Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

You are way over your head in this! Your work crew can only produce what they can, trying for the
best results, but you need even more?
I’m seeing a workers strike in your very near future!

I warned the guy about molting, broodiness and winter. I may need to outsource some of production

Someone took my encouragement to heart and laid an egg for me in the middle of the alleyway looks like a Penelope egg.

I got three silkie eggs, a Rose egg and one from Penelope today - slackers!

So Buttercup, Misty and Whiskers didn’t lay an egg today, or if they did it’s hidden. Dorothy is hot and miss like her mum Penelope, and Blanche hasn’t laid and egg in I don’t know how long.

My producers are:
Misty
Whiskers
Buttercup
Rose
Henny Penny
Fluffy
Curly
Marty (though she is more an every other day layer now)
Penelope (once a week maybe)
Blanche (not laying..?)
Sophia (broody so not laying!)

I may need to keep a couple extra hens I think, if I get regular customers. Though winter may be sketchy on eggs. I will have my nieces hens but they are 3 now and likely coming to end of production - not to mention end of lifespan.

If those Bielefelders turn to be Bielefelders I think I will keep them, they are known winter layers. I think they lay about 5 times a week I read.

Hmmmm might need a bigger barn !

 

[Ponypoor]

Yes - I have mainly gone big on the 'deep' part of deep litter. There is probably a good 6-8" of leaves and pine straw and pine shavings. It probably bounced!
What amazed me is how fast Sylvie mobilized. She was on the roost when it started and then by the time the camera sorts itself out she is all the way on the other side looking down on the chaos!

Too funny.

Yes I have a good layer of shavings down - I dropped any egg the other day and it bounced twice!

 

[Ponypoor]

Yes - I have mainly gone big on the 'deep' part of deep litter. There is probably a good 6-8" of leaves and pine straw and pine shavings. It probably bounced!
What amazed me is how fast Sylvie mobilized. She was on the roost when it started and then by the time the camera sorts itself out she is all the way on the other side looking down on the chaos!

In the Summer House - I put my one camera on a stool, and anchored the power and network cables with a paver brick - I didn’t trust those Tweens and school chicks!

Earlier I caught one of the babies sittin on the camera haha - I was about activate the pan (turn function) I n the camera but she hopped down - brats!

I love how they all line u on the ledge to sleep and the white ones all keep together

 

[Ponypoor]

Mr Penne

Tonight he is on the ledge and seems to have fit in with the gang.

 

[BY Bob]

Good Afternoon fluffy butts and all!
102 degrees and humidity 15%.
Some chickens are molting in the heat!
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View attachment 3572783

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That is hot! Yowza!

 

[BY Bob]

2 mugs with a peekaboo one on the bottom pic. Best I can do fo today.
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I love that peekaboo!

 

[bgmathteach]

They used to do that and call the capons. I bet you could find instructions online.

Here you go

They are from Sears.

I still would feel much better having an experienced person show me the first time - you can seriously hurt them/kill them if you screw up!

Interesting that the 'cleaning' is just soaking in cold water until it looks clean - no 'sanitizing' of equipment, Was it the time and the lack of understanding of sterilization (it was printed in 1922!) - or lack of them feeling a 'need' to for just 'livestock/poultry' that would become dinner anyways?

 

[RoyalChick]

I still would feel much better having an experienced person show me the first time - you can seriously hurt them/kill them if you screw up!

Interesting that the 'cleaning' is just soaking in cold water until it looks clean - no 'sanitizing' of equipment, Was it the time and the lack of understanding of sterilization (it was printed in 1922!) - or lack of them feeling a 'need' to for just 'livestock/poultry' that would become dinner anyways?

Well they do say to use some weak antiseptic at the incision.
It suggests you practice on a dead bird first.
It is also interesting that the assumption is you are working solo - hence using the half bricks to hold the bird down.

Fascinating as this is I think I can safely say that I am not going to be doing that any time soon!

 

[bgmathteach]

What on earth is he doing with 20 dozen eggs every couple of weeks? Runs a restaurant? Sells cakes? Has a big appetite? A big family?

My neighbor eats 2 dozen jumbo eggs a week - just himself - plus whatever his wife eats. Unfortunately, he doesn't like/want duck eggs, and only eats jumbo eggs during the week, so he doesn't buy any of mine - he buys the poor commercial farm hens' white jumbo eggs. He hard boils them and eats them for breakfast 'on the run' driving to work. ( 3 a morning), and then eats scrambled or overeasy on weekend. Those can be anything (well, size wise.) He saves his jumbo cartons for us, we use them for the duck eggs.

We bring him a dozen of our chicken eggs when he says he has a stack of cartons for us. He and his wife eat them on the weekends...but gosh, god forbid you have to peal 4 or 5 hardboiled eggs instead of 3 for breakfast.

 

[bgmathteach]

O-la-la! Now there is a regal looking fellow

He gives Mr P a run for the money in the wattles department! And that comb - what a lovely boy

See @Desertvalleychickens , I told you!