Noise proves nothing. Often a hen who has merely laid an egg cackles as if she laid an asteroid. ~Mark Twain
We’ve named a puppy. We’ve named a cat. We’ve even named two horses and a dog. You all have been wonderful name pickers. With these dog names, you have me second guessing naming Frankie Frankie. Maybe I should have picked Jesse or Reggie, Prince or Banjo. Then again, Frankie seems to fit. For our white dog, you suggested several color appropriate names like Snowball of Ghost. I liked Lavon picking Elsie from the movie, Frozen and White Fang from Paula was a clever name. Mary’s Cameo was an imaginative take off on the color. Lola got a couple of votes.
Several of you thought Happy fit this white dog and you were so right. Especially in this picture. So let me tell you about our white dog buddy. First, none of you suggested her real name. Her owners, a couple who live down the road from us, named her Bunny. I wouldn’t have been surprised if one of you had suggested that name. Bunny is a Maremma sheepdog. (For more information about the breed here’s a link.)
I first met Bunny when she showed up in my yard. I didn’t know her people at the time, but I could tell she wasn’t a stray. Since she was very friendly and really liked Oscar who was still feeling fairly good when Bunny first started visiting, I was as happy to see her as she looked like she was to see Oscar and me. Luckily, she didn’t mind me checking her collar where I found a phone number. I called and reached her not very happy owner. What owner is happy when their dog has headed over the hill and ended up a mile or so from home? Not me for sure which is why Frankie rarely gets off that leash unless we are way over in the field where he won’t take off to a neighbor’s house.
But Bunny seemed to like escaping her yard and shirking her duty of guarding her owners’ hens. They have a chicken farm Clucky Hen Farm, and Bunny protects her chicken flock. The owner said she did a good job of that, keeping away the coyotes and raccoons and those hawks, but there for a while every few days she’d climb over her gate and come visit Oscar and me. She’d get here and have to lie down and rest a while. But she always looked really happy.
Maybe she needed a break from chickens. Maybe she was simply in love with Oscar. At any rate, I’d look outside and there would be Bunny. So I’d call her owners and they’d come over with a few treats, load Bunny up and take her home. But eventually, in spite of getting to be friends with us, they did get tired of Bunny escaping and managed to stop her climbing over that gate. Bunny decided to settle down and stick to business after that. Getting older probably helped or maybe Oscar being gone made the long run not worth it. Now I have to go visit her over there with her hens.
So those of you who thought Happy was the best name for her, you were absolutely right. She’s a happy dog guarding her hens.
The Final Pet to Name
I started to post another cat picture, but then I thought I’d end the game with something a little out of the ordinary since I’m guessing most of you have never had a pet hen. But I know you have great imaginations and will use them to come up with some great names for my hen. Well, it’s actually Bunny’s hen, but she’ll let us borrow it for my Name the Pet Game. Leave your suggestion in a comment and you’ll get an entry in my drawing for a couple of books. (Three winners will get their choice of one of my books and a grab bag book by a different Christian author.) Deadline to enter is midnight EST Saturday night, May 12, 2018, and you have to be at least 18 to enter.
When I was a kid, we had hens and now and again we’d name one of them. Hens can be pets with benefits since they might keep you in eggs for breakfast. As always, thanks for reading.
Have you ever had a pet chicken? Had hens at all?
Whether you have or not, what name do you suggest for the hen giving you the eye in the picture up top?
Comments 45
How about Henry Penny? Always liked that name for a pet chicken!
Sweetie is the name I’d choose.
I’ve never had pet chickens or any hens at all. I think old fashioned names like Lizzie or Sadie would do.
Laverne. My sister has a big dark brahma hen named Laverne. I love it.
I am going to say Vera. Our friends have chickens and their daughters name is Vera so that’s why I chose it. Reminds me of their family.
I concur w/Henny Penny!!! That’s what I would name her. But since that one has been used an alternative would be Gertie- short for Gertrude!!!
I think Clucker!!!
I’d probably name her Autumn or Miss Molly.
My brothers named our little black hen Mademoiselle and another hen Dalmatia, because she is white with black speckles.
Author
Pat & Robin – I knew we’d get some more Henny Penny names. That is just a good name for a hen which is why Chicken Little got that name. I’m with you though. I hope we don’t hear about the sky falling. They might be feeling like it is over there in Hawaii.
Lisa – Ruby is a good hen name. Not every name will fit a hen, but Ruby is one that works.
Margaret – And Gladys does too. So have you named any of the neighbor’s hens Gladys? If so, I’m thinking that hen is probably preening with such a good name.
Melanie – Gertrude works for a hen too. I called one of my characters in my Rosey Corner books Gerty. She wasn’t a hen. 🙂
Lucy – I’m guessing that Henrietta is a popular name among hens. It fits.
Lavon – You could be right about this hen being one that should be named Prissy. She did seem to like me taking her picture or maybe that’s one of those looks that says you better point that camera somewhere else. I just talked about how some people name their beef cows Sirloin and Burger in my answer to Charlene’s Dumplin suggestion. Farm people have a way of looking at things with wide open eyes.
Oh I like that name, Charlene! I never had chickens, but my grandparents and neighbors did. We had cattle and I gave them names that suited their purpose…T-Bone, Ribeye etc. So Dumplin sounds like a good name for a chicken. This one has a certain look to her, so Prissy might be a good name too.
I love my girls and name them all. I cry when they pass on. 😢 I think the hens name should be Henrietta.
Blessings!
No, I’ve never had any chickens, My first reaction is to name her Henny Penny & hope she doesn’t run around squawking ‘the sky is falling, the sky is falling!’ 🙂
I am going with Gertrude for the hen’s name but her closest friends call her Gertie.
Gladys
I’ve never had hens, pet or otherwise. My next door neighbor has quite a flock, so I talk to them through the fence now and then.
She looks like a Ruby to me
GOLDIE
HENNY PENNY
Penny as in Henny Penny from Chicken Little!
Author
Another chicken story coming to mind, Paula. The sky is falling! That is the right story, isn’t it? I’m guessing quite a few hens have been called Henny Penny over the years. Penny for short.
We currently have hens & a couple roosters. I love fresh eggs over store bought any day!
My suggestion is not at all original.
Little Red Hen
Author
Actually, I think Little Red Hen is using your imagination and remembering that determined hen that couldn’t get anybody to help her with that wheat. So she decided to do it herself! 🙂
Charlene Jones
May 9, 2018 at 10:00 pm
We had chickens when I was growing up, but they were not pets……they supplied us with eggs and good chicken and noodles. My suggestion for your pet hen is: DUMPLIN
Author
You sound like some people I know who have named their calves Sirloin and Burger. LOL. But this lady hen probably will never turn into Dumplings. So Dumplin is a cute name, Charlene. Our hens when I was growing up were like yours were. Egg providers and fryers when we raised chicks. But we did have a pet chicken now and again. At least I had a pet Banty rooster once.
We had chickens when I was growing up, but they were not pets……they supplied us with eggs and good chicken and noodles. My suggestion for your pet hen is: DUMPLIN