Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Aussie-Chookmum]

In preparation for Friday I’d like to share Snow’s loose fluff. From observation of her drops in the yard, she seems to have 2 feathers to every shaft in that fluff butt of hers. It’s truly wonderful to me
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And this one is just cementing in that Belle is the sentinel of my 3 lady tribe. She waited alert for a long time behind the 2 other girls when they were making their way back to coop and run
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Apparently our daughter is writing entries about hanging with them in the yard in her prep class while other kids talk about the park
I’m so glad they make her happy and inspired like they do for me

That's a wonderful feather photo Scrambles. You can see every filament.

I'd noticed that recently too. The butt feathers from my girls are a bit shorter and less fluffy though.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Let's Bakawk together like we did Last Week!

yesterday was a funny day at Fluffy Butt Acres. It first started with some odd pairings. Now that the tribe has been free ranging again for a couple of weeks, they have started to pair up and roam the yard in twos again. It's funny the pairings that I got.

• Hattie and Lilly
• Sansa and Aurora
• Phyllis and Aurora

Obviously the oddest pairing was Sydney and Sansa as Sansa is miserable to Sydney. For yesterday they were mates.

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Of course, it appears no day at Fluffy Butt Acres is complete without another Bakawk fest.

Knowing that Aurora was on sentinel duty, as Hattie was laying, I was duly alarmed when Aurora started bakawking at the top of hers lungs. I come rushing out of the house to find Aurora standing in the middle of the deck bakawking.

No one else is paying attention. I do a quick count. I see 3 others, Phyllis, Lilly, and Sansa. Hattie was laying so where is Sydney?

Then I hear a muffled return Bakawk. She must be in the coop. Gosh she must want and escort. This has to stop. I can't be running outside to escort her everytime she lays. I am not actually a rooster.

I go to the coop door and call to her to come out. This time she does not respond. She remains over by the nest boxes bakawking. So I go to the other side of the coop by the nest boxes and open the door. As soon as I do, Hattie jumps out of the coop and heads off.

There stands Sydney bakawing at the top of her lungs, Aurora responding from the deck. The noise is deafening. I need to put a stop to this before the neighbors get upset.

So I look at Sydney, and she is holding her left foot up. It is matted with something she stepped in and straw from the coop. My first thought is poo of course. Then my eyes wander over to the THE nest box. The one everyone wants to use. I see broken egg shell. I go around and open the nest box lid. There is a broken Phyllis egg in the box.

BAKAWK

BAKAWK

BAKAWK

BAKAWK

They continue to call to each other.

The nest box is a mess. It's all yolky. I remove that broken egg shell and toss it on the ground. Phyllis, who has been running around between my legs, quickly starts to eat the remains of her own egg.

I remove the two whole eggs that are in the box including Hattie's warm egg. I clean out the nest box and replace the straw. The bakawking continuing in the background the whole time. These are my two loudest hens and it is LOUD. Sydney is standing in the coop still monitoring my progress as she bakawks.

Finally the box is cleaned out, fresh straw and all. I close the lid to the nest box and magically, Sydney stops bakwaking and goes in to examine my efforts. Gratefully she finds them acceptable and settles in to lay her egg.

I expect at this point that Aurora would stop but somehow she gets louder. Sydney is not answering but Aurora won't stop.

Great, now what do it do? Then it hits me......

Mealworms

She can't bakawk when she is eating......can she?
Amazingly, at first she does!

Eventually, she does stop bakawking and settles in to eat.

All is quiet. I can go back to work in peace.

Crisis successfully solved. Good RoosterBob.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

It seems I get the property, Jeanette died 2 hours ago. Her cousin Jaime just told me from hospital. Details will follow. I feel very sad at this moment

Oh, I'm so sorry Alex. You were an outstanding friend and neighbour to her. I'm sure she was very glad to have you there through all this.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

The Fluffiest Butt in the tribe at the moment. Deana mid-stride

 

[MaryJanet]

The Fluffiest Butt in the tribe at the moment. Deana mid-stride
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Her leg is the colour of saffron rice!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Hey yall! I feel I need to introduce my new littles... especially since one is named for.....The Greatest Hen Ever Can yall guess which one she is..... the others are... Minnie... and Betty and Wilma... View attachment 2575658View attachment 2575659View attachment 2575661View attachment 2575662

So sweet! It's so exciting to watch them grow up.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Back for a min. My husband fell again, the next day. Rubbing his legs a lot. Had Dr call me, he wants x-rays just to see if there is anything to see. We aren't pushing much in procedures because of his stage in Alzheimer's. Why put him through so much. He did up his pain meds..until we can think of something else. Would be nice if a cortisone shot would work. We are also considering THC, it lasts longer than any opoid med. That would be nice. Anyway...Did I say I love me a legorn? Note that when I go over and talk to them..who comes up as close as she can. . My Miss Piggy.View attachment 2575821

Poor hubby. I hope the THC helps. Alzheimer's is the pits. We have it in our family too.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Hi folks. It was a WILD night last night. Remember the two nights prior, I got little sleep because of making those rainbow layered jar cakes snd rainbow cookies? Well, last night I was super tired. DD and I were home alone, as DH was out celebrating Saint Patrick’s Day with buddies. A little background... we live very near a hairpin turn on our mountain highway and hear accidents up there on a regular basis. Well, last night I heard some sirens. And more sirens. And MORE sirens. They did not sound like the usual fire truck sirens, who usually reach accidents first since there is a local station up here. Made a mental note that was probably my more sirens than I had ever heard all at once in my 11 years here! Next I heard a helicopter. That definitely perked me up, as we don’t typically hear helicopters at night unless it’s police activity. I peeked my head out the door and sure enough, it was circling right overhead! I checked the local email thread and the PulsePoint app and found no info. I started contacting neighbors and started an email thread to see if anyone knew anything. Then I learned the activity was literally a couple houses away. An armed robber was being chased on the local mountain highway, pulled off onto our street, bailed halfway down the street and fled on foot. The Sheriff ordered a shelter in place. We locked up and turned off the lights. Neighbors and I texted until 1:30am. Some of the texts were literally, “There are six sheriffs with rifles drawn and canine units in my driveway!” It was intense. Eventually the shelter in place order was lifted without explanation. Except, they started a new one an hour later, which was lifted again just before 5:00am. (Those automated texts and calls further interrupted sleep.) This morning, I was tired, but grateful we wouldn’t have to worry about the local mountain school. That is, until I got a call that they were under shelter in place and kids had been turned around and sent back home upon arrival. Turns out suspect was seen near the school and they issued a THIRD shelter in place! S.W.A.T. eventually showed up, too. Ultimately, he got away, but everyone was safe.

Chicken Tax:
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That sounds very scary. I'm glad you guys are safe.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Her leg is the colour of saffron rice!

Hmmm, so it is.
You know I'm usually so busy checking their combs and wattles and feathers and the soles of their feet that I completely overlook the colour of their legs!

 

[Marie2020]

That seems an unusual clientele!

It would be even more unusual when they start diagnosing humans, the strangest species on this planet