Buffy was looking even more poorly than usual. She could stand upright, but had no strength in her legs: I went to help her move from one spot to another and she tipped over. This weakness prevented her from keeping herself tidy, as she doesn’t have the balance to groom herself. I picked her up and found two balls of manure stuck under her wings.

Buff Orpingtons, with their layers of feathers, hard on top and fluffy under, can hide such yuckiness. Along with that mess, Buffy has always had vent gleet, but lately I’ve also seen vile yellow/green/white liquid poo streaming out of her (a very bad sign.) It was time for a bath, and as long as she was getting cleaned up, I decided to make it a Spa Day.

First, I used scissors to cut off the manure, both what was stuck on her thighs and by her vent. I checked for lice and was surprised that there wasn’t an infestation, which shows that Buffy has been well enough to dust bathe.

Next, I set her in a tub of warm sudsy water and gently washed her bottom. I left her back alone, as that was clean enough. I cleaned her up as best I could.

Then I rinsed off the suds (the water in the hose was comfortably warm from the sun.)

Next came a soak in a warm epsom salt bath. Epsom salts have many curative powers, and soothe irritated skin.

Of course, a girl needs a pedicure at the spa. Because old hens don’t scratch vigorously in the dirt their nails don’t wear down. A trim once in awhile allows them to walk more easily. I use a dog nail clipper.

Then I patted her dry in a towel.

Blew her somewhat dry,

And put her on the lawn to let the sun finish the job.

During this cleanup, I was very concerned to see white bubbles in Buffy’s left eye.

Usually such foam in an eye is a sign of respiratory illness and can have dire consequences for the entire flock. But this is Buffy, who is on her tenth life. She was showing no signs of breathing difficulties, and the bubbles came and went. When in doubt, always isolate and observe. I put her in the sick coop,

where Buffy happily ate up an entire bowl of laying hen feed. Truly sick chickens don’t eat. And then she pooped big normal poops. And then she had a nice rest. By evening, the eyes looked clear and Buffy was (yet again) rejuvenated and joined her flock.

Buffy is one tenacious hen.

Here is the front view. How adorable is that face?!!!

Here’s another view of her delightfully quirky markings.

And the rear view! Her tail is the opposite of white cottontail. It looks more like a chunk of charcoal.

Here’s the story: I’ve been looking at that sad empty hutch all winter. The weather has warmed up. The chicks are now pullets. It was time. I had a few criteria: short, upright ears (best for outdoor bunnies), and friendly yet with lots of energy so as not to be intimidated by the goings-on of a hen yard and goat neighbors. I wanted a neutered bunny, so it would already be through that stress before moving into the hutch. And young, because I want her here a long time. I went onto Petfinder.com, and this one year-old mixed breed rabbit was at a shelter in Brockton, which is about a 45 minute drive from home.  The listing said “friendly and playful.” Spayed. I saw those ears and that stripe on her nose, and that was that. She was exactly as described on-line.

She’ll stay in the hutch for a couple of days to get a sense of home and surroundings. Then I’ll let her out into the yard without the chickens. Once I’m sure she’s comfortable and knows how to get in and out of the hutch, she’ll get to mingle with the flock.

So, now with this added information, keep sending the names!

There’s a bunny in the hutch!

More about her soon. Start thinking up names!

The Araucana is a old, purebred chicken from South America that lays blue eggs. They have short rump feathers and muffs on their cheeks. The Ameraucana is mixture of the Araucana and other breeds. They also have muffs, but some have fluffy beards, too. They have normal chicken tails. They have an infinite number of feather patterns and colors. They’re sometimes called Easter Eggers because their colorful eggs look dyed. Some lay blue eggs, but others have the brown egg gene, as well, and so lay a range, from olive to turquoise. You never know what you’re going to get when you order Ameraucanas from the hatchery. I got four in my box from McMurray. I’m keeping two.

Beatrix is a classic Ameraucana. She is gorgeous.

Beatrix has the loveliest caramel-colored feathers, with black lacings. Her muff is fluffy and sets off her attractive dark eyes. She’s also aloof, which is a typical Ameraucana trait. I hope that her eggs are as pretty as she is.

Her sister, Owly, is not typical at all. From early on as a chick, she looked ahead and she looked up. Here she is at two weeks. You can see how she got her name. Notice the flock behind her.

A few weeks later, here is Owly, again the forward one of the group.

And here she is two weeks ago. Looking up.

Owly is a clown. I really don’t care what color eggs she lays.

Cuckoo Marans lay dark brown eggs, the color of a Hershey’s bar. Despite the fact that the eggs don’t actually taste like chocolate, they’re very pretty, and a good enough reason to have a Cuckoo Marans in your small flock. But, I’m discovering that there’s an even better reason to put this chicken on your list of breeds to have one day – what a wonderful personality!

I’m keeping one Cuckoo Marans, (the other has gone to the nursing home) and I’ve named her Veronica, after a story-telling hippo in a favorite book. Like her namesake, she’s a talker. Veronica chatters in a low, bup-bup-bup voice. She follows me around, constantly commenting on her world. What I really like about this chicken is that she is calm and yet out-going. When the chicks were two weeks old she was one of the first to try the baby roost.

At a month old she ventured higher up the big girls’ roost than anyone else.

And now, at 2 1/2 month of age, she is confident and yet not bossy to others in the flock. Veronica is the only pullet not intimidated by Edwina and even eats near that Grande Dame hen. And yet I’ve never seen Veronica challenge Edwina or any other chicken. So, Veronica is proving, early on, to be a personable, even-keeled leader, something that all flocks (and societies) should have in their midst.