Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

Mugs Monday

Lovely beard and mugs on Misty, thinking she is mama to Muffy and Maybe Petunia - can a blue and splash give petunias colouring?
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One of the babies, I have lost track of which is which now.
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Curly asking why am I locked in here?
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Also Whiskers is going broody, she has plucked her breast feathers and is running around going BUK BUK BUK…and fighting with Raven, guess she is wanting chicks also.

I told her she was a couple months too late, better luck next year.

Great shot of Curly! I love the slight head cock - saying 'what the heck, human??" And great capture of her lovely top-knot

 

[Ponypoor]

Great shot of Curly! I love the slight head cock - saying 'what the heck, human??" And great capture of her lovely top-knot

Thanks

I wanted to get a picture of her pre-haircut. She is going to get another mowhawk haircut to that she can see - her and Fluffy, I also will trim back Muffy and Petunia, their muffs and eyebrows are getting really thick!

Thinking of getting Floyd also.

 

[Ponypoor]

Well...this isn't good. View attachment 3587424
Especially as we're supposed to be out of town Fri and Sat for the husband's birthday. We can ask neighbors to watch them...but I'm so worried we'll come home to dead chickens! We can't expect them to water the coop down every hour. What do I do?

Fans Fans Fans - that is pretty much all you can do. Keep that air moving. Can you get a bunch of box fans (3 or 4) and put them in the coop, pointing a couple outwards through doors and windows to remove hot air, and a couple inside to move air around?

Also I think you already have a shade cloth in front or over top of your coop, that will help lots.

For next year what I would do is plant climbing/pole beans and peas on a trellis in front of your coop and run, I used to do that on the west side of my barn it would just be baking in here, but the plants grew so fast (I would plant early spring), and they would just cover the whole front of my barn, kept it cool in there - I really wanted to do that this year but I was unsure how to keep the chickens off the plants - I now have a plan for next year though.

And they also give you fresh green, yellow, and purple beans, snap peas, snow peas, and any other climbing/pole beans/peas.

But for this year fans and shade cloth are your best bet.

I am curious to see how micstrachan (michelle) does her slow drip system - that would be really great I think.

 

[Ponypoor]

I'm also incredibly sad and angry to learn you are going through this. I don't know enough to say if your case is sufficiently solid. One thing I'm sure : this person functions with fear, being afraid and making others afraid. If you take some form of action, at least you will reverse the fact that she reigns with terror. Think of the chickens - how it makes us crazy to see the ones who are bullied just stand there not moving and letting themselves be hurt ? Any action you take will have at least the positive effect of taking you and the two people you mean to help out of the awful position of waiting to receive blows.
Work is a place you spend so much time of your life at. It shouldn't be a place of suffering because of one person. I realize there is a lot at stake financially. But it seems you have some advantages on your side, and it maybe once you speak up, you find other support you didn't expect.

Mugs as tax for intervening out of the blue.

Lilly.
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Théo. While his position is still pretty difficult, he can now stay most of the day not too far around without being threatened and he even gets to mate Chipie every now and then.
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Sweet heart Piou-piou. Still not feeling well, and still plucking all her feathers away and irritating her skin by continuously pecking. We may take her to the vet next week if the heat has dropped a bit more.
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I am glad Theo is doing well, and in a more safe location - silly boys!

That is an odd thing with Piou-piou, I have never seen feather picking like that, I wonder if the irritation can be treated with some cortisone? maybe an injection of it to get it into her system fully.

I hear about the heat your way in the News daily; seems Mother Nature has gone off the rails this year. Heat, floods, tornadoes... all that is missing is Hurricanes' and Typhoons - haven't heard much on those - yet.

 

[GregnLety]

I have a much simpler explanation.
I am crazy!!!

We all are to a certain extent

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

Mugs Monday:

And some pecking fun!

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

We all are to a certain extent

I very much agree!

