Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Are you sure that screeching is not just an egg song, or escort call? My girls can be quite noisy in the nest box, and then Pippi joins in with them. It can get quite noisy around here.

Well the video is at the wrong angle, but it’s the Brahma, Buttercup who screeches here. I took the egg, took her out, dipped her legs (she actually likes it) and she was done with it. Does this seem like a broody screech to you?

 

[micstrachan]

That gorgeous looking BR on your sofa has a fabulously fluffy butt!

Thank you! The one sitting on the sofa is Bridge, my alpha. Or did you mean Ester, the pullet standing on the chair? Her feathers have always looked a bit off like she has some cuckoo maran in her or somethin, but her eggs are very pale, almost white.

 

[micstrachan]

Hardly! You know more about chickens in their natural habitat than most of us will ever know. We are all having a unique and wonderful "fluffy butt" experience.

Agree!

 

[Shadrach]

Thanks. That’s good feedback. This morning she is acting like a normal, non-broody hen. So far, anyway.

My assumption is that in the wild nest destruction is a relatively common experience for a hen. Lots of predators will take their eggs and if the hen gets away with her life she's had a result. Here, after many broody hens they all seem to know to leave their nests. When I first started some needed some encouragement to the point of shutting them out of their nest sites for half an hour or more and bum shoving them around to get them moving and fully awake. This is what I was told to do by a couple of the keepers here where I live who have had considerable experience in dealing with 'institutionalized' hens. My belief is for most, the instincts are not bred out of them, just suppressed. Given the right circumstances they have here at least returned to what would seem to be their ancestors and more natural behavior.
A hen that just sits on her nest and doesn't get off to eat etc is going to die.
I am lucky in that I was exposed to free range chicken keeping in my youth. I also saw the other side with the thousands of battery hens that were kept on the farm I spent my youth on.While keeping circumstances dictate what is and isn't practicable the error I find repeated on this forum and others is that somehow the 'natural' responses of chickens change through breeding and keeping arrangements. I don't believe this is the case. All chickens bar breeds like Cornish X and possibly some long bred Leghorns and other battery favorites have 'natural' responses, much like any other creature. It is not until the circumstances allow it that these innate behaviors are demonstrated.
I believe for example that for most who prevent broodiness by using the wire cage method would get the same result by removing the eggs and destroying the nest. But, with contained chickens this often isn't practicable.

 

[LozzyR]

How would you Spend a Cold Windy Day?

Lilly has chosen to stay inside, read her book for a while, and have some tea.

View attachment 2130418

Good to see that she’s reading an actual book and not wasting time on Beakbook.

 

[LozzyR]

Nope. She no longer lays but every so often just spends a couple of hours sitting in a nest box. That's why I had to add a third box. She was causing backups.

Lucy still likes to do that.

 

[ValerieJ]

Well the video is at the wrong angle, but it’s the Brahma, Buttercup who screeches here. I took the egg, took her out, dipped her legs (she actually likes it) and she was done with it. Does this seem like a broody screech to you?

Sounds like a couple broodies to me.

 

[Shadrach]

I know, Shad. I should not have taken personal offense and I’m sorry. I think I’m being a little over sensitive because of all the broodiness combined with worrying about Ruby and Dorothy. Please, by all means, keep the rants coming. I find your perspective most educational. If I didn’t value all perspectives and experiences around chicken keeping, I’d be a hypocrite saying I want the best for my birds. One can’t probably provide the best without knowing what the best is. So thank you.

I’m sorry, Bob, if I created any tension on your thread. Not my intention. I hope to be part of this community for a long time.❤

I'm just a bit inconsiderate with my words michelle. I don't think as much as I should about what others may feel, so do not for a moment feel that you have caused any kind of problem.

 

[LozzyR]

Sounds like a couple broodies to me.

My thoughts as well, although I’ve only got Charlie to compare them to.

 

[LozzyR]

I believe for example that for most who prevent broodiness by using the wire cage method would get the same result by removing the eggs and destroying the nest. But, with contained chickens this often isn't practicable.

I would much rather not send Charlie to broody jail, but I can’t really ‘destroy’ the nest as I have dedicated prefab coops. I hate caging her though.