Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

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!

I hope you are enjoying it.

 

[BY Bob]

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?

I will check back and see what I can do.

 

[RoyalChick]

Working. Endless conference call right now.

Me too. I am getting sneak peaks at the Princesses via the cameras!

 

[micstrachan]

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

She’s only 17 months old and this is her first molt, so I don’t know yet. I hope not! Bridge (same breed) is a looooooong, slow molter. She’ll have a period with bald patches and then continue on and off for a few months.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

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

Probably. Haha.

 

[Shadrach]

Tonight’s roosting arrangement. I guess the little Princesses really aren’t that little. In case you can’t tell they are the two monster-sized chickens on the far left.
View attachment 2477426

I'm sure they were much smaller in the last picture you posted.

 

[Shadrach]

Bob, when I am giving a special treat like chopped beef liver, I hold one little cube in the palm of my hand, cup my hand around it, say a particular chicken name and then do my best to expose the treat to just that hen. If someone is having trouble getting any, I toss a few away from the opposite side of the flock and then quickly give her a couple while everyone else is distracted. For some reason, Ruby does not like treats and never has. But she’s one of my fatties. I don’t get it. Genetics, perhaps?

I close my fist and wedge the treat in the gap my closed forefinger makes.
Most are pretty orderly now. They do need reminding every now and then that everyone will get a bit. Mel is the worst for snatch and grab. She knows that as soon as Fat Bird has had her peice she's next and everyone else after is more junior.
I just can't get cross with Mel even though she tears the arse out of it at every opportunity.

 

[BY Bob]

I close my fist and wedge the treat in the gap my closed forefinger makes.
Most are pretty orderly now. They do need reminding every now and then that everyone will get a bit. Mel is the worst for snatch and grab. She knows that as soon as Fat Bird has had her peice she's next and everyone else after is more junior.
I just can't get cross with Mel even though she tears the arse out of it at every opportunity.

There are those chickens that never make you mad. Maleficent would steal from anyone given the chance. The way she went about it was such that I could not get angry with her. Unlike her sister would pecks at others to take their food.

 

[Shadrach]

I’ve decided (for now) I like 3. I lost a chick at 2 weeks and realized I would never want just two in case one had a problem. It would be hard to integrate a single pullet into my existing flock.

I sometimes feel bad for Bridge, who is the last remaining hen from my original four. Sometimes I wonder if she’s lonely, despite having birds all around her. Ruby seems to like to hang around the newest and lowest ranked girls. She stays close to home. When she was younger, she ilused to be “Adventure Girl” because she was always off on her own adventuring!

Sorry... went off on a tangent there.

I know Fat Bird misses Ruffles. So do I. I'm okay for Fat Bird but that's partly because I'm all that's been here as long as she has that she will have anything to do with.

 

[Shadrach]

That’s new... they weren’t doing chickens the last time I looked for a vet, it’s a little outside my area, I will try calling them tomorrow. Maybe the BYC thing is having some benefits... I will not say a peep about a farm though.

Good luck Kris.