Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

I'm not your Mum Kid

I love how Hattie just calmly stood up and walked away until it got down. She is being a very good Aunt and seems to like them.

 

[BY Bob]

I love how Hattie just calmly stood up and walked away until it got down. She is being a very good Aunt and seems to like them.

They were hanging out together today.

 

[BY Bob]

Happy Pony Sunday everyone.

While looking though pictures to enter into the equine summer fair contest I had a idea. For the next few sundays I am going to do a "Blast from the Past".

Starting off with the one and only Baby Dirt. View attachment 3897250View attachment 3897251View attachment 3897252View attachment 3897257View attachment 3897260View attachment 3897263View attachment 3897266View attachment 3897272

Pictures of horses running are so majestic.

 

[BY Bob]

Still Shots

Chicken skuffles happen so quickly, I went and took some stills from the latest contest. It is cool to see how they go at each other.

 

[BY Bob]

Birthday Celebration

From yesterday....

 

[featherhead007]

That's a great idea, thank you so much !
It's funny I didn't think of it at all, because I've done exactly that with Chipie, but for another reason. A few months ago she began to have strange fits thrashing and throwing her head backwards all the way. I thought maybe it was a form of wry neck and since she is so tiny and bullied by everyone, maybe she wasn't getting enough nutrition. So I began giving her special food every morning; I lock her up in the coop while I clean it, just after opening for the chickens, and she gets a small bowl of scrambled eggs, almonds and peanuts, whole rice for selenium.
First I did that because it was the only way to give it to her since she is such a wild little thing. But she has gotten really used to it and now she follows me around whining really annoyingly in the morning if I'm not quick enough to give it to her !

She has also become much more familiar. I appreciated that when I had to catch her a few days ago because she was pecked in her right eye. And she hasn't had any more fits so hopefully it helped.
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So I think it's a great idea for Alba and Nieva. I am going to start in the evening when they are all on the roost. That way I won't be swarmed by the other chickens and I hope it will teach them to be less afraid if I have to catch them off the roost. Blueberries are hard to come by here and we don't eat cheese crackers but I'm sure I'll find something .

We're pretty stand offish and don't handle them unless necessary, but if I get more chickens one day maybe I'll do like you. I have one chicken, Laure, who is even more afraid than the leghorns, bigger, and more feral and I dread the day I will really need to handle her.
Yes, it's amazing to me how different they are in their relationship to humans. In our last batch of chicks, there were three true sisters, raised by the same human weary broody. Mélisse is really familiar, will easily jump on us for food and doesn't mind at all being handled ; Lulu likes us, hangs around talking with us, but hates being picked up, and Annette is very aloof and hard to catch. Genetics and environment are identical and yet they have really different temperaments.
I've seen chickens change both ways throughout their life. Some became closer to us and some who were very sweet and funny as youngsters became afraid getting older.

Getting back to the discussion about eating chickens, this realisation made it hard for me to eat any meat, even farm raised- I keep thinking if my first hens who came out of a battery had such strong individualities, and develop specific relationships, why would a cow or a pig be different ?

I have kept two roos who don't get along, Gaston and Théo, in the same coop, and at some point in the same yard, although now Théo free ranges. It was hell for months, then it worked out nicely for about a year, and now it has been getting really bad again since about three weeks.
For it to work, one roo needs to accept that he is not dominant.
When Théo finally understood Gaston was stronger, he conceded and did not try attacking anymore and Gaston more or less tolerated him.
This may mean they have to fight until one cedes. But it's hard as you do have to separate them if the wounds gets too bad or they risk a heart attack.
In my case, what triggered Théo again to attack is that three hens started free ranging with him outside, and his ego went straight to the roof. He has somehow become obsessed with Merle and when she decides to go back with Gaston, he goes crazy and will go attack him.
Maybe Bert has been having some success with the ladies, maybe he got to Mr P.s favorite hens...

Part of the aggressive behaviour is ritual. Fence fighting involves a lot of pretending. I think it really depends on the roosters temper. Théo has a bit of game blood I think and he is extremely aggressive. Gaston would let him go even though he is way bigger and stronger.
Mr LC is so small he likely plays in another category and should quickly realise he can't fight with Mr P.

My cockerel Pied Beau, who is now a bit older than one, has been rehomed in a multi rooster flock and they don't fight because Pied-beau is at least twice the size of all the other roos and he has been dominant as soon as he arrived. There are six males there now. The two bantams stick with one another, there's a lone shy Araucana who has just two hen friends, and two cockerels. Sometimes these two fight one another but never really seriously.

If I could find a nice home for Théo, maybe I would think of rehoming him. But he is too unfriendly to humans and people around here would quickly have him for dinner.

Piou-piou hangs out with Théo but these days he has only eyes for Merle.

Chooks can be crazy at times

 

[Ponypoor]

Your Georgie girl looks similar to our non-bearded Moorhead Partridge "Keiko"

KEIKO -- our sweet comical little clown
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This is KEIKO's momma PUMPKIN SPICE from Buckaboo Farm

Aww she is a sweetie!

This morning I was fixing something in the run and while I was crouched down working I was attacked by 4 little velociraptors! They all hopped up onto my back and clambered up to my head and shoulders to roost hahaha.

Turned out to be the two silkie chicks and 2 of the youngest chicks I got a few weeks ago. Had a devil of a time getting the down they kept dodging my attempts to safely gather them up and put them down.

Gosh they are so hilarious.

 

[Ponypoor]

Little Chicks Who Roost

I almost typed Little Roosters. I don't want to wish that into being. Yikes!

Oh that is such a cute age when they want to fly up on everything

They sure are growing fast aren’t they?

 

[featherhead007]

The prescription drug that my doctor prescribed for me is too strong and made me sick. I’ve been in bed since yesterday evening.
Xzit has finally finished her broody session and is hanging out with the other chickens finally.
Tax for the medical talk:

 

[Ponypoor]

One of the incubator eggs cracked during the night.
We tossed them out as candling showed most of them were not developed after day 2- when the incident happened. The silkies still have all 8 of theirs safe and sound.

Awww I am sorry to hear this. But very glad you have the eggs - I am sure they will do well. Can’t wait to see those babies hatch!