Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[SimpleJenn]

Yeah we have a family friend with a farm, he had a catalog we could choose from. It had maybe ten breeds, this is rural Michigan in the 1990s. No Marans or anything like that! Mom says the california whites back then look like white cornish today. Not the crosses, the pure breed. Maybe they were part cornish?
My bestie raised pigs, goats, and a cow every year. I have the space to now, but my chronic illnesses keep me close to the house, especially when it's hot out. I'd love to grow our own meat and make a ton of jerky! I'm going to can tomato sauce this year, as much as I can make!

 

[knoturavggrl]

Shenron will be 10 in December, which is considered old. The average lifespan is 8-10 years with 12 being exceptional. My last beardie died at 4 from being egg bound, she was a paralyzed rescue and couldn't lay.

I want to avoid any birds labeled "meat" and only have dual purposes. If I get straight run chicks I can keep the nicest boy regardless of his size. Hubby says he wants a bearded d'uccle or an ayam cemani/svart hona. He wants that freaky black chicken meat haha.

I have heard good things about Bresse. They are excellent meat birds and they can reproduce themselves just fine. Just to give you another possibility you may not have considered yet.

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

WHERE have you been mister!? You were at the mechanic? Yes, I've been standing in front of the door since 8 AM. I was awake the whole time you woke up. I felt something move on the bed, then I saw you stand up and leave. It's past 4 PM and I want to know WHY you've been at the mechanic for 7 hours!? You should probably learn to fix the Expedition yourself, or maybe consider getting a new one if all else fails. It's a 2003 Eddie Bauer. We're past that. How come my other owner has that souped up F150? You pot-bellied self just can't get a grip on new cars. Oh, you aren't pot-bellied? How do you explain the hot dogs and apple pie from 3 days ago? Point is, we are going to the dealership to get a new car, you hear me? There's no need to wake up at 5 AM just to go see the mechanic. Unless the mechanic was doing some show. You don't want a new car? Sir, how many times have I been in that car and caused a ruckus? The last thing you want is a very dirty car. Sure, I'll miss it, but please, I can help you.
This is not a closeup. This is me waiting at the door. Your punishment for leaving so early just to see a mechanic run in circles is that melon slice that is covered in dirt and I pecked all the red. No watermelon for you!

 

[notabitail]

The thing about DIY swamp coolers that scares me is water near electric current if you don't understand how dangerous that can be -- if you have electricity training that's ok but if not it looks unsafe.

I'll take a manufactured safety piece of equipt over a DIY project but that's just me. We never put water and electricity together near our chickens just to be safe. If we ever did it would be safely manufactured mechanisms like @Ponypoor has set up.

Unfortunately for us our summers are too unbearably humid to use swamp coolers. A cool slow stream of sprinkler water under canopy shade is our chickens' favorite to play in.

Here we have homemade swamp coolers. Relatively safe as far as I'm concerned with proper precautions to ensure the plugs don't get wet (they're long enough to stay dry).

 

[notabitail]

Thursday evening I agreed to help Rosie clean out Russ's stall. I get out there and my Branch let me know he wanted to sit in my lap and held. So I did. I held my little buddy for 30 minutes while Rosie did the stall herself complaining the entire time. She was playing music, and me and Branch both criticized her song choices and her stall cleaning. Once it got almost dark as she was finishing up Branch hopped down and put himself in the coop for the night. I have held fast to that memory this afternoon and evening while I was working at the concession during the horse show. I could not fall to pieces. I am home now, and I am shattered. I had my first hawk attack this morning. My buddy, my best friend, my tv watching Monkey Man was the one taken. It killed me when I lost Drumstick, but this, this hurts worse. Through my tears I am staring at 6 little Branchlets. Please, please let one of these be a boy. I do not think I have prayed so hard for a rooster chick ever.

Rest in peace Branch. The last 2 months you have been stand offish since you have taken over the brunt of rooster duties now that Bubba has slowed down. Thank you, thank you for chest bumping my leg Thursday evening in your way of telling me you wanted picked up.

My Monkey man Branch
5-15-2021-7-6-2024
View attachment 3884243View attachment 3884247

 

[rural mouse]

They are gorgeous kitties. But I fear that the opportunity to rehome them is past, cats seldom lose their feral behaviour if they are not socialized as kittens before 4 weeks.

Cats are truly a wild beast living with us Hoomans.

