Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Yesterday after the morning visit I was with the chickens from about 2:30pm to 5:15pm. Roosting order yesterday: Hazel, Butters, Peanut, Popcorn, Queenie! This post is again long so I highlighted the main points for those speed-readers!

Hazel had the stink-eye for everyone all day, and I mean everyone, but particularly Butters, she was unrelenting at times. She got Queenie to move along a couple of times, and Queenie placidly did; Hazel didn't harass her much at all. Queenie was getting little pecks from everyone now and then but it didn't bother her. However Hazel seemed really pissed off at everyone else, and made it her job to go after anyone and everyone who was a Buckeye for no seeming reason. The upset spread or it was already this way, but Peanut pecked both Popcorn and Butters, and also fiercely chased Hazel, too. I hung around and didn't see anything horrible, it was all just unsettled. But then I was cleaning off the poop tray and roosting bars at the other end and heard a commotion and then actual loud sqwawking, ran back around to look and it was Hazel facing off with a Buckeye, I think it was Butters. Later I saw Butters get very low with her head while Hazel stood tall in front of her.

Butters has always been a quite congenial and pretty easy-going pullet, I think she was top hen because she started out bigger and is maybe a few days older - she had little feathers on her wings and tail when everybody else was all fluff - and because she has a certain boldness (along with Popcorn, her general partner in exploring). She has never pecked anyone that I recall seeing. Hazel, the barge-right-in-and-eat-like-a- sewing-machine pullet, has always seemed to be more driven.

It was about 3pm, when I checked the nest box area and found an egg!!! It was cold and may be frozen, or partially frozen, it was 29F all day yesterday. Wowee! Is it Queenie's? She had been pacing around under the coop yesterday after breakfast, and was pretty vocal. Calling what I would characterize as a "wanting" call. She had been somewhat vocal the day before too, but not like that. Now I wonder if her going up the coop ladder partway even the day before that, and then I saw her looking up the ladder yesterday, was her looking around for where she could lay? I checked everywhere in the runs and crawled under the coop to look for any other egg. I carefully sifted under the coop with a close-tined hay shovel, and didn't find any.

View attachment 2478028

Here's a view of the nesting area. The egg was in the newly-made bowl in the nest material! It is deeper than it looks. One of the ceramic eggs had been pushed away. At first I had to compare it with the ceramic eggs, hey, there were only two fake eggs in there before....

View attachment 2478029


It has concerned me that the nest box is the same height and is right next to the roost area with a sliding door between. You can see the door on the right there. So I had been leaving it open so the Buckeyes would know it's there, but then closing it because someone had roosted and pooped in there, then more recently just perched on the divider and pooped into that side. But since Queenie's arrival - and hearing about new eggs on this thread too! - I've been lately trying to get in the habit of opening it in the morning when I let them out, and closing it before roosting time, as advised by Omlet to train them not to roost there. But I have not been consistent in remembering I'm afraid. I think I won't have any trouble now though! And yesterday I remembered! Many people do fine with this Omlet setup so I figure it's possible to leave it open eventually. With all the roosting changes though, I'm going to keep doing it for awhile until (hopefully) things settle down. The area is about a foot wide and almost 3 feet long.

Later on, nearing roosting time but still early, at about 4:15pm, Hazel drove all chickens from the low run. Really. She chased anyone who was in there, or even ventured in. It's not hard to play keep-away in the narrow run even with the log divider. I may put another bucket there to act as a disrupter and alternative getaway channel, it works well near the coop and ladder. The other Buckeyes were non-plussed, not understanding what was going on. Queenie didn't act very concerned at all. She did a quick about-face and walked away and just hung out. She did a lot of preening.

Eventually Butters made the roosting wail, and Hazel decided to let everyone wander in to the low run. Queenie came in too, but hung back a bit, preening, unconcerned. She made no attempt to get on the ladder right away. Butters again eventually slowly came around from under the coop, drummed on the bucket with Popcorn a bit, and came around to look up at the pop door. She jumped up to the perch. Hazel jumped up too, and stood to her right. Butters stood a long time up there looking in carefully, then changed her mind and turned around, then changed it again, turned around and got on the threshhold and stayed there leaning in, her big fluffy butt filling the door. She took a few steps in but then came out onto the top ladder step. Hazel decided that was it, Butters has conceded, and after a few seconds squeezed by - Butters let her - and went in and stayed in. Butters went in after her.

Queenie acted so non-chalant through all this it was amazing compared to yesterday's performance. She just stood a little ways away and preened. She moved a little closer as Peanut and Popcorn got closer, but made no move to go third. She stayed on the ground as those two jumped up and went in, in that order, only jumping up to be next to Popcorn after there was room on the perch. She preened up there too while she waited just a bit for the commotion of those two to settle, and then went in, setting down in the middle, sort of to the left, facing out.

