Dainty Daisy

Backyard Poultry

Daisy in the Snow

I got three Buff Orpingtons with my second round of chicks almost three years ago. We named them Sunflower, Daisy, and Buttercup. They grew up together like triplets - all had identical golden yellow feathers and pointed combs. I will never know how Buttercup and Sunflower escaped while Daisy was lost during the mink incident. But the 'Buffy' trio had lost its leader.

Daisy was quite a character. I don't think I've ever had a hen so beautiful and yet so "chicken." You can see above what Daisy thought of the snow last year. The hen went this far and then seemed to decide its feet were stuck in the sea of cold white stuff!

The Other Side of the Fence

While Sunflower and Buttercup were both typically friendly and liked to be held, Daisy was the one to stand back and keep its feathers away from human hands. It would cluck loudly if we even touched it, and squirm while we held it. Daisy always had an air of pride in its step. But the hen was a bit mischievous too, like the picture above where it found a new method for getting a mouthful of fresh grass! (How it got that huge comb through the fence without nicking it, I don't know...)

Daisy

I always thought Daisy was the ideal portrait of a Buff Orpington, with its perfect red comb and lovely feathers. Because of its tall comb, Daisy was on the top of the little Buff Orpington trio's pecking order. (Maybe that's why its feathers stayed so beautiful.) It's been very difficult for Sunflower and Buttercup to adjust to life without their watchful Daisy.