Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

Had swans for years looking to get some quail , I saw some big quail eggs in the store today.

Wow! That's a big change to go from giant swans to itty-bitty quail?! But, hey, after 13+ yrs we attritioned from standard sized hens down to bantam Silkies now!

 

[Sylvester017]

It usually doesn't until there's a solid blanket at least 3 inches thick. Any thing less gets blown (and knocked) about so easily they mostly ignore it. The first major snow always shocks the newbies, though. I suspect it would be different if our snow was mostly wet stuff (like lake-effect). By the time we see any of that, it's early spring. Until then it's usually powder.

I didn't pull out my boots either. Was wearing crocs....

View attachment 3981968Even Sherlock ignored it. When it's thin enough to see the ground color under it, it's ignored...except when driving....ice can still be there.

Amazing how mtns arise beyond a valley. Sherlock is a handsome Lab!

 

[featherhead007]

 

[featherhead007]

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I awoke at the quack of dawn!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Good morning everyone.

I've been mia and got 200 plus pages behind. I've not been sick I have just been off. The last week I had no energy and for no reason every muscle just ached. Seasonal depression maybe, although that tends to hit me more around January for a week or two.

I have still not yet heard or saw George crowing. Dad has though. Little man only crows at the crack of daylight while still in the coop. Not a peep once he is let out and I cannot encourage him to do so first thing in the morning. Yes, I have tried. I do not mind a boy crowing in the morning. Nothing from the silkies either. They will be 5 months old in a few days and to be honest, none of them are giving clear signs if they are a boy or not. With Branch I knew by 3 1/2 months. His brother though did fool me right up to 6 months when I let him out of the coop and the devil crowed at me. I have a excuse with him though, it was my first go around with silkies. I did not know some of the signs that he was clearly giving off months before he crowed. This group just is not doing it.

That is ok, I love those little feather dusters. I am taking each day with them all as a gift and enjoying them. I am in no hurry at all to make any decisions. George is also taking his sweet time to fully mature. Even though he has started to crow he still ignores the girls young and old. He also thankfully has not developed a love affair with any part of me unlike Branch and his brief escapade with my hand.

Here are a few pictures this morning while I was out having my morning coffee with everybody.

 

[Ponypoor]

Good morning everyone.

I've been mia and got 200 plus pages behind. I've not been sick I have just been off. The last week I had no energy and for no reason every muscle just ached. Seasonal depression maybe, although that tends to hit me more around January for a week or two.

I have still not yet heard or saw George crowing. Dad has though. Little man only crows at the crack of daylight while still in the coop. Not a peep once he is let out and I cannot encourage him to do so first thing in the morning. Yes, I have tried. I do not mind a boy crowing in the morning. Nothing from the silkies either. They will be 5 months old in a few days and to be honest, none of them are giving clear signs if they are a boy or not. With Branch I knew by 3 1/2 months. His brother though did fool me right up to 6 months when I let him out of the coop and the devil crowed at me. I have a excuse with him though, it was my first go around with silkies. I did not know some of the signs that he was clearly giving off months before he crowed. This group just is not doing it.

That is ok, I love those little feather dusters. I am taking each day with them all as a gift and enjoying them. I am in no hurry at all to make any decisions. George is also taking his sweet time to fully mature. Even though he has started to crow he still ignores the girls young and old. He also thankfully has not developed a love affair with any part of me unlike Branch and his brief escapade with my hand.

Here are a few pictures this morning while I was out having my morning coffee with everybody.
View attachment 3982166View attachment 3982167View attachment 3982168View attachment 3982169View attachment 3982170View attachment 3982172View attachment 3982173View attachment 3982174View attachment 3982175View attachment 3982176View attachment 3982177View attachment 3982178

I was thinking of you last evening wondering how you were. Sorry to hear you’re now feeling too chipper, It’s the weather change, it makes us all want to hibernate. How’s the tooth?

Gosh George’s punk rock hair do is awesome love it! What a character he is. Does he fly well? I was commenting to Bob about Betty being able to fly up onto things. Surprised me, being a frizzle I didn’t expect her to fly well at all!

How is Dirt doing?

