Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

Well I never thought I would see the day when Tassels gave up her favorite roosting spot.
It is the most prized spot - right up against the wall on the right. Every lead hen I have had always claims that spot and even mild mannered Tassels has made it more than clear on multiple occasions that nobody, I mean nobody, gets that spot.
Until last night.

Look who got the spot. It’s Cookie!
View attachment 4236759

Tassels is DEFINITELY a keeper!

 

[Sylvester017]

Well I never thought I would see the day when Tassels gave up her favorite roosting spot.
It is the most prized spot - right up against the wall on the right. Every lead hen I have had always claims that spot and even mild mannered Tassels has made it more than clear on multiple occasions that nobody, I mean nobody, gets that spot.
Until last night.

Look who got the spot. It’s Cookie!
View attachment 4236759

The perch wall is a priority spot in our coop too.

 

[Ponypoor]

Rumex obtusifolius? Mine absolutely love both the leaves and the seeds, it's one of their favourites.

I usually tear out dock plant as they grow so big, hard to mow over. But I see some out in the paddock, I’ll drag some up for the gang.

https://www.ontario.ca/document/weed-identification-guide-ontario-crops/docks

Feast time

It’s the headless horse chicken!

 

[Sylvester017]

Vertigo - it’s my big thing here, it’s brutal looking up at the stall wall sitters. I have to hold the wall to look up and chase them off the walls. And looking down to find eggs. I get all spinny and have to close my eyes.

Don’t fall down in the barn - those velociraptors will be on you in a flash!!!

No, plz don't fall!

I've discovered my own vertigo is an ear imbalance... if I open my eyes waking up & the bedroom is spinning, I know I slept wrong on my ear & I have to not get out of bed to walk till the room stops spinning. Of course, I use a quad cane too for balance just in case when I walk. The chickens are accustomed to the cane now. Some bad days I've used a quad cane on each hand both sides if it was a really bad spell.

Lastly, adding natural nutrition supplements & cutting out junk like gluten/sugar/etc it's been so much better. These Dom's grew up as chicks climbing all over my quad canes.

 

[Sylvester017]

Feast time

View attachment 4236883

It’s the headless horse chicken!

W/ a pumpkin as her head!

 

[RoyalChick]

She did it!!!
This is the first time Cookie has operated the rat-proof feeder correctly and without help.
I want to see her do it safely a few more times before removing the clip and going back to being rat proof, but she is well on the way.

 

[Sylvester017]

I had Dakota and Mr Wyandottey loaded securely into Marie, when Paul said I have an important phone call. (I had already shut my phone off) it was my neighbor lady in an emergency. I give my number to all my people. She had trouble breathing and I guess I was her 911. Shes in hospital now , I’m on my way to Bakersfield (driving) why waste expensive AGass it’s only an hour drive time from my airport anyway. I gave paul a special before Christmas bonu$ he’s been restoring a 66 mustang I gave him a lot of monies to help him.

How did Paul get your neighbor's emergency call if your phone was off? She has his number too? You guys really take care of each other

 

[featherhead007]

How did Paul get your neighbor's emergency call if your phone was off? She has his number too? You guys really take care of each other

Only way to live and thrive is to have communication and caring friends. Paul can always reach me by radio in my plane, for emergencies. He’s also a great chicken sitter (in a pinch)
The roo is fine, he just had a burr stuck deep in his beak. Dakota got airsickness coming back, but she’s fine now. I’m sick because of the price of AVGas these days!

 

[Sylvester017]

Rumex obtusifolius? Mine absolutely love both the leaves and the seeds, it's one of their favourites.

Has toxicity levels been measured for poultry/farm animal consumption? Some dock species are hazardous in larger edible quantities? We don't have open field ~ only a backyard so I'm not familar w/ wild weeds. I panic though when I come across articles like this:

https://weedguide.cfaes.osu.edu/singlerecord.asp?id=38
"Leaves may cause mild dermatitis in some individuals. These plants have been used as a laxative, astringent, and in cooking. The plants are generally not considered poisonous, however curly dock seeds are reported as being toxic to chickens. Cattle and horses can become ill if large quantities of leaves are consumed."

​

 

[kattabelly]

Has toxicity levels been measured for poultry/farm animal consumption? Some dock species are hazardous in larger edible quantities? We don't have open field ~ only a backyard so I'm not familar w/ wild weeds. I panic though when I come across articles like this:

https://weedguide.cfaes.osu.edu/singlerecord.asp?id=38
"Leaves may cause mild dermatitis in some individuals. These plants have been used as a laxative, astringent, and in cooking. The plants are generally not considered poisonous, however curly dock seeds are reported as being toxic to chickens. Cattle and horses can become ill if large quantities of leaves are consumed."

​

I'd be more cautious with chickens that were kept in a run with no/few other options but I've always trusted them to choose to eat things that won't kill them (when it comes to natural things like plants, anyway - I wouldn't entirely trust them not to eat metal or plastic!) I know it contains oxalic acid which can be toxic in large quantities and interfere with calcium absorption but so do loads of other plants. I know with horses and cattle there's a risk that they'll accidentally eat things in hay that they'd notice and know to avoid as a live plant. Ime chickens will pick through hay for seeds and maybe eat a small amount of dried grass but they aren't munching on huge mouthfuls like a cow would, so I imagine that reduces the risk too.

My chickens do eat a decent amount of dockens but they'll also ignore it in favour of something else at times, so there's apparently some kind of decision making going on there. They can be very particularly about seeking out specific plants or types of food (seeds, flowers, insects...) at times. They have free choice access to oyster or other shells, so can regulate their own intake of calcium.

Interesting to read in your link that the seeds aren't viable after being eaten by chickens! Dockens can be fairly invasive and hard to get rid of once they're established here, so clearly armies of chickens is the way to go They're very common here, to the point that pretty much anyone with a little patch of garden that isn't totally paved over or weeded/sprayed constantly will have some growing.