Twelve Days Of Chickens...Talulah

For anyone just jumping into this, each of us is going to post views and insights about each chicken in our flock (2 people X  6 chickens =12).  Today is my post about Talulah.

At almost six months Talulah is a really beautiful chicken. When she starts laying eggs they will be dark brown or chocolate colored, (not chocolate covered as my granddaughters thought I said)! Right now she spends a lot of time checking out the egg boxes, either practicing or making sure they are up to her standards. She is very picky about the coop area also. We keep it filled with a lot of extra straw to help keep  out the cold. For some weird chicken reason she kicks the straw out into the run the minute we get the coop area filled and cozy. We go through this routine several times a day in - even on the coldest days. Yes, chickens can be weird. 

Eagle eye!

She and our Easter Egger are the two biggest chicks in the flock. We've decided that, although she may not be at the top of the pecking order, she's definitely head look-out or maybe Chief of Chicken Police. She's alert to anything in the sky or trees that might mean peril for the others. If she heads for cover so do the rest, immediately.

Welsummers' have a small comb, ear tufts and no wattle.  She's a beautiful chicken with gorgeous golden feathers across her shoulders (like a cape) that really reflect beautifully in the sun...and of course her super fluffy butt that you see more of than any other part of her!

Lazing in the sun.

 As I'm writing this post she is digging a hole to China for the purpose of a luxurious dust bath! Even in this cooler weather they will do anything for a dust bath. I guess Talulah and Raquel are the queens of the dust and not-to-muddy holes around here. Because of their colors they're both good at disappearing down into the ground. 

From this fluffy baby...

to this big girl!

A great gift on Christmas morning would to find an egg from a new layer, or two,  ...chocolate, blue or green!

Liz-

Twelve Days Of Chickens... Talulah

Tallulah was the most out going, aggressive chick from the first day we got her. She always had to know what was going on. She was the first to hop up on to the water bottle and look out at the world. First one to escape the brooder.

Another world!

 Hey you up there, make sure the temp is just right for us.

When we had to move them 
around she was one of the hardest to catch and made the loudest noise. The first to fly the in the coop-et.

She is a Welsummer but I think she is part Mogwai, more related to Stripes from the movie Gremlins. She doesn’t exactly transform into a small destructive evil monster, but sometimes close. Maybe a little more like her name sake, Talulah Bankhead. She has a deep chirp, flamboyant personality, and I am sure if we had a Roo, there would be romances.

As a teenager I didn't have my beautiful brown eyes yet.

 

You might say that she is at the top of the pecking order. For a time she bossed everyone around, pushing them out of the way for the first bite of food, the first out of the coop in the morning and first to try a new perch. Now at almost 6 months old, the other girls ignore her most of the time. However she still tries to have her beak in the everything going on.

New Ramp Inspector

The most drama now is when they roost. If someone is in her spot, she sticks her head between their legs and lifts up trying to push them off the perch. Some of the other girls are bigger and she sometimes has to settle for second chair. But the roosting hour is always entertaining...and loud, very loud!
 

Come a little closer, sweetie

She still comes up to the wire and gets in your face to stare you down. I guess she feels secure behind the hardware cloth.  She does not have a complete comb yet so she really has her Velociraptor look going on! But she's a sweet bird and would NEVER peck your eyes out.... 

I'm invisible behind this plant.

With all this said, I feel she replaces the rooster as the protector. The first sign of something not right, she seems to alert the team and they all run back to the coop. When they are free ranging the other girls are always in another world. Tallulah is always alert and keeps an eye on everything.

Life guard chair.

Harry-