Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Would Aurora not behave like a lady at a chicken tea-party?

Absolutely not. She is no lady. She is batcrap crazy. She was so busy chasing Sydney And Sansa everyone else ate the afternoon snack.

 

[RoyalChick]

My nerves are shot and I can’t promise a happy ending
(Sorry for the long post but I need support from my Chickeny friends)

It all started at about 6am with 3 hungry chicks.

Then, just before 9am the first little chick ventures out of the nest for the first time but thinks better of it.

Half an hour later he is still not sure but his siblings are more adventurous

Soon they are all out of the nest and what follows is many hours of complete mayhem. The babies can’t actually fly for real so they face-plant into walls and crash land in all sorts of strange places and are screaming for their mother:

• One gets stuck on the chimney breast
• One lands in a bucket of water (twice) and I have to fish him out each time and try and dry him off (so cute with his downy head tufts)
• Mom returns and goes frantic.

Eventually she gets two of them back up to the nest – it takes a few tries for each to get up there.

But one little chick is different. She really knows how to fly. And she flies out of the garage and high up into a tree.

But while she got an A for flight school she definitely got an F in navigation, and she won’t go back to the garage. Mom has been trying to persuade her but she is up high and just bleating for Mom but not following. I am sitting outside under the tree in case she crashes to earth and I can bring her back to the nest.
But now it is dark and it will be cold tonight so I am not optimistic she will survive the night.

At least she got to soar. But I am very sad nonetheless….

 

[LozzyR]

My nerves are shot and I can’t promise a happy ending
(Sorry for the long post but I need support from my Chickeny friends)

It all started at about 6am with 3 hungry chicks.

Then, just before 9am the first little chick ventures out of the nest for the first time but thinks better of it.

Half an hour later he is still not sure but his siblings are more adventurous

Soon they are all out of the nest and what follows is many hours of complete mayhem. The babies can’t actually fly for real so they face-plant into walls and crash land in all sorts of strange places and are screaming for their mother:

• One gets stuck on the chimney breast
• One lands in a bucket of water (twice) and I have to fish him out each time and try and dry him off (so cute with his downy head tufts)
• Mom returns and goes frantic.

Eventually she gets two of them back up to the nest – it takes a few tries for each to get up there.

But one little chick is different. She really knows how to fly. And she flies out of the garage and high up into a tree.

But while she got an A for flight school she definitely got an F in navigation, and she won’t go back to the garage. Mom has been trying to persuade her but she is up high and just bleating for Mom but not following. I am sitting outside under the tree in case she crashes to earth and I can bring her back to the nest.
But now it is dark and it will be cold tonight so I am not optimistic she will survive the night.

At least she got to soar. But I am very sad nonetheless….View attachment 2140673View attachment 2140678View attachment 2140679

Do you have a ladder you could reach her with?

 

[Shadrach]

My nerves are shot and I can’t promise a happy ending
(Sorry for the long post but I need support from my Chickeny friends)

It all started at about 6am with 3 hungry chicks.

Then, just before 9am the first little chick ventures out of the nest for the first time but thinks better of it.

Half an hour later he is still not sure but his siblings are more adventurous

Soon they are all out of the nest and what follows is many hours of complete mayhem. The babies can’t actually fly for real so they face-plant into walls and crash land in all sorts of strange places and are screaming for their mother:

• One gets stuck on the chimney breast
• One lands in a bucket of water (twice) and I have to fish him out each time and try and dry him off (so cute with his downy head tufts)
• Mom returns and goes frantic.

Eventually she gets two of them back up to the nest – it takes a few tries for each to get up there.

But one little chick is different. She really knows how to fly. And she flies out of the garage and high up into a tree.

But while she got an A for flight school she definitely got an F in navigation, and she won’t go back to the garage. Mom has been trying to persuade her but she is up high and just bleating for Mom but not following. I am sitting outside under the tree in case she crashes to earth and I can bring her back to the nest.
But now it is dark and it will be cold tonight so I am not optimistic she will survive the night.

At least she got to soar. But I am very sad nonetheless….View attachment 2140673View attachment 2140678View attachment 2140679

This is going on all around me here. It's Spring and while we may view it as a wonderful season for planting and sunshine in the world of the wild it's the season of dead offspring.
Sorry to bring everyone down but that is the reality. I pick up the baby birds that I find on the ground if I can and put them on a branch hoping they'll make it. Not many do.
We, humans have forgotten much of natures ways in our protected and comfortable lives.
When we do try to help these creatures we often do more harm than good.
The best thing we as a species can do for the other creatures on this planet is leave them and their habitat alone and that includes chickens.
I'm not cheering people up am I?

 

[RoyalChick]

This is going on all around me here. It's Spring and while we may view it as a wonderful season for planting and sunshine in the world of the wild it's the season of dead offspring.
Sorry to bring everyone down but that is the reality. I pick up the baby birds that I find on the ground if I can and put them on a branch hoping they'll make it. Not many do.
We, humans have forgotten much of natures ways in our protected and comfortable lives.
When we do try to help these creatures we often do more harm than good.
The best thing we as a species can do for the other creatures on this planet is leave them and their habitat alone and that includes chickens.
I'm not cheering people up am I?

Of course you are right. But in this case I can’t leave their habitat alone as it is my garage.

