We’ve been planning to add to our flock for a little while. Much though we love our Ixworths, they’re handsome rather than pretty, and we fancied some, well, fancy fowl. And we thought that a small flock of bantams would have some grandchild appeal. But maybe that was just an excuse.
Anyway, we paid a visit to the very excellent and highly recommended Orchard Poultry. There we asked for advice and picked out a selection of beautiful and healthy bantams.
It’s always great fun to watch to see which one will emerge from the travel crate first …
… and the answer was the Silver Spangled Hamburg, who has turned out to be by far the most active and inquisitive of all of them.
This obviously gave the cockerel a bit of courage, and he joined her in the run. All the hens are pure breeds, but the boy is a Pekin/Marans cross. We think he’s a handsome fellow, nonetheless.
Then came the Silver Partridge Pekin, who’s a lovely little thing with her feathered feet, and the Chocolate Wyandotte. You can more or less see the pecking order emerging!
By now the Ixworths were utterly fascinated by the new arrivals, and had even abandoned their windfall apples to come and stare through the wire.
The last three birds were a bit shy, and remained resolutely in their crate. We had to take them out, and for good measure introduced them gently to the water and food. So in no particular order we have a White Silkie …
… a Smooth Chamois Poland …
and last but certainly not least a Frizzle Chamois Poland
We gave them one or two treats to welcome them to their new home, made sure that everyone knew where the feeder and drinker were placed, and as dusk fell, left them to their new home and a nice thick bed of woodchip.
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