Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

I am so glad Gaston will have his own Girls. Since they chose him, there won't be any issues about him trying to win over Theo's girls, and since he has quite a few already, hopefully Theo won't try to 'steal' Gaston's

The white leghorns look lovely, and have that characteristic stance and tail - but they look a bit more 'full bodied' than our American versions (@BY Bob , do you agree, or is my perspective off?) And your BCM are lovely, though I suspect @RebeccaBoyd would say they would look even lovelier (especially give you are IN France) if they were FBMC - with the feathered legs!

I do hope all continue to thrive with your care. They do look quite content in their new surroundings - and I suspect it won't be long before the leghorns have fine tuned their take-off, landing, and flight path calculations!

All I am going to say is if I were in France I would be sourcing me some quality FBCM eggs.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

@RebeccaBoyd and @rural mouse You are both good at identifying pullets versus cockerels...I know it is a bit early, but who is what?
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This one is clearly part CM (?maybe part BR, but CM is much more likely!) This one will have a straight comb.

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I know the first pic. of this one looks like a cockerel stance - but it was trying to catch a bug. I haven't seen any of them have that stance yet - but with work I don't get to observe them as much as I would like. I think this one will have a pea comb.


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This one I think will have a pea comb, also. Clearly part EE with those puffy cheeks.

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Hey, mom...I no longer fit, and can't fly over this fence yet. Waaaaiiiiit, come back!

And, not least, but my 5th. Also part CM (or BR). Much smaller head spot, single comb.
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I'm thinking those feet look awful big.

I am thinking 2 or 3 roos, but not sure. I figure I will have a better shot at guessing in another week. They are about 2.5 weeks old now. (I think....things have been so crazy lately, that I can't keep track of time at all!)

They are young still. Of the 3 with straight combs if you have a boy it is the first one. Clearer pictures are needed. Watch for early wattles, if you spot wattles before 3 to 4 weeks old odds are it is a boy.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I know nothing about the Harco breeds. Just read up on them and they seem to come into lay similar to many of ours - but take a while to finish growing. (the site says POL ~20-22 weeks, so 5 months, which is pretty standard), so given they are FBCM X Harco, I doubt that this hen is 6 months old. Especially since he breeds them, there would be roosters around (they tend to mature a bit quicker with Roos around - i.e. come into lay) She barely has any pink. @RebeccaBoyd would probably know more accurately, but I'm guessing she is 4-4.5 months. That said, the Harcos site I read about them on was the promoter of the breed, so it could be a bit 'optimistic' about POL, and it that is the case, might be 5 months old. I can't believe they are 6 months old though!

She is a pretty girl. I also do not know of the breed she is mixed with. She could be 6 months old. It is common for my BCM and mixes to lay between 5 1/2 to 6 months old but a lot of lines can wait until 8 months old before laying. Actually some of the higher quality lines in the states claim around 8 months for the first egg. I would bet the same would be with the french lines.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Hopefully the fact that Rebecca's chickens are free ranging will mean that they are way healthier than those cage raised factory hens and hopefully that will offset the high production a bit.

They sure are pretty birds

I can hope they are healthier. I will say since that first egg she has laid every day so far including today. But really that is just 5 eggs.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Wow. Gorgeous!
I will have to tell Tassels and Calypso that they are slacking in the shimmer department and to get right on it.

Don't do it or you might regret it. Rico has the early blue because he is a boy, remember that. Call them slackers if at almost 4 months there is no shimmer.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

He was showing me really is the boss around here (ooooo the Man Song just popped into my head !).


Some tax for none chook talk

Lovely Buttercup
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And pretty Martina - everyone still think pullet?
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Martina gets prettier every single day. I do not know why, but when imagining a chick between Mr. P and Marty, I never expected this color combo. I am in love and still think girl.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Raven was set on Mothers Day evening. So in theory if the hens read the hatching chicks 101 manual she should hatch this Sunday. Like the rest of my hens she did not read that manual. 1 egg is externally pipped.

 

[Ponypoor]

Jinx! Today’s the day!

Not to worry - had it all over my top yesterday - ewwwww!

 

[Ponypoor]

still looking like a pullet with stunning markings

Good to know - I am really getting a bad feeling with Penne - I think cockerel now.

I will grab a close up in a bit.

 

[Ponypoor]

I think she is starting. She was sitting on her nest at the crack o' dawn this morning. I looked and looked and I finally checked the nest. She fluffed up her feathers to twice their size and pecked me lightly (she is a very gentle chicken) and all the time screeching at me to go away.

Welcome to the dark side (mwahahahaha).

Broodies are a pain in the butt, but hauling them off the nest twice a day I think is better than trying to break them, in my opinion. Last year I had 3 or 4 broody at one time for a while there.... This year only the twin sisters so far.

I think that the others are looking at the babies and thinking - NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE.....