Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

Thanks. I will bookmark this in case there is a quiz!

The first Anne is one of the reasons England split from the Catholic church and started the Church of England, with so much horrific bloodshed and so many Catholic martyrs beheaded or worse.

So when she had a girl instead of a much desired boy, she was for the chop. And the next young wife was brought in.

Afterthought: it was very recently they decided girls could have the same status as boys in the line of succession. If William's first child had been a girl, she would have been behind him in line instead of being leapfrogged by a younger brother.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Really? That’s odd, I can see them all. What happened though is that I forgot the question was asked on MJ’s thread, so naturally that’s where my post ended up. But I thought I was posting to your thread, so got confused when it wasn’t there. So I then copied and pasted to your thread and deleted it from MJ’s thread (and then realised that’s where the question was asked). But the spoiler didn’t copy across so I uploaded it again. Can anyone else see the other photos? I spent considerable time uploading them so it’s annoying if no-one can see them.

I did do drama in years 11-12, but I’m not much of an actor. I’d rather be behind the scenes.

Chicken tax:

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Only the spoiler showed up for me. What a great job you did on that outfit!

 

[MaryJanet]

The first Anne is one of the reasons England split from the Catholic church and started the Church of England, with so much horrific bloodshed and so many Catholic martyrs beheaded or worse.

So when she had a girl instead of a much desired boy, she was for the chop. And the next young wife was brought in.

Afterthought: it was very recently they decided girls could have the same status as boys in the line of succession. If William's first child had been a girl, she would have been behind him in line instead of being leapfrogged by a younger brother.

Tax!

 

[RoyalChick]

Thanks. I will bookmark this in case there is a quiz!

I don’t think I would call a chicken Catherine or Katherine. I could see a Kate or Katy maybe.

 

[micstrachan]

I just can't see bacteria and viruses as animals yet they are alive, so Potozoa.

Are you putting fungi in the protozoan category?

 

[micstrachan]

Alright, I finally got a semi decent nights sleep, now I’m looking for some suggestions (unconventional person that I am) on my goat keeping. This is totally not “Backyard Herds” or “Farmer” appropriate.... I’d get laughed off that forum for sure! Arduinna peed the bed the night before last, significantly. She was curled up next to me, and wow, did she ever let go. I was suddenly sleeping in a giant puddle After most of yesterday’s adventures in the truck and cat carrier for driving in town she’s finally settled enough in her crate to sleep on her own. The first few nights she just wouldn’t sleep unless she was snuggled up to me, and with the “mama” Bleeting, no one was sleeping.

So, she is in the cat carrier for the night next to our bed and blissfully quiet; pee problem solved? Certainly not! She peed in the crate, which was full of Hay, but this meant she was laying in it... the pee and pee soaked hay... she doesn’t smell like the forest anymore. I need to shampoo her. We are looking to get a bigger crate for her, but what to do in the meantime? The whole lower half of her was soaked as are my pants from trying to towel her dry and give her her morning bottle.

Any solutions? I can’t just toss her outside at night, and I can’t let her free range in the trailer, there’s just too much for her to get into that she shouldn’t, and boy can she jump. Not to mention Charlie is not a huge fan of her and isn’t afraid to show it with his claws. I am thinking maybe some drainage holes in the crate? Slope it a bit and raise it above a litter box or something? If I can potty train her like a puppy it won’t be as much of an issue, but so far I’ve had very limited success in training her to pee on the one shirt. Open to ideas/suggestions. I really need a bigger crate as well, she can’t stand up in the cat carrier.

Now, I need to get cracking on the chickens! I’ll pop in a little later for my laundromat goat adventure, and now everyone knows why we were at the laundromat! Our mattress is pretty old and crummy, so I’m not too worried about it, some spot cleaning and we can always flip it over. I’ve spilled worse on it (shrimp gumbo leaks)

Dog crate with clumping kitty litter?

 

[SweetLittleChicks]

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I have been wanting to do this for some time now. I knew once I started doing this there would be no going back. So I am now diving in and I hope you all enjoy coming along for the ride.

