Roll Call!

Gorgeous' chicks are just over 2 weeks old now, and they are such fun! Because there are so many chicks, it has taken us a while to get to know them individually. Of course, we are in the process of giving them all names. That's what we do. It is interesting that there are so many variations in coloring, marking, and size amongst the chicks. It doesn't show up well in these pictures, but the differences between them are remarkable in person. I assume this is because our chickens are all just "mutts," not chickens bred to have similar characteristics.

Here is the roll call of named (and a few unnamed) adorable chicks for you!

This is "Blondie," a name which refers to coloring, and is not meant as any sort of assessment of intelligence.

Here's "Chipmunk," who has especially defined striped markings. Notice how much more developed Chipmunk's wings are than some of the other chicks.

Fluffy


This is "Baldy's Baby." He (or she) hatched with that bald spot, exactly like the featherless spot on our other hen's neck. We've thought Baldy was bald because of the other chickens pecking at her . . . but now we wonder if this isn't something genetic.

Just so you know, it isn't easy to take portraits of individual chicks like this. You can't possibly do it with the chicks on the ground . . . they are fast! Kirstin and Bethany took a cardboard box, and cut a hole in one side, so that they could take these pictures from the right angle, and still keep the chicks contained. Even with this setup, you notice a lot of times the chicks had to be restrained in order to get the pictures.