Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

It's time to go Exploring

Today was the first opportunity for the new ladies to really deal with significant snow. Unlike Lilly who hates snow and Hattie who will "deal" with it, Mal and Aurora had been "cooped up" enough today.

Maleficent was the first to head out. To the magnolia tree she went.

When I came out to see Mal, Aurora came running over to see what's up.

I never knew how brown Aurora actually was until I saw her against the white snow.

Hattie thought to come see what I was doing with the other two but could not get any further than the bird bath.

She did eventually get herself turned enough that she could jump up and fly back to the coop without touching that evil white stuff.

Aurora was so excited to be out that she ran over ro the deck. Then she realized she was the only one on the deck and she felt stuck. A few calls went out to the flock.

The others answered and then one of my black hens, either Lilly or Maleficent, made a strange call back, flapped their wings hard, and made the noise again. I caught the wing flap and the second call in this clip of video. My girls are now making strange noises, first Hattie and then this! Has anyone ever had a hen make this noise?

After a little bit, Aurora just decided to go exploring and seemed to enjoy her time in the snow.

Then later in the evening around 5:15, everyone roosted but Aurora. She was in the coop so the door couldn't close on her but she was staying up to scratch and eat until the last moment. Aurora had herself a day today, she even laid an egg.

 

[Ribh]

Has anyone ever had a hen make this noise?

My head australorp used to crow...

 

[LozzyR]

Mine do not sit that way. They perch on my leg like is a log.

Here's Mal in my lap.
View attachment 1998578

Aww, you’re so lucky! Here is a picture of my legs that are 100% chicken-free!

 

[LozzyR]

My head australorp used to crow...

A full-on crow or like Bob’s girls?

 

[Ribh]

A full-on crow or like Bob’s girls?

Strangled. I don't think her throat was long enough to get that full on sound but she did the best she could with what she had.

 

[Shadrach]

Maybe I misunderstood. Now I have to go back and find the post! @Shadrach apologies if I got the wrong end of the stick.

No apologies necessary.
Technically they are not my chickens and the land isn't mine either. My house and a small strip of land is until I die. It's one of those family type arrangements that doesn't quite work.
I look after the animals and land here, as best I can under the circumstances. It's my job.
The people who own the land inherited money and had a fantasy of leading the good life.
Unfortunately they got lots of animals before they realised that the good life requires an awful lot of work and knowledge. They were not prepared to give up their party style life nor put in the work. I'm a practical man who spent his childhood on a farm and I have the skills they don't and the interest in the land and animals. I get paid a very small amount of money for taking care of the place while the owners go off and do other things.
I became fascinated by the chickens here and sort of fell in love with them.

 

[Shadrach]

I’ve posted these before but you might not have seen them.. some of them sit.. some don’t...View attachment 1998366View attachment 1998367View attachment 1998368View attachment 1998369View attachment 1998370

lovely picture and lovely hens.

 

[Shadrach]

That is Claire my Barnevelder...

I do like Barnevelders.

 

[Shadrach]

So funny. A few pages back @Shadrach you mentioned that if they were your hens and you were in different circumstances you would care for them differently. I am really curious what you would do differently. I don't know about others on this thread but I read your posts with a fair bit of envy about how your hens live so I was struck that you would want to do things differently. Hope you don't think I am prying.

Of course I don't think you're prying.
The chickens do have a great life if they can survive. It's the surviving that's the difficult part. I'll write a bit about what I would do differently at some point if you're interested.

 

[Shadrach]

Mr Shad is a chicken tender to a wealthy troll. Im betting he would spend more on health care things and although he liked them free ranged predator proofing. Be it fencing off acerage or whatever he could come up with.

You've got it.