Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Just post it in this thread. If you search this thread for ‘Dear Aurora’ you will see all the previous letters and responses.
Both are hysterical.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Just post it in this thread. If you search this thread for ‘Dear Aurora’ you will see all the previous letters and responses.
Both are hysterical.

Peep will write a letter tomorrow. He needs his beauty rest of course.
Thanks, i will take a look.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Goodnight all

 

[ManueB]

Hello FBA! We've had a beautiful sunny week and just for Fluffy Butt day we are completely trapped in a deep fog, so no sunny butt pictures today.

Maybe we should all try and temper the number of posts we make?
Which is faster to read - the multi-quote approach (@ManueB uses that to good effect), or the multiple one-liners (@Ponypoor and I usually do that)?

I have been trying to hold back my more trivial posts because I am conscious that FBA would be nowhere near as wonderful if Bob and others fall back, and we have already lost a number of lovely FBA friends, who have given up on us because of volume.

I am a fast reader and ruthless at scanning (so I sometimes miss detail), I am also retired, and even I am finding I struggle. My strategy is very frequent very short engagement - if I miss a day I feel I am drowning!

Gratuitous tax picture because there is always time for a green chicken.
View attachment 3404811

I don't want to play the devil's advocate but I actually like the social aspect of the thread. The volume could be reduced quite a bit I suppose, but I like having an idea of who is the person behind the pseudo. There are people with very different lifestyles here and it makes it interesting. I've learned quite a few things when some of you have talked about things that have nothing to do with chickens like Kelly about her life on site in the deep north, or some of your health issues and the US and Canadian Health system. The issue I have is with language, I can skim through superficial stuff, but it takes me a lot longer to post than it would in french, and also I find it impossible to be succinct. I'm only giving up on daily updates but I will definitely still follow.

Oreos saga-

About two weeks ago while all the birds were out free ranging my son (3) was in the completely empty run playing with a truck. Oreo very purposefully walked in with the sole purpose of driving my son out and he did. Thankfully my son was completely unharmed because he was dressed appropriately for being out with chickens and Oreo thankfully went for his leg’s instead of his face. I reached out to @RebeccaBoyd for advice given her experience with the breed and Roos. I decided to try one last time and once again he attacked me and my husband while we were not near any hens or in “his” coop and run. I decided to rehome him with full disclosure on his behavior. Surprisingly, I was able to do so. They came and got him today. I hope everyone here understands why I couldn’t allow this to continue and knows that I tried to work with him to turn it around. It is with deep regret that I failed to fix Oreos aggression. That said in the end I had to keep my kiddos safe. Regardless of the last month he will be missed, I wish it had ended differently.

View attachment 3407148

I will add my thoughts to the things that have already been well said. I have struggled with the idea of failing to correct Théo's behaviour. Having Gaston made me grasp how important role models are for chickens and in particular roosters, and no human can play that part. The first possible role model is the broody, in many ways the rooster's role for the hens is similar to what the broody does for the chicks. The second possible role models are having other senior roosters in the flock that will show the rooster what his role is and put him in place. The last indirect role model comes from having older hens who know exactly what to expect of a rooster and will teach that to the growing hormonal rooster. I think when none of these elements are fulfilled, it makes it more difficult for a growing cockerel to find his place, and understand that the human is not a threat or a competitor. Of course, individual personality also plays a role and some roosters will still turn out great with none of these elements, but I really believe it makes an important difference.

The other thing I wanted to comment on is the fact that you were successful in rehoming in. I mentioned before that I stopped reading BYC threads about agressive roos because too many posters were insistent on culling them. But, I did see once a post that had a different perspective just like yours, and when I read it it made me feel so much better : a person was successful in rehoming a human agressive rooster in exchange for a hen, to someone who had a free range flock and wanted a rooster to watch for predators, but not to interact with as a pet. Too many will only be saying that it's out of question to re-home agressive roos and that they don't deserve a chance because there are nicer ones around, but your example show that it's possible to rehome even being completely honest about it. I'm very grateful that you took the trouble to think this through for Oreo.
.
@BY Bob : please tell Aurora that I read her letter to Théo. I'm afraid however that the only thing that got to his brain is his Gimli picture. Yesterday he shouted "Durin's beard! Cocorico!" and crossed the chicken netting to attack Gaston, which he hadn't done for at least ten days .

Lovely twofers @ManueB! I for one will miss you greatly on this thread, so do please come back whenever you can. Remember pictures for Fridays and Mondays and don’t forget Tuesdays and Thursdays. That should be enough in a week for us to benefit from your lovely contributions!!

Thank you very much, that's very kind. I haven't caught up completely yet so not sure if you are home now ? Anyway, I'll take the spirit of your kind comment, hoping @BY Bob will not be upset at this twist of the rules :

A mug for past Monday from Brune

A two fer from Brune and Nougat

A thirsty picture from Merle

And a butt from Piou-piou Shakira.

Wishing a very nice fluffy day to each of you!

 

[ValarieF]

You are asking a lot for them to be able to sleep together with only 2 square feet per bird. How many feet of roosts do you have?

Not sure my hubby put them in I didnt measure

 

[ValarieF]

Thirsty Thursday
I give you broody Phyllis having a drink.

