Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

My yard is trashed! They won’t stop digging, scratching and more digging.
The whole area looks like a WW 1 war zone!

 

[featherhead007]

She laughs.

 

[BY Bob]

isn't it interesting that stealing food is not a serious chicken offense per the pecking order

I have always thought that was interesting as well. It's like if you can steal it you can have it.

 

[RoyalChick]

I have always thought that was interesting as well. It's like if you can steal it you can have it.

Not when one of them has a mouse. They all want to snatch that prize!

 

[BY Bob]

Does anyone know? @Ponypoor, @ChicoryBlue, @RoyalChick, @BY Bob, @ValarieF? Anyone Know? @rural mouse, @featherhead007? Anyone?

Nothing in that photo gives me pause. I would just watch for other symptoms.

 

[BY Bob]

You can't rescue every chicken, but you can advocate for system changes too, which can help many more chickens. As you say these are deeply-ingrained issues and huge businesses. Huge because the market is massive. Change may be slow unless you get the right mix of people and circumstances to make legal changes to how businesses are run. Greater change can come but people have to become aware. I didn't know about a lot of this until recently myself. How about raising awareness of these among your friends and neighbors? Maybe you can get involved with them and help your local farms implement changes?

Certified Humane program https://certifiedhumane.org/ which is a step in the right direction

Same with the Vital Farms program https://vitalfarms.com/?gclid=CjwKC...KwWRbfCovua10H9_rO8t2iMQPKt1KljxoCOUMQAvD_BwE which appears even better but is pretty ambitious in it's whole-farmland approach

This is interesting, hens that lay only pullets. The cynic in me knows that these chickens / the way they achieved this will be patented and incredibly expensive for others to do. I don't know how far along anyone is in actually running a hatchery anywhere in the world with these. But it is an example of potential and hopefully positive change on the industrial side. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bkc3iyioj

The Buckeyes intermittent news: someone, not Popcorn (because I know her cute little round eggs) is laying massive eggs, 72 grams. I suspect Butters, or maybe Peanut. It would be great if it is Hazel because she laid a shell-less egg about ten days ago, after acting fairly uncomfortable and unhappy. Only the membrane. I've upped the calcium yogurt bread bits mix and made sure she gets some. However I just got Nutrena Hearty Hen 18% protein for them which is a layer feed. Hope that will help. I haven't researched calcium in their water yet.
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There was another earlier this week or late last week, exactly the same, 72 grams, light-colored like this latest one. Here it is in the middle of the carton.
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I stopped marking them with the permanent marker last week, because I'm also giving them back the shells crushed to eat. What's a food-grade marker or crayon I could use?

That is one big egg.

 

[BY Bob]

Babs also posed for a mugshot. She has eaten so much her feathers no longer quite cover her crop. I hope she isn’t plucking them. I am not ready to learn how to handle a broody hen!

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You paranoia about broodies is fun.

 

[BY Bob]

I was hoping you would pop in and see how gorgeous your girls are. And yes, packing it away is a good description of their feeding habit. This is mainly forage - they have free access to commercial feed but aren't eating that much of it. I suppose that is why I am observing their crops so closely to make sure they are all eating. Apparently there are enough yummy things around in the warming dirt to fill them up!

Hmmm - now you mention it - there were some feathers in the nest box.

I want to rush back and check, but Bernie is squeezing herself in there at the moment. It is a tight fit, but she didn't like that I gave her fresh shavings in her more roomy chosen nest, so she is making a point. Seriously, I can't do anything right!

Aurora would agree with your self assessment. All us humans cannot do anything right.

 

[BY Bob]

@Lilion :Manny was doing what a rooster is supposed to do! He would grab a nice piece of salad, drop it on the ground and tidbit (that little tuk, tuk, tuk) that is him calling a hen over saying 'look at this great piece of food I found for you!

Rooster's jobs are to:
protect - they should be ever watchful while he and the girls are out free-ranging - and give warning calls if something is amiss (some will even fight to their death to protect their ladies)

provide - they will tidbit when they find something good - to call the girls over and let them have it (the girls need a lot more food/energy to produce those calorie dense eggs every day)

produce offspring to carry on his line: This involves not just mating ( often!), but also helping a young hen find a suitable nesting spot and come to escort them back to the tribe after they have laid. It can also include helping parent/train/teach the young chicks (usually momma will let the rooster near them sometime around 2 weeks - but that varies drastically by hen and tribe.

Either of the first two can also include 'herding' the girls. To new areas to forage, to the dust bath area...to get them to go into the coop when it starts getting dark, and/or to keep them semi-together so he can keep a watchful eye on them all.

@BY Bob can probably add to this, as I'm sure I am missing something.

Regardless, Manny WAS manning-up when he let the girls take the salad pieces . He was being a very good Roo!

I concur with this assessment. Good roo.

 

[featherhead007]

Aurora would agree with your self assessment. All us humans cannot do anything right.

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Especially not me! Hen-Rietta has a bad bumble foot and I can’t hold her and fix it up at the same time!