Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Ok, you asked for it. Don't blame me if your ears bleed.

And whilst we're having a laugh at my expense, here is a video of me playing a home-made set of bagpipes that I made for a uni assignment. I absolutely could not get the thing to tune properly, but I was super-impressed with the drones! As @Ribh said, it's how long the tube is that determines the pitch.

Gosh that looks really difficult! It does make you wonder how the bagpipes every got invented in the first place if you see what I mean!

 

[RoyalChick]

I think it might be too early. You want them to acclimate with thicker down for real cold weather to come.
BTW I never tire of seeing pics of the Chicken Palace! Makes me want to walk in and sit down its so beautiful.

Thank you. I wasn't planning on closing them in but maybe I can close one of the ones that puts the draft right on them when they roost. In any case I can't close them entirely because the Young Ladies are still making it to the top of the window at night.
Thank you - I love the Chicken Palace too!

 

[RoyalChick]

It's Time to Fire Up the Way-Back Machine

Let's head back 2 years, Mr. Peabody set the way-back machine for September 12-17, 2018.

September 12, 2018 was a bad day. I was feeling especially low that evening. I was out sitting at the end of the coop. I had the coop door open as I was watching them roost. I was very late getting out. Lilly got down off the roost and came to the door to check on what i was doing.
View attachment 2339999

The next thing that happened is one of those things that just endear these animals to me. She hopped down and then jumped up into my lap. She had never done that before and has never done it since.
View attachment 2340000
I instantly felt better.

During this time frame Patsy and Lilly were a flock of their own with Daisy, the greatest hen ever having passed earlier in the year.

View attachment 2340006
View attachment 2340007
View attachment 2340008
View attachment 2340009

This was coming to an end as we were starting full integration of Jabberwocky, I was still deluding myself thinking he was a pullet, and Hattie.

View attachment 2340010
View attachment 2340011

View attachment 2340013

View attachment 2340014

Final time roosting in the prefab coop.

View attachment 2340015

Where did our coop go?
View attachment 2340016

How do we get in this big one? There is no door here!

View attachment 2340017

Finally figured it out
View attachment 2340019


Let's go back to the beginning now, Mr. Peabody, set the way-back machine for September 12, 2013.

Here are Dolly and Trisha enjoying a Cheeto
View attachment 2340022

View attachment 2340024

Checking out the magnolia tree.
View attachment 2340025

Squirrel encounters are nothing new around here. Dolly and Mr. Squirrel had an encounter that day.
View attachment 2340028

How about a gratuitous kittie photo. Here is my Dr Zoidberg cleaning himself.
View attachment 2340029

That was an eventful day for them. Time to move on. Let's check in on Elphie. Mr. Peabody set the way-back machine for September 16, 2015.

Elphie was the first hen to enter the house on her own. She was being chased by a dog and ran right between my legs when I opened the door to see what the ruckus was. She ran all the way to the living room and then stopped when she realized where she was.
View attachment 2340031

Earlier that day she was just enjoying herself in the fall sun.
View attachment 2340032

What a memorable day for her.

Let's drop in on the The Greatest Hen Ever before we wrap up our trip back in time. Set the way-back machine for September 15, 2016.

Not a lot happening this day but the flock did enjoy some leftover spaghetti sauce.
View attachment 2340038

Let's wrap with another gratuitous kittie photo. Why do large cats want to cram into small boxes?
View attachment 2340040

That is it for today's journey back. Mr. Peabody please set the way-back machine to take us back home.

Love the Way-Back machine! And by the way, small cats simply choose even smaller boxes.

 

[RoyalChick]

It is beautiful isn't it. I would be tempted to put a desk and chair in there so I could hang out with them. Maybe a bookshelf and a reading lamp!

You would be most welcome! But don't forget the steeply sloping floor. Makes the whole chair and desk thing a bit awkward!

 

[RoyalChick]

Sorry, I just got on this morning. That is a lash egg. It’s basically a pus ball. Are you certain it’s from Maggie? You do need to determine who is laying those, as she needs help. If she were mine, I would treat her aggressively with a heavy duty broad range antibiotic. I’d start with doxycycline or even go straight to enrofloxacin.

Thank you. I started investigative sleuthing at 5:45 this morning when Diana and then Elizabeth laid perfectly normal eggs.
I guess I may be making an assumption that they wouldn't lay a normal egg right after a lash egg. Is that right do you think?
@BY Bob has been helping me out via PM and so has a visiting friend of mine who is a retired vet.
I am still pretty distressed about it all but haven't given up hope and I have no read enough to believe that it isn't anything that better care could have prevented.
It is still odd that it is Maggie as she is young, apparently in good health and a Rhode Island Red which I haven't read are particularly susceptible.

 

[RoyalChick]

Oh dear. I need to go read the full emergency thread. Salpingitis is typically not a husbandry issue.

I know that now. Just my guilt playing up.

 

[micstrachan]

Who's Laying? Mystery Solved!

I swear sometimes I forget I have cameras in the coop. I've been wondering who is laying the very few eggs I am getting. So today I finally turned on the coop cameras and armed them so they would record whenever someone entered the coop. I successfully identified who laid today. I also picked up some other interesting video along the way.

Our first egg laying occurred at 8:05 am this morning.

It took her 1 hour 15 minutes to lay her egg. On the way out she grabbed some of Hatties feathers and tried to add them to the nest.

Next up would be this young lady.

Isn't it odd how she is walking? I wonder why?

She started on the nest at 12:58 pm. At 1:27 I open the screen door on the deck. Check out Sydney's reaction.

After snacking on the deck with everyone else, Sydney returned to the nest and after 1 hour 25 minutes laid her egg.

Those were today's eggs, here are some other interesting videos.

Phyllis came into the coop to fix her head feathers.

Hattie knocking Phyllis off the roost. It takes 2 videos and you miss the fall.

Hattie has not been rooster for most of the summer but she is bad at it. You can see her use her step to get up on the roost and then she needs to get past Phyllis to get to her favorite spot. So Phyllis must get down.

Phyllis must move out of the way and get back up. So she showed Hattie how to get on the roost without a step.

It’s so awesome that you have all this footage, Bob. I seriously need to step up coop cams as a priority!

 

[micstrachan]

Thank you. I started investigative sleuthing at 5:45 this morning when Diana and then Elizabeth laid perfectly normal eggs.
I guess I may be making an assumption that they wouldn't lay a normal egg right after a lash egg. Is that right do you think?
@BY Bob has been helping me out via PM and so has a visiting friend of mine who is a retired vet.
I am still pretty distressed about it all but haven't given up hope and I have no read enough to believe that it isn't anything that better care could have prevented.
It is still odd that it is Maggie as she is young, apparently in good health and a Rhode Island Red which I haven't read are particularly susceptible.

I think if the lash eggs are small, they can still lay normal eggs, as well. So I’m not totally confident that a real egg completely rules out salpingitis.

 

[micstrachan]

Sydney is walking like she's kacked her pants. I wonder if it is because she can feel an egg about to come out?

I love seeing Phyllis check out her hairdo in the mirror.

She even got back on that roost without using her wings for lift. What strong legs she has!

Oh my Frick, that was funny! I almost kacked my own pants reading it!

 

[RoyalChick]

I think if the lash eggs are small, they can still lay normal eggs, as well. So I’m not totally confident that a real egg completely rules out salpingitis.

Oh gosh. So I need to keep sleuthing to try and get definitive proof. Thank you for letting me know that.