Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Ok, I must be remembering wrong.
Here is Little Mill at about 18-ish days old.
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Interestingly, Ruby, my late Buckeye, also had subtle spangles at that age.
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I love all of these chick pictures!

 

[featherhead007]

They're supposed to be planters. The chickens have commandeered them.

They look like tires to me (just saying)

 

[BY Bob]

A update on my grandmother. Her stubbornness is driving us up the wall but it is ok. Everyone is right it is better for her to be stubborn. We have 2 dr appointments in 2 weeks and we will know a lot more then. What we do know now is the MRI showed narrowing and partial blockages to the vessels on her brain. There is nothing they can do for that but start her on blood thinners. They also confirmed either dementia or early onset Alzheimer's. She says she is going home but the hard truth is she cannot live by herself any longer. It is either with us or a nursing home which as long as possible will never happen. One bright spot is she keeps asking all kinds of questions about my incubator and how does it work. Well, I need them like I need a hole in my head but she wants to see chicks hatch. Mom told her fine, she had to complete 4 weeks of in home physical therapy here anyway that Monday she would have me set every egg I had collected and I would teach her how to use it. In 2 days I've gotten 22 hatchable eggs and have not collected yet this morning. For the moment that has stopped her saying she has to go home.

We all need something to look forward to. Chicks can be good therapy. After they hatch perhaps she will want to see them feather and then lay their first eggs. This could be very good for her. Hopefully you can pass the extra chickens on to others if it is too much in the end. You are a great person doing this for her.

 

[BY Bob]

I have not. Penguin faces is the mainly black one I assume?

This one.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Can you 'repurpose' a store bought carton & secretly fill it with your eggs?

That is a wonderful idea but it would not work. She only buys and eats jumbo white eggs. I have 18 hens, all but 2 are brown egg layers. My 2 white layers, are my silke and game hen and neither girls eggs are jumbo size. She also will not tell me what she wants for breakfast until she is sitting at the table, that way she can watch me like a hawk and make sure I do not use my eggs. Funny enough though, I made a omelet yesterday evening for myself. She claimed it looked good and wanted half of it. I gave it to her and she loved it. I told her I used my eggs and she threw a fit on me. I told her that if I am fixing anything egg involved for myself or the rest of the family we don't eat store bought eggs so fair warning. Part of the reason she does not want my eggs is because I have roosters and they are fertilized. I'm sorry, I love my boys and they are not going anywhere. I even broke over and offered her a deal of buying a few white leghorn pullets so I could have fresh jumbo white eggs for her. Again nope, I would have to get rid of the boys for that to work.

 

[RoyalChick]

This one.

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Got it. I will likely introduce her tomorrow. She wants to think about her name overnight.

 

[BY Bob]

A formal introduction: Bella
Bella for beautiful or maybe for belladonna. My black cat is called Nightshade; maybe they will become friends.
She has pink toes at the end of her black legs and white flashes under her black wings. When she is grown I believe she will be all black.
She likes to stretch out her toes and flap her wings, but hasn’t yet learned to take off.
She is an absolute pig and eats all the time.
She is not a Jersey Giant or a black Orpington. Nor is she a Sapphire Gem (had to look that one up). Unfortunately a clean-legged Marans requires a major road trip to visit @RebeccaBoyd (maybe next year).
Bella is a cross between an Ameraucana and a Marans which I believe makes her an Olive Egger. Well done @bgmathteach!
Of course, that is all just what I believe - we will learn more as she grows. Meanwhile, please welcome Bella to our collective global tribe.
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Wonderful name! I hope she is all black for you. I'm not as confident in that as you seem to be though.

 

[BY Bob]

Mugshot Monday early because I'm out here with them (they had some brussel sprouts for the first time, loved them) now and I can't count on myself to do it tomorrow! They had a short rest and preening party.
Butters, Popcorn in the back and Peanut on the right.





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Hazel on the left, solo shot. She nabbed some oil from Butters gland when Butters' feathers were all up. More interested than anything I think, she was tasting it, and then looked down at her legs and seemed about to preen with it, but then didn't. She tends to appoint herself Chief Inspector in all things. She stays close by when I'm petting someone who has squatted, looking front to back, doing some pecks here and there, checking out the other's rear ends too. View attachment 3039816

It's been a while. It's great to see the gang again!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Wonderful name! I hope she is all black for you. I'm not as confident in that as you seem to be though.

I'm confident in her mostly being all black knowing at least half her parentage and chick down coloring. I could be wrong but now I have to dig through the archives for chick pics to adult pics. If we knew the color of the ameracauana parents I might change my mind though. Pictures coming in my next post.

 

[RoyalChick]

Wonderful name! I hope she is all black for you. I'm not as confident in that as you seem to be though.

Oh I am not confident in any aspect of this. I am just sharing what I was told to expect. Time will tell!