17 & 15 weeks

Hey everyone, hope summer is doing you all very well!
Sadly I lost Chris to a none communicable infection, a young hen was taken by a fox, and another male was taken by an owl. Those are the trials and tribulations of deciding to being free range!  I have learned their 'air' call when a potential preditor is seen. It sounds like a teenager groaning out of bordem. ha ha!

uni, yellow legged with lots of black scales.

this is double

look dub's opalescent white ear lope, very pretty!

 

Jay 17w. Beautiful photo capturing the molted gene expressed in their secondarys and primarys

princess, 15w

notice the lack of black around the head. this is uni, same as first photo.

Thanks everyone for your continued support in this venture! They are getting so close to maturity, a lot more sparring between males and males, males and females, and females and females. I am targeting first week October to try my first successful breeding attempt. Some coop modifications will go in in August to separate. I am thinking Jay and Princess and Uni and June.

Happy Summer! ;)

14 weeks

why i love my dino-birds

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150512075417.htm

Foggy Mornings

Let's just get to the pictures....

this is just a corner of the yard that ive been leaving a treat trail to. Since they are young, i can impression them on what areas to forage. This is a great spot because it is fully foliage covered.

welsummer hen

a hen and roo

here's matty or 3787 as i know him as.

3787 strutting his stuff

pretty green and blue and purple shimmers are seen on their feathers, especially when they are wet!

mister david 12 weeks old!

one of the younger roo's 3787 sure does have a great comb and carriage.

She is so pretty! Keep scrolling for more photos!

Then she starts to turn...

isn't that a beautiful mottled pattern!

Thanks for checking and heres to a sunny Sunday!

SpotOnFarm

10 weeks old Orust

Here is the flock enjoying the sunny day out in the forrest!  They are very comfortable among the fallen branches and thorny prickers. I am seeing more and more their strong wing power. They have begun to fly uP to the higher roosts, and take breaks from foraging the forest floor to roost on the lower barren limbs of a pine tree.

Chris is so very photogenic, he was the one sitting on my shoulder in the prior post ;) Always up for some glam!

Chris among the white flowers.

Here is a trio of the 8-week olds. Sunbathing is the best!

They have been devouring the onion and garlic grasses, chasing young flys, and scratching up the leaf littered earth for any tasty morsel!

Look at that purple/blue/green shimmering the black feathers!!

So in total i think I made out with a half dozen females, and the remaining males. Unfortunately that means I will have to cull some soon enough before the territoriality piques.

4/15 Tax day: Jay and Chris

How absolutely beautiful these two cockerels are growing up to be!

Happy 7 weeks old!

First 70 degree day always includes a celebration. Celebration such like, garden digging, flower bed tending, coop repairing, tea drinking, chicken cuddling, hammock laying goodness.

looking his best!



Chris



Jason



There was such a beautiful  purple shimmering (of course not fully captured on camera).



spots beginning to appear
 

my son was able to capture my free-chicken-spiritedness perfectly!

he climbed right up!