We might be chicken people, but Harriet is no people chicken.....

Beginning with the first day we met her, Harriet has not been so impressed with us non-feathered folks.

She has never liked to be held and refuses to be hand fed. She loves noodles, but will watch everyone else get their share by hand and will stand back....you can tell she wants to join in, she just can't. Don't feel too bad for her- I always give her some. This is the most common view of Harriet:

Doesn't Harriet have a beautiful head?

She does sometimes relent and will come sit on the arm of the chair we are sitting in (she sat with Will briefly last night) but once the camera comes out she ducks her head or just jumps down and walks away. I was determined to get a few good photos of her last night and with much patience (not my strong suit) I actually got some decent shots. Harriet is very handsome and her black beard just came out over night. She has an Honest Abe look about her. Wonder if I could get her to wear a little stove-pipe hat?

And while she will get on the arm of a chair we are sitting in, she prefers one all to herself.

Sun up and sun down....

I came out to visit before the girls were even off their roost this morning. They are usually up first, waiting to be let out into their yard. Lydia, Kitty and Elinor are on the first bar. Then Emma moved forward, leaving Harriet and Fanny in the back. The back roost bar is actually a branch from a tree that I thought would serve well, and so far it has.

Please excuse the zip ties that didn't get cut back- they do an excellent job of holding the layers of chicken wire together.

As interesting as their morning routine can be (especially when they fly from the roost out into the yard one by one), their evening routine is more drawn out and quite soothing to us. We like staying out while they sort themselves out and go to bed.

Emma, Kitty and Elinor getting settled in the grass.

Emma making a bed in the grass, with her eyes mostly shut and kinda listing to one side.

Harriet and Emma- it looks all snuggly and warm, but actually Emma kept getting up and moving to lay on Harriet. Harriet would move and get settled down and look....here comes Emma!

After about 20 minutes of getting comfy in the grass it gets dark enough for someone, usually Harriet or Emma, to call bedtime. Harriet, Emma and Lydia are always the first to go into the house. Then the comets take their time and will go in and come out several times. Harriet or Emma will come back out to give 'em a talking to about staying out too late- usually multiple times before she gets results. Emma is usually the last to actually get on a roost. Someone  usually gets knocked off by someone else trying to occupy the same spot on the roost, but eventually they all have a spot.

And then the sun comes up and it starts all over again.....

Fanny, Fanny Banana, Fan Belt....She who has the most nicknames wins

For whatever reason, Fanny has collected the most nicknames from me. She is also the chicken most likely to end up on my head or to play with my earrings. Fanny will suddenly stop what she's doing and rush over to my chair, stare intently for a few seconds...then run off back to what she was doing or jump in my lap, onto my shoulder and then on my head. So far she hasn't left anything behind!






Fanny is the Comet with the most pronounced comb and cheeks. They all should have them, but Fanny is ahead of the other two (and all poor Elinor has is a comb).

Fanny, hatched 5/5/10

Meet Emma.... Michelle's favorite

Emma started out as the smallest, and dare I admit it, the homeliest of the six. She was a motley mix of brown, gray and slate blue.

 She was pretty determined and didn't let her small stature define her. Emma went toe to toe with the big girls when necesssary. Our neighbor Michelle took one look at her and declared that Emma was her favorite.





But fast forward two months and you'd never know anyone ever thought Emma was homely!

Emma, hatched 5/9/10

Elinor strikes out...or she would have if I let her

Elinor is the largest of the Comets (red and white) and has been the largest of the six for most of their lives. Right now she, Harriet and Lydia are about the same size, but Elinor has the biggest personality. She is the first to try something and usually the last to go to bed.

Tonight she flew up onto the gate and looked up into the maple tree, judging it for roosting worthiness. I let her look for a few seconds and then picked her up and put her back on the ground. She has been walking around their yard for several days now, looking up at the tree so I wasn't suprised.

Meanwhile Emma, who is beside Elinor in the photo, had trouble getting the spot she wanted on the roost tonight and it didn't help that Will and I laughed at her. She finally made it, but not without ruffling a few feathers.

Let's get this party started!

June 5, 2010 is when we officially became chicken people. We brought home from Sumner-Byrd Farms 6 chicks to live in the coop we built in the back yard. There are 3 Golden Comets (Elinor, Fanny and Kitty) and 3 Americaunas (Emma, Harriet and Lydia). All named for characters in Jane Austen books.

I've been flooding facebook with photos of the girls ever since, but decided to try a blog. So if you want to catch up with the hen party please join in!