Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

If it's anything like here, complete and total waste until the roads clear...otherwise you freeze the doors shut and/or pick up a new layer of dirt (from the road sand) within half a mile. I have witnessed people coming out of the car wash at 10F.

Tax: an IdiotView attachment 3397221

Oh, but at least he is a handsome idiot!

 

[rural mouse]

Oooooo he is a beauty Is he one of your Hamburgs ? lovely !

My boss had the hydrovac guys vac the mud off his rental and clean it - little good it did hahaha. Back to being a mess!

No. He's Whiskey’s brother, another bitsa.

 

[rural mouse]

Oh, but at least he is a handsome idiot!

He do be that!

 

[featherhead007]

Chills this morning. Cold doesn’t seem to bother the chooks, but it sure bothers me! 42f is cold enough, I can’t even imagine anything colder than that.

 

[knoturavggrl]

Give him treats to give to his ladies, Bread world good. Don't go around him to the girls directly. Work through him first. After he gives the girls the treats then he will let you do so. Make him the star.

I do do this and have been trying to teach the kids that the girls are his responsibility so we should let him feed them the treats whenever possible.

Free ranging always comes with risks. Today I had to finally give up and just take the goats for their walk. Not 1, not 2, not 3, but 5 eagles. 5!!! All sitting in the trees surrounding the chicken yard. I’m not sure what they were planning on eating, they didn’t take any chickens, but they made me mighty uncomfortable. I fully respect every person that doesn’t free range as much as those that do. It takes just as much if not more effort and dedication to ensure a safe coop and run as it does to free range

I was going to attempt unsupervised free ranging this summer but no longer on the table as an option. Supervised free ranging will have to suffice. I do wish it could be otherwise though.

I tried everything with Pangoo… he was a good kiddo when he was a baby I could pick him him give him treats etc… but he turned quite surly.

With Mr P I have not made a pet out of him, I leave him be, and he ignores me. I am happy with that - his job is to be on the outlook for predators.

I set out to not make a pet of Oreo as well. I wanted him to be able to fertilize eggs to continue the flock when we were ready to do that and to be a good lookout. I would be thrilled to have a Mr. P type relationship with Oreo.

He may be feeling like his girls are threatened and that he must be more protective of them, or he's going through the difficult stage. But he could also turn to have this type of personality, like my rooster Théo does.

On top of the good advice that has already been given, I would say to observe carefully if some situations seem to trigger him. With Théo, I found out that being very close to him in a space where he feels like he can't escape, or carrying a bowl full of feed for the chickens are clear trigger. So I avoid those situations when possible and when not, I talk slowly to him, telling him what I am doing, to try to calm him down.
If you want him to feel dominated, then the usual advice given is standing tall in front of him, talking loud, flapping your arms, or catching him and holding him to the ground.
I sometimes do those things if I think it's necessary, but I also do the exact opposite when Théo is looking like he's giving me a stinky eye, and go on my knee or sit down. This is supposed to show submission, but I think with a rooster that isn't really agressive or mean but just protective or feeling threatened, it shows that you are not a threat.

I think the general advice that applies to all spooked / acting up animals apply to roosters : act calm, move slowly, don't surprise them, watch where they are and don't let them surprise you.
And a good advice from @Shadrach : wear proper clothes. Gloves, long sleeves, real shoes. In winter it's usually the case anyway but in better weather it's a good habit to take.

Oh yes, I wear heavy jeans and boots and possibly gloves too if it keeps up. He was only a bit testy before Powder was taken but ever since it seems he has taken his job a lot more seriously. I will try kneeling down next time and see if that helps him calm down. He is only 6 months old so I have hope he will recover once some time has passed and once his hormones calm down. Thank you for sharing your experience.

I am miserable today. The pain isn’t too bad, usually only about a 2-3. But now that the nerve block is completely worn off I can feel the inside of my splint more, every little wrinkle or bump in the padding/bandages/etc. And I have some numb areas in my toes that make it feel like there is string wrapped around them. And I just can’t find a comfortable position. One thing or another aches no matter where I try to put my leg.

