Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Happy fluffy butt Friday!!
(My first contribution, I remembered this week!)

Hooray! Welcome to the club. Great photos!

 

[BY Bob]

I've been saving one for Friday too

View attachment 2497970

My poor molting friend.

 

[RoyalChick]

The Roosting Chronicles continue.....

I filmed about 30 minutes of roosting last night. Don't worry, I cut it up into significant events. My top observation is that Hattie is much more active on the roost. While frequently sitting and resting, she was very active patrolling it.

This first cut involves Sansa and Phyllis. Hattie has "encouraged" Sansa to leave the main roost. Hattie, Phyllis and Lilly are all settled and Peaceful while Sansa eats. Sansa then goes after Phyllis who, in trying to get away, runs into Hattie who then pecks her before she jumps down.

This second cut shows what happens to Sansa after Phyllis has gotten back on the roost and Sansa thinks she can eat in peace. Someone else has another idea. Watch how she methodically corners Sansa.

The third cut shows the results of Phyllis being knocked down. Does she get back up and onto her spot?

Nope!

For some reason Phyllis goes to the other side of the roost. Now she is the meat in a Hattie/Sansa sandwich with that dill pickle Aurora on the side. Despite the challenges facing her, it's Phyllis dismayed? No way! She rises to the challenges and runs the gauntlet finding a clever way around Hattie. (watch closely and you can see Sydney sneak onto the high roost while everyone else is occupied)

In this cut, just when you think everything is settled, Hattie and Aurora decide things are not yet settled. Sansa and Sydney are the targets. You will not see Sydney get down as Sansa is blocking the view.

This final cut shows Sansa in a nest box having given up on roosting and Sydney trying to get back on the high roost. Sydney waited over 5 minutes for Aurora to be distracted before she jumped up. It worked and after a few pecks, roosting is finished for the night.

I need to watch more but it seems that Hattie and not Aurora is responsible for Sansa in the nest box. An active Hattie is certainly a new development.

Fascinating! And the drama is exhausting. They were going on like this for 30 mins? Incredible.
I am also amazed at how different it is from bedtime at the Chicken Palace where they have at most 5 minutes of 'tossing and turning' with the very occasional peck and sometimes someone tries to climb over someone else (never works) and then they hunker down for the night.
Why would it be so different? I am going to watch them again - I can't get over the shenanigans!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

My sister sent me a photo of sudden egg abundance yesterday, said they had only been getting maybe two a day (20+ chickens) and suddenly they got about 15. Hoping this means mine might lay again soon too! They also finally seem to have red combs

Four of the five hens, all except Butters I think, are laying now. I find 3-4 eggs in there each day. We made hard-boiled eggs, which really showcases the flavor for some reason. I really taste a difference made this way, I like these better than the farm eggs we were getting!

It's clear they are working out sharing the long nestbox area, which will hold two hens at once, and sometimes I see one go in, followed by another. There are nice little bowls made in the hemp on both ends now and eggs are laid in each. There hasn't been too much trouble in that department yet.

Today while sitting with them Butters did that forward lean with shoulders (really wrists?) held out when I reached toward her, so it seems she will be laying soon. Moving among them has been an exercise in care as they often spontaneously squat if I get near. I always go slowly around them anyways, but now they are suddenly stopping in their tracks in front of me. Sometimes there is a traffic jam at the run door - I'm trying to bring them their mash and they are clustering together, alternating jockeying for position and stopping to squat.

 

[featherhead007]

The Roosting Chronicles continue.....

I filmed about 30 minutes of roosting last night. Don't worry, I cut it up into significant events. My top observation is that Hattie is much more active on the roost. While frequently sitting and resting, she was very active patrolling it.

This first cut involves Sansa and Phyllis. Hattie has "encouraged" Sansa to leave the main roost. Hattie, Phyllis and Lilly are all settled and Peaceful while Sansa eats. Sansa then goes after Phyllis who, in trying to get away, runs into Hattie who then pecks her before she jumps down.

This second cut shows what happens to Sansa after Phyllis has gotten back on the roost and Sansa thinks she can eat in peace. Someone else has another idea. Watch how she methodically corners Sansa.

The third cut shows the results of Phyllis being knocked down. Does she get back up and onto her spot?

Nope!

For some reason Phyllis goes to the other side of the roost. Now she is the meat in a Hattie/Sansa sandwich with that dill pickle Aurora on the side. Despite the challenges facing her, it's Phyllis dismayed? No way! She rises to the challenges and runs the gauntlet finding a clever way around Hattie. (watch closely and you can see Sydney sneak onto the high roost while everyone else is occupied)

In this cut, just when you think everything is settled, Hattie and Aurora decide things are not yet settled. Sansa and Sydney are the targets. You will not see Sydney get down as Sansa is blocking the view.

This final cut shows Sansa in a nest box having given up on roosting and Sydney trying to get back on the high roost. Sydney waited over 5 minutes for Aurora to be distracted before she jumped up. It worked and after a few pecks, roosting is finished for the night.

I need to watch more but it seems that Hattie and not Aurora is responsible for Sansa in the nest box. An active Hattie is certainly a new development.

Phyllis, come to California. Plenty of room, no one to bother you, and I'm very sure that BLU would warm your seat for you, before you perch for the night!

 

[BY Bob]

Fascinating! And the drama is exhausting. They were going on like this for 30 mins? Incredible.
I am also amazed at how different it is from bedtime at the Chicken Palace where they have at most 5 minutes of 'tossing and turning' with the very occasional peck and sometimes someone tries to climb over someone else (never works) and then they hunker down for the night.
Why would it be so different? I am going to watch them again - I can't get over the shenanigans!

I wonder this all the time. Mine are crazy at roost time. Roosting starts early here. Either Phyllis or Lilly will roost well before dark and Sydney and Aurora wait until it is almost too dark to roost.

 

[BY Bob]

Phyllis, come to California. Plenty of room, no one to bother you, and I'm very sure that BLU would warm your seat for you, before you perch for the night!

Hey now!

 

[RoyalChick]

I wonder this all the time. Mine are crazy at roost time. Roosting starts early here. Either Phyllis or Lilly will roost well before dark and Sydney and Aurora wait until it is almost too dark to roost.

I wonder if it is because there is so much choice and it is easy to hop down and back up in a different place. Not that there is anything to do about that, but one reason it can't happen at the Chicken Palace is they all roost on the same roost (though why I am not sure!) and the order is determined by who goes up to bed first.
Now it is true that the road-runners have been turfed off if they go up too early so they have to walk back up at the back of the line. But that really is as far as the drama gets.
But it seems like yours come in and are actually figuring out which roost to choose tonight.
Strange.

 

[BY Bob]

I wonder if it is because there is so much choice and it is easy to hop down and back up in a different place. Not that there is anything to do about that, but one reason it can't happen at the Chicken Palace is they all roost on the same roost (though why I am not sure!) and the order is determined by who goes up to bed first.
Now it is true that the road-runners have been turfed off if they go up too early so they have to walk back up at the back of the line. But that really is as far as the drama gets.
But it seems like yours come in and are actually figuring out which roost to choose tonight.
Strange.

And yet they sleep in the same place every night. Except Sansa, who sometimes sleeps in the nest box and sometimes sleeps on the roost.

 

[RoyalChick]

And yet they sleep in the same place every night. Except Sansa, who sometimes sleeps in the nest box and sometimes sleeps on the roost.