Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[goldenfingers]

Here is everyone tucked up for the night tonight. The two Little Princesses are on the far left. That is a very peaceful arrangement as long as Maggie is in her favorite place squished up against the wall as she is now. If Maggie is next to the Little Princesses they get a few pecks in the head until everyone settles down.
Note the window is closed and nobody tries to go up there any more.
View attachment 2388517

I am outrageously behind in my reading, but I get such a laugh out of seeing your roosting pictures of Maggie crammed to half her size against the wall there! I couldn't help but post a reply.

 

[BY Bob]

That's not the best way to look at it! What about all the magical times, WITH the ones we have lost?

Clearly the joy outweighs the loss. Why else would you persevere with that level of loss. I was feeding Lilly some corn by hand tonight and thinking of all the fun we have had together in the last 5 years. She has been so worth it. And to think I rescued her as well. I am blessed she has lasted so long.

If I can get at least 5 years with the rest of them I think that would be joyous.

 

[featherhead007]

Clearly the joy outweighs the loss. Why else would you persevere with that level of loss. I was feeding Lilly some corn by hand tonight and thinking of all the fun we have had together in the last 5 years. She has been so worth it. And to think I rescued her as well. I am blessed she has lasted so long.

If I can get at least 5 years with the rest of them I think that would be joyous.

Now you're talking!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

The Tally

The conversation, I'm no longer sure on which thread, regarding the chickens lost by @Ribh and @featherhead007 couple with it being the 5 year anniversary of Elphie's passing had me thinking of all the chickens that have come and gone at Fluffy Butt Acres. Here are the sad totals. We have been in the chicken business since 2013, over 7 years now. We have not been real food at this apparently.

Killed by Predators

• Dolly: Hawk, 2014
• Maleficent: Likely a weasel, 2020

Drowned in the Pool

• Elphie, 2015
• Dusty, 2020

Medical Issues

• Trisha: Cloacal Prolapse, 2015
• Daisy (the greatest hen ever): Salpingitis, 2018
• Patsy: Old Age?, 2019

Removed from the Flock

• Jabberwocky, 2019

Not counting Jabber, that's 1 chicken lost a year. Doesn't make me feel like I'm doing a great job. I don't know that I would trust my chickens with me.

I have only just begun chicken keeping (middle of May this year) and I have lost six.
The first two (out of four) died the day after I got them from TSC. Not sure what was wrong with them, but after that, I got more chicks and was careful about choosing healthy ones and I had better luck. So I was sad that they died but it wasn’t my fault.
I lost four at about 9 weeks old to a predator while I was away and a chicken sitter was feeding them for me. She found them dead in their run in the morning.
I was so distraught when that happened I couldn’t talk about it and I didn’t tell anyone about it for weeks. I felt like a terrible chicken mom.
I raised children, and dogs, and cats, and I never had problems with keeping them alive!
I take the best care of my birds, but they seem so much more vulnerable than any animal I ever had.

 

[RoyalChick]

The Tally

The conversation, I'm no longer sure on which thread, regarding the chickens lost by @Ribh and @featherhead007 couple with it being the 5 year anniversary of Elphie's passing had me thinking of all the chickens that have come and gone at Fluffy Butt Acres. Here are the sad totals. We have been in the chicken business since 2013, over 7 years now. We have not been real food at this apparently.

Killed by Predators

• Dolly: Hawk, 2014
• Maleficent: Likely a weasel, 2020

Drowned in the Pool

• Elphie, 2015
• Dusty, 2020

Medical Issues

• Trisha: Cloacal Prolapse, 2015
• Daisy (the greatest hen ever): Salpingitis, 2018
• Patsy: Old Age?, 2019

Removed from the Flock

• Jabberwocky, 2019

Not counting Jabber, that's 1 chicken lost a year. Doesn't make me feel like I'm doing a great job. I don't know that I would trust my chickens with me.

No no no no no. You cannot look at it that way. Look at the lives they had with you and the lovely lives your current flock have. You are a wonderful caring chicken-tender and we all learn so much from you. Don't get down-hearted.

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!

My son went off to school this morning and came back in a panic straight away.

“The gate was open and River’s out the front!” He shrieked.

I grabbed some feed and dashed out the front. Sure enough, she’s pottering around on the grass next to the road. I tempted her into the back yard and went to check who was still there. Faithful Lucy was by the back door and Charlie was on the nest. Tegan and Nyssa were nowhere to be found. My in-laws live next door so I frantically called my MIL and asked her to help me find them. Then while I’m on the phone to hubby, telling him off for leaving the gate open, a lovely man approached me and asked if I was looking for chickens? I said I was and he showed me that they were in the front garden of the neighbours on the other side of my in-laws. I was so relieved! I thanked him profusely and put the bowl of feed down. Tegan came up and squatted when I went to grab her. I put her in the back yard and by this time my MIL had got dressed and come out (I’m still running around in my dressing-gown!) She’s herding and I’m tempting and Nyssa ducks into my in-laws’ garden. My FIL had also some out so the three of us were trying to catch/herd her.

Well, she wasn’t having any of that, so she runs down the back! She escaped into a bushy garden and my FIL grabbed her by the tail-feathers! He hauled her out and I took her back around, thanking them both profusely.

View attachment 2395775

Here’s the little Lara Croft of the chicken world! I bet it was her idea to go exploring! It doesn’t surprise me that it was the three Faverolles that went off; before we got them they had access to a large property.

Excuse me whilst I go and collapse for the rest of the day.

She does look rather please with herself.

 

[RoyalChick]

I am outrageously behind in my reading, but I get such a laugh out of seeing your roosting pictures of Maggie crammed to half her size against the wall there! I couldn't help but post a reply.

Yes - whoever gets the spot by the wall ends up very squished - but they seem to like it. Cozy I guess!

 

[featherhead007]

I love the way my "Canna" is singing to me, at this moment. Kinda a high pitched shrill. (Soft and lovely)

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

It's November 1st....

It is snowing...


At least all the chooks are snug and warm in their coops!!

 

[featherhead007]

It's November 1st....
View attachment 2395996
It is snowing...


At least all the chooks are snug and warm in their coops!!

Hopefully!