 

[Ribh]

This is going on all around me here. It's Spring and while we may view it as a wonderful season for planting and sunshine in the world of the wild it's the season of dead offspring.
Sorry to bring everyone down but that is the reality. I pick up the baby birds that I find on the ground if I can and put them on a branch hoping they'll make it. Not many do.
We, humans have forgotten much of natures ways in our protected and comfortable lives.
When we do try to help these creatures we often do more harm than good.
The best thing we as a species can do for the other creatures on this planet is leave them and their habitat alone and that includes chickens.
I'm not cheering people up am I?

we're always having whole nests come down in big winds. Unless the chicks are well feathered their chances are poor but we do have a wild life rescue person on the island now & that's where I take any rescues. I had to do a fruit bat one nasty winter when I couldn't get onto WIRES & it was a huge amount of work & I didn't have the right equipment. I had to resort to doing what my poppy used to do when weaning poddies. It was a nightmare. The kids all wanted a go with no idea how strong the sucking reflex was. I've done Black Swans & Mutton birds & each & every time it is traumatic but I am incapable of just leaving an animal to take it's chances. I do what I can but some animals seem self destructive. We had a curlew chick with a water obsession. I was always fishing it out of buckets & ponds till its legs grew long enough to get it out of trouble on its own!

 

[RoyalChick]

Update
5:45am. Feeling slightly guilty (@Shadrach 's admonition ringing in my ears) I head out to where Tweety Bird was last night (yes I made the mistake of naming him/her!). Well, what d'ya know but there is Tweety Bird on a branch receiving food delivery from Mom who cannot get to the other chicks until I get up and open the garage doors.
Mom still frantically trying to get Tweety Bird to follow her back to the garage and this time Tweety Bird really tries but is cold or weak and falls to the ground at my feet.
Even though I basically agree with @Shadrach, I decide that empathy for a fellow being doesn't make me a bad person and I scoop up Tweety Bird (excuse my rough hands).

I am able to put Tweety Bird up on the shelf where the nest is and s/he climbs right in and is immediately followed by Mom with some juicy food delivery.
I don't know whether Tweety Bird will survive the shock of the night out in the cold, or being manhandled by me, but I am at peace with trying to help.
Enjoy breakfast Tweety Bird!

 

[Shadrach]

Update
5:45am. Feeling slightly guilty (@Shadrach 's admonition ringing in my ears) I head out to where Tweety Bird was last night (yes I made the mistake of naming him/her!). Well, what d'ya know but there is Tweety Bird on a branch receiving food delivery from Mom who cannot get to the other chicks until I get up and open the garage doors.
Mom still frantically trying to get Tweety Bird to follow her back to the garage and this time Tweety Bird really tries but is cold or week and falls to the ground at my feet.
Even though I basically agree with @Shadrach, I decide that empathy for a fellow being doesn't make me a bad person and I scoop up Tweety Bird (excuse my rough hands).View attachment 2141115
I am able to put Tweety Bird up on the shelf where the nest is and s/he climbs right in and is immediately followed by Mom with some juicy food delivery.
I don't know whether Tweety Bird will survive the shock of the night out in the cold, or being manhandled by me, but I am at peace with trying to help.
Enjoy breakfast Tweety Bird!

No admonishment intended. I would do much the same. In fact I'm even worse and volunteer at the wildlife rescue center in the next National Park North of here occasionally.

 

[BY Bob]

My nerves are shot and I can’t promise a happy ending
(Sorry for the long post but I need support from my Chickeny friends)

It all started at about 6am with 3 hungry chicks.

Then, just before 9am the first little chick ventures out of the nest for the first time but thinks better of it.

Half an hour later he is still not sure but his siblings are more adventurous

Soon they are all out of the nest and what follows is many hours of complete mayhem. The babies can’t actually fly for real so they face-plant into walls and crash land in all sorts of strange places and are screaming for their mother:

• One gets stuck on the chimney breast
• One lands in a bucket of water (twice) and I have to fish him out each time and try and dry him off (so cute with his downy head tufts)
• Mom returns and goes frantic.

Eventually she gets two of them back up to the nest – it takes a few tries for each to get up there.

But one little chick is different. She really knows how to fly. And she flies out of the garage and high up into a tree.

But while she got an A for flight school she definitely got an F in navigation, and she won’t go back to the garage. Mom has been trying to persuade her but she is up high and just bleating for Mom but not following. I am sitting outside under the tree in case she crashes to earth and I can bring her back to the nest.
But now it is dark and it will be cold tonight so I am not optimistic she will survive the night.

At least she got to soar. But I am very sad nonetheless….View attachment 2140673View attachment 2140678View attachment 2140679

It is possible she survived the night. It wasn't that cold and they are stronger than you think.

I'm sorry, I feel asleep sitting up on the couch last night and missed your post. Here's hugs hoping the outcome is not as bad as you worried.

 

[BY Bob]

This is going on all around me here. It's Spring and while we may view it as a wonderful season for planting and sunshine in the world of the wild it's the season of dead offspring.
Sorry to bring everyone down but that is the reality. I pick up the baby birds that I find on the ground if I can and put them on a branch hoping they'll make it. Not many do.
We, humans have forgotten much of natures ways in our protected and comfortable lives.
When we do try to help these creatures we often do more harm than good.
The best thing we as a species can do for the other creatures on this planet is leave them and their habitat alone and that includes chickens.
I'm not cheering people up am I?

Not really a cheerful point of view but understandable. Have you ever considered that we are also part of nature and our interference at times can be part of the plan? Surely nature needs us to help with the garage door in this instance.