Amazing Chickens

My love affair with chickens began around 20 years ago when I saw some little bantams at a show. These daft little creatures really fascinate me and as my husband says ‘ Little head - Little brain but they are comical to watch.
Chickens used to be only kept by farmers and country dwellers but the fancy breeds are now to be found in city gardens as well. Their eggs range from dark reddish brown through pure white to a beautiful blue. The sizes range from monsters to dainty little bantam eggs.
Throw them some scraps or corn and they will scratch around in the garden for hours. I did once have some chickens rescued from a battery farm. When they reach 18 months old their egg production drops off and they are used for food. When I got them home and put them in the garden at first they were very timid as they had been kept in a tiny cage and their beaks cut to stop them from pecking themselves in boredom. Within a short while they were scratching about in the dirt clucking happily to themselves.
But my real favourites are bantams. Over the centuries chickens have been bred into an amazing variety of shapes , sizes, patterns , textures and colours. Some of the cockerels are vicious as they are descended from the fighting birds in the Far East but generally they are happy little birds.
This is a Polish White Crested Blue bantam and Polish have a mop type crest on their heads.

Frizzles have feathers that curl away from their bodies and this one is a Frizzle Polish

or how about these lovely little silkies in a variety of colours