She is so cute

 

[ValarieF]

I went out to check on the chooks early and see how they are all roosting. LOL they are all on 3 bars out of 5 the youngsters are staying by Hades. (smart) Its 5 am and the roosters are already crowing. It's 61 degrees and raining. So glad its not cold out.

 

[rural mouse]

Hi @ValarieF
I do not know for sure what breed she is, but I am pretty sure she is not a speckled sussex. Do you have a list of potential breeds you might have been sent? she might be a NHR or RIR (though RIRs usually have black in their tail feathers. What was the name of the hatchery you got them fromagain? I have forgotten.

This is what a speckled sussex looks like:
View attachment 3407094

(Not unlike @BY Bob s Lady Featherington - though she is a Jubilee Orpington, they look pretty similar in couloring (body style is a bit different, but feather coloring is similar.)

I hope this helps some. @rural mouse : I'm tagging you because you are the breed guru around here!

Black spangles on a red....makes ne think of Whiskey and Kren. I KNOW what breeds they have mixed up in themselves. They're Bitsa. Most of the spangled breeds in the books are tri colored or are black spangles on white feathers. Cinnamon doesn't match any that I know of. She's got the dark head/lighter body that many of the blue birds have but is less common in red birds. Add in the spangles, and I have to speculate that the hatchery had a roo get loose and make friendly with a hen he wasn't supposed to. No idea what breeds though.

 

[rural mouse]

This is what they could be
RARE BREEDS could include: Appenzeller Spitzhauben, Barnevelder, Blue Andalusian, Buff Brahma, Cochin, Columbian Wyandotte, French Black Copper Marans, French Cuckoo Marans, French Wheaten Marans, Lavender Orpington, Light Brahma, Midnight Majesty Marans, Olive Egger, Polish Buff Laced, Polish Gold Laced, Polish Silver Laced, Polish White Crested Black, Polish White Crested Blue, Prairie Bluebell Egger, Salmon Faverolle, Sapphire Olive Egger, Silver Lakenvelder, Speckled Sussex, Starlight Green Egger, Turken, Welsummer. STANDARD BREEDS could include: Amberlink, Americana, Asian Black, Barred Rock, Calico Princess, Black Sex-Link, Black Australorp, Jersey Giant, Brown Leghorn, Buff Orpington, California White, Cinnamon Queen, Delaware, Dominique, Golden Comet, Golden Lace Wyandotte, ISA Brown, New Hampshire Red, Sapphire Gem, Production Red, Rainbow, Rhode Island Red, Silver Lace Wyandotte, White Leghorn, White Rock.

Ok, logic this out. Bear with me, it's 430am, just waking up, no coffee yet and brain may ramble. No barring, so no Dominique, barred rock, cuckoo marans. Clean legs eliminates all the French marans, cochins, brahmas, and Faverolles. Has neck feathers so not a turken. No crest so not Polish, appenzeller slitzhauben. Doesn't fit bred standards for anything in breeding books, so no Wyandotte, Delaware, sussex, jersey giant, leghorn, Rock, orpington, australorp, new Hampshire, Rhode Island, Andalusian, welsummer, lakenvelder, barnevelder (not ruling the barnevelder out entirely as the coloring could fit, but come back to that after checking out more pics).

This leaves the assorted Eggers, Links, Rainbow, production reds (less likely), isa browns, gems, Calico Princess California White (nope, wrong color), and I'll include the midnight Majesty marans as they're not accepted in breed standards yet. All the blue birds are out, but I don't know enough about the assorted Eggers to know if the names are because of Blue eggs or blue feathers. The links, isa browns, and Golden comets are VERY breed specific hybrids (both parents are pure bred), so while they don't breed true for breed standard, offspring do turn out consistently.

The Gems, Eggers (americauna included), Calico Princess, cinnamon queen, and midnight marans haven't been around long enough as breeds to get the standards established to be recognized as breeds for shows. There's a lot a variation, throwbacks, and unusual things popping out in them. They're also harder to ID specific birds because of that.

Back to barnevelder. Checked out more pics: they're double Laced so eliminates them as a pure breed. If a roo played with the wrong hen at the breeders, they're still a possibility as 1 parent, but not both.

Cinnamon is a beautiful bird. When she starts laying, let us know as that will help with the puzzle too.

 

[RoyalChick]

I don't want to play the devil's advocate but I actually like the social aspect of the thread. The volume could be reduced quite a bit I suppose, but I like having an idea of who is the person behind the pseudo. There are people with very different lifestyles here and it makes it interesting. I've learned quite a few things when some of you have talked about things that have nothing to do with chickens like Kelly about her life on site in the deep north, or some of your health issues and the US and Canadian Health system. The issue I have is with language, I can skim through superficial stuff, but it takes me a lot longer to post than it would in french, and also I find it impossible to be succinct. I'm only giving up on daily updates but I will definitely still follow.

I actually agree with you and like the social thing and learning about everyone’s different ways of chickening and living generally - and I think there are pros and cons to both ways of posting so folk should do what is comfortable for them.
I do think though, that we need to watch ourselves a little so we don't put off some of our most valued friends who cannot keep up. It is a fine line for sure and I am sure we will muddle our way to a good place.
The tax code really helps I think because it should stop us falling into completely chicken-free chit chat as happens on so many other posts.

Tax: Little baby Maggie when she first came to live with me and be my friend. Honestly it might be her twin Scary!