Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

The view from my living room right now.

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Doing some QC on the amazon packaging.

 

[MaryJanet]

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.
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Standing a couple of metres back. The nest is directly behind that pole!
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That's quite a hoard!

 

[BY Bob]

Doing some QC on the amazon packaging.

Did you get it? Phyllis knows what's in there.

 

[BY Bob]

A Very Sweet Gift

Someone we all know sent a very sweet gift to me for Eve. It was totally unnecessary but they felt the need. I am so very grateful. Thank you so much @LozzyR .

 

[BY Bob]

Happy Friday

 

[MaryJanet]

Did you get it? Phyllis knows what's in there.

No, I can't see any detail on my phone's screen. What is it?

 

[BY Bob]

No, I can't see any detail on my phone's screen. What is it?

Marly Worms. I ran out yesterday and Phyllis was worried.

 

[MaryJanet]

Marly Worms. I ran out yesterday and Phyllis was worried.

Oh my goodness! So glad they arrived quickly! Imagine going TWO days without mealy worms? The horror

 

[BY Bob]

Oh my goodness! So glad they arrived quickly! Imagine going TWO days without mealy worms? The horror

It kept Phyllis up last night. She had to come in today and make certain they got here.

 

[RoyalChick]

Love at first bite
Thank you to all of you who suggested live meal worms to bribe the baby-Princesses to tolerate me. Oh boy, it is like they have a switch in their brain when it comes to those wiggly worms! They will grab them from my hand and are beginning to look expectantly when I show up.
I am now confident that the babies can make it back up their ladder. And they are getting braver about coming out of their little door.

I am not totally confident that they can find the ladder when they are at floor level but both have now ventured around the Palace floor. Minnie got there by falling between the rungs of the ladder and Dotty flew inside the Brooder-Palace but because I had the doors wide open so she just kept going and found herself out and about too.
Next step is for them to meet the big Princesses at ground level (supervised at first). I will give that a go tomorrow.
Today I tried to build a step from the servants quarters down to the main Palace level. Jumping up and down the 18" drop isn't that convenient. I carefully dug out the dirt to create a level area on which to build the step. Then helpers arrived and they pushed all the dirt back where it was. So still no step!

And now just because it is Friday.. ..