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On September 23, 2016, we gave into the temptation and finally bought chickens. We had no clue what we were getting into, but it would be an adventure! Today marks six years of being blessed with our girls and makes Butters, the remaining of the three, a senior of her breed at age six. They grew up so fast, and Bell and Red are truly missed, especially by their buddy Butters and their Chicken Mama.
No one tells you how entertaining and intelligent they are. We have spent many hours on the back porch watching their mannerisms and how they interact with one another. Each has their own characteristics, and the original three had very different personalities.
Blue Bell
Bell was the care giver. She had a quiet disposition, but still seemed to keep a higher status in the group. Maybe the other two saw her as a motherly figure. In the first year of being in the coop, they all tried to sleep on the roof at dusk. Bell must have known it was not the safest place because she would place each of her wings around her sisters for protection. She also knew mama (me) would take care of her. She had a hard time with the summer heat, and I would give her a cooling mat to lay on while the others ran around the yard. Sweet Bell would lay there and enjoy the cool temperatures of the mat and would not move.
Bold Red
Red was outgoing and brave. In a way she was her sisters’ protector. Red may have been a different breed from the other two, but chickens don’t discriminate. The other two always followed her lead. She made friends with a our neighbor’s wolf hound, who spent time in the yard with the chickens. Red and Kaiser would lay together as she cleaned dirt off of him. She also did the same for our cat, but I don’t think Roux was as thankful. Red was the first to hop in my hands, and I knew instantly I was in love and we would have a bond. As she got older, she enjoyed alone time with me on my lap while I worked on the back porch.
Butters Bright
Butters was always the cliquish chick and would not accept newcomers. Butters loved her original trio and did not want it to change. After many years, she has accepted Birdie and sweetly grooms her. She only tolerates the others. At first, we did not realize how bright Butters was. She sights the predators and sounds the alarm, she begs for food or to be let out, and she announces my presence or flies to greet me at the backdoor. If I notice Butters missing, I call her name and she answers back, even from inside the coop. With the other original two gone, she has assumed the lead position of the flock, and she takes it seriously.
And Then There Were Four
Four months later we got Birdie. She has a unique chicken story yet to be told.
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