Chicken additions and subtractions

Several updates to our chicken status:
1) All three of the original "golden girls" I bought last spring have now died (the 4th, another cockerel, was purchased by our neighbor).  No apparent cause of death; they simply looked "blah" and died shortly after.  Oh, one of the "golden girls" we had named Sandy ... and was a rooster.  Hubby talked me out of turning him into dumplins last year because he thought Sandy's antic were entertaining and he looked cool.  One thing I had noticed about the two white hens is that their legs were white instead of yellow, like the third white hen's legs.

2) Until just this afternoon, we had not gotten an egg since the end of August due to molt.  Pretty much everyone went into molt at the same time.  Egg laying stopped (so I took the opportunity to deworm everyone), chicken got fussy and cranky, and it truly looks like they have been having a pillow fight out there.  What is truly amusing is Feyd, the gold-laced Wyandotte rooster, who lost his last sickle feathers a couple days ago and about half his hackle feathers, strutting around and preening this morning when I attempted to get a picture of him.

Feyd the gold-laced Wyandotte rooster

Feyd, "such a beautiful boy!"

 3) Additions I bought this morning at the Barberville farm market: all four are pullets, with the Speckled Sussex being older than the other three, two of which are certainly Easter Eggers with the slate-colored legs.  No names for any of them just yet.

new girls: one speckled sussex, two easter eggers, one possible welsummer

another look at the new girls