Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Pastel the Rooster]

Hey guys, sorry I’ve not been on here… I’ve been focusing on my schoolwork and I decided to put my phone down so that I could knock a bunch of work out.
And I still have more work…
I’ve decided I'm not going to be on here that often, just every once in a while, so that I can check in on y’all and update you guys on my chooks.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Chicory is maintaining her calm astonishingly well while others here are offering sound advice

Correct on the second part, not on the first! The last couple of days have been pretty calm but everything just takes me a long time to do. I'm worried about getting it done before it's miserable weather (my fingers are terrible in the cold). The new Buckeyes do not have a finished covered run to hang out in yet, though I will divide what's covered when it rains, no matter.

Also now I'm looking at more excavation into the hill to connect one of the coops. That's a day's project of me pickaxing or maybe DH loosening the soil and me hauling it away (thinking rightly that it was not needed, he's switched out the bucket attachment to a stump grinder for his latest projects).

But Hazel is doing pretty well and is relaxing about Shehnai being close by and separated. I made a little tunnel to the Main run from her coop, and then got tarps on it. I was calling herwhile crouched next to it, and she was interested but afraid, and finally ran through it to get to the run when she saw the route a BO took (as the BO's responded to my calls). Last night she ultimately followed the BO's through it to roosting (one or two went back and forth twice, waiting on her I think). This morning she traversed it again as I saw her in the run when I checked the cameras.

By the way, Nutmeg's great name reminded me - Hazel's full name is actually Hazelnut. She had the darkest coloring of all in the first Buckeye group, very much the color of a hazelnut's skin.

Roos stand TALLER than hens even when they're about the same weight. Their legs are longer.

This is the case here, Shehnai's legs are tall and massive, compared to a hen it's disproportional.

Currently they're of an age to be going through growth spurts. If he's already started one and she hasn't yet, the side by side size comparison looks skewed.

Shehnai has always seemed to be a few weeks ahead of the others in development. Just yesterday I noticed how much bigger two of the pullets - Olive and Bea - suddenly seemed to be! Their shoulders have really widened.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

The Meyer Hatcher site says Cookie should be about 4lb when grown - so similar to Piglet.
I just hope his growth spurt isn’t indicative of final adult size! With kittens paw size is often a good indicator, not sure if there is a chicken equivalent.
I am away about 10 days. A lot of growth can happen in that time and I will do a weighing (including of Tassels and Sylvie) when I get back.
I do love his green tail feathers. I don’t think he will be as eye-catching as your lovely roos (basically just brown) but hopefully still a good looking fella!

I thought he is a Speckled Sussex? He won't just be brown. They are pretty spectacular roos! From Meyer's:

 

[rural mouse]

The Meyer Hatcher site says Cookie should be about 4lb when grown - so similar to Piglet.
I just hope his growth spurt isn’t indicative of final adult size! With kittens paw size is often a good indicator, not sure if there is a chicken equivalent.
I am away about 10 days. A lot of growth can happen in that time and I will do a weighing (including of Tassels and Sylvie) when I get back.
I do love his green tail feathers. I don’t think he will be as eye-catching as your lovely roos (basically just brown) but hopefully still a good looking fella!

One of the flocks I see occasionally has a couple of reddish roos, black tail feathers and a couple of white mixed in. I've often wondered what breed/mix they are, but stopping on my way home just to ask that...... I want to say they've got marks on their breasts too, but not entirely sure. Watching Mr Chip's development with interest.

 

[featherhead007]

I thought he is a Speckled Sussex? He won't just be brown. They are pretty spectacular roos! From Meyer's:
View attachment 4234991

Speckled Suspect?

 

[BY Bob]

Time to Meet the Rest of the Girls

The initial release was a complete disaster. Aster, Lady Featherington, and Sydney invaded and assaulted. At one point Lady Featherington was trying to ride little Joy.

I was forced to physically remove the 3 of them.

Only Aster came back. After several discussions Aster understood my position and has not been chasing them. She will get a peck on if they get too close but it's not malicious like the other 2 were.

One great observation was that anytime Tilly or Joy squawked out. Niamh came running to see what was going on. I love that.

Perhaps their terror at the Bigs will bring them closer together.

The first chance Niamh has to go into the house she took and left her new friends far behind.

After the initial attack and separation, the Phyllistines did enjoy some time by the garden together.

Once the big girls settled into a cracked corn induce torpor, the Phyllistines went under the magnolia tree. I was eventually able to get a photo of all 8 for the first time. Can you find them all?

 

[BY Bob]

Bath Time

There was a very nice moment where Niamh and Joy enjoyed a bath together.

 

[BY Bob]

Avoid That One

They have clearly learned to avoid Aster.

 

[BY Bob]

An Old Video

I promised this a while ago. Here are the girls a week ago when they saw the big run for the first time.

 

[featherhead007]

Time to Meet the Rest of the Girls

The initial release was a complete disaster. Aster, Lady Featherington, and Sydney invaded and assaulted. At one point Lady Featherington was trying to ride little Joy.

I was forced to physically remove the 3 of them.

Only Aster came back. After several discussions Aster understood my position and has not been chasing them. She will get a peck on if they get too close but it's not malicious like the other 2 were.

One great observation was that anytime Tilly or Joy squawked out. Niamh came running to see what was going on. I love that.

Perhaps their terror at the Bigs will bring them closer together.

The first chance Niamh has to go into the house she took and left her new friends far behind.

View attachment 4235030

After the initial attack and separation, the Phyllistines did enjoy some time by the garden together.

View attachment 4235031

Once the big girls settled into a cracked corn induce torpor, the Phyllistines went under the magnolia tree. I was eventually able to get a photo of all 8 for the first time. Can you find them all?

View attachment 4235033

Best laid plans of mice or men. Sorry the initial meeting didn’t work so well.