The first day we moved to our farm we also went to a hatchery and bought 36 day-old chicks. They are heirloom breed hens and lay eggs in a variety of colors which we sell on the farm as “Rainbow Dozens”.
We love all our chickens. Each one of them has a unique personality. What we have found with our flocks is that each hen has a unique personality and role within the flock. Some of them tend to interact more with us than others. In the current flock the one who did that is Partridge. We call her “Partridge” because her breed is Partridge Cochin. Early on we also called her “Quinoa”.
Allow us to introduce you to Partridge – she is our “Hen of the Month” for January. She’s no ordinary hen; she captured our hearts with her sweet personality, her beautiful and fluffy feathers, and her contributions to our farm. In this blog article, we invite you to get to know Partridge, as we share her story, her daily adventures, and the special bond she has formed with our farm and its inhabitants.
From Smallest to Biggest
Partridge’s journey from an ordinary chick to our “Hen of the Month” has been a joy to watch.
She arrived at the farm as a day-old chick. In her first week she dealt with a condition known as “pasty butt” which can happen when poop becomes solid on a chick’s rear end. This condition is serious and if left untreated can kill a young chick. Fortunately the treatment is simple and easy; we made a soft towel with warm water (not too hot) and applied it to gently soften and loosen the poop. It’s important to not pull at the hard poop as that can pull the small feathers from the chick’s tender skin. Working carefully and patiently with the warm, wet towel, we were able to loosen and remove the poop. With the poop removed our dear little Partridge could return to her days as a young chick, eating and drinking with her other chick pals.
As Partridge grew, we grew in our understanding and appreciation for Partridge Cochin chickens. This breed grows slowly from very small to very large (for a chicken). For quite a long time our little Partridge was the smallest chick in the flock; today she is the largest hen we have. During this time she took to sitting on our son’s shoulder in an endearing way. When you see her today it is hard to imagine she was once so small.
Partridge is a beautiful hen. She also has the sweet personality that Cochin chickens are known for. The “partridge” in her breed name refers to the color of her feathers which feature a partridge-like pattern. Cochin chickens are a Livestock Conservancy breed. The Livestock Conservancy works to protect and save America’s endangered livestock and poultry breeds. We like the information they provide on their website about what Heritage Breeds are and why they are important. We found our way to raising Livestock Conservancy chickens by accident. When we chose the members of this first flock we happened to choose five Conservancy breeds. We plan to continue supporting these breeds and are committed to raising as many heritage breed chickens as possible so visitors to the farm can see and appreciate these fine chickens, as well as contribute to their survival through supporting our farm and buying the eggs from these hens.
The Cochin breed was imported to America before 1900 and is listed in the “Watch” category as of 2025. Cochins are large with an abundance of fluffy feathers. “From the side they resemble a heart-shaped fluff ball” (Livestock Conservancy website). They have feathered legs and feet, and are very cold-hardy. Summer heat is difficult for them so we take steps to ensure they have access to shade, fresh and cold water daily, and snacks like watermelon, fresh/frozen berries, and cucumber to provide nutrition and electrolytes.
Cochins are known for their docile, friendly personality. They also lay eggs more heavily during the cold, winter months. This trait really helps us ensure egg production year round.
Partridge’s Daily Adventures on the Farm
Each day brings new adventures for Partridge as she explores the farm. From sunrise to sunset, you may see her foraging for taste bits of clover, plantain, grasses, and more. A few times a week she’ll settle in the dirt for a dust bath to clean her feathers and remove mites.
Partridge Cochins lay a large brown egg four to six times each week. The brown is a medium brown and both our current Partridge Cochins lay eggs that are very smooth in texture. This smoothness is due in part to the breed and also the the type of feed we give along with daily access to oyster shell for calcium. We feed non-GMO and organic feeds together with healthy treats like dried and fresh worms, and fresh or frozen veggies and fruits. If you’ve never seen a chicken tear into a sliced zucchini then you have missed one of life’s special moments.
A Special Hen
The general recommendation you often hear from chicken keepers is to be cautious about getting too close to your hens, to avoid naming them, and the remember they are an “agricultural animal”.
We take a different approach with our flock and you may choose to do so as well. We hope meeting our flock and hearing about our approach to chicken care will support you with your chicken-keeping experts.
Many of our hens and roosters have names. We spend a lot of time with the birds each day so we can get to know each of them individually and be able to monitor their wellness.
We are very careful to protect our hens. One reason people often avoid getting close to their chickens is that chickens are a prey animal and as such there are a lot of beasts out their hoping for a chicken meal. Chicken predation is a real threat – from raccoons to foxes to hawks to minks. We try to be ever-vigilant for these predators. We work to understand their behaviors so we can protect our flocks. Our coops are designed to be secure like Fort Knox. Once the chickens are shut inside for the night we make it so that nothing can get in to eat them. During the day we do allow the chickens to free range. While this can mean some loss we feel it best suits their true nature and yields the greatest health for them as they can enjoy their true diet of foraged grasses and weeds together with small bugs and worms.
By protecting our hens we ensure longer life for them. They are huge contributors to the farm – through their manure which nourishes our soils, their foraging habits which help keep the grass mowed, and the nutritious eggs they lay for us daily. Keeping them alive as long as possible gives us and them a lot of benefits!
Once the farm is open to the public we look forward to sharing Partridge and the rest of her flock-mates with you. When you visit our farm or other farms remember to respect the chickens who live there. The farm is their whole world and we ask everyone to take care to keep it kind and safe for the birds. Never chase chickens or attempt to hold a chicken without guidance from the farm staff. Chasing can lead to hens that are stressed and will not lay or can even die. Holding chickens the incorrect way can harm them.
Thank you in advance for taking time to read this article, to learn about Partridge, and to gain some knowledge about chickens in general! We appreciate your support!
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