[/whining]


View attachment 3397123

I went through this as well. It felt super tight almost like it was cutting in (it wasn’t but felt that way) I was so very miserable and I dealt with it for days. Finally, I called my surgeons office and they said as long as I was not moving around I could loosen the splint! The relief was oh so amazing. Now, I am in no way saying for sure your situation is the same but please do call and ask because its quite possible it could be. Don't just sit with it like I did for days on end. Ortho surgery is tough

 

[knoturavggrl]

How old is Oreo? I’ve found many boys go through some sort of idiot stage early into their rooster careers. Even my Best Boy Sammy went through a phase where he would try me. He thought I was trying to steal his girls or something. With him I would go out with treats, meal worms, and all his girls would run to me, he was getting aggressive to me so I stood my ground and then hand fed the worms to him and him alone, one at a time and gave none to the girls. So, I give him the worm, he gives them the worm, he maintained His ladies, and I was the “good thing” that gave him the special treats to give to his girls. It took me a little over a month to get him settled. He is The One Rooster I trust with everyone, including small children who could hand feed him safely, if it wasn’t for all the vicious biting hens. He trained All the other Roosters in my free range flock of 54 hens and 6 roosters aged 8 months (Squeak) to Sammy who is going on 5 years old this year). Having a Mature and grounded Rooster makes the next cockerels in the flock grow up with an entirely different attitude.

To me it sounds like you have a similar situation happening with Oreo. He’s growing into being The Rooster, and you might be a threat or competition for HIS hens. That said, some boys can’t be “fixed”. Hawk got a good several flogs in today on DH when he opened him up in the morning yes he’s feeling Much better! Nothing like watching a grown man that handles large livestock flee a 5lb rooster first thing in the morning.

He is 6 months old and of course we just lost that pullet. He was testy before but it has escalated since losing Powder. I do set the bowl down in front of him when i bring treats out but I haven’t tried giving them one at time to him. Ill try that today. Thank you for sharing your experience with me. I just want him to not try and flog me he can be standoffish that’s acceptable. I am very grateful the kids seem to off limits to him its just me and my DH he will go after.

 

[BY Bob]

Nice job Her coloring is good. I do like the crown 3-D glittering, that is fitting!

The crown may come off in the rain but I wanted to do something special for her.

 

[BY Bob]

I like Betty's too, the tilt of the head or something, very nice @BY Bob!

Thank you. I'm very pleased with the current set.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I'm so happy for the Queen! She deserves some blessed rest.

She cannot make that her permanent place to sleep though. She has slept there for 5 nights. The first 3 were super cold and that area was block from any wind so I left her alone. I do not like or encourage sleeping in the nest boxes. She looks to be over the worst of her molt, but I can still feel many pin feathers underneath her new feathers so I am still worried about her. She is not naked enough now to need to be brought in at night. Leave it to the queen to molt at the most inconvenient time so she gets special attention and privilege's. Tonight will be the last night she is allowed to sleep there as it is supposed to warm up this coming week for several days. Mom got excited for a short minute last night when she realized where Butter was sleeping. She woke me up at 2 am going "Is my Butter finally broody?" Nope not even laying right now. I will say this, I do not ever want Butter broody. Where as I will see it as another hen to break my mom will drive herself and me crazy. This past summer dealing with all the crazy momma hens mom would look at Butter and one minute wish she was broody. The next nope, she is afraid she has lasting affects from her injury and going broody and having to sit so long will hurt her. Seeing what she did for Chiquita though I know what will happen if she ever does. Butter will be brought inside and a nest made. Then she will stuff a dozen eggs of her choosing under her. For the next 3 weeks I will have to cater to this hen who will have to be packed outside and then packed back in daily. Mom has threatened that scenario in the past when wishing Butter wanted chicks. Thankfully Butter seems to be more of a career girl and has no time to rear chicks. I may have to watch myself around Butter. That sounds like a perfect revenge for insulting the queen.

 

[Ponypoor]

Completed
The fluffy bum silhouettes are done. Here is Aurora's. Check out her crown. I'm pretty proud of that. I obviously upgraded her silhouette overall to better match her bum. I believe she has earned it.

View attachment 3396873

So all the current residents are up to date.

View attachment 3396874

Now I need to update Sansa's and make ones for Gucci, Legertha, and Sylvie.

Those are awesome Love the crown also