Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ChicoryBlue]

That’s really great to hear! I knew they would work it out ok.

As for food, I mixed the chick feed with the layer ration 50/50 and just fed that, I am now moving to a grower ration as I can’t get an ‘All Flock’ feed here at all. But with my roosters and chicks of all ages I figured to get a feed with less risk of calcium I would just feed the grower crumbles. I put out oyster shell for them and grit already.

I tried to just keep the chicks eating the chicks feed but they would go and eat with the big ladies so then I started mixing the two feeds together,

I'm now feeding everybody the starter grower crumbles, Nutrena Naturewise 18%. Butters wants to eat it, Hazel too, and Popcorn thinks it's candy. Butters was growling at Popcorn, who is happy to use her heft on Butters until Butters brings out the pecks.

So the Nutrena pellets were coming up to three months old, I'd given most of it away last month to a friend who can use it up fast. Now the starter grower crumbles are in the treadle feeder and Hazel's little bowl.

Popcorn is the only one laying this week, Hazel is molting and seems to have stopped. Popcorn is eating the oyster shell and eggshell bits and so far no soft eggshells.

The crumbles size. I decanted the bag into a clean pretzel jar.

 

[GregnLety]

Parvo girl (Estrella) is getting to be pony size and is only this still for treats.

Our chooks love these two bushes. We leave them untrimmed for protection from predators and the sun. There's 6 or 7 chickens in this picture.

 

[Ponypoor]

I'm now feeding everybody the starter grower crumbles, Nutrena Naturewise 18%. Butters wants to eat it, Hazel too, and Popcorn thinks it's candy. Butters was growling at Popcorn, who is happy to use her heft on Butters until Butters brings out the pecks.

So the Nutrena pellets were coming up to three months old, I'd given most of it away last month to a friend who can use it up fast. Now the starter grower crumbles are in the treadle feeder and Hazel's little bowl.

Popcorn is the only one laying this week, Hazel is molting and seems to have stopped. Popcorn is eating the oyster shell and eggshell bits and so far no soft eggshells.

The crumbles size. I decanted the bag into a clean pretzel jar.
View attachment 3608005

Yep my gang also thinks that the grower and starter feeds are candy hahaha - crazy birds! I have decided that I will use a 50/50 split of Layer and Grower here as that will be the easiest for my mum to feed (if I ever...) go out on a project working.

Mornings I add a handful of the high protein supplement to their mash which they gobble up.

 

[Ponypoor]

We've had mosquitoes ticks and an infestation of flying ants here. I've had all sorts of bites even with my oils.

Our council has be helping too increase the tick infestation by leaving high grass right through these impossible weather changes. No wonder our birds have gone.
That as well as all this rifle shooting that hasn't been checked out and is illegal especially in our nature gardens.

We are getting really lax service's here and people pay their good money in taxes for this.

If we left our gardens in such a state being 3 plus feet of grass at our only playing park, we would be warned and find.

The tall grass here is cut as it's a fire hazard, though there are areas where it's left wild, in wildlife listed areas. Here in the country people can cut their grass or not - no one is going to say anything - my neighbour's place is a jungle he never mowes his grass since his wife left him many many years ago (she was the one who used to cut the grass). He tried to get me to come over and cut it but his backyard had so much junk there and insulation and garden hoses, and the grass was 2' high I told him I couldn't.

Let him hire someone.... or not.

 

[Ponypoor]

Parvo girl (Estrella) is getting to be pony size and is only this still for treats.View attachment 3608001

View attachment 3608010Our chooks love these two bushes. We leave them untrimmed for protection from predators and the sun. There's 6 or 7 chickens in this picture.

Wow she sure is getting big! Love the trees what are they?

 

[Ponypoor]

Oh

Sad news this morning. We lost Dos during the night.

We have no idea how. There was no blood. She was fine all day, running with the other two. But she's never been quite as robust. Always at the edge of the group. When the others fought for meal worms she hung at the back.

My husband found her, at the edge of the nest/sleeping area, not quite where she'd have been snuggling the others and mom, but not where she'd be out in the open. It was in the upper 60s last night.

She appears to have been, not eaten, but chewed? Her neck mostly. Her body seemed mostly untouched. We do still have mice. Would they do this post-mortum?

Poor baby. I really wanted to watch this new little red hen grow up.

Spoiler: Not a pretty sight

View attachment 3607951

Spoiler: Same

View attachment 3607952

I am so sorry, chicks are quite fragile and until they are at least a couple months old I hold my breath each day.

Could this be the work of a snake? I have large snakes that could take a small chick but I don't think anything the age of your chicks.

 

[Ponypoor]

I swear, I'm going to kill Willow. The little brat is broody again. She gave me an egg yesterday, and now she is puffy and "tut tutting" again. She's not sitting, but I swear
Theres no eggs yet, but if I find her in the nest this evening I'm DONE

Just do what I do and keep removing eggs every day (Whiskers has been broody a couple weeks now); and take her off the nest a couple times a day - morning and evening - to get food, water and poop.

 

[GregnLety]

Wow she sure is getting big! Love the trees what are they?

China berry. They'll grow tall if you let em but we kept these 2 short and bushy. They grow fast. Trying to get some started close to the pens under the garage to help with the afternoon sun.

 

[Lilion]

Oh

I am so sorry, chicks are quite fragile and until they are at least a couple months old I hold my breath each day.

Could this be the work of a snake? I have large snakes that could take a small chick but I don't think anything the age of your chicks.

How could a snake do this? We have a very few venomous snakes here, copperhead the most common. Black snakes eat chicks, but generally not as big as these, but she wasn't swallowed of course. The only damage appeared to be on her neck. Plus, I've never seen any large snakes, though I'm attracted they exist.

About the only predators that could get in the coop would be snakes or rats.

 

[bgmathteach]

Sad news this morning. We lost Dos during the night.

We have no idea how. There was no blood. She was fine all day, running with the other two. But she's never been quite as robust. Always at the edge of the group. When the others fought for meal worms she hung at the back.

My husband found her, at the edge of the nest/sleeping area, not quite where she'd have been snuggling the others and mom, but not where she'd be out in the open. It was in the upper 60s last night.

She appears to have been, not eaten, but chewed? Her neck mostly. Her body seemed mostly untouched. We do still have mice. Would they do this post-mortum?

Poor baby. I really wanted to watch this new little red hen grow up.

Spoiler: Not a pretty sight

View attachment 3607951

Spoiler: Same

View attachment 3607952

A rat for sure would do that. Maybe time to try to get mom and the littles up on a roost at night. Both myself and @knoturavggrl have lost chicks to rats.