Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Love it! Good thing...I can tend to get off topic too. I mean come on. I'm old. My eyes, ears, legs, body, just doesn't work so hot anymore. When I get up in the mornings I hear creaking sounds! I make my own symphony with all of the old bones popping. Wait....did I just get off topic? Looking for photo! View attachment 2509093One of my past baby Nn's. Hoping for some to hatch in about three weeks.

I can't wait to see the newbies!

 

[Cynthia12]

I will tell this story to make a point.

I have been known to grill seafood in the summer. Swordfish, Tuna, etc. Whenever we eat on the deck their are feathered moochers all around. The first time I grilled swordfish when the flock was Daisy, the greatest hen ever, Patsy and Lilly, there was a frenzy over some scraps that I saved for them.

Daisy ruled that group and when it came to food she enforced her rule. Daisy ate first. Now Patsy was a Maran and twice if not 3 times Daisy's size. That did not matter, Daisy was Alpha.

When I have something good like fish I am going to share with them, I expect them to earn it. I also like to make certain that everyone, including Lilly in this case, gets their share. (It probably says something that I am more scrupulous in enforcing fairness with my hens than I was with my children, at least that is what my children say )

So I thought if I made them jump to get their piece, I would be able to feed each in turn and they could "earn" their treat. Patsy was a big lady with big legs, she was not a great jumper but I knew she could manage. At first no one knew what this new stuff was but Daisy trusted me. She hopped right up, took her piece and went off to eat it. Patsy was next. They were serious about the pecking order. Since Daisy took one, Patsy was willing to try it but jumping up was not going to happen. She wasn't going to jump for something she had never tried. I relented, gave her a piece and she went off to eat it. Lilly knowing that she doesn't normally get to share like this, immediately flew up and got her piece. Round one was completed successfully. Things would change dramatically with round 2.

Daisy came back around to get her next piece. I held it out for her to jump, she squatted and began her leap when something black flew into her, grabbing the piece of fish before Daisy ever reached it and then coming down on top of Daisy squashing her flat. It was Patsy who had decided this was the best food ever and she no longer cared about pecking order. It was a second or two until Daisy could get out from under Patsy's bulk. While Daisy wriggled out Patsy swallowed the fish whole.

I was concerned. Was Daisy hurt and what was about to happen to poor Patsy because Daisy did not suffer fools taking her food? I had seen Daisy grab Patsy by the comb and move her when she was not happy with her and expected the same. Patsy stood there like Charles Barkley under the basket waiting for a rebound, elbows out. She was ready to fight over this fish. For whatever reason, Daisy decided to let it go and walked a few steps away. Lilly knew better than to get any closer and Patsy waited.

I decided to switch tactics. I made Patsy jump and boy she jumped higher than you would ever think possible. While she was distracted by jumping I enlisted Mrs. BY Bob to toss pieces to Daisy and Lilly so they could get some. Otherwise Patsy was planning to eat it all.

All of this is to say that in my experiences there are certain foods for which hens are willing to violate the pecking order. It does not necessarily mean the pecking order is changing.

The Magnificent Three
View attachment 2509094

My leghorns are usually like your Patsy. My Mable right now is my jumper. In fact she jumped on that video I posted. Wasn't expecting that. My leghorns usually do too. Here's one landing after jumping up.

 

[Cynthia12]

Off for the day. Hope you all have a great day. Will be back later to see more fluffy butts it chicken tax photos! Post away, I want to come back to photos!

 

[BY Bob]

My leghorns are usually like your Patsy. My Mable right now is my jumper. In fact she jumped on that video I posted. Wasn't expecting that. My kegirns usually do too. Here's one landing after jumping up. View attachment 2509103

They are so beautiful.

 

[RoyalChick]

I will tell this story to make a point.

I have been known to grill seafood in the summer. Swordfish, Tuna, etc. Whenever we eat on the deck their are feathered moochers all around. The first time I grilled swordfish when the flock was Daisy, the greatest hen ever, Patsy and Lilly, there was a frenzy over some scraps that I saved for them.

Daisy ruled that group and when it came to food she enforced her rule. Daisy ate first. Now Patsy was a Maran and twice if not 3 times Daisy's size. That did not matter, Daisy was Alpha.

