Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

I've been so busy that I've not been here hardly for the past few days...
I opened the door to Willow's broody area, and she is back with the flock. I've seen her once or twice in the nest, but both times I saw BBQ kick her off.

BBQ's foot looks very good. I am going to keep spraying it and keeping it clean.

I will need to post pictures of my friends birds. It's just been so hot, my phone camera hates working while its 108 F out. (That's what it was today)

Put some ice in my chooks and guineas water. And some Gatorade. I'm going to find a little waterer for my chooks, so that they have multiple water areas.

I need to get a fan, but money's tight. Maybe once we get paid!

My dad also says that I need to find a way to make my birds food, because he is done buying it... Any suggestions on how to make HEALTHY food?

There's a few articles on exactly that. Also some on fermented food and sprouted food...

 

[RoyalChick]

I've been so busy that I've not been here hardly for the past few days...
I opened the door to Willow's broody area, and she is back with the flock. I've seen her once or twice in the nest, but both times I saw BBQ kick her off.

BBQ's foot looks very good. I am going to keep spraying it and keeping it clean.

I will need to post pictures of my friends birds. It's just been so hot, my phone camera hates working while its 108 F out. (That's what it was today)

Put some ice in my chooks and guineas water. And some Gatorade. I'm going to find a little waterer for my chooks, so that they have multiple water areas.

I need to get a fan, but money's tight. Maybe once we get paid!

My dad also says that I need to find a way to make my birds food, because he is done buying it... Any suggestions on how to make HEALTHY food?

Glad about BBQ’s foot. Good job!
On the feed, others have already provided some links and you should search on BYC for others.
Home made feed is not cheap and balancing nutrients is complicated. So if this is serious you will need to do a LOT of research. There are ingredients that are hard to find in bulk.
Look for posts by Perris and by U_stormcrow. Read what they have written and maybe start a thread and tag them to it. But research here first. Home made feed is quite a contentious topic and certainly complicated!
The best way to reduce the use of commercial feed is to let the chickens free range. Is that practical for you.

 

[Ponypoor]

And they USE them! Fortunately they haven't been using them in trees....yet. They're only climbing to tree height INSIDE the coop.... and I probably jinxed myself with that....

I still find mine roosting in my spruce, fortunately they don’t go up very high

 

[Ponypoor]

I've been so busy that I've not been here hardly for the past few days...
I opened the door to Willow's broody area, and she is back with the flock. I've seen her once or twice in the nest, but both times I saw BBQ kick her off.

BBQ's foot looks very good. I am going to keep spraying it and keeping it clean.

I will need to post pictures of my friends birds. It's just been so hot, my phone camera hates working while its 108 F out. (That's what it was today)

Put some ice in my chooks and guineas water. And some Gatorade. I'm going to find a little waterer for my chooks, so that they have multiple water areas.

I need to get a fan, but money's tight. Maybe once we get paid!

My dad also says that I need to find a way to make my birds food, because he is done buying it... Any suggestions on how to make HEALTHY food?

Well you need a job to make some money, even if you make your own food you still need money for the ingredients.

Left overs from your meals can be used, I know my family is from Newfoundland and way back when there there were jo feed mills, chooks were fed left overs and free ranged in summer.

 

[Ponypoor]

I've been so busy that I've not been here hardly for the past few days...
I opened the door to Willow's broody area, and she is back with the flock. I've seen her once or twice in the nest, but both times I saw BBQ kick her off.

BBQ's foot looks very good. I am going to keep spraying it and keeping it clean.

I will need to post pictures of my friends birds. It's just been so hot, my phone camera hates working while its 108 F out. (That's what it was today)

Put some ice in my chooks and guineas water. And some Gatorade. I'm going to find a little waterer for my chooks, so that they have multiple water areas.

I need to get a fan, but money's tight. Maybe once we get paid!

My dad also says that I need to find a way to make my birds food, because he is done buying it... Any suggestions on how to make HEALTHY food?

I am super happy with BBQs foot - good job! Well done kiddo

Also glad that Willy is off her nest and back to being a real chook

 

[Ponypoor]

What type of snake was that!?

Cottonmouth - he said.

You need to pay a SHRA Tax
Can’t wait to see your friends chooks


And my SHRA TAX
Fluffy says good morning!

 

[Ponypoor]

Candling done. Eenie complained a bit, but was her usual docile self. We may be first-timers, but I'm sure we saw somebody moving a bit in all three eggs!


Now wishing I'd candled Shebas eggs before we tossed them when we found them out of the nest, but they were pretty darn cold, so I'm going to assume Eenie knew something we didn't.

Time to get some serious brooder/babysitting preparations underway.

We had a visitor tonight.
View attachment 3564159
Just a little garter snake, about as big around as my finger. No danger to chickens or eggs, but, I'm happy to report he eats small mice!

Eenie's gonna be a mama.
View attachment 3564160
And I noticed today she's looking better than she had in ages. Having Manny off her back (literally) has done her good.

How eggciting ! Oh I cannot wait to see her with her babies.

I would suggest having your hubby build a small brooder run were you can move her once the babies are hatched. A safe place for a couple weeks until that wee ones get big enough to run / fly away.

How eggciting

 

[Ponypoor]

It must be the heat. Jaffar is being mean to me! Biting, flogging me, and scratching me up until I bleed. I put him in the penalty box for an indeterminate period of time.

He feels you’re a threat to his harem.

Hey what’s going on with the chicks?

 

[Ponypoor]

Glad about BBQ’s foot. Good job!
On the feed, others have already provided some links and you should search on BYC for others.
Home made feed is not cheap and balancing nutrients is complicated. So if this is serious you will need to do a LOT of research. There are ingredients that are hard to find in bulk.
Look for posts by Perris and by U_stormcrow. Read what they have written and maybe start a thread and tag them to it. But research here first. Home made feed is quite a contentious topic and certainly complicated!
The best way to reduce the use of commercial feed is to let the chickens free range. Is that practical for you.

Agree - making one’s own feed is expensive, I know back in my grandmother’s day they fed leftovers and food and fish scraps to their chickens, also free ranged them.

And in fact horses, ponies, cattle, sheep and goats all free roamed during spring summer and Fall. They only returned to home-base for winter. There were no feed stores; oats were brought in by ships and boats which would have been expensive, to feed the milk cows and goats and horses in winter.

So if you can use food scraps and free ranging you can cut your commercial feed cost.

Also why don’t you meet with your parents abd
Ask if you can do chores to earn money and pay for your feed, that’s what I did as a youth.

 

[Ponypoor]

Mugs Monday

Frosty

Henny Penny

Penne - another awesom comb! Mixed with black pigments

Cappy

Diamond I think another Roo (or could be Eli-too can’t see white spots on chest)