Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Grandmas Coop]

We are in the big house tonight

 

[Grandmas Coop]

We are in the big house tonight
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Hahahah All in, the Whites have gone to bed, I will keeping going out to peek in to make sure the chicks settled

 

[featherhead007]

Hahahah All in, the Whites have gone to bed, I will keeping going out to peek in to make sure the chicks settled

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@BY Bob is gonna love that picture!

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

Oh dear - I don't know what to do.
I just went out to check on the Princesses and collect eggs and right out in the open is this little guy.

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He is screaming his head off and as you can see Mom is coming by to feed him.

But he is right where every raccoon and fox will pick him off without even looking for him as he is sitting in the middle of predator highway.
Logic tells me this is just the natural world and it is what it is. But his chirping is so distressing.
I could pick him up and put him up on a tree branch - but raccoons and foxes are good climbers so I am not sure that does much good.
I am thinking if he makes it to nightfall (he might not because the foxes go by at dusk) then I pick him up and bring him into the garage for the night. I could always put him back out where his Mom can find him before dawn.
It is down to the 40s tonight but he looks well feathered - I am surprised he isn't trying to fly honestly.
Am I being pathetic? Should I just leave well alone?
Advice please people.

Last year Taz brought me a fledgling Bluejay. I put the baby in my hanging flower basket. Mom and dad were near and saw the baby. The next morning he was still there but within an hour or so he flew off with one of the adults.

 

[micstrachan]

Ruby had another good day and only went to bed an hour and a half early. She’s still sleeping in a nest box, and has a tough time getting up there, but her eyes were bright, body language was good, and she vocalized. I’m amazed how well she is doing and hope it lasts. I’m worried about going to work Tuesday, as she has only been eating during free range time.

 

[MaryJanet]

Ruby had another good day and only went to bed an hour and a half early. She’s still sleeping in a nest box, and has a tough time getting up there, but her eyes were bright, body language was good, and she vocalized. I’m amazed how well she is doing and hope it lasts. I’m worried about going to work Tuesday, as she has only been eating during free range time.

She'll be ok without food until she's hungry enough to go get some. She's such a strong hen.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Ruby must have an incredibly strong will to live.

She looks quite content, you'd never know what troubles she's been having.
I'm so happy for you both.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

So I'm finally down to just 3 chicks left from the 29 that hatched a couple days after Easter. They are mixes but girls so I'm hanging onto these to grow them out awhile longer. Bunny is also done with her chicks and I have 2 left which are I think 8 days younger. Of course these are both boys. Since the boys were broody raised and more free range savy I decided to try and integrate these 2 groups. The 3 girls have only been allowed free range time under direct supervision but soon I would like to be able to turn them loose in the morning with the rest of them. I figure if they start hanging out with the boys it will give them a better shot. The boys are the same size as 2 of the girls, but the Butter baby Salt is huge in comparison. It has been 2 days and so far they are getting along well. I think another couple days in the run together and then I'll let them all free range again and see if they hang out together. I gave everyone today cottage cheese as a treat and so far it has been hard to get the girls to try new food or treats. Today thanks to the boys who will try anything since their momma taught them I was the bringer of yummy snacks they ended up trying it and it was a hit. Tomorrow I'm going to try raisins with the girls again. So far every time I've offered them to them they refuse to try them. I know the boys love them so maybe they can convince the girls to give them a shot. Here are a couple pics I took the other day before I combined them all together.
The boys,
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And the girls, Salt the white butter baby, and Remy and I forget what Rosie's named the other one.
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And here are Squirrel and her brother Basil. I still think girl for her based on coloring, she's either 13 or 14 weeks old and even though there is a little color in her comb, no sign of pointy saddle feathers or hackle feathers which her brother is already starting to get.
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What beauties they all are.
Squirrel has particularly striking plumage. I'll be very interested to see what her adult feathering is like.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I'm sure she's at least thinking "da de de daa da, da de de daa da, da de de daaaaa" if not actually humming it.

I think it's more like:
"Ba Bok bok bok bok, ba bok bok bok bok, ba bok bok BAWK bok, ba bok bok baaaawk!"

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Oh dear - I don't know what to do.
I just went out to check on the Princesses and collect eggs and right out in the open is this little guy.

View attachment 2695991

He is screaming his head off and as you can see Mom is coming by to feed him.

But he is right where every raccoon and fox will pick him off without even looking for him as he is sitting in the middle of predator highway.
Logic tells me this is just the natural world and it is what it is. But his chirping is so distressing.
I could pick him up and put him up on a tree branch - but raccoons and foxes are good climbers so I am not sure that does much good.
I am thinking if he makes it to nightfall (he might not because the foxes go by at dusk) then I pick him up and bring him into the garage for the night. I could always put him back out where his Mom can find him before dawn.
It is down to the 40s tonight but he looks well feathered - I am surprised he isn't trying to fly honestly.
Am I being pathetic? Should I just leave well alone?
Advice please people.

Well it took things into its own hands by hopping off into the woods followed by what seems like a large extended family of adults.
I think it has a better chance in the woods rather than out in the field so I wish it luck.

I'm glad he has moved to a safer spot.

WIRES, our local wildlife rescue group, has advised me in the past to fix a small box or an ice cream container to a branch where mum can reach it, fill it with straw or leaf litter and pop the baby in that.

Apparently the babies find themselves on the ground a lot when they first start fledging and trying to fly.