Well It Seems....

Well it seems that I was wrong about who the boys were!

The silver grey chick which I thought was the girl is actually the budding rooster.

Having taken photos down to the place I purchase my chicken feed from I got a few lessons in identifying male and female chicks.

Firstly the males usually develop the combs first and they are usually very red.

Also I was shown how the roosters have pointy ends to their tail feathers.

The girls have rounded ones.

Fascinating!

I also learnt that roosters will not fight if raised together, so I should be able to keep Pluto as he has been named, as I was getting a tad frantic about where he would end up.

I said that I didn't really want to have anymore chicks but was worried about the rooster mating with his daughter, or sisters as the case may be, but apparently this isn't an issue. They explained that linebreeding is okay in the chicken world as long as it isn't done to excess.

Phew!

Me being me, I was worried about where these beautiful little beings would end up.

Would they be kept in bad conditions?

Would they be harmed or neglected?

Would they be eaten?

Lots of would they's.

The lovely men at the produce shop have stated that it would be perfectly okay to keep the family together.

Huge sigh of relief from me.

In all the years that I have had a rooster in with my hens it is only this year I have had chicks and although I find it such a beautiful experience to have new life in the garden, it does bring stresses with it.

So no more chicks, I feel that nine chickens is quite enough.

Little Pluto is a friendly boy, and I am getting him use to the occasional cuddle.

He will actually close his eyes and go to sleep while being cuddled.

His dad Aslan is a very calm and non aggressive rooster, so I am assuming that Pluto will be as calm as dad, Nova has passed on her quirky personality traits so the chicks are really comical to watch.

I have already witnessed little Pluto's caring side, which nearly made me cry.

One of the other hens was coming over to give the chicks a good peck, and Pluto stood up, stretched his body over his sisters and spread his wings out covering them from the other hen.

It was a moment of such beauty.

His protective instincts already so powerful.

So it is here these little ones will stay, to live their lives roaming free in the garden never having to worry about cruelty or neglect...........