Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Chicken poppy]

Oh I know what this will be. The hardest thing will be not interfering. I'm not crazy about this part.

Yes I always feel the need to interfere!

 

[RoyalChick]

Alarm!

Hattie just sounded the alarm and everyone has frozen. Including the chicks.

One of the chicks peeped and Hattie growled again silencing her.

This video is right at the end as Mrs BY Bob comes outside and breaks the spell.

What did Hattie see that alarmed her?

 

[RoyalChick]

Maybe their heat block will work as well. I could put that at the other side as well. I think @RoyalChick used hers like that.

No my heat plate stayed in the babies space until they started roosting at the top of the window and I closed up their brooder.
What I did was use something like the little run you have outside up on bricks so the babies could duck in under but the big ladies couldn't follow them. I created a couple of such 'hidey holes' and the babies were so fast they could nip in to one of the safe places before they could get seriously damaged.

 

[Shadrach]

Oh my gosh! That is horrible. Is there anything i could do to help! Your amazing for helping them. Thats crazy small!

Honestly, I'm doing it for me as much as for them. They need help and I need chickens. It would seem a terrible shame for the chickens and me if I didn't put my skillls and knowledge to use.
Thank you for the offer but there really isn't anything you can do.

 

[RoyalChick]

That is tough. Poor girl. What do you suppose your predator is? I'm thinking possibly something in the weasel family.

Or given the conditions maybe just died from neglect and disease.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Honestly, I'm doing it for me as much as for them. They need help and I need chickens. It would seem a terrible shame for the chickens and me if I didn't put my skillls and knowledge to use.
Thank you for the offer but there really isn't anything you can do.

I mean more of a advertisement purpose that is, like if you need help to rehoming some or something like that, but if its for you aswell there really is no need

 

[RoyalChick]

There are two hens that I think are sick. After a bit of a fuss I captured them both. Apart from starvation level flesh covering they dont look too bad. It'sonly when you pick them up you realise there is nothong of them. Not all this muscle waste is the fault of the battery. They do tend to atleast feed the hens. They haven't been fed properly since they arrived here is more of a problem.
I will try to check them over more thoroughly tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile with the nettles and brambles cleared, the plastic and metal pulled out of the weed and the trees now avaiable for cover this has become a favourite spot.View attachment 2856649View attachment 2856650

Shad, I don't know if this applies to birds, but with many species refeeding from starvation needs to be done slowly if organs like the liver are to keep up with the new nutrient load. Not sure how to make that practical for you - but probably avoid treats.

 

[Shadrach]

This will be quite the project for you. If you don't mind, how did you come across this situation? I thrilled for both you and even more so for them.

I had visited a couple of the community farms they have in Bristol. Deeply disapointed in both their attitude towards the chickens they keep and their keeping conditions.
My daughter knows how much I miss the tribes and one evening when we were out walking together she mentioned that she thought she knew of a place that had kept chickens and took me there to see if this was still the case.
I found out who was responsible for the chickens, sent them a kind of resume and said I wanted to help. I got a text back saying yes please, anything you can do to help would be wondefull.

 

[Shadrach]

Works for me. Are you certain the others aren't Marans then?

Yep, pretty certain the two black hens are not Marans. There were Marans in Catalonia the most famous of which is Fat Bird. There were also Marans crosses.
They're a funny pair whatever they are. They usually hang around as a pair.

 

[Chicken poppy]

What are you lookin at?! intense stare