Shadow and Sugar are about six months old

Shadow and Sugar were about three months old when we got them at the end of the first week in September so they are about six months old now.

They now have their in between voices. They are no longer cheeping but haven’t got their grown up voices yet either. They started with a honky type of sound which has now altered into a sort of strangled sound. They have had this sound for quite a while now.

This process reminds of when boys voices break. In the chicken world the boys start crowing quite early but the girls voices can take a long time to transition. Shadow and Sugar’s sound is so distinct that we can recognise them by it and I can tell it’s them when they are in the the chicken shed at bedtime after the automatic door has closed.

Their faces and combs are getting more red. They have also started pecking and scratching at the pine shavings in the nest boxes and often throw the shavings out of the box.

I am guessing that they will probably start laying early next year.

Both girls have had their baby, partial, moult. Shadow now has less grey than she did to start with and Sugar has developed very fine brown marks. They are both beautiful girls.

They are also so friendly. They are the easiest girls to get close up photos of and they like to jump on me. Sugar especially likes to jump on me.

Sugar is often still out at bedtime after the automatic door has closed. She likes to jump on to my back which makes it difficult for me to reach her to put her on the perch so I now hold my arm out and she jumps to my arm.

Sometimes after I have perched her in the chicken shed she will launch herself from the perch to me and often lands on my head. I swear she would prefer to perch on my head than on the perch with the other girls.

This has become a bit of an evening ritual. It’s not ideal but I don’t seem to be able to stop her. Sugar waits for me to go out at dusk each evening and she calls for me as I go up the path to the run. She then launches herself at me and sometimes I have to put her back on the perch a few times and then quickly close the door.

At least she is easy to reach when she is on my head. I have actually become quite used to having a chicken on my head, there is never a dull moment with these girls! At least these girls are little and light and it is quite endearing in it’s funny way.