And now for something French...

Mille Fleur translates "million flowers" and refers to the black and white polka dots these chickens will be covered with when full grown. Apparently the French for "polka dot" didn't sound as cool. The breed is actually Mille Fleur d'Uccle and it originates in Holland, I believe. They are known for their cheek beard/muffs and feathered feet.

You can really see Spot's beard coming in. He makes me think of an old Englishman with chops.

I like this pictures because he really looks like a rooster in it. Notice how high his tail sticks up and how vertical he holds his body. If the bright red comb and wattles weren't a clue, this would be a dead giveaway. Spot hasn't really started growing in his spots yet, but will ultimately have the black and white polka dots all over his back.

Spot is one of my favorites. He is quick to hop up in my lap and chirp like crazy. I figure he's giving his end of the day report. Spot has a definite military bearing. The mille fleurs are bantams, so he's one tough little guy. Spot does prefer ending his day nestled in my hand with me rubbing his little feathery head. He is quite rotten at this point.

Dot is his evil twin. The mille fleurs were bonus chickens the hatchery tossed in after the "Oops, we forgot to mail your chicks" fiasco. It's kind of fun that I ended up with both a hen and a rooster. You can see that her spots are starting to grow in along her back. You can also see the feathers on her legs. Spot's leg feathers are fuller. Dot is a bit daintier.

Nothing like cold watermelon on a warm afternoon!

Dot is one of the shyer chickens. She's the only one that pecks me deliberately and consistently. It's almost a guarantee that when I go to slide my hand under her to pick her up that she will give two very deliberate pecks to my hand. They aren't hard pecks, but she certainly gets her point across. The funny thing is that once she's in my lap, she is very relaxed and content to stay there. She likes to snuggle in and have her head rubbed. She just doesn't like being made to do it. Or anything for that matter!

I threw this shot in to show scale. Dot is a normal size bantam and Robin is a normal size standard. There is a definite size difference! It doesn't seem to matter to the bantams. They are generally right in the middle of whatever is going on.