Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[drstratton]

The girls are locked in the run for at least the next few days, until they get their glue back. Been too stressful to let them roam when 2 are going off to the neighbor's house while 1 is hanging out near the garage and the other one is who knows where.

Girls, I know your leader is gone. So figure out who's going to take up the mantle (I know it takes time)

I wonder what I can expect to happen... Will Sybil step up since she was #2? For the moment it looks like she's still the boss of everyone else. But Gytha is a bit of a bully so I wouldn't be surprised if she takes this opportunity to push Sybil around, because Aliss isn't there to keep them in line (I've watched Aliss scold Gytha for disrespecting Sybil). And Magrat is such a spunky little thing, will she try to boost herself up the ladder? I've seen her and Sybil go at it a few times since Aliss got injured. Just staring contests though, no fights. Of course, Magrat did the same thing with Aliss so maybe it's just her weird way of bonding with the lead hen? She still gets bullied/pushed around by Gytha and Esme... It's all so interesting! I LOVE CHICKENS!

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Poor, stir crazy girls. Locked up, and on such a beautiful day.

They'll get it figured out soon. My girls hang together some of the time, at others they are spread out all over their free range pen.

 

[knoturavggrl]

Our experience is that some breeds get along better together than others. In a smaller space chickens also get testy w/ each other w/ older ones harassing newer birds. Even in our open backyard for hens to forage, the older ones will chase/harass the newer birds, nothing injurious, but it's chicken behaviour. More space is a real help w/ lots of hiding spots ~ chairs, box crates, pen perches, tree stumps or boughs, hanging chicken toys, mirrors (a real winner for distraction), ladders, milk crates, chicken swings, dog house, etc, might help the younger to get away from oldsters' abuse? Whenever a hen goes broody others will get jealous & pick on her. Some chickens are just plain bullies & we've had to rehome a couple in the past.

Tish a Cuckoo Marans upset the whole flock she just wouldn't stop ~ rehomed to a neighbor's layer flock.She didn't warm up to humans either. She didn't bully in the layer flock.
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Char a very tall heavy Cuckoo Breda Fowl was a bully toward the littler Silkies so she went to a friend's rescue farm where she apparently got along well w/ a dog.
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I hope something will work out for you... but a large space w/ distraction objects really helps if birds are confined.

I am dealing with this as well. Integration is dicey unless a mama raises the chicks. Even then there is some drama though considerably less.

First the Roos one SFH Roo and one Silkie Roo sighh. The silkie is definitely getting picked on and harassed but never to the point of injury. They are both the same age so definitely in the hormonal flood teen phase.

The newbies are also being harassed but it seems a bit less than Pebble. (side note: Pebble is kinda a jerk and does legit bring the heat on himself a lot of the time.) TBH I feel like Thyme is being super patient he intervenes primarily when Pebble is being aggressive with the big girls or with humans. The SFH girls are the ones randomly chasing his little fuzzy butt.

I have that older coop that opens into the run. I am thinking of taking down the roosts in there completely. And putting in hiding spots this would make a kind of indoor run space. It already has an automatic door so it just needs a ramp.

I don’t want them to roost at night in there though it’s not as secure as the new coop is.

Thoughts? Is this a good idea or would they just end up sleeping in there instead?

Current space when confined is:
10x8 coop - 2 separate roosting areas and a large communal nest box.
Run 16x11
Possible additional indoor run space (old coop) is 8x16

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Buckeyes have some of the most beautiful feathers. They are gorgeous.

Shanai Roo-Tail has a black feather in her tail that does that wonderful blue-green glistening thing that people love about black feathered chickens! One other seems to be getting a tail like hers too. I'll try to get a picture of it.

 

[drstratton]

I am dealing with this as well. Integration is dicey unless a mama raises the chicks. Even then there is some drama though considerably less.

First the Roos one SFH Roo and one Silkie Roo sighh. The silkie is definitely getting picked on and harassed but never to the point of injury. They are both the same age so definitely in the hormonal flood teen phase.

The newbies are also being harassed but it seems a bit less than Pebble. (side note: Pebble is kinda a jerk and does legit bring the heat on himself a lot of the time.) TBH I feel like Thyme is being super patient he intervenes primarily when Pebble is being aggressive with the big girls or with humans. The SFH girls are the ones randomly chasing his little fuzzy butt.

I have that older coop that opens into the run. I am thinking of taking down the roosts in there completely. And putting in hiding spots this would make a kind of indoor run space. It already has an automatic door so it just needs a ramp.

I don’t want them to roost at night in there though it’s not as secure as the new coop is.

Thoughts? Is this a good idea or would they just end up sleeping in there instead?

Current space when confined is:
10x8 coop - 2 separate roosting areas and a large communal nest box.
Run 16x11
Possible additional indoor run space (old coop) is 8x16

All you can do is try. I feel the more room you can give them, the better off they are. If they try to sleep in there, you could try to move them after dark and they will probably start to get the right idea. No guarantee on that though... chickens are gonna do, what they want...lol

 

[knoturavggrl]

All you can do is try. I feel the more room you can give them, the better off they are. If they try to sleep in there, you could try to move them after dark and they will probably start to get the right idea. No guarantee on that though... chickens are gonna do, what they want...lol

Thanks and you’re right they are stubbornly independent about some things to be sure I will give it a go, worse come to worse I can close it off again.

 

[rural mouse]

Ok so she said he has been gone about 3 weeks - do you think the hens will still have viable eggs?
Mi have heard they can store semen for up to 2 months. What do you all think? Should we try the eggs from today? The other she refrigerated.

I say try. Put some of the refrigerated ones in too. Worse that happens: nothing hatches.

 

[rural mouse]

You need a really industrial scale chipper for a tree that size.

Or a log splitter. Might be cheaper to rent a splitter, a small chipper, and a chain saw (24"+ blade)

 

[rural mouse]

But when she walks she looks so silly with all those feathers on her legs!

Bell-bottom stars name ideas if you decide Cookie isn't a permanent name


https://vintageshowbiz.com/bell-bottoms-70s/

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Sir Surely (nee: Shirley)

It is with great sadness I report the passing of the big boy.

His new Hooman called me today to tell me they found him in the tractor shed passed way after they noted two huge piles of feathers. The thought is a hawk or eagle attack. He died protecting his flock it seems, giving them time to run and hide.

The lady is very devastated and her little boy also. Seems Surely was not only great with the hens, but good with his Hoomans.

I am now on the look out for a lovely rooster to take on the task of leading the flock.

Fly high and free lovely fellow

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Fly high big guy. I'm so sorry for his new family.

Branch, Drummie and George I'm sure were there to welcome him home.

Shorely was a beauty. It seems no matter the variety, a Marans rooster is just a big gentle giant. I'm so sorry for his little boy. Gosh darn it I wish there was not so much distance between us and a customs border. Homer is already a gentle lad, I would let them have him. I hope you can help in finding them another good rooster, especially since they have a young son. Now is the time to install a love for chickens, and roosters especially. No other way to do it but expose them to the good boys.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Ok so she said he has been gone about 3 weeks - do you think the hens will still have viable eggs?
Mi have heard they can store semen for up to 2 months. What do you all think? Should we try the eggs from today? The other she refrigerated.

Maybe todays eggs, maybe. I think it is 3 weeks they can store semon. I know when you set up your breeding pens you are supposed to wait 3 weeks before introducing the new boy. 3 weeks is pushing it, but, you might get 1 or 2 chicks. If they would like to try it is not going to hurt anything, but get those eggs in the incubator in the next day or two.