Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

I always amazes me that chicks know instinctively how to dust bathe

They are cute little fluffies ~ once had a chick dust bathe briefly in my palm & another used my lap towel for her bath! Ahhh, chickie memories & the missed camera shots!

3 Silkies pile-up inside an 11"x11" nestbox: Suzu trying to lay her egg while broodies Keiko & Mika want to be the 1st to steal the egg!

 

[Ponypoor]

I hurt my back again.......

Sigh.

Tax coming shortly.

I feel your misery

 

[Ponypoor]

They are cute little fluffies ~ once had a chick dust bathe briefly in my palm & another used my lap towel for her bath! Ahhh, chickie memories & the missed camera shots!

3 Silkies pile-up inside an 11"x11" nestbox: Suzu trying to lay her egg while broodies Keiko & Mika want to be the 1st to steal the egg!
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My wee Buff Orp chick used to try to make a nest in my hand

 

[notabitail]

I feel your misery

 

[Ponypoor]

Also exercise is your friend - no sitting around! Walk walk walk.

 

[notabitail]

Also exercise is your friend - no sitting around! Walk walk walk.

And tax too. I keep forgetting to get it off of back order.

 

[Ponypoor]

And tax too. I keep forgetting to get it off of back order.

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She’s a beauty

 

[Ponypoor]

I have no new photos as it is miserable weather here. And dark and dreary.

So here are a couple BFTP

January 2024

2 chicklets Betty and Bert

Momma and daughter, Dorothy and Penelope

 

[Sylvester017]

Ugh, here we go again. Rosie has to be at the dr at 2 this afternoon. She went to school yesterday morning with her ear "itching" inside. She came home in tears with a full blown ear ache, sore throat, coughing her head off and within a hour of being home spiked a fever of 101. Rosie does not ever get a fever when sick, and her normal temp is always around 97.6ish. For her, if I see 99 something I call it a low-grade fever and that happens once every few years.

I hate this time of year. It seems between October through January lately if she looks at someone sideways she gets sick. Every year I threaten yanking her out and home schooling her. At least today they were not doing anything in school, seniors were taking the ACT. I know she cannot go back tomorrow, and will probably be out the rest of the week. The 2nd 9 weeks just started last week. Thanks to her tooth incident and then getting Rhino not long after she had to play catch-up the first half of the grading period with 2 AP classes. She did it, but, it was not fun. Thank goodness that child is gifted in math, catching up in AP Pre-Cal was easy. AP Language was a bit of a struggle. Here we go again.

Honestly, the kids in schools are walking petri dishes for spreading flu ~ prayers for you both

 

[bgmathteach]

Cooper's hawks are common in our community. The Spring fledglings come around watching but w/ no flight space in our yard & brambly thorny Citrus & Pomegranate trees in the yard the hawks can't reasonably fly into or out of those particular trees. Lemon, Grapefruit, & Pomegranate trees look innocent but are densely leafed & have numerous nasty sharp thorns down every branch & budding twig ~ not conducive for perching or flying thru ~ a large bird like a Cooper's has never entered or perched on these trees in our small yard. However the hawks love the less dense leafed trees like Eucalyptus, Maple, or Magnolia trees in other yards or along highway landscapes.

When harvesting fruit or pruning our thorny trees they have torn up our hands & arms even w/thick long leather gloves. The base of all these trees are encircled with rabbit fencing to keep the hens from getting close to the trees yet they will hide behind the shady trees against the block wall apparently feeling safe to do so.
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The only time we've seen a Cooper's hawk on the ground is on the street clutching a sparrow in one claw while tearing off pieces w/ its beak only after catching the sparrow in mid-flight first.

Coopers are good fliers, but DO hunt 'close'

Hunting in a brush pile

Hunting Squirrels

Info on their life and hunting style

I truly suspect that the Coopers hawk in your area have found easier prey or are bothered by your presence or something else. It really doesn't seem like your set-up would preclude them from getting your Silkies if they were hungry enough.