Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Cold-Blood]

Beautiful! Are they Brahmas ?

Columbian rock banty hen and a silkie mix roo

 

[ValarieF]

13000

 

[BY Bob]

Late Night Stretching
Hattie is certainly acting like an old lady these days. I caught her getting up for a snack last night. Here she is emerging from her nest box.

Once she is out like many of us older folks, she no longer just trots over to the food. First she needs to stretch, groom, and relieve herself.

 

[BY Bob]

I just ordered more. They will eat a broken egg, and two have been eaten, a third one broke and fell between the roost bars, and that shell was definitely a shell but thin. I think Peanut is laying as she has been squatting. When I clean the roost and nest box she jumps up to say hello and loudly announce she’s going to lay an egg in there, or that she did already, and they ate it and it was delicious, and if I find a semi-frozen hemp and wood chips patty she wants to know because there could be yummy yolk bits still, so she definitely needs to supervise me.

I’m thinking it won’t hurt to “flood the zone” in case they have the idea now it’s food regardless if it’s thin and breaks.

I think that Peanut’s shells are not strong enough, and I’m back to supplementing calcium now, powder in yogurt. I may try just giving Peanut a mini calcium pill if I can determine it is only she who has this problem, but I suspected Butters last year too. But that would be a stress for either of them and I really hesitate.

I go back and forth between supplementing calcium in their diet to supplementing protein, because I read Buckeyes should have at least a 20% protein feed. They’ve been on Nutrena All Flock 20% for the winter. On the other hand Feather Fixer, very close to layer in calcium and pretty good protein, wasn’t enough calcium for Peanut last year, and possibly Butters too.

They have Scratch n Peck oyster shell flakes, and ground up real eggshell as free choice.

Have you considered a liquid calcium supplement added to their water?

 

[BY Bob]

Glynda’s front comb points that frosted look pale yellow but good, don’t they?

Yes I believe that we are lucky and Glynda's comb is going to survive the frostbite intact. Excellent news.

 

[featherhead007]

13000

She’s having a premature explosion episode!

 

[featherhead007]

The coop door is open all day and theres a camper shell in the covered run they like. My chooks are weird. I dont have drama much but I do have weirdness. lol

I think there’s an aftermarket version of relief from weirdness syndrome. It’s to be taken with meally worms and feed. I forgot what it’s called

 

[bgmathteach]

Maybe Eli will fill out over time, but right now she looks like she is built more like Glynda. She has a really lean build - her fluffy face makes her look bigger, but from some angles she looks more like a crow than a chicken!

Any excuse to post an Eli picture.
View attachment 3385696

My EE/Ameraucana have never been 'heavy' like Aurora looks, they have been more the sleek look, but with very fluffy faces. She is built like the EE's I have. It may very well depend on the hatchery and exact mix of breeds used to create that EE line, though, that accounts for the difference

Yes, I think she is adorable - so much fluff around her face . It looks like she is getting a bit more brown/gold in her feathers. They were in teh middle of their last juvenile molt when you got them....?

 

[RoyalChick]

Late Night Stretching
Hattie is certainly acting like an old lady these days. I caught her getting up for a snack last night. Here she is emerging from her nest box.

View attachment 3385759

View attachment 3385758
Once she is out like many of us older folks, she no longer just trots over to the food. First she needs to stretch, groom, and relieve herself.

I know the feeling!

 

[bgmathteach]

Late Night Stretching
Hattie is certainly acting like an old lady these days. I caught her getting up for a snack last night. Here she is emerging from her nest box.

View attachment 3385759

View attachment 3385758
Once she is out like many of us older folks, she no longer just trots over to the food. First she needs to stretch, groom, and relieve herself.

I'm glad to see Betty roosting in the main coop!