First of all let me tell you how we view our flock as that will help you to understand why we treat them like we do.

Our birds are our pets and we treat them as such. We do not care if someone is not laying eggs. They are welcome to stay at Fluffy Butt Acres until they pass naturally. (Now don't go telling them that! I would hate for word to get out) We do thoroughly enjoy the fresh eggs.

I plan to tell stories from the past as well as from today. I hope you all enjoy and will share stories of your flocks as well.

same my chickens are my pets

 

[micstrachan]

Having soap boxed this morning I guess that means lots of chicken tax then doesn't it (?)
GoodyI've got lots of pictures.
So, I head off to do my mid afternoon rounds with the intention of taking a few pics. I get to the front of the house and check the big bush by the bread oven, no chickens. I go over to the bamboo clump, no chickens.
I head up the sheep field track and this is where I found Tribe 3. Yes tribe, not flock!
That's Notch, I don't like fish Ribh aka Donk, I don't like chicks Myth and Knock almost under the bush. Knock doesn't like anybody.
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A bit further up the track on the same West bank I found this lot. You can tell they're a tribe because if they were a flock they would be with Notch and his hens shown in the picture above.
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Treacle is at the top of the bank and he's doing his utmost to get some hens to join him. His mum Mel does and Cillin isn't all that impressed and makes his way up the bank crowing and ground scratching; all fighting talk.
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A fight breaks out, but by this time, Tap has also come to the top of the bank and that is enough to satisfy Treacle.There was just one brief flurry of feet which I didn't get a picture of. Treacle now has two hens close by. Cillin isn't bothered about Tap joining Treacle and Mel does pretty much as she pleases anyway so the fighting talk stopped. View attachment 2486188

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Tap and Mel make their way to the hay rack and Treacle follows after herding me along with him (I was going there anyway but don't tell him).

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I cleaned the duck houses out and this means straw on the floor with seeds and bugs. Treacle is delighted and goes into one with the I've found food calls and gestures. Tap investigates. Mel won't be enticed by a few bits of straw and is just out of the picture on the left.
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Here's Mel.View attachment 2486232
All the I've found food calls attracts Jenny and Solomon.
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No way Tap is going to hang around if Jenny is after the bugs and Treacle knows better than to hang around as well, He's had a few pecks from Solomon in the past.
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I finish the ducks houses and head off back down the track. Treacle went into the sheep shed with Tap and Mel.
Tribe 1, Cillin and hes, move down the bank towards Notch and his hens.
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Thanks for the play by play, Shad!

So I think I agree with you about tribes and flocks. However, I’m still calling mine a flock, since they are together by confinement and not necessarily by choice, combined with the absence of roosters.

 

[featherhead007]

Thanks fir the play by play, Shad!

So I think I agree with you about tribes and flocks. However, I’m still calling mine a flock, since they are together by confinement and not necessarily by choice., combined with the absence of roosters.

No roos? That could change someday maybe?

 

[Kris5902]

Thanks fir the play by play, Shad!

So I think I agree with you about tribes and flocks. However, I’m still calling mine a flock, since they are together by confinement and not necessarily by choice., combined with the absence of roosters.

I was wondering this as well, as a lot of keepers do have a “forced flock” situation. I have four essentially myself, in the breeding and hospital tractors. I’ve noticed that once a forced flock is set to free ranging, even with the option to set up a more tribal situation, they will generally stick to that initial flock, regardless of characteristics. It would be far more appropriate for the new rescues to join Roostie or little Red as a tribe, yet they mostly Roost next to Cass, and are most frequently mating with Dean. Little Red gets what he can, mostly with the smaller Red Rock pullets.

Although what is observed in feral and wild populations, as well as complete free range situations like @Shadrach has setup for his tribes is the more natural arrangement... without a rooster or in a more confined situation perhaps “flock” isn’t really that inaccurate. More a situational social description, than a scientific designation.