Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[drstratton]

Pony Sunday
Time for the bi-yearly trim of Fenix
I have a grooming table and muzzle now, so hubby and I were able to get it done in less than a half hour.
View attachment 4198862
I'm not good at cutting fur, but we just need to get it off of his hips because he chews it into mats. Vet says it's likely just annoying to him as he's healthy and doesn't chew at all with the fur cut.View attachment 4198861
Handful of dog wool for the nest boxes. We don't use external flea and tick medicine, and he doesn't get bathed before the haircut so it's safe for the chickens.

Looks like a happy boy. I bet he feels better with that off!

I wouldn't have thought to use it in the nesting boxes. Great idea.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Yesterday’s observations - the Nomads are getting better at reading the Spuds and Hazel, figuring out when they should clear out and when it’s not necessary. Like today I saw they were not very concerned about Hazel dust bathing near them.

I think separating the two groups for special food or treats, which I was doing, works, but then waiting for everyone, mainly the Spuds, to calm down and not be looking for remains helps a lot.

Also yesterday I didn’t bring special treats which the Spuds go insane for and which bring out their hyper-competitive spirits, like mealworms and particularly oats (“Mealworms and oats, or death!” is the rallying cry), and maybe just jacks up the adrenaline.

I put out handfuls of pellets on a couple of cinder blocks, which they really like and for some reason they treat as pretty special and are eager to eat as if they haven’t eaten all day. Why they love this I’m not sure, except it’s a gesture from me, and different from getting it out of the treadle feeder?

So then I waited for them to thoroughly check out both cinder blocks and to put their minds on to something else….At least that’s what I tried yesterday. All was calmer.

The Nomads relaxed on the end there, one lying down, one drinking, and notably Isabel was eating peacefully from the yellow chick feeder in the back. Hazel and Tedi see them, but they don’t see them eating anything they “gotta have”, and they still have some of their own pellets left in a special place to pay attention to if they want.

Isabel joined by another, think that’s Shanai on the left.

Felt Isabel’s crop before this, and it felt pretty good! A firm unshelled walnut size crop, small half golf ball. Very similar to the other Nomad’s crops, just a tad smaller. Yay!

 

[Ikslo]

I feel like these little ladies need to get laying!

 

[RoyalChick]

Yesterday’s observations - the Nomads are getting better at reading the Spuds and Hazel, figuring out when they should clear out and when it’s not necessary. Like today I saw they were not very concerned about Hazel dust bathing near them.

I think separating the two groups for special food or treats, which I was doing, works, but then waiting for everyone, mainly the Spuds, to calm down and not be looking for remains helps a lot.

Also yesterday I didn’t bring special treats which the Spuds go insane for and which bring out their hyper-competitive spirits, like mealworms and particularly oats (“Mealworms and oats, or death!” is the rallying cry), and maybe just jacks up the adrenaline.

I put out handfuls of pellets on a couple of cinder blocks, which they really like and for some reason they treat as pretty special and are eager to eat as if they haven’t eaten all day. Why they love this I’m not sure, except it’s a gesture from me, and different from getting it out of the treadle feeder?

So then I waited for them to thoroughly check out both cinder blocks and to put their minds on to something else….At least that’s what I tried yesterday. All was calmer.

The Nomads relaxed on the end there, one lying down, one drinking, and notably Isabel was eating peacefully from the yellow chick feeder in the back. Hazel and Tedi see them, but they don’t see them eating anything they “gotta have”, and they still have some of their own pellets left in a special place to pay attention to if they want.
View attachment 4198819
Isabel joined by another, think that’s Shanai on the left.
View attachment 4198820


View attachment 4198821

Felt Isabel’s crop before this, and it felt pretty good! A firm unshelled walnut size crop, small half golf ball. Very similar to the other Nomad’s crops, just a tad smaller. Yay!

Great news on Isabel!

 

[Ponypoor]

Those silkie eggs are looking good. I too am thinking clears on P2 and P3. Maybe, maybe something trying in P3. I would leave them alone and candle them again at 14 days. I always wait until day 14 to toss a egg.

Yes that is my thoughts also.

Likely all cockerels too! Easier to sell pullets than give away cockerels.