When I have something good like fish I am going to share with them, I expect them to earn it. I also like to make certain that everyone, including Lilly in this case, gets their share. (It probably says something that I am more scrupulous in enforcing fairness with my hens than I was with my children, at least that is what my children say )

So I thought if I made them jump to get their piece, I would be able to feed each in turn and they could "earn" their treat. Patsy was a big lady with big legs, she was not a great jumper but I knew she could manage. At first no one knew what this new stuff was but Daisy trusted me. She hopped right up, took her piece and went off to eat it. Patsy was next. They were serious about the pecking order. Since Daisy took one, Patsy was willing to try it but jumping up was not going to happen. She wasn't going to jump for something she had never tried. I relented, gave her a piece and she went off to eat it. Lilly knowing that she doesn't normally get to share like this, immediately flew up and got her piece. Round one was completed successfully. Things would change dramatically with round 2.

Daisy came back around to get her next piece. I held it out for her to jump, she squatted and began her leap when something black flew into her, grabbing the piece of fish before Daisy ever reached it and then coming down on top of Daisy squashing her flat. It was Patsy who had decided this was the best food ever and she no longer cared about pecking order. It was a second or two until Daisy could get out from under Patsy's bulk. While Daisy wriggled out Patsy swallowed the fish whole.

I was concerned. Was Daisy hurt and what was about to happen to poor Patsy because Daisy did not suffer fools taking her food? I had seen Daisy grab Patsy by the comb and move her when she was not happy with her and expected the same. Patsy stood there like Charles Barkley under the basket waiting for a rebound, elbows out. She was ready to fight over this fish. For whatever reason, Daisy decided to let it go and walked a few steps away. Lilly knew better than to get any closer and Patsy waited.

I decided to switch tactics. I made Patsy jump and boy she jumped higher than you would ever think possible. While she was distracted by jumping I enlisted Mrs. BY Bob to toss pieces to Daisy and Lilly so they could get some. Otherwise Patsy was planning to eat it all.

All of this is to say that in my experiences there are certain foods for which hens are willing to violate the pecking order. It does not necessarily mean the pecking order is changing.

The Magnificent Three
View attachment 2509094

Oh my what a story!
You may well be right - I do think mine would do pretty much anything for shrimp tails.

 

[BY Bob]

Oh my what a story!
You may well be right - I do think mine would do pretty much anything for shrimp tails.

I haven't written one like that in a while. That's how I started the thread.

 

[Shadrach]

Cillin on his way home. Tonight he stood at the door listening to the rest of the tribe getting settled in the coop. It's above my house though not on the roof. Rip used to do this and finally settled on a tree just outside my house for his nights perch until I sorted out a coop for him. Cillin had never shown any sign of wanting to perch in the trees. As soon as I've closed up the rest of the tribes and made my way home Cillin comes in and gets onto the nest box and perches on the edge. I would leave him there if I could work out an easy way of keeping the nest clean and closing out enough light so he would sleep.

 

[LozzyR]

The cheeky girls had all their food plus and more plus, then they decided because the weather is yuk and they are bored it's all my fault so start to protest.

I had all four of my girls yelling at me from the back steps yesterday. I think they were demanding that I turn the rain off!

 

[Ribh]

This Donk, daughter of Dink, granddaughter of Cheepy and mother of Knock. She's a pro tree hugger. I took her mother (Dink) out of a tree at dusk for a bit over five years. She would go into the coop if it was raining, snowing or very high winds and strangely, a couple of nights before she planned to sit.
You can divert Donk and she will go in. But, if you don't shut her in she has this habit of slipping back out while your getting the others to roost. I have never managed to catch or handle Donk during the day and she holds the record for longest and highest flight. She has launched herself from the edge of the sheep field bank and flown right over the main house and down to the donkey field, some 250 metres.
View attachment 2014832

She probably has some Campine in her somewhere.

 

[featherhead007]

Wow. What a story. One needs to be in place when the blizzard starts.

I once raced one home from Alabama by flying to Philly, catching a cab to the train station, grabbing a train to Harrisburg, and then having Mrs BY Bob pick me up at the train station. The most harrowing part was the cab ride in Philly. It was snowing so hard I thought several times we would not make it. However I never thought I would die.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!