Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

not for them. Me yes. It is dark out here. They are safely tucked in.

Hey, take the night off!

 

[featherhead007]

Today, I was finally able to get the new glass protective screen replaced on my iphone! YAY.
I found a service rep, who actually knew what he was doing at the AT&T store in town!
Free, with no further complications. (Sadly, a guy like that will soon move on to better job prospects) Too good for AT&T retail!

And too bad for AT&T!

 

[RoyalChick]

I am trying to imagine you holding the chicken with one hand while piling weights on the other side to reach perfect balance. I can't stop giggling at the thought of what it would look like!

I think maybe better for weighing eggs rather than chickens.

 

[RoyalChick]

Today, I was finally able to get the new glass protective screen replaced on my iphone! YAY.
I found a service rep, who actually knew what he was doing at the AT&T store in town!
Free, with no further complications. (Sadly, a guy like that will soon move on to better job prospects) Too good for AT&T retail!

Congratulations!!!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

What's wrong with your hens?

Nothing is wrong with my hens. I currently have 2 proven broody girls. My older game hen momma is a notorious broody who is still taking care of her 2 chicks who hatched back in september and are already bigger then her. I fully expect her once she lets these go and starts back laying again 2 lay at most 2 weeks before she gets it in her thick skull its time to be a mother again. Its been her pattern for the past 2 years why change. My other successful broody is Holly. I was a bit surprised with her as from what i'd been reading in the Marans thread that Marans while they can go broody make clumsy not so good mothers. She proved that wrong and was a excellent mother to her 6 chicks this summer. The rest of my girls are unproven, Daisy and Henrietta had no desire to sit, and Butter is only 7ish months old so i don't know if she'll have the desire to sit or not. The rest of the girls....not yet old enough to lay although i expect eggs from some of them around the end of February. That being said, if i'm hatching chicks for myself i do prefer to have a hen do all the work but I got the incubator so I do not have to depend on the hens to hatch chicks. I can hatch them when i want to, not when it suits them lol.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Today was very peaceful in Buckeye Land whenever I checked in, nobody was getting chased, minor pecks only, everybody pretty happily foraging around, interested in the mash I brought, taking turns and yielding. Every time I opened the door Hazel came right out onto the snow to say hello and see if I had anything. I checked the run several times to see if anyone was missing and therefore gone into the coop. Nope. We went for ski and came back around 1pm, I went to check and Queenie was missing. I kept looking out, and saw her again sometime after 2:15pm. So I went and looked and found yes she had been laying another egg! She had moved the fake eggs to be in with it too.



Here's a comparison with the ceramic eggs. The real egg is on the left.



Roosting went quite peacefully but again was unexplainably different. I think @BY Bob 's description of teenage antics is right. I forgot my phone or I would have filmed it. Butters, Hazel, Peanut, Popcorn, then Queenie was the order. But first Butters again punked out about being first, going in and out and then jumping down, so Hazel again decided she would go in, but interestingly, she stayed on the threshold forever, looking in. What was stopping them?

Everybody seemed to wonder what was going on, even Queenie. Butters got back on the perch, and Queenie got up there too. Lots of bobbing heads and looking. Hazel finally just sat down on the threshold! More waiting, then Butters decided enough is enough and started trying to squeeze by and then ended up climbing over Hazel, who finally moved when Butters was practically on top of her with her scrambling feet. Again Peanut and Popcorn went in and Queenie patiently waited for them before going in herself.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

They are not Australian brood-a-sauruses.

LOL BY BOB, tell that to momma hen. Its her mission in life to either be sitting or raising chicks. IF and its a big if, you do manage to break her, she'll be right back broody in a bit over a week. I give up with that hen and let her have her way. I did let her daughter Nugget go with toothless when I rehomed him but I kept another daughter of hers. Snickers is only half game....hopefully she's not as bad as her momma. I'd like to have a steady supply of eating eggs and its hard to do when everyone is wanting to sit.

 

[featherhead007]

Panic this evening! Hens and BLU went into the coop. But no Jaffar. I heard a panic chicken noise out by the front gate. Saw a stray dog in my yard. I searched everywhere for my roo, and found him cowering deep inside an overgrown willow. Jaffar is safe, no physical signs of injury.
He is shaken up though. Tomorrow will be a day of finding and reinforcing my perimeter fencing!

 

[BY Bob]

Hey, take the night off!

Thanks!

 

[BY Bob]

Today was very peaceful in Buckeye Land whenever I checked in, nobody was getting chased, minor pecks only, everybody pretty happily foraging around, interested in the mash I brought, taking turns and yielding. Every time I opened the door Hazel came right out onto the snow to say hello and see if I had anything. I checked the run several times to see if anyone was missing and therefore gone into the coop. Nope. We went for ski and came back around 1pm, I went to check and Queenie was missing. I kept looking out, and saw her again sometime after 2:15pm. So I went and looked and found yes she had been laying another egg! She had moved the fake eggs to be in with it too.

View attachment 2478927

Here's a comparison with the ceramic eggs. The real egg is on the left.

View attachment 2478955

Roosting went quite peacefully but again was unexplainably different. I think @BY Bob 's description of teenage antics is right. I forgot my phone or I would have filmed it. Butters, Hazel, Peanut, Popcorn, then Queenie was the order. But first Butters again punked out about being first, going in and out and then jumping down, so Hazel again decided she would go in, but interestingly, she stayed on the threshold forever, looking in. What was stopping them?

Everybody seemed to wonder what was going on, even Queenie. Butters got back on the perch, and Queenie got up there too. Lots of bobbing heads and looking. Hazel finally just sat down on the threshold! More waiting, then Butters decided enough is enough and started trying to squeeze by and then ended up climbing over Hazel, who finally moved when Butters was practically on top of her with her scrambling feet. Again Peanut and Popcorn went in and Queenie patiently waited for them before going in herself.

Hooray Queenie! I am so glad this worked out so well for you and Queenie. You did a good thing.

Roosting time is insane here so I'm not going to throw any stones. As long as they all get inside safe and sound that's all that matters.