Many of us name our hens, or least the notable individuals. The names are very often chosen at random or might reflect the habits/characteristics of each bird. At Sleepy Hollow it’s definitely a mixture of the two. It’s also a good way of keeping track of each bird, if you can recognise them easily that is.
Rocky
One of our first cockerels was a Welsummer called Rocky, I know, very predictable. He was a super rooster in every way, he always put his girls first before himself. A handful of mixed grain would be offered to him and he would cluck to get his girls over for the treat. He would step back and let them enjoy it first, a real gentleman. He did naturally get some himself in the end. He always led from the front too. When his flock were let out into the garden, he was always seen at the front of the procession and always on the lookout for danger.
A more recent addition to our Maran flock is a dapper female called Miss Gossip. She is a truly delightful girl, always wants to be where the action is and often follows me around for company. One of her more endearing traits is constantly talking to herself (hence the name).
Miss.Gossip
Her habit of always wanting to be at the centre of things does have its drawbacks though. When I start the morning round of cleaning out the coops, I get a little helper in the form of Miss.Gossip. It’s nice having the company, but I could do without a hen between my knees!
We have quite a number of bantams comprising of Wyandottes, Japanese bantams, Hamburghs and some Araucanas. The Wyandottes have one or two outstanding individuals. Little 2H is a pencilled Wyandotte and she is for ever going broody in the spring and summer. Even in winter, she manages to hog a nestbox! She must be around 5 yrs old now and is very vocal in the coop, especially when I want to clean out the coop and she’s in a nestbox.
2H - A Pencilled Wyandotte
If you watch your birds like we do, you quickly get to know their habits and spot the real characters within a flock. We have our share of feisty cockerels, right at the moment our two batchelor Vorwerks are jumping on any females they find to their liking. If these two are a true representation of the breed, it will be interesting to see what happens when they have girls of their own.
We’ve managed to hatch 10 young Vorwerks to keep them company, so we’re waiting to see what sexes we end up with. The two Vorwerk boys are constantly on the move, talking almost non-stop and for some reason seem to enjoy shepherding our flock of Japanese bantams. Not thought of any names for these two yet, any suggestions? Post a comment below with your ideas.
