Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

So, at the laundromat yesterday, while DH is loading our clothes into the washer I started to give Arduinna her second bottle of the day, but it wasn’t quite warm enough. We trundle off to the petsmart to pick up our catfood, they do grooming, leashed pets are welcome, but goats? (I know the lady who took her pet alligator called in advance) let’s not risk it. Thy reluctantly agreed to nuke some water for her bottle in their breakroom “but where’s the baby goat?” so on goes the harness and leash and she came in and chewed on everyone’s shoelaces.

We go back to the truck with the warm bottle and catfood, and a quick drive back to swap the wash into the dryers while I fed her in the truck. Well, as we all know what goes in must also come out. And since we were still on the lead and waiting for the dryers, why not try to have this happen outside the truck? I walked over to check the hours of the local “smoke” shop next to the laundromat in hopes of finding a cheap but accurate scale for tenths of a gram they were closed for Covid, and I didn’t want to walk the couple blocks to the nearby hydroponics store.

Arduinna was Just ”goating” around, hopping and excitedly exploring the parking lot. this attracted some attention from the staff, and one creepy guy in his car. He was clearly off kilter. You know how people talk about dogs instinctively knowing when someone isn’t quite ”right” goats do too apparently. Arduinna wanted nothing to do with him and kept hiding behind me. Now the Staff at the laundromat want to meet her too. Creepy guy eventually goes back to his car, and Andrew takes over on goat sitting in the truck while I feed and try to water Roostie. He refused to drink all day, but did eagerly eat the offered scratch. While we were in the laundromat everyone had to get pictures of the cute little baby, and pet her. If she smelled like she does today I think it may have been a different reaction.

I'm sure it was work but it sounds like a great adventure story to tell.

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

I wish I had thought about this question yesterday while we were in town. Diapers is a great solution! I just posted “ISO baby diapers” in the community FB forum... maybe someone has some leftovers? Hopefully no one will take offense to the post it’s like a pack of spoiled 5-7 year olds on there most times. Our store carries the adult incontinence products, but there aren’t enough babies here to stock diapers. I really thought the crate would work fine, and now I feel just awful that she was laying in her pee most of the night.

It's a learning curve, don't be too hard on yourself.

I've made emergency diapers with a pair of under ware and a maxi pad. The incontinency pads are even better since they absorb more.

 

[featherhead007]

Chicken back taxes:
I have to install in payments.

 

[BY Bob]

Chicken back taxes:
I have to install in payments.View attachment 2486491

She's a beauty.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Hi, BY Bob!
Thought I’d share my latest chicken pictures. Blanche and Buffy.

Blanche is particularly proud of her awesome comb!


Buffy doesn’t care! She has a fluffier butt.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Anybody ever feel like and didn't mean any harm?

You are describing my life.

 

[MaryJanet]

I use the term “flock” because it’s the most commonly applied one for chickens, but agree that they do function more like tribes when left to their own devices. Herd of cows, herd of goats, pack of teenagers, flock of sheep, murder of crows, herd of commuters, school of fish, unkindness of Ravens, gaggle of geezers... I am slowly starting to accept that sometimes being clearly understood is better than being accurate but misunderstood. And that sometimes it’s easier to just go with the general opinion, even when I disagree, because it’s just too much work to try to change people’s minds. Or maybe I’m just getting lazy?

Yes! My feelings exactly.

 

[BY Bob]

Hi, BY Bob!
Thought I’d share my latest chicken pictures. Blanche and Buffy.
View attachment 2486505
Blanche is particularly proud of her awesome comb!

View attachment 2486506
Buffy doesn’t care! She has a fluffier butt.

I love them. Blanche has a special place in my heart. Love those leghorns!

Buffy looks great. I'm s big fan of Orpingtons as well.

Thanks for thinking of me.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

H

Henrietta is a stunner!

Thank you. Henrietta is a very pretty hen. She is my best layer of my flock. She's taking a break right now, but her molt is finally finished. She didn't go completely bald all at once but back at the end of November she was so pitiful looking I joked I needed to find a tiny paper bag with eye holes and stick on her head. Last season she started laying the first of march and would go 8 days straight without taking a day off. She didn't quit until the first of November. Her comb is starting to color back up slowly so looking forward to her starting back up again. Here are a few more pictures of her in her new coat. Her red got darker this year.

This is Henrietta's daughter Bread. *note to self, stop letting mom name the animals*. Bread closely resembles her mother except she didn't inherit her mothers blue lacing. She is still a pretty young pullet and I hope she is just as good a layer as her mom.

 

[Shadrach]

I use the term “flock” because it’s the most commonly applied one for chickens, but agree that they do function more like tribes when left to their own devices. Herd of cows, herd of goats, pack of teenagers, flock of sheep, murder of crows, herd of commuters, school of fish, unkindness of Ravens, gaggle of geezers... I am slowly starting to accept that sometimes being clearly understood is better than being accurate but misunderstood. And that sometimes it’s easier to just go with the general opinion, even when I disagree, because it’s just too much work to try to change people’s minds. Or maybe I’m just getting lazy?

I look at it like this.
I'm very interested (some may say obssesed by) in chickens.
I hope that more research and knowledge about them will improve their lot in life.
If for example, the reasearch into the chickens beak hadn't been carried out, the barbaric practice of debeaking may not have been reduced and in some countries made illegal.
In the normal flow of conversation I agree, it doesn't matter whether one calls them a flock or a tribe. It does matter when it comes to how you keep them though. Decent environments for a tribal species are rather different to that for a flock species.
In general I would prefer if people at least had reliable information to work with.
If for example you beleive that dust bathing is the chickens way of ridding themselves of parasites then instead of applying the correct chemical for a sever outbreak one might be tempted as many do, to chuck your chicken in a bath of DE and think you've done the right thing.
I've been pleasantly surprised by the reactions to some of the articles I've written.
Some people have taken on board, as they say, the information I've presented. In theory, eventually this trickles down to a better understanding of chickens and hopefully that better understanding will translate into a better life for some chickens.
That's why I bother.