Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[goldenfingers]

When I saw her post that comment I thought you might remind her.

Just so everyone understands the difference between this set up and what Patsy & Lilly were enclosed in I need to say this. These hens do not need rescued. They are living quite well in a very clever coop/run. Patsy, Lilly and around 10 other hens lived in a space under a deck with about 2 feet of clearance. It was about 4 feet deep and maybe 12 feet wide. There were no roosts and just a dusty dirt floor. It was on the north side of the house so sunlight was limited if at all present. It was a completely different environment than @goldenfingers set up. I think that this under the deck set up is very clever.

Thanks for the support @BY Bob!

 

[RoyalChick]

Scooby said his charge is 1 can of wet food per hour.

Pricey!
I will consult with my fur chickens - they might offer a discount. ... ... ..
Oh. No. I was mistaken. They think that is a very fair price and have no intention of waking up long enough to consider a discount.

 

[Kris5902]

When I saw her post that comment I thought you might remind her.

Just so everyone understands the difference between this set up and what Patsy & Lilly were enclosed in I need to say this. These hens do not need rescued. They are living quite well in a very clever coop/run. Patsy, Lilly and around 10 other hens lived in a space under a deck with about 2 feet of clearance. It was about 4 feet deep and maybe 12 feet wide. There were no roosts and just a dusty dirt floor. It was on the north side of the house so sunlight was limited if at all present. It was a completely different environment than @goldenfingers set up. I think that this under the deck set up is very clever.

I also rescind my comments about the under the deck coop...as an overall, not in regards to what you rescues Patsy and Lilly from! this is more what I’m thinking like, but probably taller thanks to my slope and FIL’s insistence on a large crawlspace. DH and I fought to keep it as small as possible but it is still a 5’ drop, or I may continue to excavate some, do cinderblocks under the deck and backfill heavily to create a root cellar... though I’m not sure how
Well it will work with our climate.

 

[Kris5902]

Pricey!
I will consult with my fur chickens - they might offer a discount. ... ... ..
Oh. No. I was mistaken. They think that is a very fair price and have no intention of waking up long enough to consider a discount.

I will not let my fur chickens see any of these posts! They are already at 4+ cans a day! The medium ones... they wake me Up for a feeding sometime between 2-6am every day now.

 

[Shadrach]

Mel got through four and a half ounces of mashed cod, shrimp and commercial feed today.
That's excellent for a hen of her size.
The mix is roughly 30% protein and less than 1% fat.
She didn't show any sign of wanting to leave until Tribe 1 came round for supper and even then it was a bit half hearted.
She's in with me again tonight.
If she'll stay one more day and night eating like this and resting, I'll feel a lot happier.
She looks a lot happier this evening. If she wasn't moulting I would have taken her home this evening.

Today. As you can see, the door is open and Cillin was here much of the afternoon.

Supper in bed.

 

[Shadrach]

If anyone's interested, I did a member interview and it's just been published.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/byc-member-interview-maryjanet.1429950/

I better read it then. I don't read them as a rule.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Wow, and wow again! I think Fluffy-Butt Buffy has my vote for the "Plushbottom of the Year" award!

I thank you. Buffy thanks you.
She does have a plush bottom, doesn’t she???

 

[Shadrach]

She's one tough chick. I hope she recovers well and quickly.

Will you be keeping her with you for observation or is she better off with the flock?

Usually I would get her with her tribe as quickly as possible. But, she's moulting and at best she would be on the outskirts of the tribe and often foraging away from the tribe. This is probably why she got the strike.

 

[Shadrach]

You are a wonderful chicken keeper. I suspect you don’t like the term “keeper,” but I’m not sure how else to word it. Chicken human? Chicken servant?

Bob has it right a few posts down.

 

[BY Bob]

3 Rounds of Out and Out Brawling

I am beside myself right now and I definitely need some advice. I have no idea what is going on but all out warfare broke out today between Hattie and Aurora. That's right Hattie. I can't believe it.

They went 3 rounds that I have seen. Lilly broke up the first two by wading into the fight. I filmed the 3rd one in which Lilly was actually involved as it broke out. No joke, they looked like roosters going at it. I have never seen anything like this.

Here is the video of the 3rd bout. I'm putting most of this behind a spoiler. I did not intervene. I need to know if everyone thinks that is the right policy moving forward. They are each wounded. The wounds are not serious, they are their combs up by their beaks. I will also put photos of the wounds behind spoilers.

Patsy and Jabber never fought like this. It is quite vicious.

Spoiler: Hattie and Aurora fight

Spoiler: Wounded

About 30 minutes after the fight, this is how the flock is grouped.

I'm looking for anyone with experience with something like this or even just common sense. @Shadrach I am guessing that roosters don't let this happen but maybe not. Any thoughts?