We have four bantams who live in an Omlet Eglu, from which they escape (...somehow?) to wreak general havoc and mayhem on the garden. They came to live with us in the middle of 2010 as six week old chicks and quickly declared the garden their territory along with the kitchen whenever the door gets left open. We got them from the very nice and friendly Cheeky Pekins.

This is Daisy (full name Daisy Duke) or sometimes Little Duke. A Columbian Pekin Bantam who was top chook before a stubborn bout of broodiness upset the whole order*. She's small and fluffy with short little legs and a funny run. As a chick Daisy wasn't interested in treats but has since become completely obsessed by corn. Anytime the back door is opened she will sprint across the garden, clucking expectantly and will follow you all around the garden in the hope that something good will be dropped. She's also rather partial to a cuddle, although sometimes this can interrupt important Daisy business. She lets us know if that's the case.

This is Rosie or Miss Peckerson (read-on). Rosie is a lavender pekin bantam and can be a sweet little bird who will quite happily hop onto your knee to sit and preen. At other times she can be quite the little demon who seems bent on putting us at the bottom of the pecking order by giving fingers, feet, legs and anything else that gets too close a quick nip. Rosie has mellowed of late really is now a sweet little bird. Though she does have a history with corn on the cob and cheesecake.

Next is Willow our millefleur pekin bantam. A lovable little bird who is quite docile and was most assuredly bottom of the pecking order. She isn't now, maybe (?)* She has quite the cute little cluck when she wants some treats, is good friends with Rosie and can mostly be found shadowing her around the garden and sometimes even sitting with her when she's laying an egg.

And finally Maise Poot, our little sabelpoot bantam, a quite beautiful little bird who wants to do nothing but play in the garden and has the ability to make the most horrendous "several cats being strangled" noise when she's locked in the run and thinks she should be out. She's always on the move making it more than a little difficult to get pictures. As you'll see below, her feet are a blur. This probably means she was on her way to eat something. On occasions I've re-named her a sabel-pig due to the amount the little bird will eat.

* - The pecking order. It's hard to know exactly what is going on. Daisy was top chook, but since broodiness, somehow Willow the meekest little Pekin of all will now quite happily peck at Daisy and chase her away. But Maisie will if necessary see off Willow and Rosie, and Daisy will see off Maisie. So I give up, we'll leave them to squabble amongst themselves when the treats come out and they'll sort it out.
We have five big girls, or full size chickens if you'd prefer. Three are hybrids, two purebreeds. They all live in their palace (a walk in run) at the bottom of the garden which we bought for them in Spring 2011.

Wilma was once boss chook and is an old girl for a hybrid as she's over four and a half years old. Wilma is a Pepperpot, a Rhode Island Red crossed with a Maran and a Plymouth Rock. She's the original naughty chicken and has always been a ring leader for any mischief that goes on in the garden. She used to love to dig big holes everywhere and would in fact be frequently lost to sight as the hole got ever bigger. It's perhaps a wonder she never got herself stuck. She's a little old now and a lot more sedate. She's been very poorly on a number of occasions and was so ill on one day she couldn't even stand up. We felt sure we'd lose her, but somehow she's recovered and is now a happy Wilma chook again. She's a wily old bird. She may not be the quickest these days, but see knows how to make sure she gets her share (and more) of any treats that find their way into the palace.We do have a soft spot for the old girl. She seems able to get away with mischief the other birds would definitely get told off for.

Belle is a Bluebelle hybrid. Belle is a prim and proper chicken. She doesn't scrat too much because her feet might get dirty and she absolutely hates muddy ground. It is amusing to watch her tip toe through any muddy ground. She is obsessed with corn and will cluck huffily if any treats go into the run which don't include her favourite. Since we lost Ginger and Wilma has been poorly Belle is now number one bird in the coop. We're not entirely sure how, we've seen her peck the other birds and they generally don't seem to notice. She is however a quite massive bird and she'll simply barge the others out of the way if she wants to get at the feeders.

Pickle - the perennial bottom chook. She was named the day we got her. The older girls were absolutely outraged that new chickens had appeared in their garden (they bawked for two days solid). Pickle managed to escape from my grasp whilst putting her into the run and jumped down amongst the older girls and was promptly set upon. From day one she's been able to get herself into all sorts of pickles. We had to spray her with genetian violet (something that we frequently have to do) and she spent the next six months with a patch of purple feathers. She has a floppy comb and a wacky chicken hairdo and is just about as scatty and mad as a chicken can be. She has been known to wander along the top of fences and even the trellis (which stands even taller than me) and of course she'll generally get stuck and need help getting down as she's gone too high. Pickle has a perch in the palace which she loves to sit on, she is in fact the only big girl who bothers with it.

Mu-Shu Barnevelder is a recent addition to the flock. She's a hefty bird who loves to munch her food. Not surprisingly Mu-Shu has a particular love for corn. She has her eye on the top chook position, but Belle is having none of it. She's a naughty little sneak too, forever nipping out of the run door to dine on plants she knows she's not really supposed to be dining on. Mu-Shu has a habit of roosting in the hole to the nest box. It's useful if she goes to bed first as she's so big none of the other birds can sneak past.

And last of all is Marley Barnevelder. When she came to live with us she was a tail feather or two short and hasn't yet grown them back. Marley too is completely obsessed by corn and will get herself into a frenzy whenever the shed door gets opened. For a big bird, she does quite like a cuddle and happily sits for a little while. Not too long mind, there is after all digging to be done and worms to be found and no chicken can rest from chicken business for too long.

The ex-bats we haven't had too long and they don't yet have names. They'll be added soon though.

The birds no longer with us:

I'm leaving their little biographies as they were. It's my blog I can do what I want.

Ginger, sometimes called Gingernutter or Gingernut Ranger when she's being naughty is a Gingernut Ranger, a Rhode Island Red crossed with a Light Sussex. She too is over four years old and can be a cranky old bird when she doesn't get her way. She has a habit of trying to roost in the nest box and clucks huffily when she gets moved. Number two to Wilma she actually spends more time keeping the rest of the girls in line than the top chook does.

Sweetie (or Sweetie Pie) is around two and a half years old. When we first got her she came close to being re-named Atilla the Hen as she pecked and chased the other newbies incessantly. She soon settled down and now lives up to her name. She loves it when I get a spade, trowel or rake out and (very cutely, but quite annoyingly) stands as close to the spade as possible so she can get any worms that get dug up. She likes corn, but will always pick greens over anything else....

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https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/naughty-chickens.817275/

Nna men!dis chicken dem hench oo.

Their names should be Bukunmi, Aiyetoro, Gbenga and Pakurumo not all these funny english names.

Meanwhile ...........
Second to comment. TGIF