We could all use a bit of levity in our lives right about now… so it felt like the perfect time to introduce our new chicks and tell you all about them! I’ve wanted to add to our flock of backyard chickens pretty much as soon as we got them. But I vowed that the next time I added, I would get chicks instead of pullets (which are like teenaged chickens). I wanted the experience of raising chickens from babies and handling them a lot so they are more tame. It’s definitely been an adventure, especially since the 6 baby chicks currently live in our house with us. That brings the total to 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 humans, and 6 chicks in 640 sqft. Keep reading to meet each one and find out their names!
Meet The Newest Members of Our Backyard Chickens Flock!
My birthday was a few weeks ago, but long before that, Sean promised that we could add to the flock as my gift. I researched a few different breeders and farmers locally. Ultimately, I chose Eastside Urban Farm & Garden Center in Olympia. We drove down there one day and picked up 6 new members to join our backyard flock… and it’s been the best thing ever. Truly, these tiny babies have brightened our days with their silly hi-jinx and adorable snuggles.
So, here are their names and a bit about each personality! In case you’re confused, I named all of our hens after figure skaters because they are fancy chickens. I never really figure skated or anything… I just thought it was funny. I definitely recommend watching my IGTV video to see the babies in action!
Tonya Harding, the Blue Laced Barnevelder
Ahhh, I hate to play favorites, but… I have to in this case! I waited about a week to name the chicks because I wanted to get to know them first. The Barnevelder chick is truly the sweetest and falls asleep in my palm… upside down. So I had to name her Tonya Harding, which was the name of our bantam who passed away last summer and who was my favorite. It felt fitting!
Tara Lipinski, the Blue Jersey Giant
I wanted a huge chicken for soooo long. While I really wanted a Brahma, it was hard to find one, so I opted for a blue jersey giant… and I’m so excited that I did. I named her Tara because she’s from Philly and that’s across the river from Jersey and that’s basically the same thing in my mind… that works right? This chick has been really sassy and is growing at a significantly faster rate than the others. I can’t wait to see how much bigger she gets!
Surya Bonaly, the Speckled Sussex
I had to kick off this list with the breed of chicken I am most excited about… and with the figure skater I have been SO READY to name a chicken after. Surya Bonaly is a freaking powerhouse skater. She’s the the only Olympic figure skater to land a backflip on only one blade, so I know I had to name a really cool chicken after her. I chose the Speckled Sussex because it’s the breed I am most excited about adding to our flock. She will grown up to be speckled with white, brown, and black feathers.
Peggy Flemming, the Black Astralorp
This is Sean’s chicken! Basically, we got to the farm supply store and the cages for the chicks had photos of what they’d look like once grown up. Sean saw the Astralorp and decided he wanted one! He loved that the black feathers have a greenish tint to them. I was happy he chose this one because Astralorps are consistent egg layers and super-friendly, chill birds. So far, she’s been really sweet and let’s Sean hold her frequently.
Sonja Henie, the Black Copper Maran
Is there a more perfect name for a chicken?? I think not. I am so excited to have added a copper maran to our flock because it means we’re going to get dark chocolate brown eggs. It’s going to be soooo pretty when we have so many different colors of eggs in our kitchen.
Fairchild Van Waldenberg, the Mottled Java
And lastly… this chick was named by Kate from Drinking with Chickens. She’s been after me for a while to name a chick after a character from Blades of Glory… so I finally did! So far, Fairchild is the loudest chick and screams all the time. It’s a good thing she’s cute… and will be moving outdoors in a few weeks.
So those are our 6 new babies for our backyard chickens flock!! What do you think?? I cannot wait until they grow up and get to join the rest of our ladies. Sean and I have been working really hard on building a new chicken yard for them, so expect to see that on the blog when it’s finished. Also, I am working on getting more chicken-related posts up for you guys… lemme know what you wanna see on the blog!
