Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

Ribh hasn't posted today. I hope she's okay.

I've been thinking of her too.

I think she said her sons were visiting, so maybe she's sad and too busy to check in.

 

[Kris5902]

No offense taken @Shadrach I’m also quite concerned about potential reproductive issues in them... Sammy and his 3 sisters are all a little over 1 year old now, and they are leghorn crosses (to crested cream legbars for blue eggs) Sammy’s sons show more CCL patterns and his daughters are all white with (so far) smallish combs and wattles. They did start laying at about 19 weeks. And I did let him breed some production reds, so but I am working with what I have.

I will have to see how things go with the outcrossing. They were not my preference, but came up discounted from my breeder as chicks on a rejected order (turns out it was a 7/3 cockerel to pullet split and of the 4 Barnvelders 3 were also guys, and one was ill) I have a tendency to take in strays and rejects, so I took them anyways.

He is my snuggly rooster though, most of my other boys have a little too much attitude to accept proper cuddles. He wheezes a bit, I believe due to coming out on the bottom end of a conflict with one of his brothers (they were jerks) as there’s no signs of illness and it usually happens when he runs too much or gets in a squabble with someone.

 

[Kris5902]

I’m hoping Ribh is just busy with her family and keeping company too. It’s so sad when we lose girls we have been putting time in with, which is how it usually works for me. The more I work with a girl, usually the worse off she is, then I spend more time with her which just makes the end so much more painful, because we get so close.

 

[LozzyR]

The truth of the matter is he thinks he's having sex.
I've had a couple like this. they grow out of it once they get their own hens. It's one of the behaviours that get reported as aggressive on the general boards.View attachment 1999971

Aww, teenage rooster masturbatory issues! Better not wear my best shoes then!

This is seen as aggressive? Do they think that about dogs dry-humping a leg? Where did you get the face-palm emoji btw?

 

[LozzyR]

Is it raining where you are then?

This was taken a couple of years ago and no, it wasn’t raining. We attached a weeper soaker hose to the top of the run. It was a hot day and when we turned it on, Lucy and Emily ran to the bench and started licking the water dripping off it. Lucy then dug a hole under the water and sat in it for 20 or so minutes, having a mud bath. The weird thing is; now when we turn it on, they tend to avoid it.

More recently, we’ve had some rain this week. Still nowhere enough though. I’m not even going to think about getting Faverolles until it starts to cool down.

 

[LozzyR]

No offense taken @Shadrach I’m also quite concerned about potential reproductive issues in them... Sammy and his 3 sisters are all a little over 1 year old now, and they are leghorn crosses (to crested cream legbars for blue eggs) Sammy’s sons show more CCL patterns and his daughters are all white with (so far) smallish combs and wattles. They did start laying at about 19 weeks. And I did let him breed some production reds, so but I am working with what I have.

I will have to see how things go with the outcrossing. They were not my preference, but came up discounted from my breeder as chicks on a rejected order (turns out it was a 7/3 cockerel to pullet split and of the 4 Barnvelders 3 were also guys, and one was ill) I have a tendency to take in strays and rejects, so I took them anyways.

He is my snuggly rooster though, most of my other boys have a little too much attitude to accept proper cuddles. He wheezes a bit, I believe due to coming out on the bottom end of a conflict with one of his brothers (they were jerks) as there’s no signs of illness and it usually happens when he runs too much or gets in a squabble with someone.

I think you’re a great animal mum, like my friend Kim. She ends up with everyone’s rejects; from cats to donkeys.

 

[LozzyR]

Fast asleep again! Her eggs are still whole so I’m just keeping a general eye on her.

 

[Kris5902]

I think you’re a great animal mum, like my friend Kim. She ends up with everyone’s rejects; from cats to donkeys.

Thanks for the support, I’ve been feeling fairly inadequate at it lately, mostly due to some very sick calves, (but they were taken out of my care in July, and were perfectly healthy when I. Was tending them) and soaking 20 chickens to the bone in an overnight rain/wind storm... not to mention leaving my cats alone for 8-10 hours daily. But I’m working at getting us out of propane debt...

 

[RoyalChick]

I thought this chap. He's called Treacle. He has got some problems though. His obsession with footwear verges on fetishism.
View attachment 1999939
He has a fine set of hackles.View attachment 1999942
He's a gentle soul at heart.
View attachment 1999940

Stunning!

 

[MaryJanet]

At one point I had nest boxes of various types scattered around the property in the hope they would get used and this would reduce the nest searches. I had one such nest on top of a large drum in the car port hidden behind one of the supporting brick piers. Fat Bird found it and decided this is where she would lay her eggs.
The car port is large (4 cars) and has a full back wall. The people who own the property use the car port as a party venue. That summer they threw a big party, over 100 people I believe. When they cleared out the rest of the stuff that accumulates in such places I asked for the nest box to be left where it was. Fat Bird has laid a few eggs in there by now and looked as if she was going to sit. (I've tried to facilitate Fat Bird every time she looks like she would sit in the hope of getting Marans chicks)
The morning of the party Fat Bird took up residence in the car port nest box and seemed completely unconcerned as preparations for the party went on around her.
I had by that time got to know a few of the local chicken keepers, many of who had chicken coming and going in and out of their houses and who had nest boxes in kitchens, sheds, outhouses, the open balconies that are common here, just to mention a few places.
The coop and run type of chicken keeping wasn't how people kept chickens here even in urban areas.
The guests arrived, the music started up and Fat Bird just sat there. Most of the guests looked and left her to it. Unfortunately not everyone is so considerate and there were a number of people who brought their children who it seemed had no control over their children or any respect for Fat Bird sitting there minding her own business as the party went on around her. After finding a few people trying to look at the eggs under Fat Bird I decided that by the end of the party I would probably have hit a few adults and kids and Fat Birds eggs would get broken.
The nest box was one of those thin ply fruit boxes you can see at the veg and fruit markets. I carried the nest box to my house which seemed the only safe place and placed it on a stout wooden tower I keep plastic boxes for grains etc in.
Fat Bird just sat there throughout the transfer.
My view is if you want to study chickens then the best way to do it is to live with them. Fat Bird made it easy by deciding she was happy living with me. At first I kind of crept around the house hoping not to disturb her; not much did.
There was one problem though. When she left the nest box to poop eat and bath, her route back involved climbing onto my kitchen table, making a scramble over the tray I keep my cutlery in and a bit of a jump to the nest box on the tower.
If you've ever had a chicken come into your house after a dust bath and do the shake you will know that the distance the dust flies and the amount of it is considerable.
Before long it became apparent that this wasn't the most practical arrangement and I needed something away from the food and the bits and pieces that accumulate on kitchen tables. I made a nest box.
It seems word got around, Shadrach's coop was a good place to lay eggs, especially if you planned to sit and hatch.
The venue became so popular I had two nest boxes going for a while.

Another amazing Shad story!