Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Kris5902]

When I saw this I meant to say that I am honored that you chose my thread. I really have missed you and it is great to have you back again.

Well, we are all over here, and you mentioned me in a comment or two, so this was the first place I checked out after getting back online again. I do have to get caught up on other threads, but I just don’t have the time yet!

 

[Kris5902]

Watch It Song Bird!

Unfortunately my back yard is a major source of food for not only chickens, but wild animals too. The bird feeders not only draw song birds but also squirrels. What now seems to be, millions of squirrels. So many that Lilly and Phyllis have given up trying to chase them off. They are so aggressive they are in the magnolia tree next to me lined up for snacks at the bird feeder. I could just grab them right out of the tree.

Fall is not just affecting the squirrels but also the song birds. So much so that the song birds are now trying to snatch food that i have put out on the deck for the chickens.

Yesterday a song bird tried to take food from Sydney. Now everyone takes food from Sydney including Phyllis if she can be quick enough. I saw something yesterday I had not seen before, ever.

Sydney pecked the tiny song bird to run it off.

This first peck was very kind. It was clearly not meant to hurt but to say, " kindly move on, this is my food"

Astonishingly, the song bird did not leave. It hopped back again.

The second peck was with more purpose. As if you say, "this is mine, I'm not joking"

The song bird bounced away and then CAME BACK AGAIN!

Sydney is over 100 times bigger than this pesky little songbird. The third peck was designed to permanently implant that message in the song bird's head. I was sure it was going to be dead. However the song bird dodged the strike and flew off. Sydney was left with her food.

I don't know if the song bird was "counting coup" to impress her friends or was really that hungry to risk getting pecked by a chicken. No matter what, she has brass ones.

So today when I spotted a song bird at the chicken snacks on the deck I thought "good for you". Of course, if it was the same bird (no way to be certain), it either had more respect for Sansa or learned its lesson yesterday. When Sansa spotted the bird with a piece of food, Sansa decided to take the food from the song bird. Before Sansa ever got into beak range that song bird was gone.

This is actually quite worrisome if you ask me. Hilarious, True, but also worrisome. This sort of behavior and aggressive feeding can indicate a nasty winter coming, especially with the squirrels.

 

[BY Bob]

The result of a misspent childhood watching British comedy!

That is a well spent youth!

 

[BY Bob]

I would go with "loose dogs shot on sight" it's not true but imagine the effect of such a sign on dog owners. They'd leash their dogs in a heartbeat.

Actually I don't think so. Here they still wouldn't and they would sue you if you shot it. You better have proof it was attacking your livestock.

 

[BY Bob]

“Private Property, No Dogs, Bull at Large”

I want to post this on every gate and fenceline between us and the Park as well. I have to say I do seem to have a whole lot in common with @Shadrach although DH puts his foot down at the House Chickens.

You may have to break out the reading glasses for this one, but here’s a sign (new?) from the western Beach giving some of the history of our Farm. I wonder, looking back, if the sale of the unusable-for-farming land to parks was such a great idea? Did they anticipate all the tourist issues, and disrespectful dog owners?
View attachment 2389499

That is interesting. I wish all property came with a historical description like that.

 

[Ribh]

That is a well spent youth!

My dad was nearly a generation older than my mum & when t.v first arrived it was only ABC & a lot of the ABC was from the BBC so it was a pretty conservative household even when more channels began.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

The Little Princesses
I think Minnie is higher up the ladder and Dotty is below her. I think. As they grow up they are getting harder to tell apart. Only tiny differences in appearance. They have different characters. Minnie is more outgoing to people and will still jump on my back if I bend over to grab something from the floor. Dotty is bolder with the chickens and I think inclined to be bossy. But I love them both.
View attachment 2388481

These two are very cute chickens!

 

[BY Bob]

This is actually quite worrisome if you ask me. Hilarious, True, but also worrisome. This sort of behavior and aggressive feeding can indicate a nasty winter coming, especially with the squirrels.

That is exactly what I have been telling Mrs BY Bob. I am concerned.

We are way overdue for a bad winter.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

The usual suspects.


View attachment 2388882

Great photo!

 

[Kris5902]

That is interesting. I wish all property came with a historical description like that.

Well, it’s not fully detailed in the most recent history part... it left out the family Drama, that the parks land was actually sold for a pretty penny, and that the road to this side of the island (which was put through in the 90’s) was, and still is, technically illegal. Andrew’s great Uncle Bob had a falling out with his Brother in Law (Andrew’s Grandpa) and sold the land to spite him. It also reduced the pasture and hay production by over half at the time. Could have sunk the farm. His section was subdivided into a bunch of waterfront lots on the south side and the vineyard which replaced some of the best fields on the farm. The entire south side of the island was, and still is, zoned “water access only” but the Strata was granted permission to put in a private road down the mountain, which was not supposed to actually connect to anything. There was supposed to be a parking area at the base of the hill and a 6’ gated drop at bottom. But it ended up all “accidentally” paved. I believe the fines involved in that was a good part of the Vineyards first bankruptcy (of three!).