Up to date portraits of the girls

For quite some time my son, Steve, has been saying that we should put the girls portraits on the side bar of my blog. I like the idea but have held off as the girls look so tatty from the feather pulling, especially Dotty with her bare head and neck. I wanted pictures of the girls looking pristine, fully feathered and beautiful, as they should look. This has meant a very long wait and may be quite a lot longer yet!

Steve said I should do it anyway as it’s part of their character and is how they truly are and he thinks it’s amusing! I can’t bring myself to though, so instead am going to put lots of up to date portraits here.

Amber face on

Amber has missing feathers from her neck at the front, giving her a slightly scruffy look. She is also missing the rounded top part of her comb furthest from her beak. The photo isn’t close enough to see this but she doesn’t like the camera too close. The rounded part of her comb got pecked off during the first battles of introducing the new girls. The bantys are vorwerks and Amber is the more feisty of the two.

Amber side on

Amber is a much more compact shape than Honey, a sort of tear drop shape. She is also smaller than Honey.

Honey side on

Honey has a longer body than Amber and a slightly humped back, before her tail.

Honey face on

Honey also had her comb pecked and it was quite ragged for a while. Her comb has healed completely though and now looks in good shape. It is red but the bright sunlight has made it look pink.

Honey face on again

Pepper side on

Pepper and Dotty are also completely different shapes. The farm I got them from had two breeding pairs of dominiques and I have always been convinced that Pepper and Dotty were from the different pairs. Dotty was much more similar in shape to Poppy who turned out to be a cockerel and had to be returned.

Pepper is also a sort of tear drop shape but much wider. She is broad across the beam and my husband often calls her “fatty”. Her feathers around her bottom are really tatty from the feather pulling but are at last regrowing.

She has a very different face to Dotty and even her comb is different. Pepper’s comb is more ridged and pointed at the end.

Dotty stretching up ready to jump on the big perch

Dotty’s comb is much smoother and flatter and her lobes are also bigger. She is taller than Pepper and is a much narrower shape. They even sound different. Pepper has a melancholy  voice whereas Dotty has a sing song, happy voice.

Dotty and Pepper on the big perch

This photo shows Pepper’s wider shape. The odd thing is that Dotty is greedier than Pepper and Pepper will delicately spend time breaking a grape down into tiny pieces whereas Dotty eats treats at speed so I think Pepper is just naturally a wider shape.

Bluebell face on

Bluebell is our only chalkhill blue so I have no one to compare her with. She also has missing neck feathers. She is a great digger and a lays a blue egg most days.

Bluebell side on

Pepper side on again

Pepper is top hen and she is a really stubborn character.

Dotty side on again

Dotty has such a lovely nature that it’s a great shame her bare neck spoils her looks. It’s not her fault either. I really hope that after their first end of summer molt her feathers will grow back in.

Another difference between these two girls is that Dotty’s tail is pointing upwards like Bluebell’s. Pepper’s tail is held horizontally just like the bantys.

Bluebell standing up straight

Bluebell and Pepper

At one time Dotty had a black spot on her beak and Pepper didn’t but now Pepper has a bigger black spot on her beak.

Bluebells floppy comb

Bluebell has a floppy comb and a loud voice. Pepper’s feathers have regrown around her bottom and it’s no longer bare.

They are all such individual characters and have their unique funny ways. Pepper and Dotty like to jump on my back whenever they can. Bluebell will only jump on me if I hold my arm out as a perch. I am not sure if the bantys will ever jump on me but they do now let me pick them up at bedtime with no protest and they curl their little toes round my fingers, which is really sweet. You can’t help but love these funny girls.