Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Kris5902]

Why mess with it, unless it will suffer in the winter of if there is no feed here for it to live.

Well they could just feed it a bit, maybe a few more will appear and there will be a feral population? Like our turkeys, or the peacocks plaguing my cousin in Surrey? Lol, or should it be dun, dun , dunnnn!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Not impressed by dead mouse, actually the opposite

Found that we caught a mouse in the drawer trap last night and thinking of @RoyalChick I decided to see if the pullets would have any interest. First thing this morning. Bad idea. I was barely awake. Buckeyes are famous for being mousers, but maybe not these gals, maybe not yet, and maybe it has to be a live mouse, not a dead one, at least for starters. They're five months old now. The mouse seems kind of big. Also I really should be more awake prior to these little experiments. What was I thinking?

I approached the run with dry meal worms and the stiff mouse, and everybody came over to the door, and they were really excited to see the mealworm jar, and they all jumped in to have some when I scattered it in a small area of the run near me. Yum! Pecking away. Contented buks.

Then I tossed the mouse over to the center of the run without warning, kinda over their heads. It didn't land in the middle of them, it was a good two feet away. But nonetheless that was a bad move. They jumped and bawkked and then seriously gave the warning sounds of deep bok, bok, bok, bokking. They moved away and to the side while looking intently at the dead, still body lying over there. Then they absolutely froze with heads cocked at it while continuing to make the serious warning sounds.

So I tried to reassure them by talking to them, telling them it's just a mouse. See, maybe you'd like it?

And I reached over them and picked it up by the end of it's tail to show them how harmless it was, but of course that was a bad move too, as now it was swinging wildly from my hand, and again it was over somebody's head, who then freaked out, let out a full bakaawwwk and flapped and stumbled sideways away. This set everybody off on a another session of vigorous deep bokking while stepping this way and that, eyes on the swinging mouse, unsure where that thing was going next and where the safest place to be was.

What was I thinking? I removed my hand with the mouse and put the mouse out of sight, outside the door. I got the mealworms going again. The deep bokking stopped. What? You've still got mealworms? Oh, yes, please! Please! Very happy to see the mealworms!

Contented pecking and making those little buk buk sounds.
I promised myself and them I'll never do something like that again. What was I thinking? Not very much, and definitely not enough, I'd say....

 

[Kris5902]

I wish I lived closer, I could have done all that for you. I did it on the 85 convertible a few years back. Including new master cylinder. Had a bear of a time bleeding the whole system but I got it done.

I re-did her brakes at 13 with my dad, a lot of it is just our environmental issues, as in scary not level, oh so much mud, and oh s*** the jack is sliding!!! Our roads are super ‘special’. Plus we are helping the new apprentice mechanic out too, and his shop rate is super reasonable $65/hr is a steal here ($CAD)

 

[WhoDatChick]

And I’ve mostly caught up... I believe I missed a few pages maybe on Saturday and early Sunday... but wow, over 40 pages behind... I haven’t been that far back since I got back online regularly again. I’ve been gone since Saturday because it was a very rough day here. Things didn’t go well in communicating with the in-laws, and I was honestly ready to pack it all in and leave between 3-6am on Sunday morning. After the stressful day, I found out through Facebook that a dear friend from work I had fallen out of touch with died. I did not take that well. I am fairly certain that Covid was partially to blame (social restrictions, and the psychological affects of this virus are hitting hard on many of my old friends). Although it wasn’t announced, everyone I’ve spoken with who also knew him, agrees it was most likely a Drug OverDose, probably not a suicide. Sunday was a write off. I didn’t even do the chickens... DH took care of it all for me. Monday was better, and we got some work done around the trailer. yesterday was jam packed with Chores and DH’s birthday dinner (47, a roasted chicken, don’t tell the girls) exchanging vehicles at the Garage, and getting the Sawmill ready to transport for repairs.

Chicken Tax photos will come eventually, they currently are all hiding from the windstorm, I just heard some more trees or large limbs come down, and I need to head out to fix my tarps again (3x today so far)... but here is how not to fix a portable sawmill (anyone remember the haystring tractor repair I shared a couple Two hay seasons ago?)View attachment 2434379
And my truck... now with brakes, but still some more brake repairs to go (one more rotor and caliper, and all the brake lines to go). Hey, she is stopping, it’s a win! And a flashy, new to me, only slightly cracked, high end fiberglass canopy... for dry feed transportation, a sure way to prevent precipitation for the near future!View attachment 2434380

So sorry about your friend Kris

 

[BY Bob]

I have to do something about Beethoven-Hen. She’s still picking on the others. And it’s worse, when I attempt to pet any of the other hens. (She doesn’t care about the roosters) “No peace in our time”

Been there. Pecky hens are a way of life here.

 

[Kris5902]

Not impressed by dead mouse, actually the opposite

Found that we caught a mouse in the drawer trap last night and thinking of @RoyalChick I decided to see if the pullets would have any interest. First thing this morning. Bad idea. I was barely awake. Buckeyes are famous for being mousers, but maybe not these gals, maybe not yet, and maybe it has to be a live mouse, not a dead one, at least for starters. They're five months old now. The mouse seems kind of big. Also I really should be more awake prior to these little experiments. What was I thinking?

