Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Zebra duck mug for Monday. Just collected these two pullets in exchange for my two slightly older cockerels. They've gone back to the breeder because he didn't have any males from that line and had to retire the cock. There were some Polish hens there with haircuts that matched @Ponypoor 's two. And Pavlovskayas and Appenzellers and a trio of feather dusters.
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Stripes!! I love it!

 

[rural mouse]

Drat! I'm going to miss the snowy release. Next time.

The dead stop/mill about usually happens when we get at least 6 inches, from bare to blanket overnight. I'll keep watching for a video opportunity. It's too funny not to film.

 

[Ponypoor]

At least that's your story. I get your drift. Say no more.

I do need to move it though, the nettles are nasty and keep scratching me. I was thinking of doing a roof of sorts with the angles sections.

 

[Ponypoor]

Neighbouring land and not my photo but it's dark here now and this is close enough.

But I'm not actually looking for planting or building advice so going to leave it now (not that I don't appreciate folk trying to help )

Very much like Newfoundland, we call it The Barrens - do you have Lingen berries? Looks like they would grow there.

That is great chicken terrain, the rocky ground will keep nails filed down

 

[Ikslo]

Handsome boy!!!

Glad you were able to give him a good home...and he is getting to take advantage of it. He will continue to work his way into the flock, and win a couple of girls over to him.

Thanks! His feathering is filling in nicely on his neck (not sure if it was molting before or being pecked at) and it’s much shinier than when he arrived. He’s seems happy. Less scared. And has embraced the free range aspects of this life. He draws on some of the girls to areas they haven’t explored before, as well.

Could he have injured a foot or leg at his previous home, or had his feet feathers picked at there that would account for less use or an off gait, and it is feeling better now?

Possibly. It also occurred to me perhaps he was kept in a confined space and just never really developed those leg muscles or had space to roam? I hope that isn’t the case. But in any case, it has greatly improved since I got him and his feathers are growing in more (not sure if he was molting or pecked at) and are much shinier now. He seems happy and definitely doesn’t shy away from the flock now during morning rations. He gets in there and gets his. I also now feed treats in three locations instead of two so that he can have access without being pushed out by the 2 cockerels. Seems to be working.

ETA: oh! I thought that first response had disappeared. Sorry for the repetition!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Sorry for the insanely long post! The basic is this first sentence: I didn’t see what happened yesterday after the early morning because I was gone all day, but today Hazel decided she was taking herself totally out of the picture and stayed in the coop all day. Weather may have played a role, windy, rainy, cold at 43F (6C), but I think she’d had enough.

After four hours since the pop door opened and she was alive by camera and still hadn’t emerged, I checked on her in person. She seemed okay. I collected a couple eggs under her (from yesterday), which she stood up for me to get but didn’t leave the box. I then brought feed and water, and she left the box and ate a little bit and drank a lot. She walked a bit around in the coop, fluffed up her feathers, and went back to the nest box. I left the food and water dish under the opaque window in the coop with her. DH and I went for a walk, but before I left I put Tedi and two pullets in the attached little run thinking it could help reset their relationship with Hazel. That was a mistake. I thought in case Hazel wanted to go out she would be with a BO, and Tedi is very easy-going with the pullets.

When I came back Tedi was pacing to get out of there, one pullet had managed to get out past the tarps, and the other was also anxious to join her broodmates, doing circles around the bucket to keep away from Tedi who was just pacing.Let them out, then closed the big run doors to the aviary so no one would come out (they were all in there) and bother Hazel while I checked her. She seemed very content in the nestbox, as if all was going to plan. Her feed was completely gone, water tipped over with foot mud and litter in it and prints from her reluctant companions everywhere.

Brought more feed and fresh water, and she ate several bites and drank a little. Walked around a bit, looked out the open back with me there, and let me change out the roostbars which were really dirty - during which usually she would want to leave - and poop scoop the poop tray. She paid very close attention to what she could hear of the goings-on outside. Then she pooped, and went back to the nestbox. None of these times did she even peek out the pop door or go out on to the veranda. I checked her legs and head, belly and back, no signs of injury.

I kept the access to that little run open to the aviary and did some chores everywhere and observed up to roosting time. Because the weather is nasty - rain, blowing, 43F, everybody else was more or less in the big run and several were usually up on the perches. I put one of the pullet feeders at the far end and moved one of their waterers near it, so the Buckeyes had their end more or less. I set out “treats” of the pellet feed all over on things, hand fed everybody too, and everyone had some.

Everybody was getting along pretty famously, some pushing by BO’s, but also perching quite close together too. Shehnai was hanging out peacefully, patrolling in and out between perching or mostly just standing nearby. He never went over to Hazel’s coop or seemed to seek her out. Out of sight, out of mind?