 

[SimpleJenn]

All three of my polish can easily fly the length of the run, although they usually crash into a wall because they can't see

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I was thinking of you last evening wondering how you were. Sorry to hear you’re now feeling too chipper, It’s the weather change, it makes us all want to hibernate. How’s the tooth?

Gosh George’s punk rock hair do is awesome love it! What a character he is. Does he fly well? I was commenting to Bob about Betty being able to fly up onto things. Surprised me, being a frizzle I didn’t expect her to fly well at all!

How is Dirt doing?

The tooth has completely stopped hurting. I need to get to Lexington but honestly right now, I do not have the time to make two trips down there within a week of each other right now. Thinking maybe next week or the week after.

George can fly, he is built for it. He can go straight up pretty high no problem. He just chooses not to 99% of the time. That boy is all polish I promise. He wants to roost with the big chickens, gets up on it first with the adults at night. The silkies cannot and do not attempt to follow him so he never stays. Once they settle down within minutes he is down and right in the middle of the silkie pile.

Dirt is doing well right now. He gets that shot once a week. Feet are perfect again thank goodness. He has not been ridden in over a month and even with turnout and grazing he is feeling better and starting to go a little stir crazy. His bridle is hung up just outside his stall and he has started grabbing it off the hanger and tossing it at dad. Smart horse, he leaves it alone unless dad is outside. In the last 2 weeks he has coughed 2 times and nothing else. The boy was sick though and in a period of about a week and a half just before the diagnosis and just after he dropped about 100lbs in the blink of a eye. This was not a fat horse either who needed to loose weight. He was in condition with rock hard muscle so it was very noticeable especially over his ribs. Weight is picking back up slowly which is good. Dad is thinking of maybe saddling him up this weekend for a slow ride up the holler. This is a horse who has been ridden about 6 days a week no matter the weather since he turned 3. He enjoys being ridden and now that he feels better the last week he is becoming a handful and bored. A bored Dirt has turned into a Dirt who nipped at me for the first time in over 2 years and one who has reared up twice on the lead rope in the last week. He also has one more time to dump a freshly filled water bucket for spite before I knock some sense back into him.

 

[featherhead007]

I brought my Mr. Wyandottey inside the house to stop him from crowing. It didn’t work!
I really miss Sir Jaffar!

 

[rural mouse]

Good morning everyone.

I've been mia and got 200 plus pages behind. I've not been sick I have just been off. The last week I had no energy and for no reason every muscle just ached. Seasonal depression maybe, although that tends to hit me more around January for a week or two.

I have still not yet heard or saw George crowing. Dad has though. Little man only crows at the crack of daylight while still in the coop. Not a peep once he is let out and I cannot encourage him to do so first thing in the morning. Yes, I have tried. I do not mind a boy crowing in the morning. Nothing from the silkies either. They will be 5 months old in a few days and to be honest, none of them are giving clear signs if they are a boy or not. With Branch I knew by 3 1/2 months. His brother though did fool me right up to 6 months when I let him out of the coop and the devil crowed at me. I have a excuse with him though, it was my first go around with silkies. I did not know some of the signs that he was clearly giving off months before he crowed. This group just is not doing it.

That is ok, I love those little feather dusters. I am taking each day with them all as a gift and enjoying them. I am in no hurry at all to make any decisions. George is also taking his sweet time to fully mature. Even though he has started to crow he still ignores the girls young and old. He also thankfully has not developed a love affair with any part of me unlike Branch and his brief escapade with my hand.

Here are a few pictures this morning while I was out having my morning coffee with everybody.
View attachment 3982166View attachment 3982167View attachment 3982168View attachment 3982169View attachment 3982170View attachment 3982172View attachment 3982173View attachment 3982174View attachment 3982175View attachment 3982176View attachment 3982177View attachment 3982178

7th pic down, the black silkie I see as a maybe roo, mostly because of tail shape and the crest appears to be more pointy at the back.

The partridge ones I see as ALL pullets. If they were roos, they would have some of that dark red on their shoulders.

The others? get them to gather round the feed pan like a pinwheel and play spin the bottle to point at randomly.