the newest trio

ok here are some pics of the 2 bantam roosters and the andalusian hen we got oh about a month ago. the black & white rooster is Isildur. the white one is The Phantom Bantam. and the grey hen is Elvira. they all like to roost in the beetle-eaten plum tree. [they originally slept in the main coop, but then one day decided on the tree instead. we can't reach them in the tree, so we just let them do what they want. see note below] Isildur & Phantom fluff out their feathers before sleeping. i thought it was cute.

each rooster's crow is different, just as each hen's cluck is different. spend enough time around your chickens, & you can identify them by call.

[and for those wondering about these chicks' safety at night, we also own 2 puppy komondors, almost 5 months old now and getting huge. they will eventually be well over 100 lbs...and they bark at everything--even the planes flying by tens of thousands of feet above us...and sleep out by the plum tree & the chicken pens...when full-grown they will be able to take out coyotes even. komondors are a livestock protection breed, and though they have not often been used with chickens, we find they do all right with grown chickens (babies who find their way out of the pens are more like squeak-toys to the pups....so the babies & their mamas are secured in pens until the peeps grow up. which of course protects them from flying predators too. oh and there is also a guinea hen that sleeps in the tree with them, and she makes a raucous honking anytime anything gets too near her. when our guinea flock matures, it will be interesting. also, only these few flying chickens roost in the trees, silkies can't fly so they prefer the pen. though if something got into the pen ever, they would have next to no chance of getting away. at least those tree-roosting can fly away. that's if anything can sneak past the dogs, which is not that likely]