Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I will trade you... I’ll take the rodent problem and you can have my cow infestation... I love them, but they are making mornings impossible! Just a few more days and I will be kicking them out of here!

I have to say, though, I think I have a good pasture recovery/improvement plan going. First graze the cows to knock down the greenery to a reasonable height, then run the chickens intensively for fertilizer and weed control (they love 2/3 of the worst of the weeds here) then run the cows again feeding hay, which re-seeds the pasture with desirable grasses and adds organic material to increase loam and water retention.

Brilliant plan Kris. The chooks can also break up the cow pats and eat the weed seeds.

 

[Shadrach]

He seemed very calm to me. Or is that me being blindly optimistic?

I wonder what they treat their water with? I imagine that it wouldn't be very good for his skin and feathers.

On a side note, when my greyhound first saw my kids swimming in an in ground pool she became frantic, running back and forth along the edge and eventually jumping in to try and rescue them.

She sank like a stone. The kids ended up having to rescue her

Paralysed with fear perhaps.
Most animals will try to swim to save their lives. That doesn't mean they like being in the water.
When someone comes up with a video of a group of chickens going for a swim at the seaside, lying in the sun to dry off then going back in for another dip then I'll reassess my view.
I would have Gedit here if chickens could swim and Bob would have two more than he has.

 

[micstrachan]

That's very interesting - your other breeds just hang with the dog, or run away from him/her? I don't have any experience except with these Buckeyes.

I wish I could really tell the four pullets apart now as I used to. Maybe I will band them? Butters, with the lightest coloring, used to be a lead chick, and I think it is she who has the courage to face off with the Fur Chicken (cat) Big Boy on a regular basis. Big Boy is a drop-off stray who was/is basically an indoors cat, really has no clue how to hunt, and knew the chicks since Day One. He would sit and watch them. As they grew I let them come close while holding him, and let him move away as he wanted. Now they are taller than him and fiercer than him. So he backs away, poor thing, all he wants to do is hang with me while I'm with them. Sometimes when I go over to pet and reassure him, that just emboldens Butters to face off again and drive him further off unless I can pick him up first. Even then he asks to be put down so he can run away! Big Boy gets his cuddles and lap time in the Big Coop.

When Butters sees whom I think is Popcorn - she was a chick with indominable spunk - or it could be Peanut, who used to hang with Butters - coming over to join her (they used to hang together, maybe still do? There are two foraging pairs) they both setout at a full run to ambush poor Big Boy. He is relegated to about 30 feet away. Then they leave him alone. But he still wants to sit and watch them. Sometimes they run at him from behind too - and he hears their feet approaching only when very close. He crouches for some kind of unknown assault while turning to look, and usually makes a quick bounding getaway at the last minute.

It does sometimes look like play, does your dog consider it play? The Buckeyes have a great curiosity about this cat too. There have been a few times Big Boy appears to feel safe enough among them as long as he is sitting on something just above their height. They tend to tolerate him like that. However, that can leave his gently moving tail quite vulnerable. Man, that thing hanging down with the end curling a bit, moving this way and that....what a tempting thing for a chicken to investigate! Twice now, I've seen two or three of them approach it slowly and warily, quietly stepping left and right, but ever closer. They can't help themselves it seems, it is so very interesting. Each time I observed this, Big Boy would suddenly notice these Ninja Chickens right behind him and leap away to safety. Good thing, all Fur Chickens must protect their tails!

What a fun situation to watch! My dog has zero interest in playing with the chickens. She has been chewed out by me for trampling them while chasing the ball. She knows a firm “gentle!” means to look before she runs. She is also very high strung (border collie) and will not just relax around them. It’s actuslly a shame, as I think she coukd be fine friends with thjs year’s chicks (now 15-week pullets.) I have seen them try to groom her or jump on her, but she just flinches away.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

That's a good comeback but if he's read the bible he's already read the Torah! Perhaps he should try the Midrash instead?

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I'd never heard of the Midrash. I had to look it up. Thank you for the lesson Ribh!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

They haven't shown any enthusiasm for the task yet. Tap, she hates human contact. Moon, well she might if I put her on my shoulder.

Try sprinkling some birdseed in your hair. They'll catch on quickly.

 

[micstrachan]

Abject Terror or How did chickens get their name?

Monday afternoon was a complete terror for my flock. You can see the fear in their eyes.
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I heard them squawking and came outside and found them clumped under the apple trees and then pacing back and forth along the fence. What was frightening them so?

A tree trimmer.

My neighbor was having her birch tree trimmed back.
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These are hens who are all in my business when I run power tools. That chain saw was too loud for them.

Check out the fear as the flock runs from the apple trees to the corner behind the magnolia tree.

I felt so bad for them. It was almost 2 hours of this kind of terror. Poor babies.

Poor, poor babies! My neighbor had two huge pine trees taken down this year right next to my property. They were so close, the chicken run always had pine needles hanging from the hardware cloth top. This tree removal went on FOR WEEKS, as it seemed they’d work on it at the end of the day after whatever other jobs they had going. The flock was terrorized. I’d come home from work and all ten would be crammed into the 3x5 “sunroom” under the upper level of yhe coop. That’s as far away as theg could get while confined to the run.

 

[micstrachan]

Rodents vs RC - the saga continues
No traps were sprung overnight but the cameras showed at least 2 and possibly 3 mice in the Palace having a ball gorging on scraps of chicken food. I can't believe that I had sealed in that many mice so I still think they are getting in somehow even though my cameras on the foundation show them trying but failing to get past my Saturday patches and fortifications. There must be somewhere I missed.
Rodents 3: RC 0
Maggie had a rough start to the morning because Diana shoved her off the roost because she was in the way (Diana gets up at least 40 minutes before dawn to lay an egg). I can't believe I wasn't aware of the pecking order before. Diana is a bully! Is it possible that it wasn't my observation skills but that it is getting more extreme (adding new Princesses, shorter days etc.)?
And talking of adding new Princesses this fluffy butt is Minnie exploring the nest box. There are 6 boxes but they all use one. Both Dotty and Minnnie had a look around but I only got the shot of Minnie. Both their combs are bright red but I assumed with the shorter days they wouldn't start laying until the spring.

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Hmmmm... I think you’ll be getting 2020 eggs from them!

 

[Shadrach]

I'd never heard of the Midrash. I had to look it up. Thank you for the lesson Ribh!

I had the misfortune of being sent to a convent school when I was young. I got expelled from the primary school I was at and the convent was the only local school that would take me. There were 500ish girls there and when I was there, nine boys.
What was the problem with that one might think.
The problem was, once the boys reached 11 years old they could no longer go there.

 

[micstrachan]

Cillin when he first discovered he was a dad.
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The lovely Dink with young Donk and Dent.
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Fat Bird and Major in the bath. Mini Minx and Random.
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These are all so lovely!

 

[micstrachan]

A while back we were talking transport. Some very nice cars came up in converstation.
This was my transport a while back. Posh eh!
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Very cool!