Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

For your viewing pleasure, a bunch of presumed cockerels . I’d love to hear you all say “No no, those are definitely all pullets. Especially Mina”.

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BCM 1. Largest! And boldest.

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BCM 2. Sure, smallish comb, but wattles and still no tail. They are the most skittish.

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OE 1. I had always assumed boy for this lad since he has a cute brown stripe on one side of his head as a wee fluff ball.

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OE 2. Oh Mina why do you have such a large comb at barely four weeks! What do you all think of this one?

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OE 3: Bananas. Comb large but not pink, wattles present but not huge… I still hold out hope for this one.

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A wee baby. Sweet little thing who fell asleep face down in the grass a few times today

This cockerel was 2 1/2 weeks old

Same cockerel at 4 weeks old.

I am just not seeing the same with your two chicks. I do not want to give you false hope, but there is a difference.

 

[RoyalChick]

Be strong, you are doing this for the good of Tassels. Now is not the time for chicks for her so this is for her best interest. I have not resorted to using the crate for broody breaking, yet. That said I have looked it up and frankly Goose is about to be tossed into one. First is location of the crate. You want it in a bright high traffic noisy spot. Broodies want dark seclusion. Next get an old feed sack and place it under the crate. If she is broody she will have only one or two nasty broody poops a day. You are looking for her to start pooping normally and frequently. You also want her eating and drinking normally. This may take a couple days. Also once you let her out watch her and do not trust her. She may run right back to her nest. If she does, and makes herself comfortable for a hour or so, she is not broke and back to the crate she goes. She may actually take close to a week to be broken up, she has been allowed to sit for a bit.

Thanks. I did already notice more frequent and smaller poops.
She is right by the main people and chicken door between the coop and the run. Busy, bright and also breezy.
I am trying to decide when to test her.
One option is tomorrow evening - let her out before dark and see if she roosts with everyone else.
Or, tomorrow after dark - I take her out and put her on a roost and see if she stays there or if she navigates her way to the nest boxes in the dark.
Or maybe not tomorrow at all but Wednesday morning - another full night in the crate. I leave Thursday morning so that is the latest I can do a trial run. If she fails I will leave her in the crate and the chicken helper can try on Thursday or Friday. I have cameras so I can help the chicken helper from a distance.

 

[rural mouse]

I am not against having cocktails bits

Is there something you're not telling us?

 

[rural mouse]

Mugs

The hopeful one

No admittance

From the wee one

Junior explorers taking advantage of the warmth and extended excursions by the big boys

Primula and Mera getting tired of it all and avoiding both of them

Are you coming to play with me?!! Yes, I'm going to throw the ball for you and let the feather-lings (aka dingalings) sort themselves out.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Thanks. I did already notice more frequent and smaller poops.
She is right by the main people and chicken door between the coop and the run. Busy, bright and also breezy.
I am trying to decide when to test her.
One option is tomorrow evening - let her out before dark and see if she roosts with everyone else.
Or, tomorrow after dark - I take her out and put her on a roost and see if she stays there or if she navigates her way to the nest boxes in the dark.
Or maybe not tomorrow at all but Wednesday morning - another full night in the crate. I leave Thursday morning so that is the latest I can do a trial run. If she fails I will leave her in the crate and the chicken helper can try on Thursday or Friday. I have cameras so I can help the chicken helper from a distance.

I would not trust her tomorrow evening. My bet would be you wake up Wednesday morning to find she got off the roost super early and is back on the nest. I know it puts you in a time crunch, but, wait until Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon hopefully after the ladies lay to lessen temptation. She will not be back to laying for a good 2 weeks after she is broken up so she will have no business being in the nest boxes. She goes in and makes herself comfortable, back to the broody breaker she goes.

 

[Ponypoor]

Is there something you're not telling us?

Subconscious yearnings maybe hahaha!

 

[BeastBaby]

3 weeks old right?
To be honest, I am iffy on both Marans. You see wattles, I do not see what I expect to see for 3 week old cockerel Marans. Combs, those could also be pullet combs. I am not comfortable saying pullet or cockerel yet on either of them.

Really! What!
That would be the dream. The large BCM has a great personality (which I had as a notch against him being a pullet) so that sure would fast track “her” to being the keeper of the bunch.
It’ll be an exciting next few weeks here.

 

[BeastBaby]

This cockerel was 2 1/2 weeks old
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Same cockerel at 4 weeks old.
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I am just not seeing the same with your two chicks. I do not want to give you false hope, but there is a difference.

You’re right- that’s a significant difference. That cockerel looks more like the one I euthanized early on- he was obvious by week two.

 

[BeastBaby]

Mugs Monday:

Today I bring you a throwback photo of Fez; she’s been in her element all week! She is the most predatory of my chickens, so on the regular she is the one chasing squirrels along the fence line, leaping her fat arse two feet into the air to snap up swarming termites before they land, or like today- was going MAD snatching petals out of the air! The neighbor’s cherry tree is losing its flowers and the flock just loves them. I mean all the girls will eat them off the ground, but Fez was downright hunting them

Speaking of broodies- there is a suspicious quantity of barred feathers accumulating in the nest boxes... Fez!

 

[featherhead007]

Well, I came home to a disappointing situation.
Of the five littles, two have passed. The brooder box was way too cold and only the tough ones survived. (The three yellow fuzz balls)
The other two (BR, And EE ) were sadly gone. Yes I am very sad for several reasons. The deaths of the chicks just adds to my anxiety and depression.