Do the Funky Chicken

We have increased the flock. We've also reduced the flock, so the end numbers come out the same -- no, we didn't have chicken soup, we sent six chickens down the road to live at Foxwood, where hopefully the Fox that gives the place its name won't eat them like it did the last lot they had.

In their place, we have acquired six Ameraucana chickens. These are funky chickens indeed. One looks, as David describes, like a cross between a vulture and a pigeon. The rest look like a pheasant dropped over some dark night... All of them have magnificent tails. All have slate gray legs, minimal combs (described as Pea Combs), and fluffy faces framed by 'muffs and beards'.

This breed was developed in North America from the original Auracana chicken in South America -- Auracanas have no tails, and are one vertebrae short of a spine (David rather rudely comments that the birds we possess are one brain cell short of a pair, but let that pass)

Why on earth would we want one, let alone six, of these? Well, they lay coloured eggs. Yes, yes, we know... white is a colour. Brown is a colour. But these eggs range from an off white cream to a greeny blue tint. It's just the shell -- the egg is the same, but every now and then we find a green egg! It's like having Dr. Seuss living in the rafters...