Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Oh no! Is the plan to stay there all night? Truly is so lucky to have you.

She stopped trying to roll, started to eat so that’s a good sign.

I have cameras I can watch her with at the house. And today I’ll give her more pain meds and some anti-gazz, which is Ducosate Sodium - it’s an emoliant helps break up any stools that are clumped in there and also helps with reducing gassiness.

 

[RoyalChick]

Truly update

Well we walk a bit stood a bit then she started getting interested in her hay, so she is now in her stall and i am back at the house.

I will set my clock for an hour from now to check on her. But she has her face in the hay net as usual.

View attachment 3773253

Oi boy, these animals are going to give me grey hair! At least the chooks are good - knock on wood!!!

I hope she is OK. Such a worry!

 

[RoyalChick]

Hmm, one of my bags of feed is running low so I need something new. Update us on what the princesses think of this bag! Maybe I’ll go this same route since I’d like to up the protein count around here.
I sure like that they use the (oft used) tag line “all natural”, even though I can’t pronounce most of the ingredients. I wonder if it’s the spent brewers corn that smell delicious!

So far I only put it in one of the feeders - the other two still have some of the old stuff and I want to wash one of them before refilling.
Babs sampled the new stuff several times during the day and she and Bernie chowed down together before going to bed.
I don’t think anyone else has tried it yet, but then nobody ate much feed because they stuffed themselves with artemesia and pill bugs from a rock I rolled over!

 

[RoyalChick]

I checked the camera to see if moving Babs off the heater mounting bar had worked, and she stayed down on the roost all night. Today I will clean the massive mess she made on the window and see if I can tape some paper up to block access.
What struck me about the photo though is that it is a good shot of how big Bernie is. Bernie and Sylvie are standing together at the far left. Similar pose but Bernie is so much bigger!

 

[bgmathteach]

Chooks are also sleeping - why they all insist on cramming together I don’t know,..

It's the way of the chicken. Protects them when they are most vulnerable - at night, stationary & half asleep. Safety in numbers, my dear, safety in numbers.

Ever notice, with a big group like that - the head hen is rarely on the outside of the group (or, if on an 'end', it is an 'end' that is against a wall, and hence deemed 'safe' )

 

[rural mouse]

Yesterday morning, I was about to leave for work when Sherlock barked in the house. I started to yell at him when the chickens lit up. I went out the door. Rounded the corner to see the fox in hot pursuit of one of the girls (didn't stop to not which beyond she was orange) I yelled, he whipped about and was over the side of the hill in an eye blink. I went after. He stopped just inside the horse pasture to watch me. (If I'd gone back in for a rifle, he'd have been back up and grabbing someone before I got back out the door. I skipped that and headed down the hill (he's running so not starving, rabid, protecting babies, or cornered, so safe bet, "he" because mate is likely at the den nursing pups this time of year). About halfway across the pasture, I'm thinking about going back for a rifle while looking around for the horses. They're the greys below my place and I haven't seen them in the half light of just before sunrise. Then they moved. The cheeky bugger is right between them. Lost him when he dropped into the creek bed, so headed back to let the family know....while keeping an wye out behind me.....and he's attempting to sneak back behind me. He hangs back while I'm climbing the hillside, so I slipped in the closest door, notified DH, ran upstairs just in time to catch the youngest coming back form putting Sherlock out on the lead. He thought I'd already left for work and Sherlock was more interested in the chickens than finding what he'd barked at (understandable as we were both out in the pasture by then). We all went back out on the deck. By this time light was behind , making the fox a dark shadow in the pasture. DH said it's awfully big for a fox (I saw the white tip clearly in the yard when I first went out). He thought it was almost as big as Sherlock. It eventually started moving off, so they went back in. I stayed there until I saw it moving up the pasture for the horses in the barn across the alfalfa field across the creek valley. It had decided on breakfast hunting elsewhere...for the moment. It's a fair bet that Thing's and Jessica's disappearances can be attributed to him.

Was almost late for work. As I got to work, I realized that while we don't have a 22 rifle (a safer shot with all the angles around my place than the heavier calibers we do have) my FIL does have at least 1. Sent him a text asking if we could borrow one for awhile. Answer came back yes.

After work, I sent a text to the neighbor who's pasture I invaded this morning and headed to FIL'S to pick up the rifle. Neighbor texted back while I was on the road: seen the fox last week. Had him in crosshairs but couldn't shoot as another neighbor's cows were in the background.

Spent an hour or so with FIL talking. He's starting seedlings for MIL'S beloved garden and feeding her chickens even though he's not fond of either. He's been going through papers, finding some surprises. Haven't been able to go through her cedar chest yet. I told him it's OK. If he doesn't touch that for a couple of years yet, it's fine. We laughed over the grow light not working (got it working) and over the heeler following him into the pantry room and getting shut in....for 2 hours....while FIL is calling him and out looking for him...and not making a sound. He greetet the opening door with a happy tail wag and a look of what took you so long?

