Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Evidence of a Switch in the Order

I have stated previously that there has clearly been a change in the pecking order. When hanging with the ladies this morning I managed to catch a piece of evidence thatdemonstrates the change. In the video below Hattie and Lilly are eating corn from my hand when Aurora comes over. All 3 eat together for a bit and then Aurora pulls back and growls. Hattie backs out and walks away. Aurora then resumes eating with Lilly.

Hattie was not done eating corn. She would come back for more as soon as Aurora left.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Some of us visit Ribh's thread on Wednesday and share photos of our coffees and teas. ACM shared a lovely photo there yesterday!

Oopsy wrong link!

Try this one https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ribhs-dcoopage.1295189/post-25201783

I was so confused......

 

[MaryJanet]

I was so confused......

Sorry mate! I thought I had copied the link properly but I hadn't.

 

[MaryJanet]

@RoyalChick how is Maggie today?

 

[bgmathteach]

Evidence of a Switch in the Order

I have stated previously that there has clearly been a change in the pecking order. When hanging with the ladies this morning I managed to catch a piece of evidence thatdemonstrates the change. In the video below Hattie and Lilly are eating corn from my hand when Aurora comes over. All 3 eat together for a bit and then Aurora pulls back and growls. Hattie backs out and walks away. Aurora then resumes eating with Lilly.

Hattie was not done eating corn. She would come back for more as soon as Aurora left.

Poor Hattie

How is Sansa doing? I know it is too early to see a change in feathers..but hoping she is doing better. (I guess aside from the weight gain, it is hard to tell...so it is a wait and see)

And Lilly seems to be doing well in these videos...I'm hoping that the meds are making her feel much better/less like the old gal that she is.

I truly love seeing your tribe and watching their videos. Thank you for sharing them with us!

 

[Grandmas Coop]

 

[BY Bob]

Poor Hattie

How is Sansa doing? I know it is too early to see a change in feathers..but hoping she is doing better. (I guess aside from the weight gain, it is hard to tell...so it is a wait and see)

And Lilly seems to be doing well in these videos...I'm hoping that the meds are making her feel much better/less like the old gal that she is.

I truly love seeing your tribe and watching their videos. Thank you for sharing them with us!

Lilly is doing well aside from her naked back. I don't remember seeing Lilly naked like this before. This year's molts are very strange in some birds.

While she may not have good feathers Sansa is full of energy and is talking away these days.

 

[featherhead007]

So then what? You have a kitchen bowl full of oily mice. What do you do next?

Stir fry? (I’m out)

 

[Grandmas Coop]

Lilly is doing well aside from her naked back. I don't remember seeing Lilly naked like this before. This year's molts are very strange in some birds.

View attachment 2930696

While she may not have good feathers Sansa is full of energy and is talking away these days.

you know,,,,,, I have heard a lot of talk on how hard of a molt many hens are having this fall / winter,,,, I believe animals are in tune / sync with nature and the weather. Many years ago we care took a 200 acre ranch that had African Watusi, well we noticed them turning their heads left and right whacking their longhorns at the ground and then they went and laid down,,,, then,, 10 minutes later we had an earth quake, a mild one but still,,,,,,,,,They knew before it happened
So, this hard molt hens are having may very well be atmosphere / weather related . There is "never seen before" weather things going on right now all over. We also may be in for a hard January and February.

But,,,,maybe not

 

[BY Bob]

you know,,,,,, I have heard a lot of talk on how hard of a molt many hens are having this fall / winter,,,, I believe animals are in tune / sync with nature and the weather. Many years ago we care took a 200 acre ranch that had African Watusi, well we noticed them turning their heads left and right whacking their longhorns at the ground and then they went and laid down,,,, then,, 10 minutes later we had an earth quake, a mild one but still,,,,,,,,,They knew before it happened
So, this hard molt hens are having may very well be atmosphere / weather related . There is "never seen before" weather things going on right now all over. We also may be in for a hard January and February.

But,,,,maybe not

I have six hens. Here is how their molts have gone this year.

Normal Molt

• Sydney: She molted at the same time as last year. Did the job normally and is fully feathered and prepared for a new year.

Early Molt

• Hattie: She has always molted late. I have always been worried for her as the weather turns cold. This year she molted about a month earlier than usual and looks to be in great health as winter arrives.

Late Molt

• Aurora: Normally a late molter like Hattie, she was about a month later than usual this year. She did have a very normal molt and is looking good right now.
• Lilly: Lilly's molt is about 6 weeks later than usual. She has always been a slow molter with the rare bare patch showing up. This year she has a very large bald spot on her back the likes of which I not seen before

Double Molt

• Phyllis: Phyllis molted the same time as Hattie which was right after her broody episode. That was a little early for her. She is now molting again. This is quite late. It appears that she is nearly done so it was a very quick molt and likely not a full molt.

Broken Molt

• Sansa: She has been molting since around labor day. I actually think she may be done molting. The problem is her feathers did not grow back properly. This is a serious concern of mine and we are working to try and fix what it wrong with her.

Outside of Sydney, nothing has gone as it should. I don't quite no what to make of it but it has concerned me for some time now.