Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

The plan is to keep her trimmed up. My wife is so excited she has already named her, Phyllis D.

Phyllis D! Love it!
(P.S.) I didn’t mean to say the bangs comment twice.

 

[ValerieJ]

Last year Hattie was standing on it in the shallow end. At that time the snow melt had raised the water on the cover to be the same level as the ground and she would walk right accross it.

One time Daisy, the greatest hen ever, tried to fly the length of the pool in winter. She did not make it. She landed on her fluffy posterior feet out in front of her, slide to the end of the pool, her feet hit the side and she stood up and started walking, just like she planned it that way.

I could not stop laughing. it was crazy.

Chickens are so funny!!! Alice and Abby always get so excited when they see me coming out to the coops. Yesterday when I went out, they were at the far end of the berry run, right next to Mad Hatter's run when they saw me. Abby came running and Alice took off flying to catch up. She flew nearly the whole length of the run! But, that's not the funny part. Mad got all excited with her and took off flying with her and next thing he new he was in the hen pen! Since he was already there I allowed him a conjugal visit until he grabbed Bee's wing and wouldn't let go. I sure hope he doesn't figure out how he did that. I've never clipped any wings and don't want to start now.

Doors and Windows

The old saying about closing a door and opening a window applies to me today. Not to mention Chicken math. For me I feel the perfect flock size is 4. It fits my yard, my coop, and the ladies seem the most happy in a group of four. Sadly with the loss of Maleficent I am at 3.

I am not sure I am even emotionally ready to address my flock size right now. However opportunity does not wait for when you are ready.

Someone who is looking to reduce their flock has offered me has offered me 3 twenty week old pullets, a Polish, a Barred Rock, and a Wyandotte. This would bring my flock to 6, the maximum capacity of the coop.

My wife is all in on the Polish. I would like to add a pair at least to make it easier on the Polish. I think @Ribh has me convinced that I need a barred rock. Here are the two ladies in question.
View attachment 2021749

View attachment 2021750

If I just take the two, then I still have space to take the leghorm mix that @CrazyChookChookLady is hatching for me with the school. Until then I've got an odd number. I also think 2 might be easier to integrate than essentially another flock of 3 to my flock of 3.

I guess I need everyone to help me have the discipline to not fall in love with the Wyandotte when they most assuredly show her to me tomorrow and try to get me to take her too.

I must stay strong.

I'm not sure I understand. Did these three grow up together? Or are they from various flocks owned by the same person? If she just raised these three together, Does she have to get rid of all three? I'm feeling sorry for the one left behind if it will be alone with no flock. And it is more difficult to integrate a single pullet into any flock. I think your integration will go better if you bring in all three and forego the Leghorn.

 

[micstrachan]

My flock went straight to the rice hulls without eating first (except for Millie and Minnie. I think Minnie is laying an egg, and Millie’s been talking up a storm the last two days, she she might be getting ready, too. On a side note, when Millie is in lay, she usually squats just if I walk by or say her name and she hasn’t started that yet.)

Anyway, they’re having fun with the hulls, picking out little bits of rice, I’m sure, but getting lots of exercise INSIDE the second half of the run. This is great, since my friend asked to move our regular Saturday morning hike to Sunday and I also have to take my (teenage) daughter to a store to exchange something today. Best of all, Ruby is as active as anyone else.

 

[BY Bob]

I'm feeling sorry for the one left behind if it will be alone with no flock. And it is more difficult to integrate a single pullet into any flock. I think your integration will go better if you bring in all three

Welcome to the most compelling argument of the day. I can't leave her behind on her own.

My dear wife just used this argument on me as well. I have to take her too. My wife would not forgive me.

Chicken math.

If I have to expand to accommodate the leghorn mix, I will find a way.

This is going to be a big challenge to integrate. I'm worried, but I will find a way.

 

[ValerieJ]

Welcome to the most compelling argument of the day. I can't leave her behind on her own.

My dear wife just used this argument on me as well. I have to take her too. My wife would not forgive me.

Chicken math.

If I have to expand to accommodate the leghorn mix, I will find a way.

This is going to be a big challenge to integrate. I'm worried, but I will find a way.

I'm so excited! I know integration is always a little difficult, but I just integrated my 2 5 mo old pullets with my hens with almost no drama at all! So, good luck with yours! I think 3 and 3 will integrate well!

 

[Kris5902]

A

I have no choice on the Polish. My wife is obsessed with them.