Brought home a 22 for varmint shooting. Everyone was present in the coop, and half asleep. Sherlock's evening run was all over the hillside the fox used. We even lost one of Sherlock's rubber balls on it.

Birds tax from MIL'S flock

The trio center back are all Cheetah's daughters. Front of the 3 is Nellie's (other one of those just off camera to the left). The 2 behind are Thing's. The black split to mottled can evidently pop through. The mottled one had 2 white feathers on one shoulder last summer. Last fall's moult grew back in as fully mottled.

 

[RoyalChick]

It's the way of the chicken. Protects them when they are most vulnerable - at night, stationary & half asleep. Safety in numbers, my dear, safety in numbers.

Ever notice, with a big group like that - the head hen is rarely on the outside of the group (or, if on an 'end', it is an 'end' that is against a wall, and hence deemed 'safe' )

Yes indeed. My first Princesses fought hard for the end by the wall. I have been surprised how easily Bernie has let Tassels/Calypso sleep up against the wall. She certainly has not ceded top spot (though she needs to keep an eye on Tassels), but seems relaxed about roosting.

 

[RoyalChick]

Yesterday morning, I was about to leave for work when Sherlock barked in the house. I started to yell at him when the chickens lit up. I went out the door. Rounded the corner to see the fox in hot pursuit of one of the girls (didn't stop to not which beyond she was orange) I yelled, he whipped about and was over the side of the hill in an eye blink. I went after. He stopped just inside the horse pasture to watch me. (If I'd gone back in for a rifle, he'd have been back up and grabbing someone before I got back out the door. I skipped that and headed down the hill (he's running so not starving, rabid, protecting babies, or cornered, so safe bet, "he" because mate is likely at the den nursing pups this time of year). About halfway across the pasture, I'm thinking about going back for a rifle while looking around for the horses. They're the greys below my place and I haven't seen them in the half light of just before sunrise. Then they moved. The cheeky bugger is right between them. Lost him when he dropped into the creek bed, so headed back to let the family know....while keeping an wye out behind me.....and he's attempting to sneak back behind me. He hangs back while I'm climbing the hillside, so I slipped in the closest door, notified DH, ran upstairs just in time to catch the youngest coming back form putting Sherlock out on the lead. He thought I'd already left for work and Sherlock was more interested in the chickens than finding what he'd barked at (understandable as we were both out in the pasture by then). We all went back out on the deck. By this time light was behind , making the fox a dark shadow in the pasture. DH said it's awfully big for a fox (I saw the white tip clearly in the yard when I first went out). He thought it was almost as big as Sherlock. It eventually started moving off, so they went back in. I stayed there until I saw it moving up the pasture for the horses in the barn across the alfalfa field across the creek valley. It had decided on breakfast hunting elsewhere...for the moment. It's a fair bet that Thing's and Jessica's disappearances can be attributed to him.

Was almost late for work. As I got to work, I realized that while we don't have a 22 rifle (a safer shot with all the angles around my place than the heavier calibers we do have) my FIL does have at least 1. Sent him a text asking if we could borrow one for awhile. Answer came back yes.

After work, I sent a text to the neighbor who's pasture I invaded this morning and headed to FIL'S to pick up the rifle. Neighbor texted back while I was on the road: seen the fox last week. Had him in crosshairs but couldn't shoot as another neighbor's cows were in the background.

Spent an hour or so with FIL talking. He's starting seedlings for MIL'S beloved garden and feeding her chickens even though he's not fond of either. He's been going through papers, finding some surprises. Haven't been able to go through her cedar chest yet. I told him it's OK. If he doesn't touch that for a couple of years yet, it's fine. We laughed over the grow light not working (got it working) and over the heeler following him into the pantry room and getting shut in....for 2 hours....while FIL is calling him and out looking for him...and not making a sound. He greetet the opening door with a happy tail wag and a look of what took you so long?

Brought home a 22 for varmint shooting. Everyone was present in the coop, and half asleep. Sherlock's evening run was all over the hillside the fox used. We even lost one of Sherlock's rubber balls on it.

Birds tax from MIL'S flockView attachment 3773416The trio center back are all Cheetah's daughters. Front of the 3 is Nellie's (other one of those just off camera to the left). The 2 behind are Thing's. The black split to mottled can evidently pop through. The mottled one had 2 white feathers on one shoulder last summer. Last fall's moult grew back in as fully mottled.

Oh Lord my heart was racing reading that!
But wait. Did I miss something? You lost Jessica and Thing? How did I miss such a tragedy. I am so sorry!

Damn fox.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

It seemed like one of your cats - all fluffy with very long hair and tufted ears. (No bobbed tail, though, so not a 'bob' cat, So, I'm not sure )

Until I saw people saying it was a cat, I actually thought it was a coyote or fox… I’m kinda slow

 

[BY Bob]

Well she got the last laugh today because she got special treats that nobody else got because they chased her and she hid in the inside of the Chicken Palace and I happened to wander by with some cheese.

I am sure this is one of the reasons that Phyllis follows me whenever I'm outside. She got lots of worms etc. When she was the one cast out.