Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Hot in the Suburbs

It is supposed to be 98°F (36.6°C) today. The big girls are already feeling it at noon.

 

[TopazMaster91]

I was concerned about the same thing and tried unsuccessfully to move Sydney to her own coop. There has not been any difficulty with the larger hens and the chicks. In fact for really the first week I barred the chicks from leaving the coop area while allowing the big ladies into the run. Mostly so that no one stepped on the chicks. I really think it is up to mom to protect them but my flock has been very tolerant of the chicks.

Most of the advice that I see here is to create an area for chicks to get away from bigger hens with smaller opens through which the bigger hens cannot follow. But those are chicks without moms. I would hope that mom would defend them and they could hide under her.

I will also say that my chickens are free ranging most of every day. There is a lot of room for Sydney to keep them separated. Right after hatch though everyone spent 5 days in the coop and run together with no issues at all.

Does that help?

Definitely helps some, gives me some ideas, thanks!
I have a 2x4ft dog cage I could stick under the sheltered part of the run for the first week or two, as long as I do something near the bottom so the chick can't slip through the bars.
That should at least help get everyone used to the new momma and her chick, while keeping them from attacking or fighting each other. The coop isn't quite big enough to section off anything, so I think a cage in the run might be my best bet. Now I just have to hope and pray that the broody accepts the chick, because if she doesn't, I have no clue what to do, I don't want to raise a lone chick in a brooder, that'd just be cruel.

 

[Ali James]

Chickens Fly, and so do Chicks

today was pretty wild at Fluffy Butt Acres and it all started with these two videos. The first one is long but don't quit too early or you will miss the payoff.

This video is sweet because Ned/Nanette tries to join his/her Mum.

The lengths us Mums go to to get just a few minutes peace from our offspring!!

 

[Ali James]

So let's see if we can win a picture of the week. Right now I'm leaning towards number 4 but 3 and 6 are getting votes as well. So here's some fun. Let's vote 1 more time. Which of these 3 are your favorite?

1
View attachment 2223277

2
View attachment 2223278

3
View attachment 2223279

2

 

[BY Bob]

Definitely helps some, gives me some ideas, thanks!
I have a 2x4ft dog cage I could stick under the sheltered part of the run for the first week or two, as long as I do something near the bottom so the chick can't slip through the bars.
That should at least help get everyone used to the new momma and her chick, while keeping them from attacking or fighting each other. The coop isn't quite big enough to section off anything, so I think a cage in the run might be my best bet. Now I just have to hope and pray that the broody accepts the chick, because if she doesn't, I have no clue what to do, I don't want to raise a lone chick in a brooder, that'd just be cruel.

Duct tape around the bottom. I did that with some fence I used. It will buy you a week. After a week I don't think 8 square feet will be enough.

 

[BY Bob]

The lengths us Mums go to to get just a few minutes peace from our offspring!!

I never thought of that!

 

[Shadrach]

One of the things I spend quite a bit of time doing is trying to locate the outside nest Tribe 2 and 3 are prone to making. Years a go I used to try to search for them; it's a fruitless task.
I have a good idea of who is laying and which eggs are whose. When I don't see eggs or hens in the coops then I try to pay attention to where they are during the day and listen out for escort calls. The escort calls often give me a general area and that's often good enough to locate the nest. This process can take some days. I usually reckon I've got about ten days of a hen laying outside before she'll sit.
Recently I've known that Tack, Nolia and Bracket have got a nest somewhere but I haven't had a clue where. I have heard some escort calls but they've stopped quickly and when I've gone to look all are present or accounted for.
This method of nest location does require the hens to be at some distance from the coops. I don't usually bother with the escort calls that come from the coop area, assuming the hen has laid in one of the coops.
After the nominal ten days if a hen goes missing and sits then life gets more difficult and I have to be around when she gets off the eggs to eat etc. For a start I have to hear or see her at this time and then I have to wait while she baths and eats and chats to her tribe. This can take an hour or more. I know from past experience the moment I take my eyes off her she'll be gone. Every night a hen spends out is high risk, and every day I can't manage to follow them back to their nest is stressful. As the days and nights go by I worry more and more.
Mostly, I get them withing two to three days if it's got that far.
This most recent nest was getting to that critical stage. I knew that any night now I would go to put the tribes to bed and a hen would be missing. It's not a good feeling.

I was giving Tribe 2 their supper tonight. Tack, Lock and Rivit tend to like to forage a bit while the seniors get settled in the coop so seeing them wander a bit isn't unusual and I normally herd them in close to the coop where I can keep an eye on them.
Tonight Tack started to wander away from the coop and something made me not discourage her. She didn't go far. A bout 6 meters from the coop and disappeared into a clump of weeds. The thing was she didn't come out the other side!
The pictures below are what I found when I looked.
No wonder the escort calls stopped quickly and no wonder I hadn't had any success trying to track them much further afield. I stand by this spot, within 3 metres anyway, every night and every morning.
I took Tack off the eggs and put her on a roost bar in the coop. I haven't counted the eggs yet or worked out whose laid there as well as she.

