Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

They're very confident! If I were a chicken, I'd lay my eggs in such a nestbox because it's so safe.

I agree. There are other rational considerations; they know there is food close by. They watch me cook so they know. There is also water at hand. What I think but cannot prove is the hens that sit here hatch chicks. I think this is something they take into account. If this is true then they know which hens have sat here and produced chicks, so there is some level of planning and risk assessment involved. What may also contribute is either 4 days before hatch, or shortly after I move mum and chicks into one of the maternity units. They must be aware of this. After all, one day there is a hen with chicks in the house nest box and the next they've all moved.
Consider though, whether or not the hen is thinking about this when she lays that first egg here. Then consider that the pullets from the tribe who haven't seen a hatching hen in the nest will also try to lay their eggs here. That's a lot of planning!
It is also possible that the roosters encouragement to lay here, rather than elsewhere has most influence. You're left then with trying to work out why the roosters think this is a good nest site. I mean they don't sit here. They don't have direct experience of sitting and hatching here. They do come by and check on the hens but once they're installed the roosters even if they visit don't pay much attention to the sitting hen.
It gets more complicated. The roosters and hens pick their nest sites together in the cases I've seen. With the pullets, who haven't laid an egg they will tour prospective sites, sometimes a week or more before the pullet lays an egg. One or the other, or both must know the egg cycle is due to start.

 

[MaryJanet]

Thats all very interesting. Im having a hard time absorbing much though so not really able to go look just book marking.

Yall. My uncle is dying. He had an aneurysm from his heart down to his groin. Were gonna loose him. Ive been crying so much and tryn to take my mind off of it w the site. Tryn to boil and peel the 600 eggs too. I tried to go on a trip up to them in Branson Missouri but theres just no way. As i was preparing i realized it just cant be done. Would put way to much hardship on my mostly very young family members.

Ill still be here clicking away but if im not emotional then im kinda numb and cant absorb anything.

I'm so sorry to read this news. This is how we lost our grandfather many years ago.

I hope you can dig deep within your emotional resources and provide some calm tenderness for yourself and anyone else who needs it.

 

[Shadrach]

Time to Fly the Coop

It was too much for the littles today. Maleficent led the charge first. I opened the big run door today when I took them a breakfast snack. Mal decided that the 2 feet in snow to the sunflower seeds left behind by the song birds was worth it.

Next thing I know this one was knocking on the backdoor.
View attachment 2007369

Next thing I knew these two showed up
View attachment 2007372

Lilly was not willing to leave the small band with no snow around the coop.
View attachment 2007376

Eventually Lilly could not stand the thought that others were getting special food and she was not. After a few flights, (anything to avoid touching the snow) this was the sight at my back door.

View attachment 2007378

I decided to shovel the deck for them. So they all stood in front of the door looking in. I have never gotten the picture from this angle before.
View attachment 2007383

After eating, mealy worms, cracked corn, and cheese Itz, Lilly and Hattie decided it was nap time.

View attachment 2007385

Right now Lilly is trying to figure out how to get back to the coop without stepping on the snow. She does not seem happy.

Poor baby.

I just checked coop cam, Maleficent is roosted already. The others are still trapped on the deck at 5:00 pm.
View attachment 2007391

Great pictures Bob. They do sort of get used to snow I think. My Finnish friend's chickens free range in the snow for a large part of the year.

 

[ValerieJ]

Thats all very interesting. Im having a hard time absorbing much though so not really able to go look just book marking.

Yall. My uncle is dying. He had an aneurysm from his heart down to his groin. Were gonna loose him. Ive been crying so much and tryn to take my mind off of it w the site. Tryn to boil and peel the 600 eggs too. I tried to go on a trip up to them in Branson Missouri but theres just no way. As i was preparing i realized it just cant be done. Would put way to much hardship on my mostly very young family members.

Ill still be here clicking away but if im not emotional then im kinda numb and cant absorb anything.

I'm so sorry to hear that. It's fine with me to talk about it all you want here. There were many times I lived across the country from family members when they passed and was unable to get there for a variety of reasons. It is just the most helpless thing. Just when you really need to be with your family you can't get there. So I hope you see us as your second family and can feel the hugs across these miles.

 

[MaryJanet]

I agree. There are other rational considerations; they know there is food close by. They watch me cook so they know. There is also water at hand. What I think but cannot prove is the hens that sit here hatch chicks. I think this is something they take into account. If this is true then they know which hens have sat here and produced chicks, so there is some level of planning and risk assessment involved. What may also contribute is either 4 days before hatch, or shortly after I move mum and chicks into one of the maternity units. They must be aware of this. After all, one day there is a hen with chicks in the house nest box and the next they've all moved.
Consider though, whether or not the hen is thinking about this when she lays that first egg here. Then consider that the pullets from the tribe who haven't seen a hatching hen in the nest will also try to lay their eggs here. That's a lot of planning!
It is also possible that the roosters encouragement to lay here, rather than elsewhere has most influence. You're left then with trying to work out why the roosters think this is a good nest site. I mean they don't sit here. They don't have direct experience of sitting and hatching here. They do come by and check on the hens but once they're installed the roosters even if they visit don't pay much attention to the sitting hen.
It gets more complicated. The roosters and hens pick their nest sites together in the cases I've seen. With the pullets, who haven't laid an egg they will tour prospective sites, sometimes a week or more before the pullet lays an egg. One or the other, or both must know the egg cycle is due to start.

