ORGANIC POULTRY From left to right: My Hamburgh, Spangles, Lulu the Langshan and Spare Spangles, another Hamburgh. Buffy the Silkie is hiding at the back.
M E A GAME N E H T Calling your chook Meryl Cheep, or Yolko Ono might be going too far for some, but there is plenty of fun and nostalgia to be had when naming your chooks, writes Jessamy Miller.
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“My current girls are Lizzie and Jane (Pride and Prejudice), Anne (of Green Gables) and Galadriel (Lord of the Rings).” Personally I like names ending in ‘y’ that roll off my tongue well, especially when I find the fowls pecking at my new seedlings: “Dolly, get out of there now!”
The fam-bam
Old-fashioned names suit chooks particularly well. Emma Weller from Yarragon South, Victoria, is an archivist, and fond of vintage appellations. “I started naming the girls after my great-aunts, Gloria, Bertha and Lorna,” Emma says. “If you have done the family tree, it’s fun to memorialise ancestors in the poultry flock. I ran out of relatives eventually and just went with a nana vibe. Don’t get too carried away with syllables though, or make sure there’s a handy nickname. You don’t want to be taking all day to call the chooks home.” Gender bending is more than acceptable so do think outside the binary; the girls really won’t care if you call them Henry or Hilda.
PHOTOS: JESSAMY MILLER
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here’s one minor warning I’d give when it comes to naming your chooks – think of the neighbours! It can be embarrassing calling out to your chooks at the top of your voice if you’ve given them particularly silly names. Having said that, naming your chooks can be a lot of fun and create lasting amusement. A good name suits their nature, vibes with the rest of the flock, and reflects your approach to life, be that artistic, practical or humorous (or all of these options!). I have kept so many chooks, coming up with new names is challenging, so I consulted my chookkeeping friends for advice. Fiona Scott-Norman, from Footscray, Victoria, is the author of This Chicken Life. “This is a big decision,” she says. “I wait for their personalities to emerge before deciding on a name. If you choose too early, and based on a physical trait, it might not suit later.” In contrast, our horticultural editor Penny Woodward goes for the literary touch and hopes her chooks grow into their characters. “I always name my chooks after book characters,” Penny says.
