Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Well we hit 10°F (-12°C) so I let the ladies out.
Apparently frozen kitchen scraps in the run taste better than the same scraps in the hen house.


Everyone rushed out to investigate the snow. Only Piglet was brave enough to actually set foot on it. Everyone else stayed safely under the roof overhang and awning.
Tassels didn’t really approve of walking around in the cold so she stayed on a tree stump in the sunshine and posed for @featherhead007.
Piglet can puff herself up so much she is almost spherical. She doesn’t look that fluffy because her top feathers are very sleek. She also seems to have grown a red bullseye on her chest. I don’t think that is dirt!
I added more shavings so it stays cozy in the hen house and gave them two new bowls of snow. Whoever on here gave me the idea of giving them snow is a genius. It has saved me going out and giving fresh unfrozen water every couple of hours and they really like it!

 

[RoyalChick]

Oh good. They have come back in and are spreading bedding around. I can go out and close the pop door so it doesn’t get too cold overnight.
Only one more night of this and then back to normally cold temperatures!

 

[Sylvester017]

They're beautiful, but their shape is a bit different from other breeds...in a subtle way.

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So gorgeous. Definitely on my list of aspirational chicken breeds!

A request for an opinion poll on Silver vs Gold Wyandotte hens:

In many yrs past I've asked Wyandotte owners their honest objective (not subjective) opinion of the assertive or aggressive or bully, or top pecking order status of Wyans in their backyard flocks. In the past owners gave a 50/50 pro/con opinion on them as flockmates ~ compared to Leghorns or Barred Rocks which got much higher pros as being more friendly peaceable flockmates.

I know flock mixes are different by owners but past owner inputs placed Wyans at the top of pecking status not good to mix w/gentler breeds. Any experiences w/yours? Silver or Gold variety?

 

[TOMTE]

A request for an opinion poll on Silver vs Gold Wyandotte hens:

In many yrs past I've asked Wyandotte owners their honest objective (not subjective) opinion of the assertive or aggressive or bully, or top pecking order status of Wyans in their backyard flocks. In the past owners gave a 50/50 pro/con opinion on them as flockmates ~ compared to Leghorns or Barred Rocks which got much higher pros as being more friendly peaceable flockmates.

I know flock mixes are different by owners but past owner inputs placed Wyans at the top of pecking status not good to mix w/gentler breeds. Any experiences w/yours? Silver or Gold variety?

My SLW aren't top of the pecking order as far as I can tell. Magrat is at the bottom at the moment and Gytha is somewhere in the middle. But both are fairly assertive and don't allow themselves to be bullied (they'll take discipline like good subordinates, but NOT bullying!)

I'm not sure where wyandottes are compared to BSL and RSL on the aggression scale though. The only one who seems to bully is Aliss (BSL). I've very rarely seen anyone else do it.

 

[lightm]

Sweeties' Snow Adventure​

I let my chickens out this afternoon. They really wanted to be out as usual.

Foxy and Inky: look at us totally braving the snow. Everything is totally normal.

I am even going to bite on some greens!

"Oh shi*t, Mom, I think an avalanche is happening right behind me, what do I do? What do I do? Are you just going to watch??

"OK, I managed to fly here, without your help. I think I am super stuck though. I am sinking..."

Meimei: "OK, I flew as much as I could but only managed to land between you guys, what do I do now?".
Foxy: "I have no clue! Can't you see I am stuck?"
Inky: "Oh we should never have left. Light and Poopy were smart to stay in."

30 seconds later, Meimei managed to go back to run, and I caught a video of Foxy going back.
[Edit to add, the video autoplays so it may have finished playing by the time you get here. Please refresh the page so the video will play from the beginning.]

I had to rescue Inky.

The end

 

[Sylvester017]

FYI: did you know that World War Two could not have been won without the help and support of the Canadian military?

That goes for the all-black women & all-black men military groups that weren't allowed to intermix in some white corps ~ I watched a movie based on it. History reveals lots of groups helped to win/end WWII that are only recently brought to notice.

 

[Sylvester017]

One word for you - heated hose (ok 2 words) are n Amazon, they go up to 100’.

Also it was as -23c (-10F) here this morning - chores was a chore this morning.

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Hahaha well now look at that song playing! Yup no satisfaction with the weather!

Teehee! Somehow linking a water hose to electricity sounds a bit ELECTRIFYING!

 

[Sylvester017]

That's something to keep in mind... We need to make room for more birds before anything, and I'm not sure if dad will want to get any more for a couple years yet. We'll see!!

The thing I learned about breeders ~ they can move away, pass away, close out their breeding project of a specific breed, or close out their chickens altogether. So if you see a chicken available that you like get it when you see it cuz the breeder may not have the same breed next year, or be gone completely the following year. It happens ~ happened to me a couple Xs. That's why hatcheries IMO have been a bit more reliable over private breeders yr after yr.

Teeny weeny non-bearded Silkie wattles

 

[Sylvester017]

Now that’s something to think about while I’m showering in the bathroom .

???

Not in the bedroom or kitchen?!

I don't think you can shower in the bedroom or kitchen

 

[Sylvester017]

Keep you trapped in there….

Yep, have to use the front door instead to go out!