn't sure whether to bother with the new girls or not.
