Breezy acres

Dottie d’Uccle

By CHELSEA GRASSE
Posted 2/9/22

For almost a decade, the only animals that lived on the farm were a few goats and one donkey, and somehow along the way we ended up with a rooster, which led to hens, some more chickens, and finally …

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Breezy acres

Dottie d’Uccle

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For almost a decade, the only animals that lived on the farm were a few goats and one donkey, and somehow along the way we ended up with a rooster, which led to hens, some more chickens, and finally ducks.

Just when we were thinking it would be fun to get the second group of chickens, mutual friends asked if we would be interested in taking some of their flock, because they were moving away. We met those friends at their farm, met the chickens, and then took a bunch of hens along with two roosters home. One of the more exotic chickens we had been lucky enough to bring home is a hen we call Dottie.

Dottie is an adult female mille fleur d’Uccle, and though small and sweet, she has a huge personality along with spunk and sass. A fun fact about her specific breed’s name is that mille fleur translates to “thousand flowers” and is also how our little hen got her name, with flower-like dots all over her feathers.

Dottie also has feathers on her outer feet that let us know when she is lurking in the barn, because when she walks, she slaps her feet down on the wood with a sound like the  one made by flip-flops.

She is easily recognizable, with her upright tail standing tall behind her, while all the other hens at the farm have less-distinct tail feathers.

Dottie has a loud voice, especially in the henhouse when it is time to collect eggs, and lets everyone know she is upset by squawking and clucking at us. But most of the time she is out and about, happily clucking and hopping around on the property, enjoying the day. She has been a pleasant addition to the small farm and always leaves a good impression on her visitors.

chickens, Breezy Acres, Dottie, mille fleur d'Uccle

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