Pipd's Peeps!

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Anyway, the 5-week-and-one-day-old pictures! The babies are starting to look like chickens! Well, as much like chickens as Silkies ever look.

Here are the for sure boys. Bennie (who's for sure a Benjamin) :

And Winter:

And the two who I am not sure about yet. Indigo:

And Marka:

Here's Bennie being a stinker again! Look how pink that comb is!!

I love how their little rear ends look so skinny with such floofy 'pants'. This is Bennie again, by the way.

Marka and Mama looking super serious.

Indi and Bennie pecking at what Mama just found for them. Don't ask me what it was, I could only see sand and shavings.

Winty looking sweet

Bennie being curious (he was watching the big girls in the upper part of the coop).

Marka and Indi

Bennie getting a drink

Bennie again, flapping his wings!! Look at that bony little wing on him!

Indigo has been hopping up on the perch in the corner and exploring a bit. Such a sweetie!

Aaaand I don't remember who's on the left, but Marka's on the right here. The end!

 

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To start off with the big girls, here's Elda getting some cuddles! My Elly-Welly

Mako the Easter-egger, having a dust bath. You got a little something in your beard, there, dear...

Miss Wyandotte keeping her distance. Not very trusting, this one...

Handsome man Reuben! He does such a good job watching over the girls! He'll put himself right at the center of them to keep an eye on everyone, and he even stands out in the rain to keep watch while the girls stay in cover.

My meek Ancona, Rangi.

Rangi needs a lot of reassurance. It's okay, sweetie...

Elly again. She's not one to get jealous, but she sure has a sour look on her face here... (Don't mind her comb. The other girls are meanies and peck her a lot.)

Tiwhiri, Skua, and Wynne decided that this was the best spot for a sun bath--right in the doorway of the coop.

To finish off, lookie-lookie!! Frou-Frou's flowers are coming up!! e The Puschkinias are even blooming! Aren't they just perfect?

Puschkinias and daffodils sprouting like crazy!! The yellow daffodils are volunteers, though. They just decided to come up and block out a bunch of the bulbs we planted for Frou-Frou. Mom's going to try and move them once they die down for the year, and then she can split them up a bit, too.

 

[pattyhen]

Oh my goodness the babies are growing and growing. They just keep getting cuter and cuter. I think you have 2 boys and 2 girls but it's always hard to tell with the silkies. Bennie definately a boy.

The chickens look like they are enjoying the sunshine and nice weather we are having. It's been beautiful for the last two days. I wish we could have this weather year round.

Frou Frous flowers are beautiful. I've never heard of the puschkinias flowers before. Is that Frou Frous foot print on the little plaque?

Thanks for all the pics I really enjoyed seeing them.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I hope you're right on the babies! An even split would be perfect! But I'd be happy with just one girl in the mix. I don't want to say for sure yet and curse myself, but I had been thinking that Indi and Marka were pretty girly by comparison to the other two, especially their behavior. Ben and Winty are ALWAYS chest bumping and go at it for long stretches of time. Indi and Marky will chest bump, too, but only for short spats and only when they get all excited and are flapping and running around anyway. And then there are those combs!!

I'd never heard of Puschkinias until last year, either, but when I saw them at the store I thought they would be perfect to remember Frou-Frou by, with their touch of blue on white petals. I love them. Yes, those are Frou-Frou's footprints on her little grave marker. I also have a plaster footprint from her on my headboard in my room. I miss her so much. I took all of the pictures I had taken of her on my camera's memory chip and put them into a folder for safe keeping, and I was just bawling the whole time, seeing her pictures again. Ugh, I just really miss her, perhaps more than I should so long after the fact...

 

[PouleNoire]

The baby silkies sure are getting big!

Hope you do get a girl in the bunch, I'm not good with silkies so I can't tell you if you have boys or girls, sorry. The flowers are very beautiful!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Haha, no worries, I'm the same. After all, I thought Margaret was a boy for a short while after I got her--obviously that was wrong! Silkies are hard to judge!

 

[pattyhen]

Have the babies been outside yet? If they haven't wait until they see the great outdoors. Running and jumping and checking out all the grass and of course the dirt.

We took the guineas out a couple of days ago. We have a little pen that we put them in. I was scared to death that they would get out. They were huddled togeather checking out everything.

Have a great day and enjoy this great weather.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

No, they won't go outside. Door's been open almost every afternoon for about 2 weeks now, except for when I'm not home, and they'll hop up on the step to the door, but they won't go out. I was really surprised at that, I expected Mama Margaret to lead the way and get them out there right away! I think this afternoon, if they aren't out by themselves, I may just have to give them the boot. I love that first day outside when they always start out completely terrified, and then it's like, "Hey, I can eat this!" This set should have lots of fun with that, too, with Mama showing them all the goodies. If I do end up booting them, I'll definitely get pictures to share!


Sounds like the Guineas are being Guineas! Every time I let mine out to free-range, they go wandering around the yard in this big group, all bunched together like they're afraid something's going to jump out at them. What can we say, Guineas are paranoid.

 

[pattyhen]

I'm surprised Marge hasn't taken them out to show them off. The momma parade them around like their royality. I guess with this being her first hatch she is being careful with them. She can keep a close eye on them indoors. I hope you get some pics of them when they go outside. I wonder what Rufus is going to do. He may take over raising them when she leaves them at 6 weeks old. That is always so sad. I did have one silkie hen that stayed with the chicks until they were like 4 months old. They were bigger then she was and they were still nesting with her and following her around outside.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I know, it's really odd! I guess Margie just wants to keep them all to herself. She and Elda almost got into it through the fence barrier in the coop today, lots of shouldering and threatening. That was odd for Elly, too! No idea what's going on with these girls, they've gone crazy this spring! Some of them are feather picking even though they free-range every day, and there've been lots of spats between the girls lately that poor Reuby's had to settle. UGH, crazy hens!!

Reuben's been admiring his babies through the fence in the coop, too. It's really cute. He just stands there and watches them scratch and peck. Not long, though, because he takes his guard duty over the hens very seriously! If it weren't for some of those big mean ol' hens, I'd let the babies out so their daddy could take care of them, too. As is, they have the mini-yard, which they aren't going out into anyway. I'm just going to have to change that eventually...