 

[Ponypoor]

I feel like these little ladies need to get laying!View attachment 4198869View attachment 4198870

When the time is right they will start popping out eggs, and screaming like a banshee “she’s in my nest, she looked at me, she is eating from my food bowl”….. and so on and so forth

 

[Ponypoor]

My gramma gave me this book from her collection View attachment 4198810
And this image is going in my reaction folder
View attachment 4198809

Finally, Periwinkle has been moved to a less-used nest and has 4 eggs. We'll see how she does.
View attachment 4198811

Sure hope she sticks to that nest, can you block it off from the others?

 

[Ponypoor]

Yesterday’s observations - the Nomads are getting better at reading the Spuds and Hazel, figuring out when they should clear out and when it’s not necessary. Like today I saw they were not very concerned about Hazel dust bathing near them.

I think separating the two groups for special food or treats, which I was doing, works, but then waiting for everyone, mainly the Spuds, to calm down and not be looking for remains helps a lot.

Also yesterday I didn’t bring special treats which the Spuds go insane for and which bring out their hyper-competitive spirits, like mealworms and particularly oats (“Mealworms and oats, or death!” is the rallying cry), and maybe just jacks up the adrenaline.

I put out handfuls of pellets on a couple of cinder blocks, which they really like and for some reason they treat as pretty special and are eager to eat as if they haven’t eaten all day. Why they love this I’m not sure, except it’s a gesture from me, and different from getting it out of the treadle feeder?

So then I waited for them to thoroughly check out both cinder blocks and to put their minds on to something else….At least that’s what I tried yesterday. All was calmer.

The Nomads relaxed on the end there, one lying down, one drinking, and notably Isabel was eating peacefully from the yellow chick feeder in the back. Hazel and Tedi see them, but they don’t see them eating anything they “gotta have”, and they still have some of their own pellets left in a special place to pay attention to if they want.
View attachment 4198819
Isabel joined by another, think that’s Shanai on the left.
View attachment 4198820


View attachment 4198821

Felt Isabel’s crop before this, and it felt pretty good! A firm unshelled walnut size crop, small half golf ball. Very similar to the other Nomad’s crops, just a tad smaller. Yay!

Gosh they are growing up so fast! And I love their colour.

I found the same thing with the pellets - if I scatter them around they will happily scratch around for them all day, it likely is what they would do in the wild looking for food in different places.

Meanwhile try and hand feed them pellets, and I get the stink eye! Hahaha brats all of them!

 

[Ponypoor]

Yesterday’s observations - the Nomads are getting better at reading the Spuds and Hazel, figuring out when they should clear out and when it’s not necessary. Like today I saw they were not very concerned about Hazel dust bathing near them.

I think separating the two groups for special food or treats, which I was doing, works, but then waiting for everyone, mainly the Spuds, to calm down and not be looking for remains helps a lot.

Also yesterday I didn’t bring special treats which the Spuds go insane for and which bring out their hyper-competitive spirits, like mealworms and particularly oats (“Mealworms and oats, or death!” is the rallying cry), and maybe just jacks up the adrenaline.

I put out handfuls of pellets on a couple of cinder blocks, which they really like and for some reason they treat as pretty special and are eager to eat as if they haven’t eaten all day. Why they love this I’m not sure, except it’s a gesture from me, and different from getting it out of the treadle feeder?

So then I waited for them to thoroughly check out both cinder blocks and to put their minds on to something else….At least that’s what I tried yesterday. All was calmer.

The Nomads relaxed on the end there, one lying down, one drinking, and notably Isabel was eating peacefully from the yellow chick feeder in the back. Hazel and Tedi see them, but they don’t see them eating anything they “gotta have”, and they still have some of their own pellets left in a special place to pay attention to if they want.
View attachment 4198819
Isabel joined by another, think that’s Shanai on the left.
View attachment 4198820


View attachment 4198821

Felt Isabel’s crop before this, and it felt pretty good! A firm unshelled walnut size crop, small half golf ball. Very similar to the other Nomad’s crops, just a tad smaller. Yay!

My thoughts on Isabel are that she is a bit delayed, but hopefully she will thrive, she appears to be doing well with your new routine.

 

[rural mouse]

I feel like these little ladies need to get laying!View attachment 4198869View attachment 4198870

Mis reading that comment could go all sorts of sideways!

Give them time. They'll lay when they're ready, and laying too often can shorten their lifespans