Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Pastel the Rooster]

Jaffar is getting a scarf . I ordered it from my church friend and she will knit it herself.

I thought I was crazy about my birds... CLOTHS FOR CHICKENS?!?! THEM SLEEPING IN YOUR BED!?!? I am LOST!! I wish I could do that with my Bolty girl! My dog would kill her and my dad would kill me... I don't like those circumstances!

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Thanks everyone for your opinions on the missing eggs. The snakes we have here, green whip snakes and aspic vipers, hibernate in winter, so it doesn't seem likely. Rats are a possibility though we haven't seen any for ages.

We have loads of crows but I don't think they would have been able to get in at night..unless it was done during the day and I didn't see it!
So it will remain a mystery...
And thanks RC for the info about eggs exploding. I will put some fresh ones in, every morning and take them off for the night from now on.

You don't have any Rat snakes? That's what has been stealing my eggs.

 

[featherhead007]

I thought I was crazy about my birds... CLOTHS FOR CHICKENS?!?! THEM SLEEPING IN YOUR BED!?!? I am LOST!! I wish I could do that with my Bolty girl! My dog would kill her and my dad would kill me... I don't like those circumstances!

I have no dog or dad to worry about!

 

[RoyalChick]

Yes we are trying to talk her into it I think that is a wonderful plan, maybe Bernie will get all broody and you can shove 3 or 4 chicks under her!

Lots of little 'putters' running around hahaha (get it? putter? pullet? teeheehee)

Keep an eye out - she may see something no one else does. Or maybe she wants to get all broody and wants the others to join her. My gals get all silly before they go broody, sort of like Blanche this morning - sitting and nest building. Or maybe there is a rat in the hen house? She wants to have help dispatching it???

Wants an escort of finding a suitable nest site?

Either she wants company to lay her egg (remember, she stood guard while Babs laid!), or she sees something amiss that the others aren't. I'm hoping it is the former, as I don't want anything to be amiss, nor for any of them to get hurt.

So, has Eli laid yet today? I do hope that is it. You know, us ladies can't go to the rest room alone (supposedly, anyways), maybe Eli doesn't want to lay an egg alone!

The Eli mystery is solved. She wanted company while she laid her egg. We all went in and hung out inside the Chicken Palace and she laid her egg and life was good!
There is a lot of snow forecast for tonight and the temperature just dropped a lot so I have brought everyone in.
Eli jumped up onto the countertop in the servant's quarters in search of sunflower seeds and I got her to step back and stand on my hand.


Bernie is big enough to cover a good dozen chicks if she ever went broody - she is a big gal! But it is a terrifying prospect - she might just eat them as little snacks.
She has decided not to use the regular nest boxes. I honestly don't blame her - they are a shade under 12" deep so it must feel very cramped to her. Fortunately I had already built some bigger and more open access ones under the main roost and for now she seems happy with those.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

I have no dog or dad to worry about!

I'm jealous! I can't wait till I move out!! I will get to be a free human!!

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

The Eli mystery is solved. She wanted company while she laid her egg. We all went in and hung out inside the Chicken Palace and she laid her egg and life was good!
There is a lot of snow forecast for tonight and the temperature just dropped a lot so I have brought everyone in.
Eli jumped up onto the countertop in the servant's quarters in search of sunflower seeds and I got her to step back and stand on my hand.


Bernie is big enough to cover a good dozen chicks if she ever went broody - she is a big gal! But it is a terrifying prospect - she might just eat them as little snacks.
She has decided not to use the regular nest boxes. I honestly don't blame her - they are a shade under 12" deep so it must feel very cramped to her. Fortunately I had already built some bigger and more open access ones under the main roost and for now she seems happy with those.

I'm glad that Eli is okay!!

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

I know that this is Dollar General, but why are the eggs so cheap! What happened to inflation? The 8 dollar eggs?

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

I will be getting some mugs from my chicks in a little, but first, let me show you guys my Pie girl!!

 

[bgmathteach]

I'm jealous! I can't wait till I move out!! I will get to be a free human!!

Hmmm....think of chickens. They want to be 'free', too. but that means: no protection, no one buying and providing your food, no one doing your laundry (in the chicken case, cleaning out your coop), etc., etc. ,etc. There are pros and cons to both cases.

Chicken Pro: more moving around, variety of insects and seeds and grass. Healthier and happier
Cons: More likely to be killed by a predator, to go hungry at times, to be cold and wet at times, no comfy bedding - except what you might scratch together.

I'm sure you can relate this to your personal situation.

This:

Versus this:

Abandoned, starving hens rescued.

 

[bgmathteach]

The Eli mystery is solved. She wanted company while she laid her egg. We all went in and hung out inside the Chicken Palace and she laid her egg and life was good!

Wonderful all around!! You get an egg, Eli is happy, and the 'Girls' have (hopefully) learned to reciprocate Eli's attentiveness.