So I decided that I’ll finish the run extension before working further on the roof and just get some new tarps, and concentrate on more interior space first. Try to arrange the coops and their runs up to the big inside space so that I can sequester reasonable areas. The way Hazel behaved today I’m tempted to have her in a no touch situation for awhile, with no-see places for her to feel safe. I can’t have her living in the coop for weeks, can I? I suppose I could, as if she were broody?

DH is suggesting I rehome Shehnai to solve all this. But it seems way early to give up now. DH has some deep fears because he encountered aggressive attacking hens in the way past, so roosters are like that times ten in his mind I think.

Shehnai is not letting the pullets eat first, he digs right in when I offer him feed treats first, but when a pullet comes next to him and starts eating too, after a few seconds he walks away, partly because a BO might be approaching, but maybe because he’s letting her eat?

No attempts at mating with anybody or any tidbitting that I saw today. A couple of days ago he did lift a leaf up a few times for one of the BO’s before running away.

He is leading the pullets to roost in their coop each night.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Hazel tonight, preening before sleeping

 

[rural mouse]

Sorry for the insanely long post! The basic is this first sentence: I didn’t see what happened yesterday after the early morning because I was gone all day, but today Hazel decided she was taking herself totally out of the picture and stayed in the coop all day. Weather may have played a role, windy, rainy, cold at 43F (6C), but I think she’d had enough.

After four hours since the pop door opened and she was alive by camera and still hadn’t emerged, I checked on her in person. She seemed okay. I collected a couple eggs under her (from yesterday), which she stood up for me to get but didn’t leave the box. I then brought feed and water, and she left the box and ate a little bit and drank a lot. She walked a bit around in the coop, fluffed up her feathers, and went back to the nest box. I left the food and water dish under the opaque window in the coop with her. DH and I went for a walk, but before I left I put Tedi and two pullets in the attached little run thinking it could help reset their relationship with Hazel. That was a mistake. I thought in case Hazel wanted to go out she would be with a BO, and Tedi is very easy-going with the pullets.

When I came back Tedi was pacing to get out of there, one pullet had managed to get out past the tarps, and the other was also anxious to join her broodmates, doing circles around the bucket to keep away from Tedi who was just pacing.Let them out, then closed the big run doors to the aviary so no one would come out (they were all in there) and bother Hazel while I checked her. She seemed very content in the nestbox, as if all was going to plan. Her feed was completely gone, water tipped over with foot mud and litter in it and prints from her reluctant companions everywhere.

Brought more feed and fresh water, and she ate several bites and drank a little. Walked around a bit, looked out the open back with me there, and let me change out the roostbars which were really dirty - during which usually she would want to leave - and poop scoop the poop tray. She paid very close attention to what she could hear of the goings-on outside. Then she pooped, and went back to the nestbox. None of these times did she even peek out the pop door or go out on to the veranda. I checked her legs and head, belly and back, no signs of injury.

I kept the access to that little run open to the aviary and did some chores everywhere and observed up to roosting time. Because the weather is nasty - rain, blowing, 43F, everybody else was more or less in the big run and several were usually up on the perches. I put one of the pullet feeders at the far end and moved one of their waterers near it, so the Buckeyes had their end more or less. I set out “treats” of the pellet feed all over on things, hand fed everybody too, and everyone had some.

Everybody was getting along pretty famously, some pushing by BO’s, but also perching quite close together too. Shehnai was hanging out peacefully, patrolling in and out between perching or mostly just standing nearby. He never went over to Hazel’s coop or seemed to seek her out. Out of sight, out of mind?

So I decided that I’ll finish the run extension before working further on the roof and just get some new tarps, and concentrate on more interior space first. Try to arrange the coops and their runs up to the big inside space so that I can sequester reasonable areas. The way Hazel behaved today I’m tempted to have her in a no touch situation for awhile, with no-see places for her to feel safe. I can’t have her living in the coop for weeks, can I? I suppose I could, as if she were broody?

DH is suggesting I rehome Shehnai to solve all this. But it seems way early to give up now. DH has some deep fears because he encountered aggressive attacking hens in the way past, so roosters are like that times ten in his mind I think.

Shehnai is not letting the pullets eat first, he digs right in when I offer him feed treats first, but when a pullet comes next to him and starts eating too, after a few seconds he walks away, partly because a BO might be approaching, but maybe because he’s letting her eat?

No attempts at mating with anybody or any tidbitting that I saw today. A couple of days ago he did lift a leaf up a few times for one of the BO’s before running away.

He is leading the pullets to roost in their coop each night.

Sounds like a rough day, but productive and lots of observation. Need to mull and reread in the morning.

 

[BY Bob]

I also feed 20 percent but always worry it's too high. Do y'all think it's good?

I like to give them the most protein possible.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

I like to give them the most protein possible.

Okay, good to know. Thanks