Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Caturday
There are chickens in that bush Enzo.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Hi Michelle! Sounds like you have fun

Lady F laid he first egg! And she was able
To enjoy the fruits of her labour as Bob dropped - haha

Valarie also had a first egg - a blue one

Seems some have been afflicted with frost bite but overall I think everyone survived the cold ok.

Big news is Rebecca and her Mama Hen who decides to go broody on the hill side under a rock ledge! We are all sitting on tenter hooks waiting to see if she is ok and hatches any babies! Oh I didn’t see any update yesterday on her! @RebeccaBoyd how are things with Mama?

She spent 2 full days in the warm weather on the eggs. First thing this morning I took out some leftover chicken and rice and dumped it out. Momma Hen came flying off that nest and stuffed herself before anyone else was allowed to get close. After she ate all she wanted she went and had a good dust bath and picked a fight with one of the cochins before returning to the eggs. All flurry wanted to do was join her in the dust bathing poor girl.

 

[RoyalChick]

Happy Caturday and Happy New Year

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Goose turned 5 months old today. It is a overcast rainy morning. Goose is eating and I notice it. Her comb is starting to color up. I promise you 2 days ago when she attacked the dog she had no real color to her comb. Very soon going to have to go on first egg watch from that girl.

 

[BY Bob]

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Marvelous.

 

[lightm]

Happy Caturday and Happy New Year
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Awwww

 

[BY Bob]

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Hello! I am new here, but I saw that today is Fluffy Butt Friday. Here are three of my chickens best Fluffy Butts from this morning! My rooster, Pastel and his adorable lady Bolt next to him. Then the one that wanted to be alone, Splotch, with a fine Fluffy Butt, as she did not lay yet today I have a RIR named BBQ, but she didn't want a picture of her fine Fluffy Butt today...I have four chickens: Pastel- a Bared Rock mixed with a Black Australorp- Bolt- A Buff Ameracuna mix- BBQ- Rhode Island Red mix- Splotch- Bared Rock mixed with Black Australorp. I also have 16 guinea fowl

Marvelous bums.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Marvelous bums.

They say thank you!!

 

[BY Bob]

Oreos comb update today and some Fluffy Butts!
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Great bums.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Oooooooh! Is it bad that I want her to go broody now?!

I understand the desire to have a broody hen, I really do. I used to feel that way all the time until my girls broke me. A few things to consider first. One would be your location. Here in Kentucky it is a bad time to be hatching chicks. The weather is just too unpredictable and cold. I say this with a insanely crazy and conniving game hen who is currently broody on the hillside in a location that I can see but not get to. If I could get to her she absolutely would NOT be hatching chicks this time of the year. Another consideration is the age of your hens. It is not terrible for a young hen to hatch chicks, most times they make excellent mothers. What you do not want to do though is attempt to hatch those pullet eggs. You can do it, I did before I knew any better but be prepared. Those pullet eggs are smaller, and while the chick develops normally many times there can be trouble at hatching with mal-positioned bigger chicks. This resulted in a few assisted hatches with some of the chicks making it and some not. If a young girl goes broody now within a month or two of her first starting to lay she is never allowed now to hatch her own eggs. She is given my older hens eggs to hatch. If they have been laying 2 to 3 months before going broody she can then hatch her own chicks. I think I read you have Easter Eggers and Buff Orps in your flock right? I'm not familiar with the EEs, but Orps are supposed to be very broody. I say supposed because I have 4 orp girls. My first one Butter is coming on 3 this spring. Never been broody a day in her life. The other 3 turn 1 in February. Already 2 out of 3 have shown signs of attempting to go broody but were quickly discouraged. I fear I will battle them with broodiness this spring. If I do not count the non-laying age pullets I have 19 laying age hens. 6 of them have never offered to go broody. Of those 6, 5 are under a year old.