I have been extremely busy this week because we had the big grand opening of the Elementary School Garden I helped install and because…
I GOT CHICKENS!
Can you believe it? I am so excited I could pop.
I have been wanting chickens for years and have spent the last year and a half researching, researching and researching some more about chickens. And this week I have them.
{High Fives all around!}
Let me introduce you to my "flock":
This is Gertie – named after one of my favorite gardeners, Gertrude Jekyll. She is an "Easter Egg" (Araucana) chicken and will lay green-blue eggs. I thought this was very appropriate because Gertrude Jekyll was known for her use of color in the garden.
My other little chick is a Barred Rock and she will lay brown eggs. I haven't decide what to name her yet. I have two names (both famous gardeners), but can't decide. I am waiting to see which name "fits".
The third chick (another Barred Rock) belongs to my sister and we don't have a name for her yet either. But she is just as cute as the other two, which means that I will hate to give her to my sister when we are done babysitting her!
I have one more chick coming…More on her when she arrives.
Catching some Z's…
About the Author
Theresa Loe blogs here about taking the garden full circle while striving for a more local, fresh-from-the-garden lifestyle. She is a TV producer, video host, freelance garden writer and a wrangler of chickens and children. (Not necessarily in that order.) For more information on these topics, you can subscribe to her free monthly newsletter.
Theresa Loe is the award- winning Co-Executive Producer & Canning Expert on Growing A Greener World TV. She blogs here about Living Homegrown®, local and fresh-from-the-garden. 
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
i have chicken envy! i just found your blog and love it. check mine out from the opposite side of the country. you might enjoy it!
Congratulations on being a chicken owner!!! You’ll have so much fun with them…and the fresh eggs are sooo delicious.
Ds#1 tells me that there are rarely true Araucanas (they’re from, if I recall him correctly, the jungles of South America). Most of the “Easter egg” chickens are mixed breeds and are known as Ameraucanas.
Oh, I just googled it (can’t ask son – he’s playing piano right now), and here’s what someone else had to say:
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGA/Arau/BRKAraucanas.html
There is so much to learn about chickens – and it’s all fascinating!
You are absolutely correct Teresa.
There are rearly true Araucanas. Even though most hatcheries and feed stores call them that, they are not “true”. Mine is really an Easter Egg which means they are really any combo. I won’t really know what she will look like until she feathers out. I only put Araucana (in parenthesis) because that is the closest that she will look like. But your son is correct…I can’t know for sure what she is! I guess that makes her a “mutt” in the chicken world. HA HA!
Thanks for the link.
Like I told you before…I will be email your son with questions if I get confused about all this chick stuff!
Thanks so much for all your support!
T
Hey Jaz-
Thanks for stopping by! Glad you like the blog.
T.
I think my son will be tickled to answer your questions.
If your budget allows for it, you might want to subscribe to Backyard Poultry…or, if your library is a good one, they might have it for you to borrow! We borrow the Farm Journal (I think that’s what it’s called) and Growing For Market (although we don’t actually grow for market…LOL!) from our library but they don’t have Backyard Poultry yet.
I just subscribed to that magazine! LOVE it. It has great articles and lots of resources in the ads.
Wonderful!! =)