Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Top hens ime rarely do the enforcing. It's usually the second in command. You may not stay top hen if you've been injured in a fight. Better to let the subordinates get injured. Seems to have worked out well for the top in all the human wars I've read about.

I concur. Bridge does not fight, and she is definitely the Boss. One look and others will get out if her way if she wants them to. Lately, I do notice her backing off from certain things... like when tomatoes are involved, sometimes she’ll hold firm and have her fill, other times she’ll let others in. She is also very tolerant of the junior hens and of the pullets. I feel a little sad for her, since her besties died last year. I’m not sure if she really has a special friend in the flock. I have more to say on that and will do so in another post.

 

[Shadrach]

It is not good - but the phrase 'off with the Covid' is wonderful.

Every noun is preceded with a pronoun here.
For example I would be called THE Bucket Boy.
Of course there is gender to take into account as well.
So in Catalan, The Gloria (la) is off with the (el) Covid.
Apart from confusing me it cracks me up.

 

[micstrachan]

HAWK!!!!!!

I promise to read everyone's posts but I just thwarted a hawk attack!

I was sitting in the yard, reading and hanging with the ladies. When to my back on the other side of the pool some dogs took off and scattered. The girls gave a pseudo alarm, pause for a moment and then went back to grooming and scratching.

After a new moments I noticed that it was completely silent. The song birds were gone. The squirrels were gone. Just too quite. I was uneasy. (In fact, as I type this, it has happened again. It is quiet right now. No animal sounds.)

Well that made me look up from the book. As I did I caught a glimpse of something in the peripheral vision of my right eye, above me. Lord bless me, I don't know why but my reaction was to stand up. I think my movement caused the hawk to alter course and get tangled in the trumpet vine above Sydney. It screeched as it got caught and then I moved towards it. Before I could get two steps, it was untangled and gone.

This is the view from where I was sitting.
View attachment 2425197

Lets step back and look at the geometry of everything.
View attachment 2425198

This whole party of the year has excellent aerial coverage. The magnolia tree and trumpet vine meet so there is no path through (purple arrow). There is a small gap of no more than 2 feet between the clothes line and the trumpet vine. I think the hawk was shooting for that gap.

I don't think that Sydney was the target as she was actually right up against the fence. I think the target was Sansa!

Usually after a thwarted attempt the hawk returns. So I armed myself.
View attachment 2425204

In this instance, unless it happens now, there has been no return visit. Everyone is quite fine grazing in the yard as my pulse slowly comes back to normal. That was definitely a close one.

That trumpet vine was the location of a lot of playing song birds today. I am guessing that may have first attacked the hawk.

Yikes, Bob. That is scary the hawk would strike while you’re sitting right there!

 

[featherhead007]

Every noun is preceded with a pronoun here.
For example I would be called THE Bucket Boy.
Of course there is gender to take into account as well.
So in Catalan, The Gloria (la) is off with the (el) Covid.
Apart from confusing me it cracks me up.

Quite el-interesting !

 

[micstrachan]

@BY Bob can you recommend a hawk nerf gun like that? I need one badly.

Tax: Corny Bobby on my head thinks it’s FB Friday. Fancy Blanche on my lap thinks it’s Mug Monday. Split the difference?

View attachment 2425249

I just love this photo!!!

 

[micstrachan]

Just for you.......View attachment 2425389

I love me some Hattie, too. Lavendar Orpingtons have been on “my list” for some time.

 

[Shadrach]

What I've found is the US recommendations are useless as regards my country so my recommendation would be to find one oriented to your country of origin otherwise you will be hunting for equivalents & never sure if you've got the best stuff.

I'm finding this a major problem with BYC. There are some excellent articles but the author often uses brand names rather than the active chemical.
Of course, go on the English speaking web and one gets swamped with stuff from the US.
Add to this many people who write about chickens have websites so even on UTube vids you get directed to their web site having sat through a load of irrelevant crap waiting for that important bit of info.
I could do with learning Chinese......

 

[Shadrach]

I love you...❤ please don’t hold back on Good book recommendations! This one is expected to arrive between Christmas and late January!!!

Steady Kris, steady! We hardly know each other..........

 

[featherhead007]

I'm finding this a major problem with BYC. There are some excellent articles but the author often uses brand names rather than the active chemical.
Of course, go on the English speaking web and one gets swamped with stuff from the US.
Add to this many people who write about chickens have websites so even on UTube vids you get directed to their web site having sat through a load of irrelevant crap waiting for that important bit of info.
I could do with learning Chinese......

Shad, That's why I only listen to the BBC, to get news about my own country USA.

 

[Shadrach]

I love the thought of a Skype, but yeah, if not the Data, the connectivity here can be pretty iffy. I’ve found I get better signal by putting my phone on speaker and sticking it to the range hood using the magnetic case (I think it turns the trailer into a Giant antenna!). Speaking of which, here are my pullets enjoying their stove and range hood.
View attachment 2429343
and that little hay string above it was what I was trying to get a pic of one of them on the other night! Just imagine... and she was perching pretty well too! The stove is on the “pull it out and maybe install in a cabin” list, hence the plastic...

I like this picture. It just has something. Can't quite put it into words.