Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Not today. Mrs BY Bob just told me to lay low today. It is supposed to be rainy and nasty this afternoon. I need to get the shower curtains installed on the coop for winter. I should burn some brush. I don't know. I can't lay around all day.

I'm pretty sore from all the work on the car. That a lot of squeezing your body in tiny spaces. Even working with your legs above your head. Some of the time.

The heater worked great and we had a wonderful day yesterday for the club drive. I'll post on that in a moment.

I could just hang around here all day. Maybe write that coop article I keep meaning to do.

Sounds like a well-deserved rest (the cats who might take over the universe would approve) and more practically many of us are looking forward to the coop article!

 

[BY Bob]

Saturday Drive

We had another successful drive in the 85 convertible with the Alfa club yesterday. With fully functioning heat for Mrs BY Bob.

I would not normally say more than that but the destination I think might be of interest to a lot of you. We wound up at Elizabeth Farms. A new (or old) kind of pig farm. Especially you @CrazyChookChookLady I think Anna might find this place kind of cool. It would be a great day trip for you.

At Elizabeth Farms they raise heritage Mangalitsa pigs, a breed that originated in Hungary and was on the verge of extinction just over a decade ago. Developed in the mid-19th century for Hungarian royalty, they are best identified by their thick, wooly coat of hair. The pigs have over 200 acres of forest, pasture and mud to roam. They live outdoors all year and happily spend their days in the sun foraging, and digging for grubs.

Here are some pigs just roaming the countryside.

The really exciting thing was the "hay" ride to go see the piglets. There had been 36 piglets born in the previous 24 hours. I took some video.

Here are the piglets playing and chasing each other.

And here are piglets not even a day old feeding. Mom oinks at them so they know they are supposed to feed now.

It really was wonderful to see pigs in a natural environment like this. Of course we supported the farm by purchasing beverages at their bar, mulled wine, and food, pork burgers with bacon, and even brought some products home.

It was a beautiful day as well, tailor made for a November day of driving.

Also spotted at the farm, some poultry!

 

[featherhead007]

Me too. I went to uni under Whitlam & it was the only way I could have afforded to do it. Ok, Literature & drama mightn't get you a job per se but I was blessed with terrific tutors & everything you ever need to know about people can be found between the pages of a book.

The Bible is a book! just saying.

 

[featherhead007]

So I’m still catching up, but want to jump into the education conversation. Any suggestions on helping my teenage daughter? She is very bright, but failing all her classes. Her assistant principal called her “very bright” more than once in our last meeting. Her history teacher called her “a gifted thinker.” She is educating herself on things that interest her all the time.

Here is her take on religion, which may offend some of you, and for that, I apologize. “Mom, have you ever noticed that religions all over the world are similar? What if religion is really just a collective conscience and the conscience knows the humans are too STUPID to understand, unless it’s put in a context that is consistent with their culture?” I am just trying to illustrate how her brain works.

What do I do with her? She feels the public school system is a waste of time. Here in California, kids still have to meet certain curriculum standards when home schooling, so I hadn’t considered that. She’ll be 18 and legally can drop out in a little over a year. Does it make me a bad mom that I’m not that worried about her failing high school? I don’t see how I can make her care about school, and I’m not sure I care that much myself, even though I have a degree in Biology from the University of California at Berkeley myself? She is not me. And she may have a lot more natural intelligence than I do. I just wish she could find some drive and I don’t know how to help her there. Thoughts?

Have her volunteer at a rescue mission. (There she can see what an uneducated society can turn into) I have volunteered for several years. "It's quite an experience"

 

[featherhead007]

Crows might just do it. They are super smart.

@TwoCrows Could do that! She's really smart!

 

[featherhead007]

Ok I first read this and thought there was some kind of home school chicken learning environment.

I just love these flock photos. You have been holding out on us.

I thought the same thing!

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

Saturday Drive

We had another successful drive in the 85 convertible with the Alfa club yesterday. With fully functioning heat for Mrs BY Bob.
View attachment 2411999

I would not normally say more than that but the destination I think might be of interest to a lot of you. We wound up at Elizabeth Farms. A new (or old) kind of pig farm. Especially you @CrazyChookChookLady I think Anna might find this place kind of cool. It would be a great day trip for you.

At Elizabeth Farms they raise heritage Mangalitsa pigs, a breed that originated in Hungary and was on the verge of extinction just over a decade ago. Developed in the mid-19th century for Hungarian royalty, they are best identified by their thick, wooly coat of hair. The pigs have over 200 acres of forest, pasture and mud to roam. They live outdoors all year and happily spend their days in the sun foraging, and digging for grubs.

Here are some pigs just roaming the countryside.
View attachment 2412002
View attachment 2412004
View attachment 2412005
View attachment 2412006

The really exciting thing was the "hay" ride to go see the piglets. There had been 36 piglets born in the previous 24 hours. I took some video.

Here are the piglets playing and chasing each other.

And here are piglets not even a day old feeding. Mom oinks at them so they know they are supposed to feed now.

It really was wonderful to see pigs in a natural environment like this. Of course we supported the farm by purchasing beverages at their bar, mulled wine, and food, pork burgers with bacon, and even brought some products home.

It was a beautiful day as well, tailor made for a November day of driving.

Also spotted at the farm, some poultry!
View attachment 2412017

That is a really nice looking farm!! I'll have to look into it.

The local Mennonite/Amish store raises their own turkey. They are soon ready.

Not the best picture, but it's a huge pasture filled with grasses, two shelters, and the nicest looking birds I've ever saw.

 

[featherhead007]

That is a really nice looking farm!! I'll have to look into it.

The local Mennonite/Amish store raises their own turkey. They are soon ready.

View attachment 2412101

Not the best picture, but it's a huge pasture filled with grasses, two shelters, and the nicest looking birds I've ever saw.

"Ready" For what?

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

"Ready" For what?

Thanksgiving! They'll be the guest of honor.

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

I took a bunch of pictures yesterday.

This is 3 out of 4 of Stanley's offspring. The only one missing is Lucky. Ella's is on the left, Ned in the middle, and Bobi on the right.

Lucky's mom is most certainly Goldie. They are the only 2 with white legs. Also Lucky has a super fluffy button, she just won't let me take a picture of it!

Stanley is still growing tail feathers! He's such a good roo.