Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

I’m missing my special Rooster today. Sir Jaffar was a most excellent rooster. I miss him very much! My whole tribe does. View attachment 3946699

 

[rural mouse]

 

[Sylvester017]

View attachment 3946616

Blue is such a gorgeous color choice in hens!

Betta ~ our current blue Silke

Phaedra ~ our very 1st blue hen ~ Breda fowl

 

[BY Bob]

Explanations?

The presence of a young cockerel might explain some of Aurora's very rooster-like behavior over the last 2 months.

I have actually seen Aurora "give wing" to Hattie and herd her. She has been very aggressive towards me whenever I place Hattie back down after giving Hattie her meds and hand feeding her meal worms. Aurora has flared her hackles and come at me sideways. She has even once come at me like she was going to attack the back of my legs.

Now this could just be because of how I'm treating Hattie or perhaps there could be some reaction to Versace's presence. Maybe Aurora will be a good teacher to him.

Versace has not yet crowed that I can be sure of. I heard a strangled crow the other day but that was deep like Sydney's crow. His voice is still changing from peep to honk.

He is obsessed with his mother Lady Featherington and is rarely separate from her. Meanwhile Miss Terry Aster is frequently away from her mother exploring and when grooming tends to prefer spending her time with Hattie.

 

[Sylvester017]

I’m missing my special Rooster today. Sir Jaffar was a most excellent rooster. I miss him very much! My whole tribe does. View attachment 3946699

Poster worthy!

 

[BY Bob]

For what it's worth, I had to go play with the genetics calculator. Bearing in mind that "tolbunt" isn't one of the choices for color/pattern markings and I'm totally unsure what the actual genetic markers for it are, there's a high chance of tricolor offspring (with Julio style crests) if Versace crossed with the speckled sussex. If the tolbunt pattern is a variation of mottled, then most offspring will be split to mottled and have a chance of passing it to subsequent offspring. What solid color offspring might be....? Possibly mother's color, possibly Versace gold, black, or white....possibly have mottling pop in adult moults. Gorgeous offspring no matter what....now, for the roundabout road trip rooster shuffle.

I imagine he will have beautiful offspring.

 

[BY Bob]

@BY Bob, what kind of spicy food do you serve Queen Aurora?
My Blue wants to look just like her.

She loves spicy taco meat and nachos.

 

[BY Bob]

I’m missing my special Rooster today. Sir Jaffar was a most excellent rooster. I miss him very much! My whole tribe does. View attachment 3946699

 

[BY Bob]

I have a solution:

Hatch more chicks - knowing most of the pullets are going to go with Randy. if you start incubating now (read within a week), then they would be okay to go in 8-10 weeks (when they are 5-7 weeks old and 'momma' gives them up).

Raising more chicks is always fun...and if you know ahead of time that you will not be keeping them - then you can brace yourself and all will be good. Since they should be quarantined/slowly integrated at the new place...Randy would have a couple of weeks to solidify that those chicks are 'his', and, generally speaking, Astralorps are pretty easy going (not quite as much as Buff Orps, in my experience...but still pretty easy going) so he should get along okay with another Roo as long as there are enough hens and is enough space for both.



Nope, I'm not an enabler...repeat after me: bgmathteach is not an enabler, bgmathteach is not an enabler...

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All the above said - I still really like the idea of @RoyalChick taking a Roo. I think, given her situation on free ranging and all the wildlife around, if @RebeccaBoyd is willing to give up Randy, he would make a really good look-out, predator savy, alert Roo for the girls. But, that still leaves Versace. Versace would be a good addition as well.... any alert Roo would be good for RC's situation - a dedicated look-out man that is also a good boy!


So, @RoyalChick - that begs the question: which one of the boys are you going to take?

I love how you are pushing this off on everyone else. Well played.

 

[BY Bob]

P.S. Did Hattie get a bite or two of cake? I do hope Sydney shared a bite with her older sister, as I know Hattie loves cornbread!

Everyone got corncake. It would not be fair otherwise. Miss Hattie may have gotten more than her fair share hand delivered. I will deny that if Aurora asks.