Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ValerieJ]

Slow Motion Phyllis

I caught Phyllis jumping down in shoe motion today and got a bonus flight as well. Watch it all the way to the end.

She's an awesome girl! Great reflexes!!

 

[ValerieJ]

Aurora is always ready with a peck for anybody.

Aurora is so much like my Surly that way. There is actually a lot of order shuffling in my flock right now. All the girls are with Pippi and Mad has been put in his own coop and run for a cooling off period. A long one. The girls have to sort out who is who now that they are altogether. Amazingly, Alice and Abby are not on the bottom. But, Surly is still on the top. She would never be there if Lucy decided to take back her rightful place.

 

[BY Bob]

Aurora is so much like my Surly that way. There is actually a lot of order shuffling in my flock right now. All the girls are with Pippi and Mad has been put in his own coop and run for a cooling off period. A long one. The girls have to sort out who is who now that they are altogether. Amazingly, Alice and Abby are not on the bottom. But, Surly is still on the top. She would never be there if Lucy decided to take back her rightful place.

The pecking order is pretty set here and Aurora is going to make sure it stays that way. I am frightened to imagine her as an alpha hen.

 

[BY Bob]

Friends

Here is the nice side of Aurora. Hanging with Lilly as she rests her bad leg.

 

[BY Bob]

Aurora is so much like my Surly that way. There is actually a lot of order shuffling in my flock right now. All the girls are with Pippi and Mad has been put in his own coop and run for a cooling off period. A long one. The girls have to sort out who is who now that they are altogether. Amazingly, Alice and Abby are not on the bottom. But, Surly is still on the top. She would never be there if Lucy decided to take back her rightful place.

How long has your order been in flux?

 

[ValerieJ]

How long has your order been in flux?

It has been a week. I don't have a lot of tolerance of aggressive pecking and one hen jumping on another, but the "get out of my space" peck doesn't bother me. That is chicken language for, "get out of my space". And that's all I have going on.

For some reason, I have been "blessed" with some aggressive hens and roosters over my short 4 year experience as a chicken tender. My first flock had a lot of aggressive problems, particular Lucy and Verne, the cockerel, who ran rough shod over everyone. When Ethel ended up in sick bay with her head completely scalped, Verne lost his life. Although that settled down the flock, and he did seem hen aggressive to me, several on here have said that would have been against the nature of a cockerel or rooster. They instinctively protect their girls, not harm them.

I'll never know. I saw him go after Ethel and Shirl, very aggressively, but never Lucy, Rosie or Little Red Haired Girl. In fact, Shirl was afraid of him and wouldn't come out of her coop. Every time she tried, he went after her and she ran back in.

It wasn't until after he was gone that I saw extreme aggression from Rosie and Red, but they never actually hurt anyone. They just got crazy for a while. And then Lucy took the lead, and all was peaceful again. That time I would say it took about a month to sort itself out.

Well, that was a long answer. I just wanted to say every situation is different, and I've gone through the leadership shuffle 4 or 5 times now. As long as there is no blood, I let them sort themselves out. I still have a lot of guilt over Verne.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Dats about right!

 

[LozzyR]

Slow Motion Phyllis

I caught Phyllis jumping down in shoe motion today and got a bonus flight as well. Watch it all the way to the end.

Graceful girl!

 

[BY Bob]

It has been a week. I don't have a lot of tolerance of aggressive pecking and one hen jumping on another, but the "get out of my space" peck doesn't bother me. That is chicken language for, "get out of my space". And that's all I have going on.

For some reason, I have been "blessed" with some aggressive hens and roosters over my short 4 year experience as a chicken tender. My first flock had a lot of aggressive problems, particular Lucy and Verne, the cockerel, who ran rough shod over everyone. When Ethel ended up in sick bay with her head completely scalped, Verne lost his life. Although that settled down the flock, and he did seem hen aggressive to me, several on here have said that would have been against the nature of a cockerel or rooster. They instinctively protect their girls, not harm them.

I'll never know. I saw him go after Ethel and Shirl, very aggressively, but never Lucy, Rosie or Little Red Haired Girl. In fact, Shirl was afraid of him and wouldn't come out of her coop. Every time she tried, he went after her and she ran back in.

It wasn't until after he was gone that I saw extreme aggression from Rosie and Red, but they never actually hurt anyone. They just got crazy for a while. And then Lucy took the lead, and all was peaceful again. That time I would say it took about a month to sort itself out.

Well, that was a long answer. I just wanted to say every situation is different, and I've gone through the leadership shuffle 4 or 5 times now. As long as there is no blood, I let them sort themselves out. I still have a lot of guilt over Verne.

It may be against their nature but I've seen it happen. I also have had my rooster Jabberwocky one day defend a pullet (Maleficent) from a hen Lilly and then the next day had to intervene as Jabberwocky attacked Maleficent himself.

By the way that was the next to the last straw before I did the same with him. Sadly, I do not ever feel bad about it. Sometimes I think I should, but I don't.

 

[Shadrach]

Confiscated Knocks eggs this morning so one broody less. Tbh it makes me feel bad but it has to be done. Knock doesn't seem at all bothered and only spent a couple of hours on the empty nest this morning before coming out and joining the rest of her tribe.
Rivit has a nest somewhere and I need to try and find that tomorrow.
I'm collecting eggs to hopefully give to the homeless here who have been swept off the streets in the virus containment measures. Me and a guy I know who helps the homeless and prison discharges plan to boil the eggs and distribute them somehow.