It's very interesting.

I'm thinking of the predators again and recalling the hawks that prey on your tribes. Would the ceiling encourage the roosters to bring the hens to that nest? If there was one nest inside the door and one outside but under a verandah, which would the roosters prefer I wonder?

 

[ValerieJ]

Time to Fly the Coop

It was too much for the littles today. Maleficent led the charge first. I opened the big run door today when I took them a breakfast snack. Mal decided that the 2 feet in snow to the sunflower seeds left behind by the song birds was worth it.

Next thing I know this one was knocking on the backdoor.
View attachment 2007369

Next thing I knew these two showed up
View attachment 2007372

Lilly was not willing to leave the small band with no snow around the coop.
View attachment 2007376

Eventually Lilly could not stand the thought that others were getting special food and she was not. After a few flights, (anything to avoid touching the snow) this was the sight at my back door.

View attachment 2007378

I decided to shovel the deck for them. So they all stood in front of the door looking in. I have never gotten the picture from this angle before.
View attachment 2007383

After eating, mealy worms, cracked corn, and cheese Itz, Lilly and Hattie decided it was nap time.

View attachment 2007385

Right now Lilly is trying to figure out how to get back to the coop without stepping on the snow. She does not seem happy.

Poor baby.

I just checked coop cam, Maleficent is roosted already. The others are still trapped on the deck at 5:00 pm.
View attachment 2007391

Chickens are so hilarious about snow. Great photos!

 

[ValerieJ]

I agree. There are other rational considerations; they know there is food close by. They watch me cook so they know. There is also water at hand. What I think but cannot prove is the hens that sit here hatch chicks. I think this is something they take into account. If this is true then they know which hens have sat here and produced chicks, so there is some level of planning and risk assessment involved. What may also contribute is either 4 days before hatch, or shortly after I move mum and chicks into one of the maternity units. They must be aware of this. After all, one day there is a hen with chicks in the house nest box and the next they've all moved.
Consider though, whether or not the hen is thinking about this when she lays that first egg here. Then consider that the pullets from the tribe who haven't seen a hatching hen in the nest will also try to lay their eggs here. That's a lot of planning!
It is also possible that the roosters encouragement to lay here, rather than elsewhere has most influence. You're left then with trying to work out why the roosters think this is a good nest site. I mean they don't sit here. They don't have direct experience of sitting and hatching here. They do come by and check on the hens but once they're installed the roosters even if they visit don't pay much attention to the sitting hen.
It gets more complicated. The roosters and hens pick their nest sites together in the cases I've seen. With the pullets, who haven't laid an egg they will tour prospective sites, sometimes a week or more before the pullet lays an egg. One or the other, or both must know the egg cycle is due to start.

That is fascinating. There is a real advantage to having a nest box that you can watch so closely.

 

[Ribh]

Time to Fly the Coop

It was too much for the littles today. Maleficent led the charge first. I opened the big run door today when I took them a breakfast snack. Mal decided that the 2 feet in snow to the sunflower seeds left behind by the song birds was worth it.

Next thing I know this one was knocking on the backdoor.
View attachment 2007369

Next thing I knew these two showed up
View attachment 2007372

Lilly was not willing to leave the small band with no snow around the coop.
View attachment 2007376

Eventually Lilly could not stand the thought that others were getting special food and she was not. After a few flights, (anything to avoid touching the snow) this was the sight at my back door.

View attachment 2007378

I decided to shovel the deck for them. So they all stood in front of the door looking in. I have never gotten the picture from this angle before.
View attachment 2007383

After eating, mealy worms, cracked corn, and cheese Itz, Lilly and Hattie decided it was nap time.

View attachment 2007385

Right now Lilly is trying to figure out how to get back to the coop without stepping on the snow. She does not seem happy.

Poor baby.

You need to pick her up carry her, poor girlie.

 

[Shadrach]

It's very interesting.

I'm thinking of the predators again and recalling the hawks that prey on your tribes. Would the ceiling encourage the roosters to bring the hens to that nest? If there was one nest inside the door and one outside but under a verandah, which would the roosters prefer I wonder?

There are nest boxes in all the coops. The coops are quite difficult for predators because they are off the ground by three quarters of a metre. Hens have and do sit and hatch in the coops.

 

[ValerieJ]

Well, after all the advice of giving fish or meat to my chickens, I decided to give the cat soup I made to them. After all, no one here was going to eat it. I tasted the broth when I made it so see if it was working, and it was delicious, but I wouldn't eat it. It's made with sardines.

They were expecting their usual treat of meal worms and scratch, so when I put the bowls down they all jumped back and gave it a wide birth. I put a bowl in the pullets' run and the bachelor pad too. Eventually, Lucy got brave enough to taste it, and before I was finished with my chore and coming in the hens had eaten all of there. I gave them 4 little bowls since three are 7 hens in there (probably a cup total). The pullets and cockerels are pretty sure it's poisonous.