Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Good morning everyone.

Dirt update first. My boy has not coughed in almost 48 hours and even with the stethoscope no more wheezing. I think he finishes his antibiotic in 2 days. Louis and Russ are still completely fine thankfully. He is also getting back to his spunky self in his stall. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see him bouncing around and knocking his water bucket over in a play for attention and treats. He has not been ridden in a week and a half and dad is going to give him at least another week after he finishes his meds. I know towards the end of that he will have so much energy that he will be a knot head and I will resort to name calling in the end. It is ok, I still have my boy to shout at.
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So happy to hear.

 

[bgmathteach]

what?!

The Cream Legbars currently not available?! Sure hope they are for May when I am home and I have 8 broodies all wanting chicks!!!

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Sold out by pre-orders already!

 

[RoyalChick]

Momma and her brood. They are growing like weeds. Look, they are sprouting their little tails. I still stand by my proclamation that going broody and hatching in January is a bad idea for my area even if that ole bat disagrees. That being said, the 2 day cold snap we just had, did not phase them one bit. Momma even found worms with a inch of snow on the ground that first day. Chiquita my broken silkie, is still as determined as ever she is hatching nothing. If given half a chance she would steal on or more of those chicks. Their very presence has made breaking her up impossible. I also now cannot leave the coop shut to keep her out of her nest. Momma periodically takes them in the coop to rest and it is a warm sheltered spot. I miss my broken never broody silkie. I now have a fully functioning baby on the brain silkie.

 

[RoyalChick]

So, some heat plates have 2 settings, a low & a high. I think the high is too high/hot for brooding - but would be fine for heat as a wall mount. I have (had) 2 brooder plates. One is only for brooding. The other can be used with the legs for brooding, or without and mounted vertically to a wall. That one does get too hot on high imo for brooding. It also depends on how high I have it adjusted relative to the chick's height, and how hot/cold it is when using it. I brood my chicks in the 'mudroom'. an unheated space with the louvered 'breezeway' type windows...so I have, when the chicks were first starting out, had the low wattage one set correct height for them, and the other set as high as it would go on the hot setting to give them extra 'warm space' and so that it also wasn't cold around the edges of the other heat plate. It worked really well. Then, as they grew and the temp outside moderated a bit, I switched to just that one but on low. (that one was bigger than the other, and as they got bigger, the other wasn't large enough).

Sorry, I don't remember the brand, and it has since died, so I can't check as it has gone the way of the wind.

Interesting Mine has no controls. It gets warm and I adjust the legs to be on a slant.

 

[BY Bob]

Momma and her brood. They are growing like weeds. Look, they are sprouting their little tails. I still stand by my proclamation that going broody and hatching in January is a bad idea for my area even if that ole bat disagrees. That being said, the 2 day cold snap we just had, did not phase them one bit. Momma even found worms with a inch of snow on the ground that first day. Chiquita my broken silkie, is still as determined as ever she is hatching nothing. If given half a chance she would steal on or more of those chicks. Their very presence has made breaking her up impossible. I also now cannot leave the coop shut to keep her out of her nest. Momma periodically takes them in the coop to rest and it is a warm sheltered spot. I miss my broken never broody silkie. I now have a fully functioning baby on the brain silkie.

The old bat sure looks like a great mum.

 

[ValarieF]

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

They did it again! Parmesan and Mozzarella have a tendency to sit on the pavement.

I shooed them away but they did this again when I went inside half and hour later.

Grandma never sits anywhere else.

 

[ValarieF]

Short video

 

[BY Bob]

Those are great comparisons and I love the family posing in that first picture.

I love Phyllis and Glynda in step together. I find them flitting about a lot. The 3 littles and Lady Featherington. It's adorable.

 

[micstrachan]

So, some heat plates have 2 settings, a low & a high. I think the high is too high/hot for brooding - but would be fine for heat as a wall mount. I have (had) 2 brooder plates. One is only for brooding. The other can be used with the legs for brooding, or without and mounted vertically to a wall. That one does get too hot on high imo for brooding. It also depends on how high I have it adjusted relative to the chick's height, and how hot/cold it is when using it. I brood my chicks in the 'mudroom'. an unheated space with the louvered 'breezeway' type windows...so I have, when the chicks were first starting out, had the low wattage one set correct height for them, and the other set as high as it would go on the hot setting to give them extra 'warm space' and so that it also wasn't cold around the edges of the other heat plate. It worked really well. Then, as they grew and the temp outside moderated a bit, I switched to just that one but on low. (that one was bigger than the other, and as they got bigger, the other wasn't large enough).

Sorry, I don't remember the brand, and it has since died, so I can't check as it has gone the way of the wind.

This is great info. Thanks!