Amelia

namesake: Amelia Earhardt

Amelia is the Head Chicken in Charge.  Despite being the smallest of the flock, she's at the top of the pecking order.  She's no dummy, either.  She's figured out that when Mom is digging, there are sure to be worms and grubs -- and she makes sure she's there to get them.

Rosa

namesake: Rosa Parks

Sadly, Rosa passed away this summer, of unknown causes.  She lived a long, full life, and will be missed, especially by her bestie,  Amelia, whom she never failed to protect from over-exuberant roosters.  Rosa was always the first one to come running when she thought there might be treats involved.  Which was hilarious, because she was easily the plumpest of the flock and so her run was really a waddle that had as much side-to-side movement as it did forward direction.

Caesar

namesake: it's complicated...

Caesar  was supposed to be a she, but as the hatchery warns, sexing day-old chicks isn't 100% accurate.  He's turned out to be a gentle soul, as roosters go, though every once in a while he gets all full of himself and puts on a big show...for a hot second.

Alice

namesake: Alice Waters

Alice was named for Alice Waters, founder of Chez Panisse restaurant and pioneer of the local food movement.  We were deeply saddened when, earlier this year, it became clear that Alice was battling some kind of illness or disability.  We had to separate her from the rest of the flock when they started to pick on her, and as a result she became even more bonded to us.  We brought her to the vet multiple times and nursed her for quite a while, often bringing her indoors, before it became clear it was time to let her go.  We miss her acutely; she was a constant presence in the gardens and fields and one of the sweetest chickens we've ever known.

Lindy

Namesake: Rosalind Franklin

Lindy was named after one of the co-discoverers of the structure of DNA.  Lindy the chicken has shown no aptitude or interest in science, however, and instead is determined to raise as many baby chicks as she can, whether they're from her eggs or one of the other chickens.

Taylor

namesake: Taylor Swift

Taylor was Lindy's first chick, though Alice was probably her biological mom.  Lindy is a bit of a loner, probably because she was raised as a single chick.  She lays beautiful, pale green eggs.  Unfortunately, she lays them in hiding spots all over the property.  It's like having an Easter egg hunt every day!

Princess

namesake: Princess Diana

Princess is another one of Lindy's chicks.  She and her brother, R.J. (aka Rooster Junior) used to hang out together all the time, until R.J. started picking fights with Caesar and thus had to re-homed (he's doing fine; we get videos occasionally from his new owner, showing him happily leading his new flock).

no name (yet)

Lindy's most recent chick was a male.  So far he and Caesar have been getting along, but if that changes than this handsome youngster will have to find another home.  When he was a chick, this guy had TWO moms.  For reasons unknown to us, Amelia decided that she wanted to help raise him, and so she, Lindy, and the baby were an inseparable threesome until this little rooster was all grown up.