It's been awhile since I gave an update on the chickens.
Between possible exposure to Covid and me not feeling well (seemed like soy exposure rather than Covid), we didn't get to see them for a week and a half. Of course, by the time we saw them again, they had grown... massively.
Interestingly, I've decided that one of our initial breed identifications was incorrect. Watching the two "cochins" it became clear that while one (the silver splash chick on the far left) has the soft, loose feathering normal for a cochin (and the buff orpington), the dark brown one (back right) is a very different sort of chicken. Her feathers aren't loose, and her structure is much meatier. Upon researching through the American Standard of Perfection (the official breed book for the American Poultry Association), focusing mainly on the type of feathers on her legs, then cross-checking on various web sites, we've decided that this bird is actually a Maran - and should reward us with very dark eggs when she starts laying in a couple of months.
When chicks are babies, it's a real guessing game as to which breed they are if they've come as a mixed bunch from a hatchery.
Future plans
Next step is to broach the subject of letting us keep the chickens at hubby's parents' house... We'll have to build a new coop and set it up so that we only have to show up every other day to care for them - making sure they have plenty of food and water - and a secure place to roost every night. So, this is the challenge ahead while we continue looking for a new place to live.
Here are some pictures from this week.
The Houdan is being held by 
The Ameracauna and the Cinnamon Queen enjoy some spoiling.
Photos taken in 2020 with my Nikon D7200.
Past issues...
Poultry
Chickens - A Little About Our Breeds
Chick Update and the new Warming Plate
Lori Svensen
author/designer at A'mara Books
photographer/graphic artist for Viking Visual
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