My Frizzles Are Frazzled

Well, folks, I've decided against having a rooster, after all. I was hoping the bantam boys would be quiet enough to keep, without attracting attention. They had other ideas. The Red Cochin bantam was adorable....but freakin loud. He was such a good, protective fella and really loved his little gal friend. I was very sad to part with him. Then the Araucana boy became available along with his girlfriend. Except the seller pulled a bait & switch. The hen he actually sent me home with was not the one in the picture. The one I brought home was much older than a year and I'm afraid she was not in very good health. It was not my intention to feed and house an older hen, well beyond her productive years. There are people who are into that, and I found her such a home. The rooster was in good condition but I decided to pass him along to my friend, Kristine, who lives further out and would not have annoyed neighbors. That little guy's crow was not nearly as loud as the Cochin's, but what he lacked in volume he made up for in frequency. He crowed all...day...long.
This morning I had no sooner made the decision to send him packing, when I got an email that there were two little Black Frizzle girls available in Milton. For $5 each. Errol and I drove out there tonight, after work, and we were thrilled to find that they were young & healthy (yes, I'm inspecting them a lot more closely, from now on). Here they are, after arriving in their new home.


They are so damn adorable. These are Black Cochin's but with a "frizzle" mutation that gives them a very fluffy look. I have read that they aren't particularly good layers (only 3 eggs per week) but they do get broody (darn it, now I can't have a rooster). Maybe I'll be able to find some fertile eggs for them to hatch, next spring. These little baby girls were hatched in March and are not yet old enough to lay. I felt bad having to put them into the pen with the older "psycho" chicken, Pinky. She was already in a foul mood (or fowl mood) because she'd lost two boyfriends in as many days, and she was bent on taking out her frustrations on the new younguns. But Cochin's are easy going and lovable, so I hope she'll come around and play nice. The Frizzles didn't quite know what to make of Reggie, who was very curious, as he is whenever new chickens arrive. He startled one, by sneaking up behind her. She turned around and screamed bloody murder. When I went to close the coop, Pinky was inside, but the 2 frazzled Frizzles were cuddled up in a corner of the run. I went in and gently showed them where they needed to sleep. They are all tucked in and I hope tomorrow they will feel more at home and Pinky won't be such a snarly bitch.