Meet what are fondly called "the black hens" on the farm. I call them farm originals because they are the only domesticated animals born on the property since we've owned it. The result of a cross between a Barred Rock hen and a Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster. The eggs were hatched by Essie the turkey after she broke all of her own eggs the spring of 2009. To this day they seem to have special relationship with her, and will be hanging out with the turkeys when none of the other chickens are.
While they look like neither of their parents, these two hens definitely inherited some of their father's personality. How can we tell? The Silver Laced Wyandotte rooster that was their father, Sparky II, was one of the meanest, most obnoxiuous roosters you could ever hope not to meet. When he was alive, it took 2 people to gather eggs . . . one to catch the rooster and hold him upside down, while the other person gathered the eggs. While these hens are not mean per se, they lack the docility of most of our other hens. I don't bother trying to take the eggs from the nest when they're near it, unless I want to have beak marks on my hand. And heaven forbid you should do anything to disturb them . . . they will walk around squawking and clucking loudly for a 1/2 hour for no good reason (I timed them once!). Their redeeming features: they are a beautiful irridescent black, and when in lay they regularly lay beautiful, well-shaped dark brown eggs. Besides, how could we ever get rid of the first critters born on our farm.
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