What a group. No help here. I should have known better

Tomorrow is going to be crazy. Run hardening, putting up the quarantine coop, getting new friends. I will be extremely busy tomorrow.

You just need to build a bigger coop Very simple solution... then when the barred rock goes broody you can give her a handful of chicks to get the numbers even!

 

[Kris5902]

@RoyalChick re Maggie itching... any possibility of a bug bite? One of my hens got tagged by something last spring and her face puffed up something awful around her eye.

 

[Kris5902]

Gardener’s Affliction=Chicken Bounty
Warning: graphic photos of revolting insect larva
So I have two raised beds and I’m just a beginning gardener so while I’m adding compost and amendments and turning the soil I’m finding these moth larva —cabbage moth, maybe? Like three or four to every.single.spadeful of soil. I’m not terribly squeamish and I knew the chickens I tend would love them, so I threw them on top of my fermented feed, alfalfa pellets along with some greens and boy you would have thought I was the Guy Fieri of the farmyard set. The chickens loved it. But like I said, it gives some people the creeps...
And if anyone knows how to get rid of the grubs, I’d be interested! Although now maybe I should treat it as a chicken treat crop!

View attachment 2021405

Those are European Chaffer Beetle Larvae, or something very similar. They are a destructive invasive species here, but treatable with a product (expensive) that you apply to the ground then water in. It’s actually a nematode that attacks and kills this particular larvae and is safe for pets etc, after it has been thoroughly watered into the soil, usually in early June, if I recall correctly, to break the insect’s life cycle. My father was a lawn and gardener maintenance employee through to upper management for BC housing for 30+ years. To explain my somewhat random “kill it with fire (nematodes actually)” reaction.

 

[Kris5902]

In case someone isn't aware of this if you click on the image it will enlarge.
Cillin and his son Treacle have been scrapping. I've had roosters here for ten years and one thing I've leaned is if you have more than one they'll fight here. There is absolutely nothing one can do about it unless one is prepared to imprison one, or more. I'm not willing to do that. It doesn't resolve the problem, just postpones it. The majority of the scraps are over in seconds. They are more face saving than anything.
There is a rooster scrap here every day, sometimes more than one.
I get in between many of those I see and, in general, that's enough to put a stop to it. You get to know the regular scrappers, where and when, who most likely started it, and if you're there, the cause of it. The problems that cause the fights are pretty constant.
You also get to understand a bit about how each rooster fights. I'm interested in everything chicken and while it can be very upsetting and hard to watch at times, it's part of free range chicken life.
So, not wishing to be gratuitous, but illustrate a point these are just two pictures I took.
View attachment 2021506
So, this is the fight start posture. Notice the position of their feet. They can take a step to defense or attack. Notice each has a different foot preference. I've watched them swap foot opposite foot so their foot will meet their opponents.
There are lots of fighting styles, some peck, some turn side on for an attack like karate, some stay on the ground more than others.
What I want to make clear is this is rooster fighting rooster. They often don't do any of this when attacking a human.
View attachment 2021510
Looking at the rather blurry picture above You can see why the foot placement is important. While in the air, both roosters will try and rake his opponent with the other foot after he has pushed himself off the ground. So it's block your opponent with one foot and if you can, gain lift off him so the other foot is high enough to strike at the comb and wattles.
Both this comedians have ripped ears now. Fortunately not all the way down.
I cleaned them up and used a cyanoacylate based skin repair (super glue basically) on both of them.
I checked them both over today. This is Cillin allowing an inspection. Both are fine btw.View attachment 2021517

Thank you for sharing this! In nature there wouldn’t be just one Rooster... and seeing how they establish their own hierarchy is very helpfully. (Granted, that blurry pic does remind me a bit of Chickie Hawk and my leg some mornings!) I usually intervene at the posturing phase.

 

[LCG Chicken Coop]

Those are European Chaffer Beetle Larvae, or something very similar. They are a destructive invasive species here, but treatable with a product (expensive) that you apply to the ground then water in. It’s actually a nematode that attacks and kills this particular larvae and is safe for pets etc, after it has been thoroughly watered into the soil, usually in early June, if I recall correctly, to break the insect’s life cycle. My father was a lawn and gardener maintenance employee through to upper management for BC housing for 30+ years. To explain my somewhat random “kill it with fire (nematodes actually)” reaction.

I have definitely heard that beneficial nematodes may be the way to go (and in the meantime, recreational chicken treat excavation) of this pest, which seems for our area to be a Japanese Beetle. Thanks for the insight!