Twelve days of chickens...Carmen

And the final post of the Twelve Days Of Chickens!

Carmen Miranda, our Polish Crested, has been the star of the flock since the beginning. Referred to as Big Bird, “the Blonde” or a character from Dr. Seuss. Her personality is as different as her looks.

 

  She lives in her own world when free grazing, focused on finding a bug or worm. I really believe her eyesight blocks most of her view and she has tunnel vision.

  She stays with the group to a point when they first go out but, she will venture out from the group to investigate something new. With limited vision, she is not as alert as the others.

From the time she was a chick, she also had a very distinctive chirp. Now as a grown-up girl, she makes this horrible noise that sounds like a TV dinosaur call. I hear it when we haven’t been out to take them a treat. But sometimes she just stops in the middle of yard and makes it. I thought it may be a warning sound but the others look up for a second then seem to say whatever and go back to what they were doing. 

 

  We heard stories that other chicks in a flock will pick on the Polish hens. This was true when she was little, mainly pushing her out of the way for food. Now, grown up, Carmen seems to be holding her own and is more aggressive by pecking back if someone bothers her. She has appeared to earn some respect from the others.

Don't like this white stuff - please move it!

  
We celebrate today because she laid her first egg. She had started doing the squat when we got close the past few days, just like the other girls before they started laying. This afternoon I checked the nesting box and found her in there for the first time. Shortly afterwards there was an egg, small but beautiful.

....Harry