Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[mixedUPturk]

What gets me is it makes such nonsense of the standard advice that chickens like to make nests in dark secluded boxes, but this advice gets trotted out by just about everyone on the site.
Even without the above demonstration, just the posts on this thread about chickens nesting in strange places should show that the dark box stuff is nonsense.
When you add to this the studies reagarding the hatching of eggs and how daylight is important to the correct developement of an egg, and take into account that feral chickens and the chickens ancestors have made nests on the ground for centuries, how does this box nonsense keep going? Chickens lay eggs in boxes because often it is the only option, not because they like them or they are beneficial to the chicken.

Can you link me to any studies youve bookmarked about sunlight being important to hatching eggs? I wonder if full spectrum lighting would boost my incubation hatch rates

 

[ValerieJ]

Run Videos

I went out and froze with them today in their run. The wind was howling. They were hanging out by the end of the run that is covered.
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I took out several snacks. One of which was Broccoli. The ladies really haven't seen broccoli like this before. It took Aurora no time to show everyone how to eat it. No one was really sure how to eat the florets before this. Afterwards they would only eat it if they could do what Aurora does in this video.

The next video shows them eating from my hand. The second treat was dried shrimp. Watch in this video as Lilly tries to enforce the pecking order. She will use her voice, a fake peck, and an actual peck to try and discourage the littles from eating. What Lilly doesn't do is really eat anything. Everyone else does.

Those videos were such fun to watch! Thanks for sharing.

I’m sorta getting used to the new set up and it all seems fine... except the emoji thingy.. I hate how it shows up small now and it disappears after each one you use! I do not like it at all .. and it’s all up in the way of your post instead of at the bottom like before.. does anyone else feel this way..?

I don't like it either. Also, I'm learning to save posts I want to respond to until I have gone through the whole thread. I can't figure out the logic of where It puts me after I have posted an answer. Sometimes I have to go a few pages back to find my place, but it's not dropping me at the end either.

You haven't lived till you've experience a truly alpha male cat.Neither of my present cats are alphas ~ thank heaven!!!!!! They rarely fight but Kirby isn't allowed on my bed. That is Marlow's territory. He doesn't like sharing me either but he has no choice.

Their carers were wonderful but they had a lot of rescue cats ~ which may or may not have contributed to my boys behavioural issues & they had to compete for resources. I only even notice certain things because I have a lot of friends in cat rescue who talk a lot about animal behaviours so perhaps I've been conditioned to see certain things...?

All of my cats are rescues too. I have 3 that live out behind my shed because my two indoor cats will not accept them. Also, they are pretty feral. They actually belonged to my neighbor, but he passed away and his wife just abandoned them. So I feed them and spend a little time with them every day. They are very sweet and totally bonded with each other. None of them have ever been indoor kitties. What a difference between them and my indoor kitties.

Thanks, Kris. Now to get my chicken observation skills up to par...

Been working on that myself. With two young cockerels to rear, I've spent a lot of time in the runs lately. It became obvious this weekend that we had to have a bachelor pad, so that is set up, but I have a couple very sad boys. Hard to watch.

 

[mixedUPturk]

Some of my pickled eggs are going to PA

 

[RoyalChick]

Mine like raw cauliflower too.

I am having roasted cauliflower for dinner tonight so tomorrow I will see if I have any luck sharing with the ladies. I was disappointed they didn't like leeks because I love leeks! I shared my breakfast blueberries to great enjoyment by all concerned, so at least that was a success.

 

[BY Bob]

Some of my pickled eggs are foing to PA

Yes they are!

 

[BY Bob]

I am having roasted cauliflower for dinner tonight so tomorrow I will see if I have any luck sharing with the ladies. I was disappointed they didn't like leeks because I love leeks! I shared my breakfast blueberries to great enjoyment by all concerned, so at least that was a success.

Blueberries are a big hit here right now. Since access to free range is essentially gone here all winter, I try to supplement as much as possible with fresh fruits and vegetables. The girls devour them.

Not that they don't pig down in the summer as well. But it is different in the depth of the winter.

 

[RoyalChick]

Blueberries are a big hit here right now. Since access to free range is essentially gone here all winter, I try to supplement as much as possible with fresh fruits and vegetables. The girls devour them.

Not that they don't pig down in the summer as well. But it is different in the depth of the winter.

I have been experimenting with sprouting grains on the kitchen windowsill and feeding the sprouts to the Princesses. I have a weekly rotation of jars going (except when I travel and have to take a break).
It takes about a week to soak the grains, have them germinate and then turn green. So I start a new jar every day and feed them a jar every day. It is fun and quite pretty on the windowsill and they seem to like the freshly sprouted greens. I cannot imagine there are any bugs or worms out there right now. Brrrr.

 

[BY Bob]

I have been experimenting with sprouting grains on the kitchen windowsill and feeding the sprouts to the Princesses. I have a weekly rotation of jars going (except when I travel and have to take a break).
It takes about a week to soak the grains, have them germinate and then turn green. So I start a new jar every day and feed them a jar every day. It is fun and quite pretty on the windowsill and they seem to like the freshly sprouted greens. I cannot imagine there are any bugs or worms out there right now. Brrrr.

There is nothing out there right now at all. Supplementary food is key. I love the sprouts idea. Where do you get your seeds?

 

[ValerieJ]

I'm wondering why I'm not giving veggies to my chickens. I've never done that much. They get their feed and a few meal worms and a little scratch each day. I have put greens out and they ignored them. Might have to buy them some berries when I go to the story today. Or a watermelon. They love that. Seems like summer treats to me.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm wondering why I'm not giving veggies to my chickens. I've never done that much. They get their feed and a few meal worms and a little scratch each day. I have put greens out and they ignored them. Might have to buy them some berries when I go to the story today. Or a watermelon. They love that. Seems like summer treats to me.

Give them some meat!