The last batch of baby chicks I ordered were delivered this past week. This time, it was seven Easter Eggers hens, who are known for having a variety of colored eggs. Come March, I will have white, cream, light brown, dark brown, baby blue, green, sage, pink and speckled. It is fun to walk out to the chicken pens, gather eggs and walk back inside the house with a basket filled with a rainbow of colors. Plus, it’s a level of self-sufficiency I enjoy, knowing my eggs come from my own birds and hard work.

I may not like the monthly feed bill or some of the chores that go with having chickens. Namely, I dislike the smell of wet chicken pens after several days of rain or being splattered in chicken crap. But, so far, the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks. I like waking to roosters crowing in the mornings. I like having my own birds and knowing how they have been raised. The more I read about chicken meat being shipped overseas to be processed and then sent back to the states, the more I like the idea of processing my own birds. I know how they were raised, what they were raised on and what has gone into their bodies. If not used for food … I also enjoy watching the personalities of the different chicken breeds.

My largest breed is Índio Gigante. They are all sharp angles and piercing eyes on three-foot bodies. Their long gangly legs make for some great entertainment when they run across the yard. They look like awkward relics; a throwback to velociraptors. In spite of their size, they are comical and ridiculously gentle. A small child could hold one. Not an aggressive bone in their body. They also harbor a deep love of cherry tomatoes.

My White Crested Black Polish are equally gentle. They look like punk rockers with big hairdos. Their crown feathers are so thick it makes them half blind. A very calm breed with a friendly personality. It’s another breed I would trust around children.

I’m also super fond of the White-Faced Black Spanish. They walk around with a posture that screams old world aristocrats. They are regal looking. They have a greenish-black feathering, and big white earlobe plumage. There is speculation that WFBS might have been the first breed of chicken brought to the United States. They have been around since at least the 1600’s. If you’re thinking about adding chickens to your flock, try this one. It’s on the “critical” list with The Livestock Conservancy. It’s hard to imagine some breeds actually disappearing but it happens. If you go online to The Livestock Conservancy they have a list of all donkeys, ducks, chickens, geese, goats, horses, pigs, rabbits, sheep and turkey breeds that are in danger of extinction.