That is so exciting to get your first egg - congratulations. I am betting it is Queenie's and she is feeling pretty proud of herself today.
Sounds like everyone is just getting adjusted to the pecking order - doesn't sound too serious. Would be great to see some video of them if you are able to do that.

 

[featherhead007]

At my vet it isn't an 'avian vet' it is an 'exotic animal vet'. So that is worth checking on. There are the guys who see cats and dogs and then there is the guy who sees exotics which according to his tech includes Hamsters, reptiles, and birds (apparently he sees a lot of ducks).

So that vet works on ducks, and takes credit? (Ducks, always say "Put it on my bill")

 

[featherhead007]

Good morning. It’s 6:16 and Ester is about to get her first meal. This girl’s feathers are coming in, but they still aren’t long enough to cover skin and she’s not drinking on her own yet and is barely eating anything on her own (only very specific treats... I do keep offering feed... wet, dry, fermented). Thus tube feed is sustaining her for now. I wish her feathers would hurry up so I could let her have some outside time, but on Saturday she just self isolated in the coop shivering when we tried. Did you guys see how naked she got?

Here she is with me after a feeding on Monday with something in her crop!
View attachment 2478111

My Rocks-Anne (Same breed) gets that bad during her molt too. Poor girls. I keep her in the house, and have to watch her closely during her molt. And feed her much protein foods.

 

[BY Bob]

What you all doing this morning?View attachment 2478062

Working. Endless conference call right now.

 

[BY Bob]

Good morning!
Did my chicken chores, now I am having coffee with the dogs. (It’s too cold this morning to have coffee with the chickens).

Your version of too cold and mine are probably very different.

 

[featherhead007]

Working. Endless conference call right now.

Get’R done Bob, Get’R done!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Pg 1500! Slowly but steadily catching up just 6 months to go

I admire your dedication and also am jealous - I haven't had the time but hope to come back to it. I am still in the middle of Bob's great coop build article!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Bob, I'd love to read the papers. Can you share the refs in due course?

I just went back to read this post. I had no idea about this, and I too would be interested in seeing this work. How wonderful, @BY Bob! A lot of scholarly papers or studies aren't available to read without a subscription or being a member of the group, is this the case?

 

[BY Bob]

Good morning. It’s 6:16 and Ester is about to get her first meal. This girl’s feathers are coming in, but they still aren’t long enough to cover skin and she’s not drinking on her own yet and is barely eating anything on her own (only very specific treats... I do keep offering feed... wet, dry, fermented). Thus tube feed is sustaining her for now. I wish her feathers would hurry up so I could let her have some outside time, but on Saturday she just self isolated in the coop shivering when we tried. Did you guys see how naked she got?

Here she is with me after a feeding on Monday with something in her crop!
View attachment 2478111

My gosh. This is just an awful molt badly timed as well. Does this happen to her every year?

 

[BY Bob]

Hazel had the stink-eye for everyone all day, and I mean everyone, but particularly Butters, she was unrelenting at times.

You may have a Lilly-like hen. Lilly will have these mods where everyone just needs to get out of her way. It's different than Aurora because Aurora is always pecking people whereas Lilly just has a day every so often. Lilly is my Alpha so she can be that way if she wants.

It was about 3pm, when I checked the nest box area and found an egg!!! It was cold and may be frozen, or partially frozen, it was 29F all day yesterday.

It is not frozen. It has to get much colder and then the shell will be cracked.

Is it Queenie's? She had been pacing around under the coop yesterday after breakfast, and was pretty vocal. Calling what I would characterize as a "wanting" call. She had been somewhat vocal the day before too, but not like that. Now I wonder if her going up the coop ladder partway even the day before that, and then I saw her looking up the ladder yesterday, was her looking around for where she could lay?

It is almost certainly hers. That is very much first time layer behavior and she was far more mature looking than the buckeyes. Good job having the ceramic eggs for guidance.

It has concerned me that the nest box is the same height and is right next to the roost area with a sliding door between. You can see the door on the right there. So I had been leaving it open so the Buckeyes would know it's there, but then closing it because someone had roosted and pooped in there, then more recently just perched on the divider and pooped into that side. But since Queenie's arrival - and hearing about new eggs on this thread too! - I've been lately trying to get in the habit of opening it in the morning when I let them out, and closing it before roosting time, as advised by Omlet to train them not to roost there.

It is unfortunate that it is at the same level as the roost as that is not optimal. Your best solution to that is doing what you are doing, open it in the morning and close it at night. At least until everyone is laying consistently and understands the difference.

Queenie acted so non-chalant through all this it was amazing compared to yesterday's performance. She just stood a little ways away and preened

Queenie is just too cool for school. She is not getting caught up in their teenage nonsense. She is all grown up now.


More than anything else.....CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FIRST EGG!!!!!