Perky Pepper

Backyard Poultry

Peppy

And now we come to the last chicken recently lost, Pepper the Barred Rock. I don't know of any chicken that's been through more than Pepper in its short life. The hen was unwillingly involved as the test chicken for a number of our inventions--chicken bonnets, leashes, and saddles to name a few. I remember our first year, Pepper caught its foot under the chicken run, and we tried to bandage it! What's more, Pepper started on the very bottom of the pecking order (the "scared chicken" with the bald head) and rose to the very queen of the flock. The 20-some new chickens I've added did help to increase the Barred Rock's seniority. As a result, Pepper then had to wear peepers on and off through the rest of its life. 

Barred Rock 'Twins'

As I explained in my last post, I collected six Barred Plymouth Rocks over the last four years, and just lost the last two. Pepper was the very last chicken I had from my very first batch of chicks. It lived the entire four years of my flock. Over the last year, Pepper became very close to its younger Barred Rock friend Velvet, and they often hung out together. They seemed like twin chickens, even though Velvet was a year younger.

Goodbye, Pepper

I always loved to hold Pepper, and even to hear its indignant clucks and squeals of protest! Pepper was always making some kind of noise, sometimes even calling the other hens over to some treat like a rooster. I loved its cute wavy little comb, and perfect pepper-and-salt feather pattern. I never got tired of watching little Peppy, as we fondly nicknamed Pepper. My flock will never be the same without this faithful hen.