Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

The laugh icon is for the vision I had of them playing hop-scotch!

The pavers are a great idea to keep your feet out off the dirt.

Canes here come with picks on the bottom for use on snow/ice. The safest thing though is using some sort of ice melt like salt or other substance, we also use sand and gravel as a surface texture to give some grip. I like to use wood shavings as it is non toxic to the grass and environment.

Snow and ice tax

My sister gave me this for Christmas.
View attachment 4015175

Anyone want to hazard a guess as to breeds?

Left to right top row:
Buff Brahma, Bresse, Cochin, dark Cornish, Delaware

Bottom row:
?, salmon faverolle, ?, silver spangled hamburg, australorp.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Dong tao is the fat leg chicken

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Dong tao is the fat leg chicken

Yes that, I could not remember what it was called. I call them the creepy legged chicken.

 

[Ponypoor]

Top row I guess...
Buff Brahma, Leghorn, Dark Brahma, not sure, Deleware.
Bottom Row
That funky legged chicken breed, Salmon Favorelle, not sure, Silver spangled hamburg, Black Australop.

Yep I guessed light and buff Brahma… after that anyones guess!!

Oh and the silver spangled hamburg

 

[ChicoryBlue]

My Pet Chicken offers Marecks & gets their chicks shipped from private breeders but that still doesn't tell you who the breeders are or where the breeder stock originated. Sometimes it's just a matter of luck getting a hardy breedline from a hatchery or private breeder. W/ chickens I've had hardy birds & not so hardy from the same breeder so it's a cr*p shoot how long any chicken survives. I've had Silkies from the same breeder where one died a pullet while the other two are still around 4 yrs later .

I am bopping around when I have time, and also searching for information about breeders and hatcheries, and saw this again. I am thinking about a few more Buckeyes this year, and since Hazel is the only one of four Buckeyes from My Pet Chicken hatched in 2020 still alive, I was thinking I would not use MPC again, that the genetics were fairly bad for longevity. Also, the coloring on Butters and Popcorn was quite a bit lighter than I've seen SOP pictures, though that's much less important than their personalities, which were outstanding.

But what you're saying here is that the Buckeyes MPC gets and what gets shipped out from year to year might be from entirely different breeders or hatcheries, so you can't really tell? It's not a TSC = always Hoovers (or whoever it is they use) situation?

 

[Ponypoor]

I am bopping around when I have time, and also searching for information about breeders and hatcheries, and saw this again. I am thinking about a few more Buckeyes this year, and since Hazel is the only one of four Buckeyes from My Pet Chicken hatched in 2020 still alive, I was thinking I would not use MPC again, that the genetics were fairly bad for longevity. Also, the coloring on Butters and Popcorn was quite a bit lighter than I've seen SOP pictures, though that's much less important than their personalities, which were outstanding.

But what you're saying here is that the Buckeyes MPC gets and what gets shipped out from year to year might be from entirely different breeders or hatcheries, so you can't really tell? It's not a TSC = always Hoovers (or whoever it is they use) situation?

From my understanding, Hoovers gets the eggs from ‘breeders’ and hatches them. Then ships them out. Sooo I guess it depends on who they source the eggs from.

The breeders would have to be relatively close to Hoovers so that the eggs are viable and have a good hatch rate, I would say.

I would say it’s the same with all the hatcheries that sell chicks.

It’s once again a factory setting

We are a society who seems destined to be factory centric.

 

[Ponypoor]

I am bopping around when I have time, and also searching for information about breeders and hatcheries, and saw this again. I am thinking about a few more Buckeyes this year, and since Hazel is the only one of four Buckeyes from My Pet Chicken hatched in 2020 still alive, I was thinking I would not use MPC again, that the genetics were fairly bad for longevity. Also, the coloring on Butters and Popcorn was quite a bit lighter than I've seen SOP pictures, though that's much less important than their personalities, which were outstanding.

But what you're saying here is that the Buckeyes MPC gets and what gets shipped out from year to year might be from entirely different breeders or hatcheries, so you can't really tell? It's not a TSC = always Hoovers (or whoever it is they use) situation?

Also I think that if you want longevity and hardiness then barnyard mutts are the way to go, or a hybrid.

‘pure bred’ of anything is less hardy and prone to all sorts of issues due to restricted bloodlines and lack of genetic diversity.

I would look at chooks like the Azur I have which are a hybrid, there are many fancy hybrids out there that hatcheries are offering.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Aster the Meatbird Update

They did finally refund my money. It was an interesting conversation but in the end, they did the right thing.

My little Meatbird, roosted in Hattie House
View attachment 3905714

Wait - what? - little Aster is a meatbird?????

I must search on this. She doesn't look like a typical meatbird. This is true? If so, she's one lucky chicken to be living there at FBA!

 

[Ponypoor]

Wait - what? - little Aster is a meatbird?????

I must search on this. She doesn't look like a typical meatbird. This is true? If so, she's one lucky chicken to be living there at FBA!

I think that the egg provider was trying to ‘pass the buck’. She sure looks like some sort of leghorn type chook

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Also I think that if you want longevity and hardiness then barnyard mutts are the way to go, or a hybrid.

‘pure bred’ of anything is less hardy and prone to all sorts of issues due to restricted bloodlines and lack of genetic diversity.

I would look at chooks like the Azur I have which are a hybrid, there are many fancy hybrids out there that hatcheries are offering.

Good points. Cackle raises their own line of Buckeyes, and they are a huge hatchery so have big flocks. Does that help, or would theirs still be too inbred?
How do you order "barnyard mutts" - and have them vaccinated? Your Azurs are Blue Azurs, also called Sapphire Blues?