I tamed a feral kitty at almost a year old. She stayed an outside kitty but would come when we called, snuggle with us, moved 3 times with us and put up with the puppy when he joined the family a couple of years later.

 

[rural mouse]

No Branch!
I'm sorry for your loss @RebeccaBoyd
View attachment 3884510
In positive news: new coop is ordered. It arrives Friday and we will be assembling it, doing security modifications, and moving the broody hens over. Saturday morning I am going to a farm swap to HOPEFULLY get two polish chicks, and up to four others. If polish chicken lady isn't sold out. She wouldn't let me reserve them in advance even though I offered to pay extra.
Hubby said to get straight run chicks and if we have more than one male we will eat the extra. This is my extra early anniversary gift this year haha.
View attachment 3884497
Shep is contemplating going broody but she is having egg issues so hopefully she commits and gets the egg factory turned off for a bit. She still has that bald patch under her cloaca, but it seems smaller??? Like she isn't as swollen as before. Samara and Morinth are of course broody.
View attachment 3884499
This is the third time this year for Morinth. But this time I get to give her babies.
I of course have both a lamp and plate to brood if something goes wrong.
My chick wishlist is "pompom" for the kiddo
Blue laced wyandotte (any laced wyandotte really)
Americana with the poofy cheekers
Barred rock
And mayyyybe a brahma or orpington. They're so big I'm worried about space. Kiddo said Jersey Giant but...probably not haha.
My main run is 10x20, the side extension is 3x5, that gives me 215 of run space not counting the part in the current coop where the feeding station is. I'm doubling my nest boxes and roost space so I feel doubling the chickens is still fair and gives them more than 10² feet each of run.

I've had jersey giants. If the opportunity to get more ever arises, I will snap them up in a heartbeat. Calm, unflappable, stately, alert, and oh so sweet, roosters included

 

[rural mouse]

I would get Bielefelders (I asked my Vet how to pronounce that Bee-lay-felder, he is from Germany), they are a duel purpose bird and are beautiful.

Or even Brahmas, again dual purpose, and decent egg layers and gorgeous.

Though those two breed are still way too heaven even for the midnight majesty Marans I would say.

Oh gosh! I forgot to say; speaking of MM Marans, this morning I came out to feed and I heard this squeaky crow and my heart sunk - oh Shirley! I was going to bawl.

Then I looked in there and saw Mr LC duh! Of course! About time he started crowing. So there is still hope for Shirley.

Anywhoooo back to the meat birds - if I had a way to process them I would get a dozen of so Bielefelder Roos to raise for meat - sure they take longer to grow but I bet the meat is better for that. I hear Marans are also a dual purpose - anyone else hear this? They are rather uncommon here.

Any dual purpose can be a meat bird. However, some breeds mature faster/reach full size faster than others. Cochins (standard size), brahmas, and jersey giants all reach point of lay later than most of the other breeds. They also don't stop growing until between a year and 18 months. Most of the other standard breeds are full sized at 9-12 months. Meat bird lines are full sized (or at least harvestable sized) even sooner. Cornish cross at 4-12 weeks depending upon how big you want them. By 6 months for most of the others.

Bielefelders fall into the 9-12 month range.

 

[rural mouse]

Thanks for the information. When we raised meat birds as a kid I had a blind barred rock chicken named Peeps, and even though I begged to keep her she was sent to the processor with the rest. 4 months old my family did ours, barred rocks, California white (which was a meat bird in the 1990s) and the last year we had buff orpingtons as well. We gave a few orpingtons to my bestie for egg layers, her mom said they were excellent layers. So I'm used to eating pet type critters. Hubby isn't, it'll be hard for him.
But we need to be able to raise food, it's getting harder to justify the nasty lives and flavor of cornish cross from the store.
Would a wyandotte be a good choice? I'm absolutely looking for a marans roo because Shep is an amazing chicken and has me hooked on Marans. But non hybrids are still hard to find out here. I dunno, I always end up just getting something available, rather than my original plans haha.

Wyandottes can certainly be good meat birds. Bear in mind they're shaped a little differently from most of the other birds. (Lots of curves , even the roos). Maturity wise, the 9-12 month mark for a solid bird. 6 months for more gangly (still growing), but sometimes the roos' behavior needs to go.

 

[BY Bob]

There Are Only 2 Chicks

Glynda's Polish has passed. I buried it next to Gucci.

Each hen has 1 Chick now. Glynda has given up her nest. Lady Featherington is still sitting on hers.