Persistent Poppy

Backyard Poultry

Poppy

Poppy was one of the toughest chickens I've seen. It came with three other Golden Buff chicks in my second batch of chicks. As they grew up, Poppy not only landed on the bottom of the Golden Buffs' pecking order, but also ended up as the lowest chicken of the entire 24-bird flock. But that never seemed to hinder this chicken. Poppy became quick on its feet, ready to grab and peck and run to get a bite of whatever treat we offered. No matter a few missing feathers, Poppy never missed out on what the "top" hens got.

Now Who's On Top??

Once the third round of chicks came along, it was a different story. Poppy was sure to let them all know POPPY was on top. Here you can see the hen already sizing up the new Golden Buff chicks at only 6 weeks. I have to say those chicks look a bit intimidated! Thus, for the last year of its life, Poppy was resigned to wearing peepers (as in the first picture) to keep it from continually chasing down and pecking the younger hens. Poppy really could peck . . . it pecked me more than once (only when I was redirecting its aim at another chicken's head on the roost at night). Of course it didn't hurt me, but I wouldn't want to be a chicken within reach.

Evening Snack

I love this picture of Poppy nibbling on grass seed in the evening light. They liked to roam the field of tall grass beside their pen when I let them out in the late afternoon. Poppy could always find something good to eat, whether it was loose paint on the chicken coop, insulation revealed under the siding on our house, or scratch from my hand. Even though I've now had twelve Golden Buff hens, I can see a different "personality" in each one. Poppy's was certainly a shining star.