I approached the run with dry meal worms and the stiff mouse, and everybody came over to the door, and they were really excited to see the mealworm jar, and they all jumped in to have some when I scattered it in a small area of the run near me. Yum! Pecking away. Contented buks.

Then I tossed the mouse over to the center of the run without warning, kinda over their heads. It didn't land in the middle of them, it was a good two feet away. But nonetheless that was a bad move. They jumped and bawkked and then seriously gave the warning sounds of deep bok, bok, bok, bokking. They moved away and to the side while looking intently at the dead, still body lying over there. Then they absolutely froze with heads cocked at it while continuing to make the serious warning sounds.

So I tried to reassure them by talking to them, telling them it's just a mouse. See, maybe you'd like it?

And I reached over them and picked it up by the end of it's tail to show them how harmless it was, but of course that was a bad move too, as now it was swinging wildly from my hand, and again it was over somebody's head, who then freaked out, let out a full bakaawwwk and flapped and stumbled sideways away. This set everybody off on a another session of vigorous deep bokking while stepping this way and that, eyes on the swinging mouse, unsure where that thing was going next and where the safest place to be was.

What was I thinking? I removed my hand with the mouse and put the mouse out of sight, outside the door. I got the mealworms going again. The deep bokking stopped. What? You've still got mealworms? Oh, yes, please! Please! Very happy to see the mealworms!

Contented pecking and making those little buk buk sounds.
I promised myself and them I'll never do something like that again. What was I thinking? Not very much, and definitely not enough, I'd say....

OMGosh!!!

You accidentally did the cat/cucumber trick with your chickens and a mouse!!! I have to say I have never had @RoyalChick level success with “mouse steaks”. The only one they have ever eaten was one a girl in Bob’s tractor managed to catch alive. And I have tossed mouse corpses aplenty to my free range girls. They just ignore them, despite that calls, human tidbitting, and wiggling the body. Sigh, at least my Ravens appreciate the rodent bounty.

 

[BY Bob]

..... to be clear.. I do love them! Here they are for those of you who haven’t seen them in awhile.... View attachment 2434978

Adorable.

 

[BY Bob]

Oh, she was working great... the soft growl of the small blockV8, she loves a good load, just look at that rake! Draws the line at 2 yards of wet sand though; Just not stopping so well, which is a slight issue with our “little” hills.


Thank you, and everyone else who commented as well, I just wanted to let everyone know why I dropped off again for a bit, I was doing so well at keeping up! Also if anyone is feeling more down, or in need, please reach out... these are very hard times for many of us... not counting all those introverts dancing in the background Of which I am assuredly one, but even I can admit I’m starting to miss spending time with people, in person, even ones I don’t know so well!

I've been missing other people for a long time now. Lately the chickens have not been great company either. Soon the weather will have me locked indoors as well. I'm concerned about navigating this winter well.

 

[BY Bob]

Not impressed by dead mouse, actually the opposite

Found that we caught a mouse in the drawer trap last night and thinking of @RoyalChick I decided to see if the pullets would have any interest. First thing this morning. Bad idea. I was barely awake. Buckeyes are famous for being mousers, but maybe not these gals, maybe not yet, and maybe it has to be a live mouse, not a dead one, at least for starters. They're five months old now. The mouse seems kind of big. Also I really should be more awake prior to these little experiments. What was I thinking?

I approached the run with dry meal worms and the stiff mouse, and everybody came over to the door, and they were really excited to see the mealworm jar, and they all jumped in to have some when I scattered it in a small area of the run near me. Yum! Pecking away. Contented buks.

Then I tossed the mouse over to the center of the run without warning, kinda over their heads. It didn't land in the middle of them, it was a good two feet away. But nonetheless that was a bad move. They jumped and bawkked and then seriously gave the warning sounds of deep bok, bok, bok, bokking. They moved away and to the side while looking intently at the dead, still body lying over there. Then they absolutely froze with heads cocked at it while continuing to make the serious warning sounds.

So I tried to reassure them by talking to them, telling them it's just a mouse. See, maybe you'd like it?

And I reached over them and picked it up by the end of it's tail to show them how harmless it was, but of course that was a bad move too, as now it was swinging wildly from my hand, and again it was over somebody's head, who then freaked out, let out a full bakaawwwk and flapped and stumbled sideways away. This set everybody off on a another session of vigorous deep bokking while stepping this way and that, eyes on the swinging mouse, unsure where that thing was going next and where the safest place to be was.

What was I thinking? I removed my hand with the mouse and put the mouse out of sight, outside the door. I got the mealworms going again. The deep bokking stopped. What? You've still got mealworms? Oh, yes, please! Please! Very happy to see the mealworms!

Contented pecking and making those little buk buk sounds.
I promised myself and them I'll never do something like that again. What was I thinking? Not very much, and definitely not enough, I'd say....

How not to provide fresh kills to your flock! Thanks for sharing that tutorial!

 

[Ribh]

I've been missing other people for a long time now. Lately the chickens have not been great company either. Soon the weather will have me locked indoors as well. I'm concerned about navigating this winter well.

Oh gosh, Bob! This is so hard for me to wrap my head around. We definitely have to arrange skype sessions over your winter! Ignore my blatherings. It's ok for people like me. We do just fine but for people people I know it's a lot harder.