Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Yes! Just yesterday in the big run Hazel got Butters and Popcorn away from a scattering of cracked corn by giving a short aerial predator call. Both Popcorn and Butters ran into the coop run a couple feet away and froze alert, watching the sky. Butters crouching, Popcorn neck up. Hazel was unperturbed, barely missing a beat eating. She would manage to get control of the remote and have the entire room to herself!

That is rotten on Hazel part. The chicken that cried wolf. Someone needs to investigate this behavior and I know just the hen.

 

[BY Bob]

Well there had to be one breed of chicken I could recognize.

I'm so glad you found one.

 

[BY Bob]

I’ve been chasing down a dog crate for the past week, everyone has sold out and can’t pay $100+ for one. Finally got an ‘as new’ secondhand one today, so she has been set up in the cage of shame from this afternoon until she forgets this motherhood business.
View attachment 2889492
I hope i‘ve set it up right, I know it’s breaking my heart
She’s day 22-23 and showing no signs of giving up other than that one day out of her own choice, then she was straight back in to the nest box again.
My baby girl

It is so hard but it should only take one day and night if I remember correctly. She is standing on the wire, right?

I checked it was 1 night, 2 days to break her. Here's a link to the start. Page 137 of this thread. Crazy.

Post in thread 'Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock' https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-21805349

 

[BY Bob]

My lovely Agatha is trying to lay an egg but her shells always break. I've told her she doesn't need to lay anymore but she keeps trying
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View attachment 2889501

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Agatha, eat some oyster shell if you must lay eggs. It's ok to take the winter off around these parts. No one is going to throw you out sweetheart.

 

[featherhead007]

They should be in rock bands

I have a rock band, but nothing like Bob’s three punkers! (And his birds, sing better than mine do)

 

[featherhead007]

The new littles has destroyed the plastic.

What more they have taught the old girls bad habits of tapping plastic to get rain water, amber's doing it all day even though it's dry I think she likes the sounds she's making (rolling eyes emoji needed)

And you have never popped the bubbles on bubble wrap just for the satisfaction?

 

[BY Bob]

Flockservations

Molting Update
The following hens have completed their molts.

• Hattie
• Phyllis

Hattie has couple of feathers to go but she is fully covered and her behavior shows that. She right into the tussel when treats are available. She is not standing away and laying around like she used to. She is chowing down on any and all food. In short, she is Hattie again.

Fully Covered

• Sydney: She is still growing feathers but no longer has bare patches. She needs a new tail mostly. She is not however mixing it up with the flock. She is standoffish, will not eat from my hand, or even come within arms reach. She stays separate from the flock and does not mix it up.
• Aurora: She has lost her tail but is still completely covered. However, starting your molt in November is not a good idea. It will be getting cold very quickly and I am very concerned as to what the weather will be as she loses her feathers. Very concerned.

Partially Naked

• Legertha
• Sylvie
• Lilly
• Sansa

Of all the nonsense, Legertha and Sylvie are getting new head feathers. Their new head feathers now include the orange color where they were only black and white before. So I need to keep the heater on a little longer. I need to get it turned off soon though.

Lilly has entered full molt she has lost most of the feathers on the back of her neck. She usually does not get large bare patches. Since it is rapidly turning colder I that remains so this year. Sansa continues with her super lengthy molt but I am finally seeing some bare patchs fill in. The really good news is that Lilly is not a stand off or weird eating molter. I do think that because her bestie is now molting too, Sansa has come back into the fight for treats and us clearly eating more. Her and Lilly are now back to traveling side by side again.

Dramatic Shift in Weather
October around here was actually very warm and wet. Well that changed on Tuesday. A little light rain came through and then the temperature dropped like a rock that night. We skipped frost and went right to a freeze. I left a cup of water outside and found this in the morning.
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This is something which the ladies really appreciate because now the garden will be theirs. My tomato jungle has been killed. I will be clearing the garden on Saturday and then it will be theirs. This kind of cold worries me with my late molters.

Routine
The entire tribe (including Legertha and Sylvie) has spent time all locked up together recently. Among other reasons I am hoping that this break in routine will dissuade the hawk from coming by here to hunt. I know they like to follow a standard patrol route and if there is no access to food here on a reliable basis, why keep swinging by.

What I found this morning was very interesting. The entire tribe of fully grown hens was hanging in the big run while the littles scratched around in their coop. This is new as they are usually scattered about when I release the older ones to free range in the morning. Some in their coop, some on the porch, some under their coop and occasionally someone in the big run. I'm not certain it means anything but I found it interesting.

As far as routine goes the Phyllistines are very reliable. From the time the coop door opens and Phyllis delays until some point after 9 am, they stay in their coop eating and drinking. They will then take a rest to digest everything they have eaten. They usually take that test on the roost in their coop. After that it is out to the run. They will spend the majority of the day in the big run. Between 4:00 and 5:00 pm I will open the door and let them out for supervised free range protected by a heavily armed guard. They are now letting Phyllis roost and staying out later until they come in after sunset to eat, drink, and roost. It is the same thing every day.

I have a great treat for everyone as today I recorded them taking the break after the morning meal. Listen to them purring on the roost. It is so adorable.

I need to update the molters as Aurora has lost feathers everywhere from Thursday into Friday. She has multiple bare spots and is into full stand off mode. That was fast and I am concerned for her with the temperature drop. I'm going to close the coop window and try to hold the warmth from the sun in the coop for her, Lilly and Sansa. This is not optimal. It was down to 27°F (-2.7°C). I'll watch the coop temp tonight and see if I need to do anything else.

 

[BY Bob]

I have a rock band, but nothing like Bob’s three punkers! (And his birds, sing better than mine do) View attachment 2889576

You do have a beautiful tribe though.

 

[featherhead007]

I can just see them head banging with Alex's "Rock Band"

SHRA tax:

 

[featherhead007]

You do have a beautiful tribe though.

Thanx