Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Oh why defeated? She has her preference and now you have accommodated it. You offered her ice-cream, she wanted pickles. It happens!

I do like your analogy. Well played!

 

[BY Bob]

Miss Aurora is quite the full figures gal. She is much larger in person and she was stuffed full last night!! I believe her meal worm are soon to be rationed. Lol

It was an honor to meet your flock last night. Thank you so much for having Rich and I over for dinner.

It truly was great to hang out with you both last night. Please tell Rich so.

I do believe the princess's snack intake is going to be curtailed. She did not do well with the 85° F (29.5°C) temps yesterday and she was the only one. It does appear that she has become "well insulated".

 

[BY Bob]

Full figured gal - you mean it isn't all feathers?!
I love that @BY Bob could get eggs from @CrazyChookChookLady - I feel like getting eggs or chicks from someone you know or as rescue is just so much more appealing than getting them in the mail.

It really is nice and she was so sweet to drive down after work yesterday so I could get them under her right away. Plus we all know Stanley as well and he is a good one!

 

[BY Bob]

Don't be quick to assume failure Mr Bob. Sure it must be extremely annoying to have laboured over the broody enclosure just for her to reject it, but she is still sitting is she not? So not a failure, just a head strong young lady who thinks she knows best!

Thanks. I have decided to leave it up for after she has the chicks. I will move them there so they have privacy and are not among the others right away.

 

[Shadrach]

Thanks. I have decided to leave it up for after she has the chicks. I will move them there so they have privacy and are not among the others right away.

I hope you won't mind if I butt in here....
If she feels safe in the coop nest box then she at least is confident that she can defend her nest there. They are not often wrong ime.
Coop to coop and house nest box to coop I always do in the daytime and I make sure the hen sees me move her eggs. Most get off the new egg site and try to return to the original site. I pick them up and place them back on the eggs in the new site. I think a hen called Fray holds the stubbornness record. It took about a dozen manual relocations before she settled at the new site.
I move hens that sit at outside nest sites at night for obvious reasons.
You need to mark the fertile eggs and the eggs she laid. It is quite probable that other hens will try to contribute to the clutch. Senior hens tend not to put up with this; juniors are more likely to just sit there and guard their eggs and let another lay.
It is worth making a wire mesh screen to cover her chosen nest box for the night. It saves you worrying about what goes on in the mornings before you let them out. Ime quite a lot can go on in the early mornings.
You can force a hen to sit in most locations and I read a lot of this on BYC. I'm completely against it. If a hen abandons her nest then there will probably be another time. I never force a hen to sit. I only insist on location changes. After that it's up to her.
Provide water at the nest site Bob, but not food. You need to watch that she gets off the nest every day to eat, socialize and most importantly, dust bath. Do not under any circumstances feed her at the nest until the chicks start hatching!
I would not move her once the chicks hatch unless you see one of the other hens attack the chicks. If they attack mum (providing it's not serious) that isn't unusual. It generally stops. One of the great advantages of having a hen hatch in the flocks coop is the chicks hear the other hens while they are still in their shells and once hatched, can judge from their mothers reaction who to avoid early on. It also means mum and chicks get access to where they will be expected to live at an early age. Even in a coop and run situation this has tremendous advantages for the chicks development.

 

[Shadrach]

Some final points.
The first three and last three days are critical in chick development.
Do not disturb the eggs!! Do not candle!! Leave her to get on with it.
If she decides to abandon the eggs then accept her decision. The hen is who is important here. Chicks, if you have a hen that will go broody are a dime a dozen so to speak.

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

Pictures pretty please!

You got it!!!

This is my layer flock, as I call them. Stanley is my Roo and the best barred rock around!

I have 1 Barred Rock Veronica, 1 RIR Livi, 3 California Whites Viki, Cotton, and Ghost, 2 EE's Gertrude and Blanche, 1 Olive Egger Ginger, 2 Buff Orps Goldie (lead hen) and Digger, plus 1 Blue Rock Blu.

Bob only wanted brown eggs, so possible mom's would be Goldie, Digger, Livi, Veronica, or Blu. Dad, of course, is Stanley!

 

[Ali James]

You got it!!!

View attachment 2162801

This is my layer flock, as I call them. Stanley is my Roo and the best barred rock around!

I have 1 Barred Rock Veronica, 1 RIR Livi, 3 California Whites Viki, Cotton, and Ghost, 2 EE's Gertrude and Blanche, 1 Olive Egger Ginger, 2 Buff Orps Goldie (lead hen) and Digger, plus 1 Blue Rock Blu.

Bob only wanted brown eggs, so possible mom's would be Goldie, Digger, Livi, Veronica, or Blu. Dad, of course, is Stanley!

They are all beautiful - Stanley is a stunner!!

 

[RoyalChick]

They are all beautiful - Stanley is a stunner!!

Oh yes - we all have a soft spot for Stanley!

 

[Butterscotchbitesfinger]

I’m away for two days and I’m almost 2 hundred pages behind! Well. I shall not be attempting to catch up on those.