Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Oh I see! I guess hens that roam around eat more and are healthier. Makes sense.

I remember one of @Ribh's hens once died while broody.

Oh, how sad! Millie sat around a little today, but mostly seemed good.

 

[Ribh]

Oh I see! I guess hens that roam around eat more and are healthier. Makes sense.

I remember one of @Ribh's hens once died while broody.

Yes. The Broody trance can be a real killer. Unfortunately I was away & the man didn't realise what had happened.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Your right, she doesn't. Interesting. I always thought that Daisy, the greatest hen ever, did it more when it was hot out but I can't be certain any longer. I don't have the pictures I thought I did.

This did work like I hoped it would. More Tsuki pictures!

Here is the best picture I have of Daisy fan tailing. Sadly it is a molting tail.View attachment 2155450

I was tricked! (and happy to be so )

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I've mentioned Lock on these threads before. She is a hen but she doesn't lay eggs and doesn't do hen stuff. I was watching her tonight at supper time. Her behaviour is extraordinary but even more extraordinary is the the rest of the tribes tolerance and reaction to her.
Lock neck grabs other hens and she does it to roosters as well. One would have thought such behaviour would elicit instant retribution from the roosters in particular. I watched her do the neck grab to Mag this evening and it did stratle him; he was eating at the time. He leapt up and spun around, but as soon as he saw it was Lock he just gave her a single not very hard peck and went back to eating. Lock then did the same to Bracket. Bracket just complained and moved around the feed bowl. If a young cockerel does that to Bracket she'll go for them full tilt and chase them around for a bit.
Lock does what a junior rooster would do at feed time and hangs back with Mag. She doesn't keep watch as such, she just doesn't eat with the other hens until there is space and that usually means the seniors have finished eating.
I tease some of the chickens by gently swatting their tail feathers. This normally produces indignant noises and immediate moving away. Lock doesn't bat an eyelid.
She has mock fights with Mag who is incredibly gentle with her. I was watching them today and Mag will leap up at her when she attacks him but he doesn't strike. He has never raised his hackles at her. Punch the senior rooster doesn't bother her. Neither try to mate with her.
Lock follows the tribe during the day at the same kind of distance a junior rooster would. At roost time Lock doesn't have a position in the who can go in the coop in which order.
I would need a few fairly long video clips to show her behaviour, but it's obvious just from watching her with the tribe that she is different.
The noticeable physical differences are her legs are stouter than the hens and overall she's a heavier build.
What I find fascinating is the rest of the tribe just seem to accept her as she is.
Anyway, here she is.
View attachment 2156136
This Bracket, Hinge, Nolia, Punch, Tack and the young cockerel all eating while Lock and Mag are standing next to me on the top step.
View attachment 2156139

This is Lock eating after the others had thinned out.
View attachment 2156141

This is Mag waiting to eat. He keeps watch and eats last in general.
View attachment 2156143

It would be interesting to compare her DNA with the rest of the flocks'.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

This is a new addition to the girls run, or should I say ‘Hen-itentiary’
View attachment 2155514
Someone living in our area posted on Facebook that their three hens had been stolen. There was no question it was anything but theft, as opposed to predation, as there were big boot prints around the coop and the door had been closed and secured after the fact.

The poor lady was saying that she could only put it down to the difficulty in buying eggs at the moment. Unfortunately, the hens were all around 10 years old and no longer lay; they were purely pets and of no ‘use’ to anyone.

This was just heart breaking to read. Hence we have now put two padlocks on our run door as the thought of someone nicking our girls make me feel cold all over

Those poor old hens. That poor lady.

I'm kind of hoping whoever stole them reads that post and puts them back.
I suppose that's not likely though

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I've had Vegemite on toast the last two days because of all this chat!

Me too!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Fascinating! Androgynous almost!

I was thinking Lock may be transgender or non-binary...

Well, Lock is Lock being trues to themselves and accepted by their tribe. That's the best thing!

 

[RoyalChick]

Ok, I try to keep my posts chicken related, but had to share this. I did something really stupid this morning. I want to grow veggies and Jeff bought me a couple small, pre-fab raised beds. I decided where they would go and realized they needed more sun. So, naturally, I grabbed a 12-foot ladder and a hand saw and started at the tree. Of course I would do this while everyone else was still in bed and didn't tell anyone I was out there being dangerous. Well, I was about 10 feet up on the ladder sawing away and thought, "Hmm... this branch looks really heavy. I should probably get down before it starts falling and re-evaluate from the ground. Might need to reposition my ladder."
Well, right then the branch swung down and it certainly was heavy! It knocked my ladder over. I hung on with one hand and held the ladder in place with my legs. I started frantically trying to saw my way out of the predicament I found myself in... ten feet up in the air with my ladder getting away from me and Jeff came outside. I called across the yard, "Will you help me? I'm in trouble here." Jeff came over, steadied the ladder and asked what on earth was I thinking?

OMG! I am operating under a 'no hospital rule' during Covid because the hospitals are in such bad shape. That means no power tools unless very familiar with them, no solo ladder climbs etc. You might want to adopt my rule!!

 

[RoyalChick]

Hi, By Bob.
I am a new chicken mom. I have been reading your thread here. Your thread is the reason I started an account. I am only on page 200 but thought I'd introduce myself, knowing you'd be getting tons of alerts for all my "likes".
My girls are about 10 weeks old. I cannot believe how fast they grow and I am quickly becoming a "crazy chicken lady". I could sit and watch them for hours.
I'd love to join your flock here.

Laura
Chicken mom to: Luna, Raven, Hallie, Annie, Daisy, Heizel, Alice and June

Hello Laura, I have long given in to 'crazy chicken lady' (I was already crazy cat lady so maybe it wasn't a big leap!). I became a member of BYC because of @BY Bob and his flock of chickens and chatty chicken tenders.
Everyone here was super supportive when I was devastated because a fox got Scary (RIP Scary) and now I feel really at home here.
It is such fun seeing everyone's hens and hearing all the stories. We are all so different and have different situations but we all love our chickens and find them to be both fascinating and beautiful (which naturally they are!).
We do all like a good fluffy butt picture so do introduce us to yours!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Hello Laura, I have long given in to 'crazy chicken lady' (I was already crazy cat lady so maybe it wasn't a big leap!). I became a member of BYC because of @BY Bob and his flock of chickens and chatty chicken tenders.
Everyone here was super supportive when I was devastated because a fox got Scary (RIP Scary) and now I feel really at home here.
It is such fun seeing everyone's hens and hearing all the stories. We are all so different and have different situations but we all love our chickens and find them to be both fascinating and beautiful (which naturally they are!).
We do all like a good fluffy butt picture so do introduce us to yours!

Seconded!
Welcome to Laura and her chooks!