Our Maple Grove Chickie-Babes have world fame. They have been featured in the
Meyer Hatchery catalog as representative models of their respective breeds, and they made in appearance in the UK publication
Your Chickens. These are our gorgeous ladies of the flock. They were all hatched on April 10, 2012 at
Meyer Hatchery in Ohio. They are all American Standards. They are very healthy and free-ranging and lay beautiful large brown eggs. May I introduce . . .
Aussie Umbra, our beautiful Black Australorp. She
appears to be the head hen. She's not mean or overly aggressive, but she
does give a lot of direction to the other hens, to her advantage of course! She's
more social with us than some of the others are.
This breed
originated in Australia in the late 1800's from Black Orpington stock.
At that time they were called Australian Black Orpingtons. Further
breeding in the United Sates eventually led to the name Black
Australorp.
Ruby Red is our gentle Rhode Island Red. I love RIRs. I think they're my
favorite breed. They have such a sweet personality, are really
beautiful, do really well in cold weather, and are great layers!
Rhode Island Reds were first bred in Rhode Island from a Black Breasted Red Malay cock imported from England. They are a very sturdy breed and do well in cold weather.
Lacey Morse, our Silver Laced Wyandotte. She's a bit of a nervous girl, and when she's flustered she makes a clucking that sounds like "dit-ditta-dit-dit," thus the name we gave her, for Morse code. She is pretty low in the pecking order.
The Silver Laced was bred in New York in the late 1800's. They are medium size with a rose comb and can be very broody.
Buffy Sentinel, our Buff Orpington.
She is not the leader of our flock, but she does take her post and stand
guard. You can almost see her taking a head count. I love her fluffy
appearance and very sweet disposition.
The Orpingtons
were named after the town of Orpington, England. They originated as a
hybrid breed by crossing Minorcas, Langshans and Plymouth Rocks. The
original colors of black, white, buff, blue and splash are recognized by
the American Standard. They are large birds, cold hardy, and very good
layers.
Della Barker. "Della" because she is a
Delaware, and "Barker" because, well, she barks! Della is
skiddish, doesn't want to be handled. She is either a very deep
sleeper or deaf; I'm still trying to determine which it is. She is slow to notice when the others move on.
The Delaware is a fairly new breed of chicken, originating in Delaware
(of course) in 1940 and is a cross between a New Hampshire Red and a
Barred Rock (who'd a thunk it?).
Henny Haha is our New Hampshire Red. She is a bit on the timid side with us but can hold her own with the flock. I have
the most difficulty getting photos of her because she is so timid and
camera shy. She is a silly girl, amusing us with her antics . . . thus her name.
New Hampshire Reds originated in New Hampshire (of course), and are a
relatively new breed (1935). They come from intensified selective
breeding of the Rhode Island Red for the purpose of early maturing and
egg production.
Lacey Morse, our Silver Laced Wyandotte. She's a bit of a nervous girl, and when she's flustered she makes a clucking that sounds like "dit-ditta-dit-dit," thus the name we gave her, for Morse code. She is pretty low in the pecking order.
