Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[drumstick diva]

BoB I well know the sickening feeling when that happens. My son is 33 now and still has a bit of sick humor in him. Now and then he will pop out of somewhere and scare the living daylights out of me. He sez you cannot scare someone to death. Oh yeah?? I am 72 and would like to last longer.

Thankfully he lives several states away and has a very nice girlfriend, maybe he has outgrown the scary stuff.

He only visits twice a year, maybe she could train "that" out of him.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

They are growing up beautiful!

Thank you!

Penelope Pussycat

Who remembers the cat that Pepe' Le Pew used to chase around. She would be all black but would walk under a paintbrush with white paint on it and now she had a stripe just like a skunk.
View attachment 1859686
I had my own Penelope Pussycat moment this weekend. My little Maleficent tangled with some freshly painted boards and wound up not quite with a stripe but with some war paint for sure. Here is my little splotched darling.
View attachment 1859694

Where Did She Go!

We just had 20 minutes of complete panic here at Fluffy Butt Acres. The girls were out free ranging which in this extremely hot weather means hanging out under the Rose of Sharon bush which has been toppled by a severe storm and has created a tunnel to hang out in. Next to the hose water supply which leaks. Therefore it is dark and damp = bug heaven. OR They are up on the deck under the umbrella and table begging at the backdoor for mealy worms. The deck is in full shade this time of day while the coop and magnolia tree are in the hot sun.

Everyone was enjoying themselves when my wife asked me to go to the garden and see if there were any tomatoes (tacos tonight), there were along with a giant cucumber. I got the eggs from the coop and headed back to the house.

As I entered the backdoor of the house I noticed when I went to close the door that Maleficent was not right behind me trying to sneak in. She had successfully gotten inside earlier today and was cruzing around the dining room while I got another cup of coffee to go back out and monitor them. It was odd not to have her shadowing me but at first I thought nothing of it.

I put ice water on the deck for them to drink while they are hanging around in the heat and everyone was there drinking a few minutes later, except Maleficent. This is simply not normal behavior for her. She is always ahanging around me when I’m out with them.

I’ll find her I thought and I went in and grabbbed the mealy worms. I shook the canister.........nothing.......I called her, Mellie!.......nothing.......i shoook the canister again..........nothing. By now the others are flying up to knock the canister down out of my hands. So I put some worms down for them calling her.

She never came.

I went in and yelled for my wife. Mellie is gone! Out she came a running to help.

We tore the yard apart. Looked everywhere. No sign of her. The other hens were not disturbed at all. In fact they did not seem to understand what the fuss was about. After tearing the yard apart for 15 minutes there was no place left for her to hide. There were no feathers anywhere too show that anything had happened and i had been in the yard with her. I would have heard something.

Desperate at this point the only thing i can think of it that she flew over the 6 foot fence somehow. So I start searching outside the fence just jhoping to see her walking in the neighbors yard. There is absolutely no sign of her anywhere.

I am standing outside the fence with no idea what to do after 20+ minutes of searching. Fearing the absolute worst.

“Found Her!” My wife calls out.

Only Daisy (the greatest hen ever) had ever been where Maleficient was because I had closed it off after Daisy got in there. That was under the deck when Daisy was chased underneath by the dog.

Only curious little Maleficent could find a way to breach the deck’s defenses and hang out underneath it. She was walking around after like “What is all the fuss about?”

Scared me to death. Certainly took a couple of years off of my life.

Silly bird.

Just reading that feels like it took a couple of years off my life! Whew!
I'm glad Mellie's OK

 

[BY Bob]

Thank you!







Just reading that feels like it took a couple of years off my life! Whew!
I'm glad Mellie's OK

She has two entrance/exits that she has located. I watched her go in one and out the other. So much for my chicken proofing. Such a clever little girl. I may be wasting my time trying to contain her.

 

[BY Bob]

There is a Limit

I saw some interesting behavior I thought I would relate. As I have said the pecking order has been changing around these parts. I witnessed something that tells me more changes may be coming.

Everytime I empty the pool skimmer it's a feeding frenzy. The skimmer is full of treats. Bugs of all kinds, worms, even the occasional frog. The alpha hen had always ruled over this pile of goodies and Lilly is no different. They stand in the middle of the pile and peck at anyone with the nerve to try and get some. Knowing the feistiness of my littles you can imagine that they are going to try and snag some anyway. This is what was exactly going on. Lilly would peck at then as they dove in to grab something. Well at some point she went to far.

Maleficent was diving in and out when all of a sudden Maleficent stopped. Lilly had I thought pecked her (at least at her) when Maleficent stopped cold. Her and Lilly were staring at each other, beak to beak, eye to eye, no one moving. Then Maleficent growled at her. No joking, she growled. Neither of them blinked for a long time. Staring at each other.

Finally Maleficent walked away.

I don't know if Lilly had gone a peck to far or if Maleficent is sounding warning that she may not be done as #3 in the pecking order but I had never heard a chicken growl before. That was a new one.

 

[drumstick diva]

I utter a low growl when someone tries to eat my ice cream. I understand entirely.

 

[goldysgirl]

So I saw proof today that the chicks are fully grown. I was like, "Please get a room. The coop is empty right now. I don't need to see this!"

Here they were afterwards......
View attachment 1635217

That is hilarious!!!

 

[BY Bob]

That is hilarious!!!

Thanks!

 

[Ali James]

I utter a low growl when someone tries to eat my ice cream. I understand entirely.

This cracked me up!

 

[Ribh]

There is a Limit

I saw some interesting behavior I thought I would relate. As I have said the pecking order has been changing around these parts. I witnessed something that tells me more changes may be coming.

Everytime I empty the pool skimmer it's a feeding frenzy. The skimmer is full of treats. Bugs of all kinds, worms, even the occasional frog. The alpha hen had always ruled over this pile of goodies and Lilly is no different. They stand in the middle of the pile and peck at anyone with the nerve to try and get some. Knowing the feistiness of my littles you can imagine that they are going to try and snag some anyway. This is what wad exactly going on. Lilly would peck at then as they dove in to grab something. Well at some point she went to far.

Maleficent was diving in and out when all of a sudden Maleficent stopped. Lilly had I thought pecked her (at least at her) when Maleficent stopped cold. Her and Lilly were staring at each other, beak to beak, eye to eye, no one moving. Then Maleficent growled at her. No joking, she growled. Neither of them blinked for a long time. Staring at each other.

Finally Maleficent walked away.

I don't know if Lilly had gone a peck to far or if Maleficent is sounding warning that she may not be done as #3 in the pecking order but I had never heard a chicken growl before. That was a new one.

Things are changing here too. I have a favorelle & a frizzle going toe to toe; the frizzle is winning. Unbelievable! And a favorelle who is really bullying my tiny bantam, Lottie ~ I think because she gets special attention @ feed time.

 

[Ali James]

How are the girls today Bob?