Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

be quiet about that RC, or else everyone is gonna want one.

An enema?! Everyone wants one?!

I am old enough to remember when I was a Nurse making soap suds enemas! What a process that was…! Just making up the enema was a process! Nurses today have it easy!

Sudsy tax
Handsome fella

 

[Ponypoor]

That is a great photo!
You should submit it to photo of the week or maybe also the caption competition.

Yes agreed! It’s an amazing photo!

 

[Ponypoor]

The door is working surprisingly well. Position of the small door latches may need to shift, but I think it will hold up well through winter. Gives me time to figure out where the parts might need to be moved to.

The burst forth to see the day is always a pleasure....when the first snow is on the ground, it's hilarious. The young'ns ALWAYS stop short, creating a pile up....until the experienced old hands either push through to head out or push a few out to panic over the strange ground. Have a chance of snow this weekend, so hoping for a fresh video of the experience.

Going to be 80-ish here

I know I’ll pay for this lovely weather sooner or later - meanwhile the chooks are enjoying lots of freedom when I get home in the afternoon.

You keep that snow!

 

[featherhead007]

All we really can do is speculate. They are creatures with free will. We can only encourage. They decide.

“And it’s about darn time that you hoomans understand this concept!”

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

More Developments Post Nimue

Nimue went to roost in the Cluckle Hut every night. Every night Niamh would try and convince her to sleep outside but would concede and join her on the roost.

With Nimue gone now, Niamh is roosting outside every night. The old birch tree stump is her location of choice.

View attachment 4225482View attachment 4225483

So every night I have to move her to the Hut. It's nice to interact with her but it surely takes remembering. I hope they will all roost inside when they are joined together but my bet is this is going to become a real thing with multiple outside roosting hens.

I am conflicted with this turn of events. I so agree it is a nice time to take a break and sneak in a cuddle during the "carrying said chicken" to roost. Those few minutes can become something special, trust me I know. I've done it many times in the past. First with Drumstick who would wait on top of Russ's stall boards for me to lift him to the roost and then with George. Drummie's place was not so bad, higher up and to get to him you had to mess with a big 1000lb horse. George, well, that special boy chose to wait for me on top of the wire dog kennel I had sitting beside the silkie coop. I loved those few minutes each night of me coming home from work and packing him to the coop and getting our one on one time. It was special in many ways. Partly because I had been gone all day and I needed my chicken time. More importantly, it allowed that time with George who reverted back to my sweet lovable little baby. You see, when George stepped up into flock rooster he took those duties seriously and myself and our snuggles were no longer his top priority. He was a busy boy with many responsibilities and while I could hold him during the day, he really melted and enjoyed it at night when everyone else was in bed and he duties were done for the day. I looked forward to that so much I did not think clearly and in my negligence it cost me my dear George. What I should have done was insisted Rosie put him up at night and I just make a trip out to the closed coop. I did not, I enjoyed that routine so much I thought he would be ok for a few minutes after dark. One of my biggest regrets I must say. My dear boy was the first victim of the coyote and what let him find a easy meal which became a routine and has cost me dearly this summer.

I'm not saying you have a coyote problem, but there are many other nighttime predators to consider. And it only takes a minute for one to strike and leave heartache in its wake. The guilt that follows, I wish on no one.

 

[Sylvester017]

And Then There Are 3

Having relearned my lesson by only having 2 Polish I decided that only getting one more polish to try and pair with Niamh may not have been wise. Therefore, we now have another polish.

Everyone meet Tilly.

View attachment 4225158

She is a gold laced Polish who came to us from Texas. There were no polish anywhere near us so I had to have her shipped here overnight.

She arrived mid-morning safe and sound. She is just over 4.5 months old. Tilly is in the rabbit hutch under quarantine.

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It took quite a bit of enhancement but it should work as a suitable place for her to serve her time.

I now have 2 different quarantines going on opposite sides of my yard.

