Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[WhoDatChick]

Some more bums... Bob...
sorry, poor pic...

 

[BY Bob]

Some more bums... Bob...
sorry, poor pic...View attachment 1774724

Heads down, let's get to work ladies!

 

[BY Bob]

Here's some new fluffy butts from sunny Saturday morning.

 

[BY Bob]

A Little Early to be Swimming

The weather here in central PA has been unbearably rainy. So much so that I opened my pool over a month later than usual this year. This has been a boon to the ducks who like to use the top of my covered pool as a temporary pond.

This Saturday I decided I could not wait anymore and I took the cover off of the pool. This is the first the pullets have seen it uncovered and as with any change the whole process was a little unnerving for them. Once it was done, everything seemed to settle in until yesterday evening.

I went out onto the deck to check on the pool robot”s progress and Maleficent came running towards me to see if I had any good food. Now yesterday was 51 degrees and rainy so I did come ooutside expecting to sit and feed some demanding pullets. However, being the softie that I am I decided to grab some cracked corn and scatter it for them. I popped inside to grab some corn.

When I open the door to come back out I hear Patsy sounding the alarm, over and over. It took me a minute to survey the situation. All of the Bigs were standing at the deep end of the pool, including Patsy who was alarming for all she was worth. Now the deep end of the pool is wide open to the sky and no one is running. That should rule out hawks.

I don’t see either of the Littles.

Patsy is still Alarming.

Is there a ground varmint after the littles?

Patsy is still Alarming.

Then I see her. Aurora is floating in the pool. In the deep end by Patsy and the rest of the Bigs. None of the pool equipment is ready to go. The net and poll are still put away. I know she doesn’t have long to last in water that cold. I lay down on the side and reach out to grab her. As my hand gets close, she pecks me. Undeterred by her vicious beak, I am able to grab her wing and pull her towards me. I gather her up and out of the water.

Patsy is still Alarming.

I have to show Aurora too Patsy, beak to beak, before she will stop calling out.

Into the house we go. I grab a towel and start to dry her off. I don’t want her sleeping with soaked feathers in sub 50 degree weather. The Bigs all come to the back door to wait for her to came back out.

Pasty yells.

I show Patsy Aurora all wrapped in a towel through the patio door and she desists. Through this all Maleficent is hiding in the Little’s coop. Once I have Aurora sufficiently dry, I take her back out to the Little’s coop where her friend is waiting. They excited run into each other, flap their wings, and set out accross the yard again.

All is back to normal at Fluffy Butt Acres.

For me the most amazing thing was Patsy’s concern for a chicken that really did not seem to be part of her flock. Escpecially with the way that Lilly was running them around recently. Then I watched this morning as Hattie wandered over with the Littles for a bit. I thought at first she was going to chase them but she just hung out around them. I told my wife that I think it is time to start full-on flock integration.

Of course in all the excitement, no photos. But here is little Aurora hanging out this morning.

 

[Kris5902]

So glad Aurora’s ok! And good on Patsy for alerting you to her plight. It sounds to me like flock integration is already well underway without your help. You had me worried sick for a bit there with your story, not knowing where Maleficent was! Those two littles are getting into some trouble... just like little teenagers!

 

[BY Bob]

So glad Aurora’s ok! And good on Patsy for alerting you to her plight. It sounds to me like flock integration is already well underway without your help. You had me worried sick for a bit there with your story, not knowing where Maleficent was! Those two littles are getting into some trouble... just like little teenagers!

When I did not see Maleficent in the pool I felt safe in concentrating on Aurora. That was where Patsy was drawing my attention and I made the assumption there could not be 2 attacks at once. However, now that I reflect upon it, who knows. In fact one attack could have left me with Aurora in the pool from trying to escape and Maleficent taken or injured. I should have sent my wife out to find her to be sure. From the way the Bigs were standing in the open, it was unlikely to be an attack but you never know.

 

[BY Bob]

Trapped!

Despite the nearly constant rain this spring, everyone wants out of their covered run to free range. For the Bigs this includes visits to the deck and back door to beg for leftovers. Now every winter I clear the deck of furniture except for the table which I push up against the house. I have lost track of the number of times that the Bigs have been trapped on the deck huddling under the table as torrential down pours occur. In fact they have spent so much time there we have taken to calling it their vacation cottage. I can almost picture the conversation.

"I'm tired of being cooped up, let's go to the vacation cottage".

"Good idea, maybe we can get some warm food if we look pathetic enough".

In the end, we usually wind up warming up some leftovers to to warm their bellies while they preen and rest.

Here are Patsy and Hattie "trapped" under the table on the deck. They actually got pastini with egg, cooked fresh, as their snack.

 

[BY Bob]

Roosting Together
Tonight is the start of the combining of the flocks. Once night fell I took the Littles off of their roost and moved them to them to the big coop. All the Bigs were roosted together at one end of the roost so the Littles went on the other end. Hopefully the morning is not too stressful for everyone.

 

[biophiliac]

Roosting Together
Tonight is the start of the combining of the flocks. Once night fell I took the Littles off of their roost and moved them to them to the big coop. All the Bigs were roosted together at one end of the roost so the Littles went on the other end. Hopefully the morning is not too stressful for everyone.

Good luck

 

[BY Bob]

Good luck

Thanks, this is the hardest part. I feel so bad taking their "safe" house from them.