Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Okay Bob, no goats! Wanna try for an EMU?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Treacle got most of it right today.
Mel came to visit in the morning and Cillin eventually ventured outside with her. He's just lost all his confidence. I can hopefully fix his foot and keep him warm and fed but I can't do anything about his confidence without being unfair to Treacle.
I have to try hard when watching Treacle chase Cillin away to remember that Cillin did this to Treacle for months. What Cillin didn't do was prevent Treacle from roosting with the tribe at night. I think this is what I find most difficult to watch.
I did find myself shouting at the pair of them in the middle of the driveway today while watching three roosters in Tribe 2 come to a working arrangement, "why can't you be like them!"
Cillin spent most of his day up with Jenny and Solomon and in the sheep shed.
Treacle cant get the hens to follow him during the day but tonight he waited and escorted them all back to the coop. Cillin came to the house as soon as he saw the rest had gone to roost.
I've started on the coop conversion, but secretly I keep hoping that Cillin will in time rejoin the tribe.
I have seen other roosters go through a similar experience and regained their confidence. Punch was intimidated for moths by Notch but eventually stopped running away. Much the same with Rip and Oswald.
Here is Cillin back with me for the night. He's eaten well and is safe and that in the end is what matters most.
View attachment 2497876View attachment 2497877

Safe, and eating and healing is good!
Interestingly, his recuperation and care in your house is already the beginnings of his new coop in a way, his practice coop, and it seems he is accepting it as his new coop because of the situation with Treacle. Will Mel go with him to the converted coop when it is ready? So here's where I'll go get ready to hide -- Maybe she can, or should, roost with him now in your house, until they move into their new digs?

 

[micstrachan]

You’ve got to take a photo of Arduinna on a harness and leash!

Yes!

 

[MaryJanet]

My poor molting friend.

Her fluffs are very uneven.

 

[Kris5902]

Treacle got most of it right today.
Mel came to visit in the morning and Cillin eventually ventured outside with her. He's just lost all his confidence. I can hopefully fix his foot and keep him warm and fed but I can't do anything about his confidence without being unfair to Treacle.
I have to try hard when watching Treacle chase Cillin away to remember that Cillin did this to Treacle for months. What Cillin didn't do was prevent Treacle from roosting with the tribe at night. I think this is what I find most difficult to watch.
I did find myself shouting at the pair of them in the middle of the driveway today while watching three roosters in Tribe 2 come to a working arrangement, "why can't you be like them!"
Cillin spent most of his day up with Jenny and Solomon and in the sheep shed.
Treacle cant get the hens to follow him during the day but tonight he waited and escorted them all back to the coop. Cillin came to the house as soon as he saw the rest had gone to roost.
I've started on the coop conversion, but secretly I keep hoping that Cillin will in time rejoin the tribe.
I have seen other roosters go through a similar experience and regained their confidence. Punch was intimidated for moths by Notch but eventually stopped running away. Much the same with Rip and Oswald.
Here is Cillin back with me for the night. He's eaten well and is safe and that in the end is what matters most.
View attachment 2497876View attachment 2497877

I am a meddler. I took a different approach... When Sammy got into a tussle with Roostie and was a little worn down, his two junior Roosters decided to gang up on him. It wasn’t resolving and they weren’t going to let him back off gracefully, they were out for blood. I separated everyone for the day, and let Sammy run with his hens. They roosted peacefully that night, and the next day everything seemed back to normal until roosting, when Dean wouldn’t let Sammy in the coop at night. After watching this for two nights I gave Sammy and his core ladies a break in a Meat Tractor, added in 20 pullet chicks for him to raise (and there were 4 half grown cockerels in the meat tractor as well, because Sammy makes a great dad). After about a month I set them back to free ranging and within two or three weeks Sammy was back in the old coop with Dean and Cass, and trying to take his 20+ ladies with him! Now they are all in the same Trailer Coop at night, plus one more cockerel (Little Red).

I would probably be separating them, meddling in their politics, and fussing. But that’s me. So my actual question is, once you have the second Coop set up, how will you be arranging the bed time situation? Will you be moving the hens that are more attatched to Cillinin with him at first? Or will you evict Treacle and his more receptive ladies?

 

[Kris5902]

A "discussion" eh. Was it one side?

Well it was mostly about what side of the bed she sleeps on! If she’s on my side at the edge I make sure when she gets up that she “pee pees in the box”. However this pushes me over further to the center (I normally sleep right at the edge, partially hanging off sometimes, for level issues as the old RV bed sags in the middle and is really hard on my back) and DH protests his lack of space. If she sleeps in between us our spacing is more normal, but when she gets up to pee I need to lift her over me into the litter box disturbing is both. If she sleeps on Andrew’s edge side the pee pee window get missed (not good as then someone is stuck sleeping in a wet spot!)

 

[Kris5902]

Thank you for posting these. I'm so sorry about your missing rescue and hope she turns up. Knowing the situational risk doesn't make it easier, and I feel for you.

Well, there is also the possibility that in another 20 days she pops up with a batch of little chicks... but that’s probably hoping for too much. Thanks for the sympathy... she had a better life here, even if it was a short one than she would have living in the filth she was in.

 

[LozzyR]

Yes!

Best. Photo. EVER!!!!

 

[drstratton]

Hi everyone...I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas & a great New Year. I haven't been able to be on BYC much & probably will only be here sporadically for the next couple of months...we are doing a kitchen remodel & we also helped our son move his family...almost 1700 miles away... we were gone 10 days...I really need a vacation!
Anyway I just wanted to share a funny exchange that happened between me and a friend...she cracks me up! This is copied from my thread!
My friend that I gave the Silkie hen to, just messaged me and said her hens were broody and she would like to hatch some chicks...so she asks, is there any such thing as finding a rooster for stud. I told her that I've never heard of rent a rooster...lol! I also told her that her hens would not allow a rooster to breed with them if they are currently broody! I then suggested that I could bring her some of my fertile eggs to slip under her broody's...her little boy is so excited!
I took 6 eggs to them today...her little boy was just walking home from school as I got there...I could hear him yelling...my eggs, my eggs are here! He's such a cute little guy & he loves his chickens. They promised to send me pictures of them...I'm super excited to see some babies from my flock!

 

[micstrachan]

Hi everyone...I hope you all had a beautiful Christmas & a great New Year. I haven't been able to be on BYC much & probably will only be here sporadically for the next couple of months...we are doing a kitchen remodel & we also helped our son move his family...almost 1700 miles away... we were gone 10 days...I really need a vacation!
Anyway I just wanted to share a funny exchange that happened between me and a friend...she cracks me up! This is copied from my thread!
My friend that I gave the Silkie hen to, just messaged me and said her hens were broody and she would like to hatch some chicks...so she asks, is there any such thing as finding a rooster for stud. I told her that I've never heard of rent a rooster...lol! I also told her that her hens would not allow a rooster to breed with them if they are currently broody! I then suggested that I could bring her some of my fertile eggs to slip under her broody's...her little boy is so excited!
I took 6 eggs to them today...her little boy was just walking home from school as I got there...I could hear him yelling...my eggs, my eggs are here! He's such a cute little guy & he loves his chickens. They promised to send me pictures of them...I'm super excited to see some babies from my flock!

Oh my gosh, this is heart melting!!! I do think you can "borrow" a rooster, but I personally would not do it, as he could bring illness to the flock.