Hopefully, by having seperate quarantines no one will bond before they are all put together in the Cluckle Hut and start learning from Niamh. I surely hope this works. If not, this is the last time I'm going to try something like this.

So glad you got another. I didn't want to say anything earlier but I guess you know by now I believe in getting at least 3 birds at a time to allow for losses... dang, losses do happen. We did the one at a time in the past but after so many failures we started getting 3 chicks at a time so if there was a loss there would be 2 left from the same hatch. Adding 3 strangers may be a challenge for you but w/ gentle Polish like gentle Silkie temperaments it should be less traumatic than introducing different breeds to each other. Tilly & Joy are beauties. Wishing you the very best

 

[Ponypoor]

Sir Shirley baby update

4 have hatched, they are just waiting o see anymore Pip and zip. Then call it done.

I am eggstatic they have 4 chicks!

And they now have noted one of their young chooks they bought is a cockerel, he just started crowing. He’s super quiet, and the hens clobber him poor fella! But he’s handsome so he will also get some ladies of his own soon.

Meanwhile I am hoping for some lovely pullets for them. They want a Roo like Shirley whom they can pick up and fuss over. But it takes time for that. Better to have some lovely pullets to love.



Oh and a Jolly update - I reached out to see how he was and Elvis (aka Jolly) is doing great. Makes me so happy.

 

[RoyalChick]

Is there any way you could screen/roof that section of the run?

Bonus if roofed (thinking some sort of plexiglass sort of thing that will let light in): relatively snow free area for all of them through the winter.

A Cluckle Hut extension project. I love it!

 

[RoyalChick]

Generally those are used for enema use. 20fr is a bit large for an esophageal catheter, 18fr would be a general size, but it’s not overly large. Just be careful when using on a smaller bird, a 14 or 18fr for a smaller bird.

I actually found the larger size to be easier to pass and less traumatic to use.

 

[Ponypoor]

I am conflicted with this turn of events. I so agree it is a nice time to take a break and sneak in a cuddle during the "carrying said chicken" to roost. Those few minutes can become something special, trust me I know. I've done it many times in the past. First with Drumstick who would wait on top of Russ's stall boards for me to lift him to the roost and then with George. Drummie's place was not so bad, higher up and to get to him you had to mess with a big 1000lb horse. George, well, that special boy chose to wait for me on top of the wire dog kennel I had sitting beside the silkie coop. I loved those few minutes each night of me coming home from work and packing him to the coop and getting our one on one time. It was special in many ways. Partly because I had been gone all day and I needed my chicken time. More importantly, it allowed that time with George who reverted back to my sweet lovable little baby. You see, when George stepped up into flock rooster he took those duties seriously and myself and our snuggles were no longer his top priority. He was a busy boy with many responsibilities and while I could hold him during the day, he really melted and enjoyed it at night when everyone else was in bed and he duties were done for the day. I looked forward to that so much I did not think clearly and in my negligence it cost me my dear George. What I should have done was insisted Rosie put him up at night and I just make a trip out to the closed coop. I did not, I enjoyed that routine so much I thought he would be ok for a few minutes after dark. One of my biggest regrets I must say. My dear boy was the first victim of the coyote and what let him find a easy meal which became a routine and has cost me dearly this summer.

I'm not saying you have a coyote problem, but there are many other nighttime predators to consider. And it only takes a minute for one to strike and leave heartache in its wake. The guilt that follows, I wish on no one.

Woulda coulda shoulda

Don’t go there, you are not to blame. You cannot be a mind reader or see into the future; we all know the risks of having our animals. If you start down the blame path you are only harming yourself. You have learnt from it and that’s good.

George had a glorious life with you, and I am forever happy I enclosed some Betty eggs for you. At first I was heartbroken he was a boy, but gosh he was so charming and lovely. And now you have some of his wee ones.

Like the people I gave Shirley too, a new generation will live on. I look forward to more baby pics soon BTW!