Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

This is Mel. She's been pecking at my leg demanding food.
You may remember she got attacked and injured by a Goshawk a while ago and that I missed a puncture wound that became infected.
I've been cleaning her twice a day as well as dealing with Fudge.
Mel is still moulting but with regard to attitude and general fitness I would say she's going to be allright.
I'm not sure if the feathers around her chest and at the top underside of her wings will grow back this year but she's very much alive.

 

[MaryJanet]

This is Mel. She's been pecking at my leg demanding food.
You may remember she got attacked and injured by a Goshawk a while ago and that I missed a puncture wound that became infected.
I've been cleaning her twice a day as well as dealing with Fudge.
Mel is still moulting but with regard to attitude and general fitness I would say she's going to be allright.
I'm not sure if the feathers around her chest and at the top underside of her wings will grow back this year but she's very much alive.
View attachment 2431765

I've been thinking of her! Very happy to hear she's doing so well.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I need to catch up and I hope both chickens and humans are all okay! Here's an interesting Monday Mug Shot! Great look at her neck. I think she was trying to look at something on my headband, or maybe she could tell I was in dire need of some hair grooming!

 

[Anonymous Chicken]

Gotta love turkeys too

 

[BY Bob]

Panda just runs at Clover to scare her, and Clover is NEVER violent back.

Unfortunately that is life at the bottom of a pecking order that has a mean hen in it.

 

[featherhead007]

It always seems that in life, it’s always the kindest and gentle chickens (and people) who seem to be victimized.
has been my experience anyways

 

[BY Bob]

Jaffar posed for me this Mugshot Monday morning:
View attachment 2431639

Mrs BY Bob thinks he is super cute! I think he's pretty swell as well.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

My girls have done the same thing while eating scratch at the "breakfast bar" (a log with crevices).
I was wondering if I'd have to do the equivalent of the chicken Heimlich maneuver. It's reassuring to know others have observed this and their hens are no worse for wear.

Yes! The thought was, OMG, what's going on and what do I need to do about this???

I wonder if the height of the scratch offering makes a difference? Maybe if it's on the ground then they would have to toss it back and it might end up differently in the throat and be better, more natural? I wonder if the height of their crumbles feeder should be lower too, not at shoulder height? I've seen this once in a while after they eat there.

Then again, they grab at some tall grass or flower's seed heads and pull them sideways to get them off, and sometimes it's quite high and they stretch for it.

But I'm currently thinking that it likely has to do with pigging out and eating really fast, which maneuvers chickens supposedly have perfected....in nature though....in which case it wouldn't be the height of the food and the throwback involved but the amount they can get in their beak with one grab....which in nature wouldn't be all that much. So it may be more natural to make each bite be a regular tiny one by having them eat in bits, not whole beak-fulls.

One pullet here has perfected grabbing several mealworms out of my hand in a big cluster in her beak and taking one or two steps away from the others to eat them in a couple of gulps. She's really good at it. Another, I think is Hazel, stays right there ignoring everyone else and rapidly pecks away like a sewing machine. I might count her pecks per minute sometime! There's a lot going on at mealtimes.

I don't have enough data on this to really tell. WHEN ARE THE BOOKS GETTING HERE???

 

[BY Bob]

Does that mean Shad is a work of art, evoking emotional responses like that?

Sure, why not! He's a real work of art.

 

[featherhead007]

Mrs BY Bob thinks he is super cute! I think he's pretty swell as well.

I’m quite fond of him, myself