Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ValarieF]

You have some very beautiful chooks

Oh thank you so much! They just look plain jane to me. Guess because I see them all the time.

 

[bgmathteach]

Yea but is SHE a HE

I think she is a she...the saddle feathers aren't pointy and drapey...they drape some, but not like a roo's does. Please remind me again how many weeks they are? Hoping they are old enough to tell for sure. mine are about 9.5 wks old and you can definitely tell by tail & saddle feathers. The last one that I wasn't sure of...could go either way...I could tell this weekend!

 

[bgmathteach]

Never say never, I did not count on my barn yard mix mutts being the broody bunch, only the silkies! But they are as bad as the Silkies! Haha

Barnyard mixes are MORE likely (in my experience) to go broody than the production breeds from hatcheries ( NONE of my production BRs have ever gone broody. a full 1/2 of my heritage BRs have, though!!!)

 

[featherhead007]

Glad to have you back on the site you were missed.

Now go give those chooks of yours some treats

I have treated them all day. (I didn’t know that Shenandoah knew how to French kiss ) never mind TMI

 

[featherhead007]

Looks like most of the gals are gone to bed, Mr Pompei is choosing to sleep with his head in a position he finds more comfortable.

Meanwhile Wee Marty seems to want to sleep with her head hanging down.

View attachment 3265611

He’s weird!

 

[Ponypoor]

Barnyard mixes are MORE likely (in my experience) to go broody than the production breeds from hatcheries ( NONE of my production BRs have ever gone broody. a full 1/2 of my heritage BRs have, though!!!)

I don’t mind them going broody, I feel it gives them a rest from laying.

I now have Fluffy once again gone broody- and she is molting, so I don’t mind if she hangs out in a nest box resting - and I do drag them all off the boxes at least twice a day to eat drink fluff in the dirt, pick fights… hahaha silly gals.

So I have three silkies all broody, they better not get Marty broody again!

 

[Ponypoor]

He’s weird!

Bob says he sleeps funny because he is a Polish, his head feathers prevent him from tucking his head down.

 

[Ponypoor]

I have treated them all day. (I didn’t know that Shenandoah knew how to French kiss ) never mind TMI

Ummm ya tmi!

 

[ValarieF]

I think she is a she...the saddle feathers aren't pointy and drapey...they drape some, but not like a roo's does. Please remind me again how many weeks they are? Hoping they are old enough to tell for sure. mine are about 9.5 wks old and you can definitely tell by tail & saddle feathers. The last one that I wasn't sure of...could go either way...I could tell this weekend!

They are 11 weeks old but late bloomers and just started molting and adult feathers not to long ago.

 

[bgmathteach]

Just for comparison, @ValarieF :

Adults - look @ saddle feathers:

Roo

Not Roo

Roo

Youngsters: (sorry, not the best pics....but...

Front, lighter one with grey undertones - NOT roo even though she has a bit of draping (this was? 2-3 weeks ago...very end of Aug.) Note the drapey-ish feathers are still fairly broad AND tips are rounded.

Rats, sorry, not a good picture of saddle feathers in the bunch! was hoping there was a good pic of saddles on the red boy, but no. Sorry. They aren't as pronounces in the boys at this age...but definitely starting...next molt makes a BIG difference. Almost all of the boys by 9 weeks it is pretty definitive. (I say 'almost all '= non silkies, that is-) And their next molt it becomes strikingly obvious