Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Bob does have rabbits... but I've got no idea. No snow ever round here.

Me, neither. But I’ve been to the snow several times.

Chicken Tax (did I already show this?)

 

[LozzyR]

I'm finally shaking a tail-feather regarding making my chicken scrapbook, which first entails printing out photos of all my girls. I realised that I have very few photos of Emily, but I do have some videos. I've created some stills from the videos, which are not the best as the camera on the iPad isn't the greatest, but it's something. So in advance of Friday, I would like to share with you Emily's fluffy butt. RIP Emily, sweetpea.

 

[LozzyR]

Forgotten I’d seen this.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Hattie Laid Again Yesterday

We had another successful egg delivered yesterday by Hattie.

One of my favorite things happened afterwards as well. The rest of the flock was up on the deck begging for snacks as she finished up. I was in the process of supplying a little corn when Hattie came barreling out of the coop running and flapping so fast that she lost control, could not turn to come towards the deck, and had to skid to a halt to gather herself before she crashed. She they jogged over in as dignified a manner as she could rustle to make certain she got some corn.

Go Hattie!

That was so funny. She sounds like a cat after doing something clumsy. "Nobody saw that right? Right, it didn't happen. Just act natural."

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I had to laugh. When I went out to say hello to the Princesses I found it was a 4 egg day (never had that before), but there seems to be a pecking order in who gets to lay where. Like kids with bunk beds, the older Princesses have claimed the top bunk!
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Congratulations! Those eggs are a lovely contrast to each other.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Chicken tax. Absence tax. Way behind on posts tax.
Sometimes it snows here.

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Lovely photos Shad. The chicks are adorable.

I didn't know that there were donkeys there!

 

[RoyalChick]

In my experience, the fast molts come in almost as quickly as the drop. Poor Ester is so miserable. Dorothy is quite bossy and piggy about the beef liver treat. I just don’t know what’s best. I don’t want to stress Ester anymore than she already is. Dorothy seemed like the best friend choice, since they were raised together and hop the little poultry fence together. It’s just barely freezing at night, but the coop is well ventilated and not insulated. I’m not sure how many degrees warmer it is in there.

Here is this morning’s frost:
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Here is tonight’s set-up:

Poor thing! I love how you did the little perch in the dog crate. When I bring mine inside I just do the crate (not the carrier) and built a roost up on little wood blocks - but yours is way more ingenious.

 

[RoyalChick]

Thank you, Bob! I have been making a pdf of the layout and will send photos too and what I can. Their coop really holds only 4-5 large breeds and there's no room to get away. The roosting area is not very big at all.

I have hours every day to observe them; we go skiing or for a walk which takes 2 hours or so, and there's household chores to do, but I am basically retired at this point - my day gig ended the work I was doing remotely and there's no live music work at present. It's been in the teens, but today warmed up to 32F.

They would free-range when I'm out there to supervise, they tend to circle the coop and run, but not now with even just a thin layer of snow, they don't like to walk on it. They stand on the edge of the door looking out! When there was some green not long ago they went around it and over to the garage/barn to nibble.

I will appreciate your guidance but confess that because it was so warm out today I put her in one end of the run today with a divider, heated water, and food as a temporary setup. I hope it doesn't doom anything for the future top do that?

The Buckeyes were curious, then they all ran to the other end under their coop and stayed there until I threw a tiny bit of scratch on both sides of the divider, and was in there working on a part of the run, and they came over. She really loved it when the Buckeyes were near; they maybe not so much, but she was scratching and digging right next to the fence divider. A little while after that I noticed she was having a dustbath in that hole, she was doing that for quite a long time. She seemed quite content. The Buckeyes got on top of their log that I put next to the divider and watched her from above, but also got on her level pecking around next to the fence too.

Later on I set up the cat carrier on two buckets in the bump-out as a temporary roost for her, with extra shavings and hemp bedding. It's not high enough. I was sitting with them for a long time, I had finished setting up a second fence above the first one to keep her from flying over the first one, and didn't get to the dog crate, which I think I could attach to the run frame, up in the air. So I went with the cat carrier on buckets.

The Buckeyes went to roost, interestingly one ran to Queenie and then back to the coop, doing that twice. Was she trying to tell Queenie to come roost? Was she making sure the interloper was not a threat? Queenie made roosting sounds and looked at me, and I could tell she wanted to get up on to me, she's been flying on to my shoulder from the brooder; this morning she did that as I was brushing my teeth.

So I said OK, but she went for my head and unfortunately scrambled up my face and glasses, and I got a good scratch on my forehead and - the same toenail I think - scratched the side of the bridge of my nose right next to my eye. That was a near disaster. Newbie mistake! I've washed them out well, applied neosporin and my DH has repaired my glasses nosepiece, but I have to wear them like reading glasses for the next while. I sat there a little bit assessing what happened and feeling some blood come down. She actually did end up on my shoulder eventually, so I gently got her and put her in the too-low carrier and latched the door to it. She didn't want to go in there, then turned around a few times and sat down. It's very sheltered where it is. So tomorrow is another day.

I am sure someone more experienced than me has already responded, but that sounds like a great start to me. Sorry about the face scratch and broken glasses. I got a scratched ear when Minnie was flying up to my shoulder and had to learn to turn around quickly so she scrambled up my back if she didn't quite make my shoulder. Mostly she landed on my head and stepped down! Hope you heal up fast, it is special to have them land on you and I would hate that you had to give that up. Minnie grew out of it and doesn't land on me any more.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Was this a Hawk Attack?

I found this imprint in the snow before it all melted away on Christmas Eve. It appears to me to be the impact mark from a hawk hitting the snow. Check out the tail feathers in the snowinter. Am I reading this right?

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This imprint was located here in the yard.

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Perhaps one of Mr Bunny's family was the target?

Looks like a chicken wipeout to me. I had a similar mark in the layer run on the hill.

What's a chicken wipeout please CCCL?

 

[RoyalChick]

Good morning. Here is Ester first inside, then outside this morning:

I was a little worried that I had not seen her drink. But then I remembered that I normally keep a large waterer in the sunroom just in csse some weird thing happens and they get locked in the coop and I can’t get to them to let them out... at least they’ll have access to water. I moved one back into the sunroom snd saw her drink from it. She was thirsty and I feel a little relieved since she drank. It’s not the ideal diet, but she ate cooked beef liver and a few wheat berries, as well. She’s still dropping feathers. She may become molt contest worthy!

I meant to ask you before, do you cook the beef liver treat or give it to her raw?