Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Sing to her? A nice love song, or a lullabye?

With my voice? Hahaha I’d cause a riot!

 

[featherhead007]

I know that this is a drastic measure, but I had to do something about Dakota. That hunger for heavy metal music had to stop, so she’s locked up in my old animal carrier, and I’m playing Simon and Garfunkel, Scarborough fair, over and over again. I know it’s cruel, but what else can I do?

Now it’s Chitty chitty bang bang.

 

[Sally PB]

With my voice? Hahaha I’d cause a riot!

It could be a heavy metal love song. I have yet to hear any heavy metal that actually sounds like singing.

I avoid anything heavy metal, though, so

 

[ChicoryBlue]

That sounds downright cozy!
I was considering a sweeter heater, but really couldn’t justify the cost for a single day’s worth of cold that comes around every other year.

You don't need a Sweeter Heater, get a safe infrared panel like the Cozy Coop if you like, which goes on sale once or twice a year, besides being 1/3 the cost of a Sweeter Heater anyway. It can help raise the local temp just enough, and those that need it can snuggle up
https://www.chewy.com/cozy-products..._q3rqmS1-E3uO6RXrviGEuCOdRMgjWBhoCwZMQAvD_BwE

 

[ChicoryBlue]

By "classical" you mean stuff like Mozart, Chopin, and the likes?
(I love classical music).

Yes! She eventually combined humor and classical music, she had a character Dame Illya Dillya....
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article...edian-phyllis-diller-was-also-concert-pianist

Here's a general summary of her life
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllis_Diller

 

[featherhead007]

It could be a heavy metal love song. I have yet to hear any heavy metal that actually sounds like singing.

I avoid anything heavy metal, though, so

 

[ChicoryBlue]

That's wonderful that Dottie needs and demands your attention. You must be a special person for chickens to choose you.

I'll remember that (re: Diane-Ida Biter)

 

[rural mouse]

Did not know that. Speaking of which:
One of you with cats: tape a piece of toast with butter on one side to your cat. Then drop the cat from a very short height or let it jump. Let me know what happens.

You get all sorts of clawed up. Tape pulls fur.....and doesn't clean (lick) off very well.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Thirsty Thursday: Fresh water not out of the nipple waterer, our favorite!View attachment 3719390

Concerning:
Today was a free range day. Perry ran for the dust bath (as per the usual), and was really going to town. Fearing she would miss a prime opportunity to mingle with the flock without a barrier between them, after like 15 minutes I scooped her up and brought her out to them.
View attachment 3719385
Which led to a moment of deep concern: her legs didn’t seem to work properly. Once I placed her on the ground, she couldn't stand up. And to move around she waddled on her ankles. It lasted for several long minutes. Instantly my mind went to
1) mareks
2) spinal damage
3) the dust bath was SO good, and she had SO much sand on her, that she couldn’t walk. Somehow.
Then it went away and she went about her business in the yard with the others as though nothing happened.
View attachment 3719386

These are her current digs: a teeny, drafty, temporary coop. Will need to get her in the big coop for next week’s cold temps.
View attachment 3719388

Tax for all this chicken talk: baby is cutting her first tooth, and learning to stand. (read between the lines: this means nobody is getting any sleep at night.)
View attachment 3719387View attachment 3719395

I'm going to guess, and truly it's a guess, but one based on observation, that chickens go into a trance of sorts while dustbathing, like they do with a broody trance. If so, then the physical-mental bond of doing that activity takes a few minutes to undo if it's interrupted. When they dustbathe, it seems to develop into a focus that appears so intense sometimes! I see it in their expressions, they are feeling / thinking just the physical experience, they're not really "looking" at anything.

P.S. Human pictures for tax, we are in a mirror-image world now!

 

[BY Bob]

I do believe you are on to something there. I have 2 out of the 4 leghorns who insist on laying underneath the hay pile. I have tried blocking it, stuffing the entrance and they just dig a new way in to get to the spot. They have to go under the plywood that the hay is stacked on so their back and tail feathers are constantly rubbing against the wood. Oddly enough it is just 2 of the girls whose tails and backs stay dirty or stained. The other 2 girls behave and lay on the porch when the hay stack is not super tall. When we get in a new load of hay though then they are bad girls and try to kill me by laying on the top bales as far back as they can go. Mind you it is stacked 5 bales, sometimes 6 high making it a death trap for me to get the eggs. I actually need to climb the hay today, it will make 3 days since I have raided the top nest. I do not look forward to it.

Thats probably it. Wash those boards!