Standing a couple of metres back. The nest is directly behind that pole!

 

[Ribh]

One of the things I spend quite a bit of time doing is trying to locate the outside nest Tribe 2 and 3 are prone to making. Years a go I used to try to search for them; it's a fruitless task.
I have a good idea of who is laying and which eggs are whose. When I don't see eggs or hens in the coops then I try to pay attention to where they are during the day and listen out for escort calls. The escort calls often give me a general area and that's often good enough to locate the nest. This process can take some days. I usually reckon I've got about ten days of a hen laying outside before she'll sit.
Recently I've known that Tack, Nolia and Bracket have got a nest somewhere but I haven't had a clue where. I have heard some escort calls but they've stopped quickly and when I've gone to look all are present or accounted for.
This method of nest location does require the hens to be at some distance from the coops. I don't usually bother with the escort calls that come from the coop area, assuming the hen has laid in one of the coops.
After the nominal ten days if a hen goes missing and sits then life gets more difficult and I have to be around when she gets off the eggs to eat etc. For a start I have to hear or see her at this time and then I have to wait while she baths and eats and chats to her tribe. This can take an hour or more. I know from past experience the moment I take my eyes off her she'll be gone. Every night a hen spends out is high risk, and every day I can't manage to follow them back to their nest is stressful. As the days and nights go by I worry more and more.
Mostly, I get them withing two to three days if it's got that far.
This most recent nest was getting to that critical stage. I knew that any night now I would go to put the tribes to bed and a hen would be missing. It's not a good feeling.

I was giving Tribe 2 their supper tonight. Tack, Lock and Rivit tend to like to forage a bit while the seniors get settled in the coop so seeing them wander a bit isn't unusual and I normally herd them in close to the coop where I can keep an eye on them.
Tonight Tack started to wander away from the coop and something made me not discourage her. She didn't go far. A bout 6 meters from the coop and disappeared into a clump of weeds. The thing was she didn't come out the other side!
The pictures below are what I found when I looked.
No wonder the escort calls stopped quickly and no wonder I hadn't had any success trying to track them much further afield. I stand by this spot, within 3 metres anyway, every night and every morning.
I took Tack off the eggs and put her on a roost bar in the coop. I haven't counted the eggs yet or worked out whose laid there as well as she.
View attachment 2225480

Standing a couple of metres back. The nest is directly behind that pole!
View attachment 2225481

Clever girl!!!

 

[BY Bob]

One of the things I spend quite a bit of time doing is trying to locate the outside nest Tribe 2 and 3 are prone to making. Years a go I used to try to search for them; it's a fruitless task.
I have a good idea of who is laying and which eggs are whose. When I don't see eggs or hens in the coops then I try to pay attention to where they are during the day and listen out for escort calls. The escort calls often give me a general area and that's often good enough to locate the nest. This process can take some days. I usually reckon I've got about ten days of a hen laying outside before she'll sit.
Recently I've known that Tack, Nolia and Bracket have got a nest somewhere but I haven't had a clue where. I have heard some escort calls but they've stopped quickly and when I've gone to look all are present or accounted for.
This method of nest location does require the hens to be at some distance from the coops. I don't usually bother with the escort calls that come from the coop area, assuming the hen has laid in one of the coops.
After the nominal ten days if a hen goes missing and sits then life gets more difficult and I have to be around when she gets off the eggs to eat etc. For a start I have to hear or see her at this time and then I have to wait while she baths and eats and chats to her tribe. This can take an hour or more. I know from past experience the moment I take my eyes off her she'll be gone. Every night a hen spends out is high risk, and every day I can't manage to follow them back to their nest is stressful. As the days and nights go by I worry more and more.
Mostly, I get them withing two to three days if it's got that far.
This most recent nest was getting to that critical stage. I knew that any night now I would go to put the tribes to bed and a hen would be missing. It's not a good feeling.

I was giving Tribe 2 their supper tonight. Tack, Lock and Rivit tend to like to forage a bit while the seniors get settled in the coop so seeing them wander a bit isn't unusual and I normally herd them in close to the coop where I can keep an eye on them.
Tonight Tack started to wander away from the coop and something made me not discourage her. She didn't go far. A bout 6 meters from the coop and disappeared into a clump of weeds. The thing was she didn't come out the other side!
The pictures below are what I found when I looked.
No wonder the escort calls stopped quickly and no wonder I hadn't had any success trying to track them much further afield. I stand by this spot, within 3 metres anyway, every night and every morning.
I took Tack off the eggs and put her on a roost bar in the coop. I haven't counted the eggs yet or worked out whose laid there as well as she.
View attachment 2225480

Standing a couple of metres back. The nest is directly behind that pole!
View attachment 2225481

That was lucky. No way you would have found that nest. Amazing.

 

[BY Bob]

The view from my living room right now.