Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Kris5902]

Poor baby that is a rough molt. How cold is it getting there at night right now? That is what I always worry about with mine. Luckily Hattie started earlier this year.

I assume you file the beak. Is that right?

I gave her a very light file after I took my sharpest best human nail clippers to it. She is the one who had the worst beak “trimming” done to her as a chick. I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t 100% sure I wasn’t cutting any live beak. I’m hoping that the live tissues will recede and I can take more off for her later. She didn’t flinch or fuss with the clippers at all but she was not impressed with the file. I think the vibrations are uncomfortable.

 

[BY Bob]

They follow me along the fenceline and rush my feet, making it almost impossible to walk through them. The little red rocks are doing it too now, but Sammy will occasionally round them up and take them back to the tractor for snacks.

I now they make it hard to move around but it's so sweet. It's hard to get mad.

 

[BY Bob]

I gave her a very light file after I took my sharpest best human nail clippers to it. She is the one who had the worst beak “trimming” done to her as a chick. I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn’t 100% sure I wasn’t cutting any live beak. I’m hoping that the live tissues will recede and I can take more off for her later. She didn’t flinch or fuss with the clippers at all but she was not impressed with the file. I think the vibrations are uncomfortable.

That's pretty amazing. I am always amazed at the whole beak correction process. Few things make me angrier than debeaking. I'm glad you can correct them and it's fascinating to hear about the process.

 

[chickenn00b11]

I love the name!

 

[Kris5902]

That's pretty amazing. I am always amazed at the whole beak correction process. Few things make me angrier than debeaking. I'm glad you can correct them and it's fascinating to hear about the process.

I don’t think it’s really “correctable”, but I’m doing what I can to make it easier for her to eat. With her age and breeding I’m not going to do anything more than try to make her as comfortable and happy as I can. She didn’t freak out nearly as much coming into the big coop for breakfast today. Sat in her little plastic tote and watched me cook her eggs with curiosity. One little “OMG CAT!!!” Moment, but otherwise calm and happy. At least the lice and mites are mostly gone. I don’t know that I’ll ever have her lice free because her beak makes preening almost impossible, and probably isn’t helping her molt any either. If she had more feathers in I would dust her with that nice powder I can’t get here anymore that works amazingly.

I took off a significant amount, but it was all the translucent beak material, and it was cracked from her aggressively pecking for feed. I came a little closer to the white area than I would have liked on the straight section as well.

edit to add: the yellow is her breakfast!

 

[micstrachan]

It's interesting because it was clear the hawks were on the run and not hunting. The crows were coming right behind them and the hawks were flying in a straight line down the length of the house. I am guessing she knew they were no direct threat at the time. I know I knew it. I did not even go get the nerf gun.

The flock was actually under the magnolia tree and grape vines and so were in cover of a sorts already. It is really only in the evening when I am out with them that the flock spends extended time not under cover and grazes in the open grass. I think they are very cognizant of having cover over them.

NERF GUN! BRILLIANT!

 

[Shadrach]

Not the least bit bossy. Deana is so laid back that she is almost catatonic.

She is happy to have anyone roost next to her and is often pottering around the garden on her own. The only time she throws her weight around is if someone else has a tasty morsel that she wants.

But no-one messes with her. Not even Tsuki!

View attachment 2374975
Deana, Queen of the breakfast bar.

Now she is what I call a good looking hen.

 

[Shadrach]

Went to shut Tribe 1 in for the night and found them perched around the outside of the coop. The pop door was shut!
It is just about possible that one of the sheep knocked it and it feel down the slots but I very much doubt it. That means someone shut it. I haven't asked yet and it will take me a while to be calm enough to be able to hold my temper.
The problem is, Tap is missing. I found all the others but not her. I had hoped she might have got into the hay storage section of the sheep shed but she wasn't there. I've looked everywhere I can think she might go. I do hope she makes it through the night. It's one thing having a tribe, or even two or three out for the night. The more sensible pick decent roost spots. Tap isn't very old and doesn't have the experience. The rest stuck close to Cillin and Treacle and naturally, even if I had missed them at dusk, I would have discovered the problem later when I check on them.

This type of thing is one of those largely unreported consequences of the Covid virus. People who should be safely shut in offices playing with bits of paper and their computers decide they will do stuff around the place. There have been lots of accidents in the area from exactly this. People have decided to things themselves because the suddentdly have the time rather than let or pay the people who usually do these things for them. Three chainsaw accidents this year on this mountain alone. We've had two donkey injuries here that required vet care because the people here can't remember to shut gates, turn on electric fences, check water supply and even worse, decide to take the animals out on excursions.
It's not just a problem here. I was talking about this subject with a couple of other people with small holdings here who have family members who usually work in Barcelona or similar.
I just hope Tap has found somewhere safe.

 

[Ribh]

Went to shut Tribe 1 in for the night and found them perched around the outside of the coop. The pop door was shut!
It is just about possible that one of the sheep knocked it and it feel down the slots but I very much doubt it. That means someone shut it. I haven't asked yet and it will take me a while to be calm enough to be able to hold my temper.
The problem is, Tap is missing. I found all the others but not her. I had hoped she might have got into the hay storage section of the sheep shed but she wasn't there. I've looked everywhere I can think she might go. I do hope she makes it through the night. It's one thing having a tribe, or even two or three out for the night. The more sensible pick decent roost spots. Tap isn't very old and doesn't have the experience. The rest stuck close to Cillin and Treacle and naturally, even if I had missed them at dusk, I would have discovered the problem later when I check on them.

This type of thing is one of those largely unreported consequences of the Covid virus. People who should be safely shut in offices playing with bits of paper and their computers decide they will do stuff around the place. There have been lots of accidents in the area from exactly this. People have decided to things themselves because the suddentdly have the time rather than let or pay the people who usually do these things for them. Three chainsaw accidents this year on this mountain alone. We've had two donkey injuries here that required vet care because the people here can't remember to shut gates, turn on electric fences, check water supply and even worse, decide to take the animals out on excursions.
It's not just a problem here. I was talking about this subject with a couple of other people with small holdings here who have family members who usually work in Barcelona or similar.
I just hope Tap has found somewhere safe.

 

[Shadrach]

Anyway, here they all are a bit before they went off to roost.