Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[lightm]

News

A week and a half ago Mrs. Howell died during the night, leaving Maryanne all alone. After serious consideration, we decided that due to current circumstances it would be best to rehome Maryanne rather than bring in some flock mates. I don't know why I was surprised, but it was much harder to deal with that than with the deaths of our other two.

Today is the first day that Maryanne has been let out of her safety cage at her new home, about a 2.5 hour drive from us. She's keeping her distance, but it looks like things are going well. She joins a flock of six (she makes it seven)

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This is Maryanne and DW saying their goodbyes.

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While we are now empty nesters, I don't think we are forever done with chickens, but I also can't imagine we will find any that will be as affectionate with us as these have been. We truly miss them already.

Sad and touching. I hope to see that you have new chooks reading ahead. There are many many sweeties out there.

 

[BY Bob]

Is Cappy Ned's son?

Yes

 

[featherhead007]

Why is it, that every time I’m missing birds, (at roosting time) I will find Coco and Dakota out by the grapevine? I outsmarted them this time, I picked a bunch of grapes, and carried them, all the way to the coop (with those two misfits following close behind) they got their grapes but they ate them inside the run! (I win)

 

[lightm]

Happy St. Patrick's Day

From the whole tribe at Fluffy Butt Acres.
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OMG. At first glance, I thought Hattie was buried in dirt with only her head emerged.

 

[rural mouse]

OMG. At first glance, I thought Hattie was buried in dirt with only her head emerged.

It's amazing how deceptive our eyes are. Love that pic of her.

 

[Ponypoor]

I hope to hear that she is doing better later once the rain has come through. Poor thing.

Just checked her, it’s cooled here but the air is still soupy and sticky. Rose is still having laboured breathing and freaking me out.

I will check on her again around 3:30

 

[micstrachan]

Busy Day Today

it started with Glynda and Lady Featherington eating from my hand this morning.

I noticed someone's little voice was changing. Turned out it is Glynda growing up too fast.

Of course roosting tonight was just chaos. The following video will give you an idea of how chaotic. It starts with Gucci 1/2 way up the ramp but she gives up and turns around and comes back down.

As you can see Glynda knows what to do but no one will listen to her.

So tonight instead of boosting Gucci into the run, I shooed her up the ramp. Making her take the trip on her own legs. Once Gucci was in the Hut, everyone else joined her. Hopefully she learned from it tonight.

Sooo cute! Sorry if this is old news, but I can’t keep up these days, as you know. Gucci looks unstable on her feet. I assume you are on that?

 

[micstrachan]

A little update on the chicks. Chipie the mama left them Saturday to cope on their own, a day short of six weeks after their hatch. It was done very progressively and with little drama.
I've been a bit worried, since they are completely free ranging and wandering around with no adult chicken to take care of them. They will have to manage though since they are still small enough to go through all my chicken nettings!

You may remember I mentioned that the rooster was rejecting them, and also that one of them was a slow grower. The first problem has been solved as Théo was so eager to get his little Chipie back and is so enamored with her that he doesn't pay any attention to the chicks anymore. The small chick, however, is still growing very slowly and not flying as it should. It keeps loosing the three others, as it doesn't seem to be very clever also. I will let nature decide if it's able to survive, especially as I believe it may be a cockerel. It doesn't show any sign of sickness and eats normally.

I haven't named them yet as we probably won't be able to keep the roosters (I'm still trying to convince my partner... but it's not well engaged).

If she's a pullet(I hope so!) she will very probably be named Merle -blackbird in french. We think she/he is the bantam of the lot.
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This one I'm sure is a pullet. She's very sweet and has colors reminiscent of freckles on her face.
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He has already proved he's a cockerel but there was no doubt left. My partner call him Gaston after the farmer who gave us the mama and the eggs . He almost looks like he has teenager mustache!
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Here is the little one, next to the freckled pullet.
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And Gaston and possible Merle playing who's the boss.
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Wonderful update!

 

[micstrachan]

Well, the babies are growing up. Hector's crow is losing some of the fuzzy, he tried mating one of the brahmas (who screamed the sky down), caught one of the Sussex shaking her feathers like she'd been mated but didn't see the deed. Pippa caught the teenage croak, and as a tribe, it's hard to tell the adults from the juveniles without looking twice (or even more)View attachment 3193202View attachment 3193204View attachment 3193205View attachment 3193206View attachment 3193207

Wonderful!

 

[micstrachan]

Bob, I am sorry I have not kept up. I do think Gucci has an issue. You are supplementing vitamins? Do you remember when my Minnie was unstable on her feet? I never knew what it was, but she recovered with tube feeding. I am NOT suggesting tubing for Gucci. However, maybe you should be making sure she is gaining weight properly by weighing her? Do you have kitchen scale?

I know you already know this, but maybe you could check her crop in the morning and evening for a couple days. Is it possible the other two are bullying her off feed? You could also pull her aside for private feedings of mash or baby bird formula.

I don’t mean to be an alarmist and will keep reading back, but a quick search of Gucci posts by you does not bring up an obvious concern of yours. I want to make sure you aren’t missing it, since you're looking after three babies, dealing with integration, etc.

@RoyalChick does it look a bit like the issue Bernadette was having previously?