When I was a little girl I used to love drawing for my bantam chickens and hanging my creations inside their shed. I have many fond childhood memories of chooks… and really wanted the same for my children. Plus I just love the thought that we can use their manure to fertilize our veggies and we can give them our veggie scraps to make delicious eggs for us! What a lovely cycle.

After many weeks of trawling poultry sites for the breeds I’m after (Orpingtons, Araucanas and Silkies)… I found a beautiful pearl coloured Araucana and a blue (dark grey) and buff Orpington! I’m very excited to finally have some tenants for our gorgeous chook shed! They are lovely birds.

The Araucana is a South American breed that lays blue eggs, so we’ve named her ZULI (Azul means blue in Spanish).

The Orpingtons are big and fluffy, beautiful plumage. Josh named the blue (charcoal) one ROBOT and we’ve called the buff one TARA, as in Taragon Chicken. I know, I know…. but my cousin’s chicken takes the cake… her kids called one of theirs ROAST!!!!

I just love listening to LAS CHICAS cooing and scratching around their enclosure. The boys want to just hang out all day. Poor Zuli (or Zules as Tomas calls her), gets chased around the pen by a very effectionate Tomas wanting cuddles!!

Soon you’ll be able to free range through all the orchard girls, as soon as Daz and I finish the fencing to stop you ripping up the veggies.