Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Empress is getting fat?
My sister says she's gained a pound, and she sure does feel like it. Any advice on ways to de-fat her a bit?

She's been way more competitive over food since In Albis died. I think that is what has led to this sudden jump in weight.

Well reducing calories for a start. Maybe lock her up for an hr in the morning to let everyone get their fill then let her out.

 

[Ponypoor]

@BDutch ~ this is the most info I found about the Breda/Kraaikop from chickendanz.com

The Breda never made it into the APA standard. The primary reason it is poorly remembered in North America has to do with a confusion of names.
Although usually considered a Dutch breed, the Breda may be French in origin. The Dutch call the breed Kraaikops, leading some English writers to confuse it with the Kraienkopp (Kraienkoppe for English speakers). The other names are based on the region of Holland where it was most common and where most experts believe it originated.
Prior to the Civil War, the Breda was a fairly common breed in the U.S., where they were usually called Guelderlands or sometimes Guelders. As recently as 1867, Solon Robinson in the poultry section of his book, Wisdom of the Land, mentions them as a common breed. The Guelderlands were to a considerable extent displaced by early Asiatic imports in the U.S. Following the Civil War the great explosion of American-produced breeds nearly swept them completely from public notice. They experienced a considerable decline in Europe at the same time, but in the early 1900s began to recover both as a show fowl and in economic importance. This led to additional American imports, but they never obtained a long term following.
Robinson and most other early writers mention them only as a black fowl. Most 20th century imports were Cuckoo, but a limited number of blue and white Bredas were present also. The term Breda probably was not in use in North America until after 1900.
The Breda is a medium bodied fowl, with a well-developed prominent breast, strong thighs, rather long closely feathered legs, vulture hocks, broad slightly sloping back, short well arched neck, long strong head with a stout well curved beak and no comb. A tassel or small tuft of feathers (usually very small) rises from the head at the rear of the flat depressed area where the comb should be. Bredas also have large cavernous nostrils.
The Breda is generally conceded to be a composite breed, but a rather early one. No definite records exist as to how it was produced. That it has some crested ancestry is obvious. It is considered a Dutch breed, but minority opinions argue for a Belgian or French origin. The Malines is often mentioned as a probable ancestor and certainly would account for the feathered legs. That leaves us without a ready explanation for the vulture hocks. Suggestions have been made that Sultans crossed with Malines or Asiatics could have produced them, but this is a fowl that developed long before any Sultans or most Asiatics appeared in Western Europe.
Breda are my favorite type of chicken. With their exotic, almost prehistoric looks and their sweet and intelligent disposition they are a perfect bird for a pet or small flock. After being extinct in the U.S. for nearly a century, new imports of the breed were brought in about 2010. They have been slow to gain popularity because people either love their appearance or hate it. Recently however they have gained popularity and are very difficult to find.

Very interesting.

 

[Ponypoor]

I found a real good article about the Kraaikop and its origin. In Dutch and its not possible to copy paste it in translate.
https://edepot.wur.nl/142823
Ot seems it was a french illustrator/painter (Ch Jaque 1851) who pictures stoot at the origin of the looks. It changed a lot after that because people wanted a heavier (meat) chicken. The French La Fleche chickens and many others were used to obtain a heavyweight chicken like (maybe) Croad, Langshals as nd Shanghais. (Aviculture magazine 1961).

The breeders brought the looks of the head back to the way a crow looks.

In 2015 Aviculture published another article about the Kraaikoppen :
http://www.aviculture-europe.nl/nummers/15N02A05.pdf
Maybe it is possible to translate this one with AI/google if you can use Adobe pro to select and copy the text.
I cant on my phone.

And more very good information!

Thanks both of you for such great information.

 

[RoyalChick]

I love that scale, and would have bought one like it but didn’t know if I could keep the little monsters on it.

I opted for a luggage scale that I can hang a grocery bag on - shove the chicken in the bag, give it a shake (oh sorry not shake n bake), put the chicken in the bag and hang the bag on the hook on the luggage scale

Teeheehee

Works good. But I would still love a scale I can weigh eggs with.

For eggs I have one of these.

Then digital kitchen scale for the chickens. They actually stand on it pretty well. Bernie’s feet are a bit big so she sometimes turns it off with her toe before I can read it. But otherwise it works well.
And then I have a tiny digital scale to weigh drug doses - it can also weigh up to a medium egg.

 

[RoyalChick]

Empress is getting fat?
My sister says she's gained a pound, and she sure does feel like it. Any advice on ways to de-fat her a bit?

She's been way more competitive over food since In Albis died. I think that is what has led to this sudden jump in weight.

Exercise. Make her work for her food.
You could put her and the food far away from each other for example. Make her run to it.

 

[lightm]

Thirstyday

View attachment 3937035View attachment 3937037Nellie said wild water is tasty.

And in other news, my youngest graduated from bootcamp today. Like my oldest, following in dad's footsteps into the Navy.

The tire is iconic

Thanks for sharing the news. Congratulations!

 

[BY Bob]

Thirsty Thursday

The queen refreshes herself.

 

[Ponypoor]

Checking the kiddos and caught Reenie having a snooze - and noted that everyone piled back into HenHouse-A. Sheesh!

Only 5 in Hen-House-B

Buttercup’s up on top of that door.

 

[Ponypoor]

For eggs I have one of these.
View attachment 3937230

Then digital kitchen scale for the chickens. They actually stand on it pretty well. Bernie’s feet are a bit big so she sometimes turns it off with her toe before I can read it. But otherwise it works well.
And then I have a tiny digital scale to weigh drug doses - it can also weigh up to a medium egg.

That’s awesome! I need one of those!

 

[RoyalChick]

That’s awesome! I need one of those!

I love it. No batteries to run down!