Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

I excluded the Princesses from the Palace so I could make progress on building the step. I didn’t count on it being 91 degrees (32.5C) so I didn’t get as much finished as I hoped. I have the day off work tomorrow so hopefully I will be able to finish.
Meanwhile, here are some shots of Dotty’s ‘do’.

 

[BY Bob]

To the Deck!

I know that I have talked about what a big moment it is when newly integrated chickens make their way to the deck the first time. Well Sydney brought the chickies to the deck this afternoon and I caught it on film!

You can see their favorite Aunties were waiting for them.

So what was their reward, mealy worms of course! And of course their favorite Auntie joined in.

Something amazing happened while everyone was enjoying meal worms. Of course once meal worms were down the whole flock came over. After a little snacking Sansa decided she was going to harass Sydney and by proxy the chicks. Sansa came over but Aurora was still with Syd and the chicks.

As Sansa came over Aurora intercepted her and stomped her foot while looking Sansa in the eye. I have never seen that foot stomp before from any hen. Sansa turned right around and left them alone.

Has anyone ever seen a hen stomp like that? I'm so sorry I wasn't filming at the time. It was incredible.

 

[BY Bob]

I excluded the Princesses from the Palace so I could make progress on building the step. I didn’t count on it being 91 degrees (32.5C) so I didn’t get as much finished as I hoped. I have the day off work tomorrow so hopefully I will be able to finish.
Meanwhile, here are some shots of Dotty’s ‘do’.
View attachment 2228819View attachment 2228820View attachment 2228821

Phyllis loves her do. it is quite impressive!

 

[RoyalChick]

To the Deck!

I know that I have talked about what a big moment it is when newly integrated chickens make their way to the deck the first time. Well Sydney brought the chickies to the deck this afternoon and I caught it on film!

You can see their favorite Aunties were waiting for them.

So what was their reward, mealy worms of course! And of course their favorite Auntie joined in.

View attachment 2228838

Something amazing happened while everyone was enjoying meal worms. Of course once meal worms were down the whole flock came over. After a little snacking Sansa decided she was going to harass Sydney and by proxy the chicks. Sansa came over but Aurora was still with Syd and the chicks.

As Sansa came over Aurora intercepted her and stomped her foot while looking Sansa in the eye. I have never seen that foot stomp before from any hen. Sansa turned right around and left them alone.

Has anyone ever seen a hen stomp like that? I'm so sorry I wasn't filming at the time. It was incredible.

So precious! Love the Aurora intervention. She is taking her favorite Auntie duties very seriously.

 

[BY Bob]

So precious! Love the Aurora intervention. She is taking her favorite Auntie duties very seriously.

The change in Aurora within the flock has been quite stunning. She was hanging out with Phyllis for a while today. She has not been crazy aunt Aurora lately.

Hattie is behaving exactly as I expected. Lilly better than I expected. Sansa worse. Phyllis is Phyllis. But Aurora has been the big surprise. Truly a pleasant surprise.

 

[Ali James]

A juvenile hawk attacked Hattie and Jabber when they were chicks about this size. They were in a small mobile run experiencing the outdoors. I was on the other side of the coop and the hawk apparently hit the run so hard it wobbled and Hattie got out of it. She ran screaming for the cover of the grape vines.

This part always chokes me up.

I started around the coop to see what was happening, Patsy was next to me. Patsy took off like a shot to where poor Hattie was. Patsy was all fluffed out and ready to fight by the time I caught up. She did have her spurs at the time.

She had only met the chicks through the wire the day before but she had Hattie by the time i could get there.

The hawk meanwhile had settled on the fence looking down into the grapevines.

When I first got to where Jabber was yelling. I had no idea what had happened. Jabberwocky was still in the portable run, Hattie was gone. I started looking around and I saw Patsy all fluffed out and then I looked up and saw the hawk on the fence.

I heard Hattie peep and saw her with Patsy. I scooped Hattie up, saw she was bleeding and screamed for Mrs BY Bob. She came running out of the house. I handed her Hattie to look at and I proceeded to try and scare the hawk away.

It would not leave.

I yelled and waived my arms.

It took off, circled briefly, and landed back on the fence.

We stared at each other.

Patsy and Lilly had gone into the run, so I locked them in.

Still the hawk had not left.

Mrs BY Bob pronounced Hattie fit, she had cut her comb somehow but was otherwise OK.

Still the hawk stared.

I gathered up Jabberwocky, handed him to Mrs BY Bob and told her to take them back inside to the brooder.

Still the hawk stared.

I got the idea to grab the skimmer poll for the pool and try to reach him with that. I had just gotten the poll when the hawk flew off.

That was when I purchased the nerf gun. No hawk hangs out at my house any longer.

Hattie in the run about the yime it happenedView attachment 2228733.

What a terrible shock.
But on a positive note ... how ADORABLE is baby Hattie?!?!?

 

[MaryJanet]

What a terrible shock.
But on a positive note ... how ADORABLE is baby Hattie?!?!?

Such cuteness!!

 

[Shadrach]

Has anyone ever seen a hen stomp like that? I'm so sorry I wasn't filming at the time. It was incredible.

What a shame you didn't get that on camera.
Yes, I have seen it and people have tended not to believe me, telling me I have misinterpreted the situation.
Tribe 2 struggled through some hard times years ago. It's the horror story I've mentioned.
One of the results of these difficult times was a hen called Otic, who was basically a grey Marans who moved in with Tribe 2. Otic became Blue Spots minder for want of a better description. She also became a very active aunt when Blue Spot hatched Pinch and Punch.
Otic became so involved in rearing the chicks that she fed them and would tell Blue Spot off if Blue Spot didn't give whatever she foraged to the chicks. I've seen Otic do that single foot stomp when other hens have looked to be bothering Blue Spot.
I've also seen Mora do it.
It may be worth noting that shortly after Blue Spot hatched Punch and Pinch, Otic went broody for the first time and hatched Cillin and his sister.
The same with Mora, although she sat but didn't hatch.

 

[MaryJanet]

What a shame you didn't get that on camera.
Yes, I have seen it and people have tended not to believe me, telling me I have misinterpreted the situation.
Tribe 2 struggled through some hard times years ago. It's the horror story I've mentioned.
One of the results of these difficult times was a hen called Otic, who was basically a grey Marans who moved in with Tribe 2. Otic became Blue Spots minder for want of a better description. She also became a very active aunt when Blue Spot hatched Pinch and Punch.
Otic became so involved in rearing the chicks that she fed them and would tell Blue Spot off if Blue Spot didn't give whatever she foraged to the chicks. I've seen Otic do that single foot stomp when other hens have looked to be bothering Blue Spot.
I've also seen Mora do it.
It may be worth noting that shortly after Blue Spot hatched Punch and Pinch, Otic went broody for the first time and hatched Cillin and his sister.
The same with Mora, although she sat but didn't hatch.

I think I've seen Janet stamp her foot at Ivy but I could be mistaken. I'll watch carefully for it and report back if I see anything like it.

Mary stamps both her feet before rushing at the pigeons but that's a different gesture altogether.

 

[BY Bob]

What a terrible shock.
But on a positive note ... how ADORABLE is baby Hattie?!?!?

So true. She has always been super cute!