Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Sorry to hear about your rooster.

Thanks. It was very hard but necessary unfortunately. When my wife said it had to happen, it did. She loved that boy.

 

[BY Bob]

the biddies look great with rabbit ears

Thank you. I thought Aurora was exceptionally cute in her ears. I could not put ears on Lilly. My little enforcer would never forgive me.

 

[BY Bob]

sorry

Thank you. Hugs appreciated.

 

[Anime2lover]

Thanks. It was very hard but necessary unfortunately. When my wife said it had to happen, it did. She loved that boy.

I get it completely, it's not easy at all.

 

[BY Bob]

The Human Roost

@aart this one is for you

I've been trying to retame the littles so my process is to go sit in the run with them every morning for an hour or so. Give them some scratch and mealy worms and get them used to being around me again. Then in the evenings I let them out for supervised free range. Having had a Hawk attack my chicks last fall, while they were in a protected run, there is no unsuprvised free ranging.

Maleficent has been taming much quicker. She is a very curious young lady and has been pecking at my shoes and pulling on my shoe laces. Here is Maleficent around my legs yesterday morning.

Aurora has stayed at arms length. I have also observed that Aurora is clearly the Alpha in their little group. She is actual quite emphatic at reminding Maleficent of her place not just pecking her but even pulling on her neck feathers.

I noticed Maleficent measuring me up yesterday morning. Doing that neck thing they do when trying to decide how high something is to fly up onto. Let me also say that Maleficent has been going to the roost everynight but Aurora wants nothing to do with it and yells at her until she comes down and joins her in the house to sleep. Maleficient did not decide to hop up yesterday morning, but the signs were there.

Last evening I let them out for their two hours of supervised free range and brought a treat, spaghetti. They had never seen spaghetti before but my other hens go crazy for it. Here they are with their first piece of spaghetti.

Well after they had eaten their spaghetti and scratched around for an hour or so, Maleficent came around me. Normally they stay far away when not trapped in the run with me so I saw this as a very good sign. After a few moments she started sizing up my leg and before you know it, up she came. Here she is just after she arrived.

After a few moments of looking around, she sat down and snuggled. I could have died. She melted my heart.

Aurora stood off talking to her but she did not care. It only lasted a few minutes but it was so sweet. Eventually she hopped down and they went off scratching again.

It was dreary and drizzly yesterday and after 90 minutes of sitting out there it was getting old. The warmth of my brief cuddle had faded away. The bigs had all gone to bed but the littles were squeezing every last piece of daylight before they went to bed. Then Maleficent decided to stop by again, only this time very little thought, one jump and she was up on my leg, then she moved to the arm of the chair next to me and from there to the back of the chair where she settled down for a moment. Ok I thought, a new roosting location. I can get you easily from there no problem. Here she is on the chair back.

Aurora did not like this one bit but she must have thought I need to join her. She went to jump directly onto the chair but there was no cushion and she fell through the seat before I could catch her. The next thing I know Maleficent is standing up and talking to me. She proceeds to walk across the back of the chair to my shoulders and settles on my left shoulder, nuzzling my neck. Aurora has started yelling from the ground and before I can react has taken off and is flying towards my face. (this is where I picture aart swatting her from the air) I froze in shock. She cleared the brim of my hat and landed on my head!

I tried to take some selfies of the situation as I could not believe what was going on. Here are a few.

I called my wife to come see this and this is the photo she took.

It took me a while to realize this but Maleficent had decided to sleep on me for the night. As I said, Aurora is clearly the alfa hen as from my head she started trying to bully Maleficent. Now my head is not flat (in case you were wondering). Somehow she had the balance to sit on a hat on my head and reach down to my shoulder to peck at poor Maleficent. This ended after a while and I swear Maleficent was purring as she tucked her head around my neck.

I decided to use the situation to my roost training advantage. I let it get pretty dark as you can tell from this picture before I decided to remove them from my body and put them to bed.

With much squawking and complaining, I got them off my head and shoulders and placed them not in the house but on their roost where they had to spend the night because it was too dark to move. That was Aurora on my head just before I moved them to their roost. Hopefully tonight they go to bed in their coop, not on me.

 

[aart]

@aart this one is for you

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[BY Bob]

????

I know how you do not like chickens flying at your head. All I could think of last night is how you would never let this happen to you.

 

[drumstick diva]

 

[Kris5902]

Oh my... I’ve been missing your notifications again, and just caught up! The human is by far the most preferable roosting place, and I’m glad you were wearing a hat... that helps! Dirty little chicken feet on the scalp and in the hair is icky and less than comfortable. I too had a moment of “why are you tagging @aart” then it all became clear! I’m glad I’m not the only one who looks perchable to my chooks

So sorry to hear about Jabber, but if it has to be done, then that is that. He reminds me of a black and white version of my Chicke Hawk, both visually and in attitude. Long plastic shoe horn is my chicken stick of choice for keeping space with him right now, he slides right off and can’t get a grip... well, that and the tiny little bossy hen who puts him in his place for me!

 

[BY Bob]

Oh my... I’ve been missing your notifications again, and just caught up! The human is by far the most preferable roosting place, and I’m glad you were wearing a hat... that helps! Dirty little chicken feet on the scalp and in the hair is icky and less than comfortable. I too had a moment of “why are you tagging @aart” then it all became clear! I’m glad I’m not the only one who looks perchable to my chooks

So sorry to hear about Jabber, but if it has to be done, then that is that. He reminds me of a black and white version of my Chicke Hawk, both visually and in attitude. Long plastic shoe horn is my chicken stick of choice for keeping space with him right now, he slides right off and can’t get a grip... well, that and the tiny little bossy hen who puts him in his place for me!

I was really glad I had the hat on after it occurred. I had not been wearing hats recently. I felt very lucky I did once she was up there.

I too have to go and read your posts. I am not getting the notifications. It is not just yours though. It is happening with others as well.

Jabber was difficult but the whole world has settled down since. The girls seem relieved. Hattie will not come around me now unless I have treats. I don't think she trusts me. But my alpha hen, Patsy, squatted for me on Friday. I swear she never did that for Jabber. He just caught her unawares. There was real tension in the flock while he was here. She knocked him off many a hen. The two of them never saw eye to eye from what it seemed.