Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[LozzyR]

Will you people stop posting so I can catch up???

Just kidding. Sort of.

.... says the lady who posted five in a row!

 

[MaryJanet]

Poor baby. How’s she taking it?

She's a little out of sorts but looking after herself well by maintaining a little distance between herself and the others and chowing down every chance she gets.

 

[Kris5902]

You know, it wasn’t raining today, and I actually took a bunch of back tax pictures, some even turned out semi-decently... while juggling the aftermath of winter storm #3 and the goatling. Luckily the rains came well before the winds that dismantled our poly shed (house is still standing though, go Sukh and the “fierce brown hunters” construction crew! ) and to prove things are looking up on the house build, my table saw landed upside down on our construction plans, so they didn’t blow away and are still semi legible!

Day two, pill two of Roostie’s antibiotics... he’s decided he’s not a fan of these either, but pilling him with the “horse pills” is still easier than getting a liquid medicine into him. I take his fighting it to mean he’s starting to feel better, and he was more active in courting his ladies today, so I’m still hopeful.

 

[Kris5902]

Oooh... I think I finally have a good way of putting it!

If left to their own nature chickens will form tribal groups. This is what @Shadrach has achieved with his husbandry techniques. (I might be getting there with my free range group, but I think I need more separate and better nighttime shelters for them to form more exclusive tribes). This doesn’t necessarily remove the description of “flock” for a group of chickens. From the new oxford American dictionary:

especially if you were to replace “kind” with species... but given the opportunity chickens will form into further divided tribes (based on the criteria already discussed, preferring similar breeds/temperaments etc.) on their own. That’s the differentiating point, given the opportunity... but being social animals, if not able to form that grouping with like individuals, they will still do-exist and function in a flock with whatever other chickens are available?

Also note how the original sense was in reference to people, just another kind of animal, when we get down to it?

 

[Scrambles83]

Maleficent is Gone

Today was supposed to be a great day. It will go down as one of the worst in my life.

I have been traveling all week and have spent no time with the girls. It was going to warm up a little tosay and I had blocked my calendar for some late afternoon quality free range with them. I was excited.

I woke up this morning violently sick. There would be no quality time with the girls. I went from the bathroom to the bed all day.

My wife had to work today so I was home alone. She came home after dark and woke me up to check on me. I quickly checked the coop cam and Maleficent was not roosted.
View attachment 2010234

So asked my wife to find her and put her in the coop. She found her on the ground dead.

I just checked her body. Her neck was torn apart. Weasel or raccoon I am thinking. I have seen raccoons around here and have never seen a weasel.

Either way there will be coop upgrades tomorrow even if I crap myself while I'm doing it.

Quite frankly I am devastated. I could not be there for her. If I had not been sick she would have been fine. I would have checked everything at dusk in person just to spend time with them.

We were so close. I can't stop crying. I just can't right now. What a crappy day. I have to try and bury her in frozen ground tomorrow. How am I going to do that?

I'm just heartbroken.

Rest in Peace my besty
View attachment 2010241

Oh my goodness, I am belatedly heartbroken for you @BY Bob
She was a lovely and special young lady going off all you have shared on here and I’m deeply sorry you lost Mal this way gone too soon in life but will forever be in your heart.

 

[Scrambles83]

Fairwell my Friend

We laid Maleficent to rest this morning. In her cabbage leaf are her favorites, mealy worms, a cheese it, and purple corn because she should never have to settle for yellow corn again.

View attachment 2011710
You will be missed forever and will always hold a special place in my heart.

Now I’m crying...such a beautiful farewell to a beautiful girl

 

[Scrambles83]

Pasta!

Such beautiful girls. Absolutely adore Aurora’s beard

 

[LozzyR]

More chicken tax! Can you believe it? I managed to get another video uploaded! (it's kind of an all-day babysitting affair with our internet.) This is a little dustbath fest. I didn't want o disturb it by opening the door, so I tried to film through the wire. One Buckeye is Peanut and of course the Buff O. is Queenie.

That’s so cute! They’ve definitely accepted Queenie.

 

[featherhead007]

Not another term! My head is swimming.

Fungi: a male of the human species known to be popular, and fun loving, as in “He’s a real fun guy!”

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Great news this morning, Hot off the "coop press" . . . . . . Rocks-Anne laid her first egg (In two months) and is broody, I went out to bring Jaffar back to the coop, counted the hens and, one, two, BLU, and where is Rocks-Anne? slight panic struck me, only to find her in a nesting box setting her single egg. (Jaffar's leg seems better today, btw.)more

Great news Alex!

Hopefully Rocks-Anne will go full broody and hatch you some chicks!