Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Camera tax
Hahaha I love this photo of Cappy she is such a little character

Oh I will miss her, I am letting my friend know I am bringing them back to her this week, with the young cockerels getting randy around here, I don’t want them hurt.

 

[Ponypoor]

Nope. I just get an occasional blue one. Like one out of every 4 or so.

Hmmm that is so odd, have you asked the breeder/ hatchery if that’s normal?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Weekly synopsis: a summary of the chicken happenings over the past week

There have been 791 posts since last week's synopsis - we are a chatty lot!
Here is the link to last week's synopsis: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26968433

Apologies if I missed anything major - it has been a crazy week.

@knoturavggrl
Has chicks growing fast - I just love these pictures of their beautiful speckles: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26968477


@Ponypoor
Pony has started to realize that her obsession with babies has resulted in a LOT of chickens! https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26968512
But she is not done yet! https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26979315

Eli-too shows an interest in power tools and I cannot get enough of this! https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26969844

Pony took a tumble and was saved only by the plywood she was cutting - but her efforts paid off in creating a new roosting shelf. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26974169

Sophia and babies are now in the newly completed Summer House.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26982582


@Sally PB
Let her littles explore the outdoors for the first time. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26970340
And she has lap chickens! https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26976831


@RebeccaBoyd
Lilly has been playing games with Rebecca. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26970623

Rebecca introduced us to Owly who is absolutely not becoming a favorite, and is not male. Just saying.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26971294
And we met Corona's new (and impossibly adorable) babies. There are nine of them. That is NINE (and at time of posting there are more to come). https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26978691


@featherhead007
Has been preparing to celebrate Hen-Rietta's hatch day - the lovely lady is 7 years old. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26971144
The little (now not so little) chick visitors from next door have started sleeping on the fence under the cover of Alex's coop roof. Seems like they like the company of all those beautiful Rocks. And Xzit has gone broody in the middle of a heat wave.


@Lilion
Has had a health scare with Sheba. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26972362
But she seems to be doing OK now.


@Pastel The Rooster
Pastel has done a wonderful job treating BBQ's bumble foot. After soaking for several days, BBQ got surgery this week. Everything was looking OK at the time of posting the synopsis and we look forward to more news from Pastel.
Sadly Pastel's hatch didn't do well.

Spoiler: Sad hatch failure

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26973378

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26988006


@BY Bob
Went on an adventure and the spirit of Daisy (GHE) went with him. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26974070


@bgmathteach
Is trying to help a poor chick with a bad cross-beak. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26976566

Thank you, RC! I’m late even to the summary! As always, this is much appreciated from all the Synopsis Peeps, thank you!

 

[BY Bob]

Cockerels tend to extend the sort it out, sometimes with the pullets (at least around here)....it's possible it more the boys getting hormones started early and the girls thumping them for it....hmmm. I'm going to have to go watch the chickens some more....

That's a win right there. More chicken watching.

 

[BY Bob]

Hmmm that is so odd, have you asked the breeder/ hatchery if that’s normal?

I figure at this point I'll ask the vet next time Enzo has his appointment. She seems fine in every other way.

 

[BY Bob]

Thank you, RC! I’m late even to the summary! As always, this is much appreciated from all the Synopsis Peeps, thank you!

How is Butters doing?

 

[BY Bob]

Size doesn't necessarily mean higher. Adventurous doesn't necessarily mean higher either. My experiences with adventurous are it usually means lower. In the wild, the adventurous one is away from the tribe, making themselves an easier target for predators to pick off. What we see as adventurous frequently means the bird in question is giving way to those higher for food. As such they're foraging farther away while the highers eat the choice pieces. Once those are finished, the "adventurous" one comes in to the "choice bits" and cleans up (like a pride of lions: who eats the fresh kill first).

This is true except in tribes of mixed birds. I have ladies with different activity levels. Glynda and Phyllis are not lay around birds. They are always in motion. Hattie is like a cow now. She she grazes until her craw is full and then literally lays down to digest. Sydney and Aurora don't always lay down with Hattie but they stand with her grooming, etc. Once they are full. Poor Lady Featherington I think wants to lay down with Hattie but her besty Glynda keeps talking her into more exploring.

So high energy birds could seem to be lower in the order than they are.

To truly discern pecking order takes a lot of observation and knowing of your chickens personalities.

 

[BY Bob]

Camera tax
Hahaha I love this photo of Cappy she is such a little character
View attachment 3565414

Oh I will miss her, I am letting my friend know I am bringing them back to her this week, with the young cockerels getting randy around here, I don’t want them hurt.

What a cutie pie.

 

[rural mouse]

Wow you guys were busy today! We went boating and didn't get home until it was time to close up the coop!

I loved the Italian chickens...which is also the name of a delicious dish my mom used to make for company. Seriously, I only got to visit Italy the one time. I'd love to spend time there...forever would work.

All the talk of pecking order makes me think again of how much i have to learn. I may have been a member of BYC for years, but there are my first chickens! And it's also why I'm concerned about Eenie and the chicks.



Nope. In fact you were the only one! But it's all good. We've decided, in the next few days, to use the dog crate we had Sheba in to isolate the nest Eenie is in. By putting it, side door open, against the nest, she'll have that space all on her own and the others will no longer be able to lay there. Every day I find eggs from both of the other girls under Eenie. That has to stop. I can't have then shoving into the nest on day 21 and crushing (or just killing) a newly hatched chick. They're going to be upset, but they have 2 unused nest boxes and 49 square feet of floor to lay on. They can lump it.

I don't want to move her and the eggs on day 12. I keep reading sooner is better. I can move her and the chicks without much problem. Right?

I have questions about using the small coop. If I leave it in good shade, it won't have access to the main flocks run. It won't fit inside it. Theyll be out of sight of yhe others for the most part. Maybe just a cage-like area inside the main coop? Like the crate, but larger? I can do that easily enough using materials we own now.

Anyway. It's late and I need my bed sooner rather than later. I'll pester with more questions another day.

Here's my mama mug for Monday.

View attachment 3565234

My 2 cents: pulling a bird from the tribe for more than a day will likely mean she has to do some integration reminders. It also means that babies are complete unknowns to the other adults. My reaction is keep her at least close enough to see and be seen. Any method that keeps her with the rest (but keeps them from getting to her) is preferable, in my mind.

 

[BY Bob]

El Syd in Trouble
Thinking back some more on yesterday's observations, Sydney was also in trouble with Aurora, not just Hattie. There was a time yesterday after I emptied the pool skimmer, when Aurora and Phyllis were calmly sharing the bugs from the skimmer together.

Right! I was shocked. But it really happened. Aurora really does not share the skimmer proceeds with anyone and here she was letting Phyllis have some.

Well Sydney came up to join in and Aurora first verbally warned her. Sydney, as usual, did not listen and back off. So Aurora pecked her. Syd stepped back and then went around behind Aurora to try and sneak some. Aurora knew the move wheeled, pecked Syd again and then chased her leaving Phyllis alone with all the skimmer bugs.

I was sure that Aurora would drive Phyllis off when she came back but the two of the them just started chatting while eating.

Strange as it may seem, Phyllis and Aurora were seen together quite a bit yesterday peacefully coexisting.