Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

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Holy crap-a-doodle! Poor budgie

What sane person thinks 'i need a blind budgie that won't be able to see how that fly'..... ??

Bad enough chickens can't see to run (haha poor Mr P ).

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I wish my other phone would behave! I grabbed a photo of her up on the brooder! She hopped/flapped up there hahaha!

Oh I meant to ask if Gryffon's eggs checked out ok this weekend.

I may have missed if you posted

I just candled them a hour ago. 2 out of 4 are developing. 2 of them never started. Goose's 4 eggs are also looking perfect. 1 week left to go. I do not know which one I look forward to seeing being a momma the most, Gryffyn or Goose.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Good lord Perdita, I do not need another broody hen. Shrieking, walking around like a turkey doing the broody cluck and chest half plucked. I know where this is going, and nope, I have 4 girls currently sitting.

 

[Ponypoor]

Good lord Perdita, I do not need another broody hen. Shrieking, walking around like a turkey doing the broody cluck and chest half plucked. I know where this is going, and nope, I have 4 girls currently sitting.

These young ladies are seriously bonkers!

Meanwhile Curly and Fluffy are full on serious broody! I asked them why they couldn't have done this a couple weeks ago

Anywhoooo they can share chicks when Penelope's eggs hatch....

Anyone have any experience with co-broodies raising chicks together??

 

[Ponypoor]

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Here's Josey eating her morning mealworm today. She trusts me enough to feed her but she doesn't like me touching her.

She's a beauty

 

[notabitail]

She's a beauty

I would think so. (She is a bit proud though. Says the others pale in comparison. I disagree.)

 

[Ponypoor]

I think Jeff and I get better every project. Now we have almost enough materials for Goldie's tractor and figured out some things on how to do it easier, being old n fat, that is key

I want to finish the Rooster Run asap, but weather is not on my side this week.

I need to get the electric fence up first, but need to get a 'ground' installed first, and I need to make sure to make it safe from curious chickies! Don't need any zaps!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Here's what I found works so far, plastic little square mesh. Small squares don't hook the chicken's nails easily and won't cut them (I think). I did this last year. I've held it down with stones, so it can be taken up for adding more mulch, etc. Blueberries have shallow threadlike roots, on the smaller bushes they don't extend very far out. You'll want (I've wanted) to mulch it well with old acid pine chips and needles, fairly widely, for moisture retention and chicken enjoyment purposes, it's really full of worms! The mesh goes over the protected parts. I scrape back the other parts as the chickens work it. I do the mulch about as wide as the bush is, wider for young ones. Easy to cut slits and holes in the mesh to get it around the plants, also used two or three pieces.
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Just want to add that I’ve been taking the winter coop run litter out each year and spread it on the blueberries for mulch. This does NOT include poop tray litter (chopped hemp and chicken poop) which I think is too much nitrogen per carbon to soak it up. Poop tray litter gets composted along with kitchen waste for garden use. Blueberries don’t want or need a lot of nitrogen. They need well-draining, very acid soil and steady moisture.

Anyway every bush has done well except one, so I don’t think that bush’s problem is due to the mulch. The run litter is a mix of chicken poop of course, but then lots of aged ramial chips from a pile the tree guys left us, that’s generally a mix of pine, oak and maple; purchased bagged wood chips which I think is pine; collected fall leaves and pine needles, some chopped hemp, and some rice hulls.

(The one blueberry not doing well is near a concrete foundation. It has a chlorophyll problem (chlorosis) is which I think is possibly due to encountering concrete mud or something making the soil too basic. It has a companion bush that has thrived next to it, thus the theory it grew into a pocket of something too basic. The leaves got a little better when I gave it a rhododendron soil acidifier treatment late last summer.)

Last January in the Big Run

 

[Ponypoor]

Now if you had another name in mind with the little cutie use it. I was just thinking of a name that went with Marty. I cannot tell you how happy I am your little power couple finally have a chick of their own. If she is anything like her momma she will be a spitfire.

Have been calling her Martina all day, just hope she doesn't turn into another Roxanne!!

It's too bad the other Marty egg didn't develop. But the dozen I gave my friend of the silkies should be hatching tomorrow

 

[Ponypoor]

I would think so. (She is a bit proud though. Says the others pale in comparison. I disagree.)

All my chickens think they are the most beautiful, my roo Mr P just stay clear of those discussions!