Ceci

   Ceci was always a little different than the other chickens. She is a Silver Speckled Hamburg.
When all the chicks had yellow legs, she had gray.

When the chickens grew up and they all had yellow eyes, she had dark brown.

   And then there was the tail. We didn't really know what to make of the tail at first. No one in our family had ever seen a tail like that on a chicken...

   She was also the smartest of our chickens. She was always finding a crevice in our fencing to wander the yard. She also loved to make "secret nests". Under sticks and leaves, under bushes, and once at least six eggs under the deck. (I say "at least" because we are not sure we were able to get all the eggs out when we discovered the nest. 'Sigh'.)

   Of course she had to lay them in the very back of the deck. I had to lie on my stomach with the longest-handled shovel I could find. 

   Although she was the most shy and flighty in our flock (she has been known to perch in trees and on the roof), I still loved her and always couldn't wait to see what she would do next. 

Our Chickens: How It Began

Our adventure with chickens began in 2010.

My Dad's work friend (I'll call her D) had a small flock and was interested in getting some chicks.  Fortunately for my family D asked us to raise them for her (my Dad was always talking to her about her chickens).  The original plan was to give them back once they grew up, but my whole family fell in love with the little puffballs and she let us keep them.

I am still so grateful for that.

So one day, D pulled into our driveway with chicks and supplies in tow.  She had brought a wire enclosure for the chicks to go outside in, so we set it up in our yard.

D then unlatched the door to a pet carrier and four of the cutest, fluffiest things I have ever seen peered through the door at the new world.

My sister and I quickly chose naming rights. I named the two yellow ones, she named the two black and white ones.

And so that is how Hazel (a Red Star), Sunny (a Buff Orpington), Julie (a Silver Laced Wyandotte), and Ceci (a Silver Speckled Hamburg) came into my life and changed it forever.

From left to right, Sunny, Hazel, Julie, and Ceci