Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

Everyone, we are safe. The water was the worst we have ever saw here since we moved here in 2001. We did not have to run. We did move the horses onto the hill for about 2 hours. We lost power about 7 am yesterday morning and it just came back on. I am making my first pot of coffee and going to fix dinner real quick and then download some pictures for a real update later.

Thank goodness
I was really worrying over here. So pleased that everything worked out for you

 

[Marie2020]

My last Blue Breda hen died in 2020. She was five years old. She was about the best quality Breda hen I ever had (didn’t have any of the common defects most of our birds had). I was going to source a cockerel for her and hatch more if she made it one more year. It was sad to lose her, but work ended up moving me in 2021 anyways and we couldn’t keep poultry where we moved to. My wife wants blue Breda again (now we are back to poultry permitted locations).

Hello Gary
I haven't met you before. It's good to find you in Fluffy Butt's

 

[Marie2020]

@Marie2020 here's the update

Thank you
This was a very pleasant find for me this morning

 

[Marie2020]

Picture time.

I took these just as it was breaking daylight. We moved the horses a hour later as the water rose to the edge of their stalls. Thankfully that is where it stopped in my yard. The barn flooded, the gazebo in the horse ring as you can see if flipped over and the concession water rose to the window. Tomorrow I will go see just how bad it got inside the concession, I am afraid to look honestly. The ring is still flooded so when it recedes the ring fencing may be totally shot. Around midnight we had a drunk try to drive through the water to get home. He is so lucky. One of my neighbor's waded the water to get him to safety. Another poor soul was not so fortunate. A gentleman in a blue pick-up tried to drive through and his truck got stuck. He stepped out and went under. They have yet to find him. Do not know who he is as they finally moved the truck this afternoon to hope to get some identification on him to know who they are looking for. 8 hours after the rain stopped it dropped 30 degrees and we woke up to snow this morning. It has since melted off but still very cold. We have a snowstorm coming tomorrow night into Wednesday with several inches expected. Thank god we have power and heat back but so many do not have homes anymore. They are saying this is as bad as the 1984 flooding. School is closed indefinitely. One of the high schools completely flooded. It was being used as a emergency shelter. They had to evacuate it to Rosie's high school. Right now there are over 100 people there. I thank each and every one of you for your thoughts and prayers. Please, please keep them coming many places are still flooded and it will be weeks not days before the exact extent of the damage is known.

After I took these photo's I packed my camera up and loaded my last bag into the car.
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I hope that that guy survived somehow
What a mess and now snow is on the way. Thankfully you have power for now. I'd be preparing meals incase the power fails again. And as Kelly's already enquired I hope you have managed to keep some hay at least

 

[BY Bob]

Before I head off to bed I want to give a little Davy and Bosa update.

Freedom is what the boys needed to overcome their fear of me. I now have 3 roosters running up to me wanting my attention. George demands to be carried. Davy dances away around my feet and Bosa likes to peck my shoes so I will bend over and pet him. The boys follow me everywhere.

This song sums up my boys. I'm loving every second of it.

After the first day of asserting his dominance George has also befriended Davy and Bosa. They have now joined him and the other silkie girls in their sleeping pile at night. 3 roosters in the past did not work out. It is a new dynamic now and they have clicked. It really helped that the 2 new boys are only about a month or so younger then George. This time around, I really feel 3 will be the magic number.

More good news. I'm so very happy the boys are getting along. That's wonderful. Great work George accepting them into the fold.

 

[TOMTE]

That playhouse is great to repurpose if it has the space to roost 10 hens when they get feisty. I love seeing repurposed playhouses

I think we can make it work for 10. I'll have to go out and measure it when it isn't so dang frigid outside. And take more detail pictures so I can get some ideas from everybody here

 

[BY Bob]

It’s true! I think the one being considered looks perfect. I’ve wished ours was raised. This pic is from 2021, but it looks the same. Tarps on the sides are only up in winter. There us more ventilation than appears from here. There are three “floors,” but the highest one above the main coop is just used for storage and not accessible to the birds. I can stand up in the main coop. I have to bend over a little in the second level, which is where we walled in the deck of the play structure. View attachment 4052639

One of my favorite coops!

 

[TOMTE]

It’s true! I think the one being considered looks perfect. I’ve wished ours was raised. This pic is from 2021, but it looks the same. Tarps on the sides are only up in winter. There us more ventilation than appears from here. There are three “floors,” but the highest one above the main coop is just used for storage and not accessible to the birds. I can stand up in the main coop. I have to bend over a little in the second level, which is where we walled in the deck of the play structure. View attachment 4052639

This is amazing!!!

 

[TOMTE]

I'm thinking about breeds I'd love to have but likely won't get...

Swedish Flowers
Crested Cream Legbars
Jubilee Orp roo


We'll probably end up with more Wyandottes (I love Wyandottes), but I'll also look for Chanteclers.

 

[TOMTE]

If I could breed chickens it would be cool to be part of a breed preservation program. But also breed improvement.

Holland, Cubalaya, Java, Booted Bantam, La Flèche, Malay, Redcap, White-Faced Black Spanish, Aseel, Catalana, Shamo, all of those are listed as critical on the Livestock Conservancy website.

Maybe I'll keep an eye out for Holland chicks/hatching eggs in the future.