Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Cillin had a much better day today. I got his foot done earlier than usual and bombed him out the door.
Both Mel and Fudge appeared without Treacle and Mel spent some time with Cillin before wandering back to join the others. Fudge got into the house nest box to lay and egg and broke two.I bombed Fudge out as well and set about cleaning out the nest box.
Fudge, having been evicted before she layed her egg being somewhat pissy at the eviction started to shout the house down. Cillin was close by and got there first but Treacle arrived very quickly ad chased Cillin away and headed up to the tribe coop with Fudge. Guess where Cillin went.
View attachment 2510491
Treacle is busy and was busy with Fudge for an hour or so.
View attachment 2510496
All the hens will follow Cillin and here he is guarding while they dust bath. At the back of the picture you can see Notch. Since Cillins confidence crisis Notch has driven Cillin away as soon as he sees him. He tried again today while Tribe 1's hens were dustbathing. Cillin stood his ground and when Notch made a run at him, turned to fight. Notch backed off and that's him just after he had tried to intimidate Cillin.
View attachment 2510518
Treacle arrived to rejoin the hens and drove Cillin away, but not very far and Treacle couldn't collect all the hens leaving Cillin with Tap and later Fat Bird and Tackle.
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Treacle have problems herding the hens.
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I looked for them all a while later wondering if Cillin and Treacle had got inot a fight. Cillin was back with the hens and no sign of Treacle.
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I found Treacle at the front of the house guarding Fudge while she had a bath.
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It wasn't until supper time that Treacle went for Cillin and drove him well away from the hens. Cillin until then had been just a few metres away from Treacle and Treacle didn't try to drive him away.

So interesting to read about and see - they really do stand sentry duty while the ladies bathe. I love it!
It does sound like Cillin is more-or-less holding his own and continues to be popular with the ladies.

 

[Cynthia12]

Another Golden Retriever fan! They the best dogs and great at giving love attacks. So much enthusiasm and love.

We used to puppy raise for the Guide Dogs for the Blind. We raised 3 Labradors and 3 GRs. Our favourites were the GRs. Our best girl ever, Stella, came back to us when she retired. I’ll post a pic when I’m next on my computer.

Had a neighbor years ago that did this. I remember her bringing them into church. It's great there are folks that will train them for someone.

 

[drstratton]

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. View attachment 2509103

What a great picture!!!

 

[Cynthia12]

Rare Hen Spotted

The snow is here @RoyalChick I also spotted the rare "Snowback" Polish.
View attachment 2510099

What is she doing? Is she pecking at the ground..just can't see her beak? .

 

[drstratton]

Corn! Corn! We don't want no Stinking Corn!

Farmer Bob was up early this morning to release the ladies to free range knowing that this is likely the last day of free ranging they will have for a while. I let them out and they followed me back to the deck expecting a treat. I decided to oblige and thought, they are chilly maybe a little corn would warm them up. I distributed 3 corn stations and after a few half hearted pecks they all gathered around me bokking their heads off.

Bok bok bok bok bok bok

Something was clearly wrong. But what? Were they full from eating feed? I don't know.

The complaining continued.

Bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok

6 hens gathered around you, staring up, talking to you can start to be a little intimidating.

Bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok

I decide to go back in. It's cold and I don't know what they want. The entire flock follows me to the door.

Bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok

They are relentless.

Mrs BY Bob is at the kitchen sink.

BY Bob: I don't know what is wrong with these ladies. I gave them some corn but they won't eat it. They just keep bokking at me. Look at them standing at the door.

Mrs BY Bob: Oh they don't want corn.

BY Bob: Really how do you know?

Mrs BY Bob: Because I give them mealy worms every morning at this time.



They are truly spoiled little brats.

So of course, I gave them mealy worms. The bokking ceased, they ate the worms and left the corn for later!

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

Both of these stories are amazing! People just don't know how amazing & smart chickens can be (okay, sometimes they eat insulation and Styrofoam...nobody's perfect)...

My husband started letting the chickens jump for grapes...it was fun at first, I finally had to put a stop to it...for fear of finger injuries...it's kind of hard to control the mayhem for a favorite food when you have over 20 chickens trying to make sure they get more than their fair share...

 

[Cynthia12]

Thanks. I need to find a place to hang it now. At least one that is acceptable to Mrs BY Bob,

A very important compromise coming up.

 

[Cynthia12]

What a great picture!!!

Thank you. Was ready with camera..I knew she would want me to hold her.

 

[Cynthia12]

Corn! Corn! We don't want no Stinking Corn!

Farmer Bob was up early this morning to release the ladies to free range knowing that this is likely the last day of free ranging they will have for a while. I let them out and they followed me back to the deck expecting a treat. I decided to oblige and thought, they are chilly maybe a little corn would warm them up. I distributed 3 corn stations and after a few half hearted pecks they all gathered around me bokking their heads off.

Bok bok bok bok bok bok

Something was clearly wrong. But what? Were they full from eating feed? I don't know.

The complaining continued.

Bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok

6 hens gathered around you, staring up, talking to you can start to be a little intimidating.

Bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok

I decide to go back in. It's cold and I don't know what they want. The entire flock follows me to the door.

Bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok bok

They are relentless.

Mrs BY Bob is at the kitchen sink.

BY Bob: I don't know what is wrong with these ladies. I gave them some corn but they won't eat it. They just keep bokking at me. Look at them standing at the door.

Mrs BY Bob: Oh they don't want corn.

BY Bob: Really how do you know?

Mrs BY Bob: Because I give them mealy worms every morning at this time.



They are truly spoiled little brats.

So of course, I gave them mealy worms. The bokking ceased, they ate the worms and left the corn for later!

Funny and smart little critters. Mable yells at me every day for her spinach. Gets as close to the back door inside her run, and squacks. Get the spinach out, no more sqaucking.

 

[BY Bob]

What is she doing? Is she pecking at the ground..just can't see her beak? .

She was eating what little grass is still left. I caught her at a funny angle wanting to show the rare snowback markings.

 

[BY Bob]

Both of these stories are amazing! People just don't know how amazing & smart chickens can be (okay, sometimes they eat insulation and Styrofoam...nobody's perfect)...

My husband started letting the chickens jump for grapes...it was fun at first, I finally had to put a stop to it...for fear of finger injuries...it's kind of hard to control the mayhem for a favorite food when you have over 20 chickens trying to make sure they get more than their fair share...

I make them jump for all kinds of foods. One of the best things this past year was watching Sydney jump up to get grapes off of our grapes vines this fall when they were ripe. At first I could not figure out what she was doing. Then it came to me, she was picking grapes.