Jocelyn Curry

In the last chapter of my chicken keeper's journal, I announced that one of my two blond chicks was a cockerel (young rooster). A few days later, it was apparent to me that they both were "little boys", so after having kept them for a month, and watching with intrigue and humor the day-to-day developments in the brooder box, I decided with some sadness to return them to the breeder and select another chick who was clearly a pullet (young hen). Our neighbors are wonderful, but they would not appreciate neighborhood life with roosters for never ending, out-of-control alarm clocks. By the age of six weeks, in the Ameraucana breed, the gender is usually, but not always, clearly defined.

Below is a sequence of photos with text. In the process of following along, you'll be introduced to Phoenix.

  To the right you can see the same little "roo" who was nearly crowing as he stood on top of the feeder in the photo in my previous post. Now back in a brooder with many other chicks his age, or younger, he looks as alert and curious as ever. After I took this photo of him, he hopped up onto the Dutch door, jumped down into the chicken yard, and went right up to a huge rooster and stood as tall as he could. Completely unintimidated!

On the left, the breeder selected two young pullets who were a few weeks older than my cockerels. The one he gave me (the one in his right hand) was very docile, and showed some signs of being chilled (it was the day after hot weather ended, and cool air had come in). He instructed me to keep heat on in the car, and to let him know how she fared. Naively, I trusted him.

When I returned home an hour later, it was apparent that this was a very sick chick. She couldn't stand up, and didn't respond to the peeping of Vita and Cinnamon, my two others. A very bad sign. Isolated in a second brooder box, she was carefully watched by me. In retrospect, I should have turned around and returned her immediately. Further, the breeder never should have released her to me. I won't be going back there. I do plan to buy a third healthy young pullet regardless of the outcome of the sick one. It's unlikely she will be fully returned to health, even if she does pull through.

The following day, I named her Phoenix. Whether she survives another day or not, she is giving it a valiant effort! She peeps greetings to me when I visit her to stroke her or coax her to eat and drink. She likely endured the ravages of a chicken disease called coccidiosis, and is now hovering in a greatly weakened state. There are tiny signs of improvement, but I still have a small box standing by, just in case.