 

[Ponypoor]

thank you. affording a lawyer is out of the question. We just voted in a new slate of officers for the union (very good thing - first year in about 20 there was any 'competition' and an actual election (versus the secretary casting a single ballot to elect the slate of candidates because not a single position was contested) I am actually hoping it can turn into a full chapter grievance since so many people are involved. imo, that would be the best outcome.

and, just an fyi: no, I am not on byc during work. I will pop in sometimes during a break. (i.e. 'my time'), and I am using a day today and tomorrow. One of the ways I actually can get her to approve time off: I have enough vaca time built up that I will lose some in the next pay cycle, and, even though there is not supposed to be any 'black-out' periods regarding vaca time, August is very crazy and she won't grant vacation time then - soooo...I essentially forced her to approve a couple days each of these last few weeks - and put in that I would be over the max hours of vaca time otherwise - so she had to approve it - as that alone is a lawsuit. If we go over so many hours (375hrs/50 days), we lose them. It used to be 60 days, and any above that rolled into sick time. twice a year. Now, each pay period they check, and anything over the 50 day you LOSE (i.e. the state takes back!) So, I am taking enough time to stay below that through mid September/after the add/drop period ends - which is also crazy busy.) Since I requested it 6 weeks ahead (of the first week - requested a couple of days per week for each of a few weeks), AND made sure my days requested didn't overlap with more than one other person's in the office AND that I was still working on our extended 'accepted student's days) she really didn't have a choice.

Though she did comment - in person, mind you, not in response to my emailed request - 'What are you taking vacation time for? You never go anywhere." Um, hello - I explained in the request email I would lose the time otherwise...and what is wrong with a staycation???? I REALLY wanted to say "Any extra time away from you is well used time" - but I bit my tongue!!

I really wanna say 'holy crap on a stick' but more rudely - to HER!

What a crass, rude, ignorant, intolerant, cruel person ?! You see, I am a mouthy brat I would have come right back at her and said 'Yep that's right, I am gonna sleep-in, in my own bed, get up with my PJs on, grab a cuppa tea and go sit and watch my horses and chickens - why would I pay thousands when I already have paradise'.

She needs to learn better social manners and also better communication skills. Sounds like she has neither in any appreciable quantity.

Well I am hoping that your new union personnel can do something to correct the issue.

Meanwhile - you enjoy your little slice of paradise and tell her she needs a life.

 

[Ponypoor]

thank you. affording a lawyer is out of the question. We just voted in a new slate of officers for the union (very good thing - first year in about 20 there was any 'competition' and an actual election (versus the secretary casting a single ballot to elect the slate of candidates because not a single position was contested) I am actually hoping it can turn into a full chapter grievance since so many people are involved. imo, that would be the best outcome.

and, just an fyi: no, I am not on byc during work. I will pop in sometimes during a break. (i.e. 'my time'), and I am using a day today and tomorrow. One of the ways I actually can get her to approve time off: I have enough vaca time built up that I will lose some in the next pay cycle, and, even though there is not supposed to be any 'black-out' periods regarding vaca time, August is very crazy and she won't grant vacation time then - soooo...I essentially forced her to approve a couple days each of these last few weeks - and put in that I would be over the max hours of vaca time otherwise - so she had to approve it - as that alone is a lawsuit. If we go over so many hours (375hrs/50 days), we lose them. It used to be 60 days, and any above that rolled into sick time. twice a year. Now, each pay period they check, and anything over the 50 day you LOSE (i.e. the state takes back!) So, I am taking enough time to stay below that through mid September/after the add/drop period ends - which is also crazy busy.) Since I requested it 6 weeks ahead (of the first week - requested a couple of days per week for each of a few weeks), AND made sure my days requested didn't overlap with more than one other person's in the office AND that I was still working on our extended 'accepted student's days) she really didn't have a choice.

Though she did comment - in person, mind you, not in response to my emailed request - 'What are you taking vacation time for? You never go anywhere." Um, hello - I explained in the request email I would lose the time otherwise...and what is wrong with a staycation???? I REALLY wanted to say "Any extra time away from you is well used time" - but I bit my tongue!!

Also - not sure down there, but up here a workplace lawyer would only charge if a payout/solution was offered by the workplace to you - the lawyer would take their slice.

 

[LhickenChicken]

Lovely birds!
Speckled Suspect.....

Is it a speckled suspect virus? Like the broody virus?