Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

I won't be keeping them all. Unlike most of you here, I place my older hens and replace future eggs layers. I will keep some of these and some from my next hatch...and one more. Watch them as they grow, and decide. Not supposed to have roosters here. Sometimes I keep one for a while until he finds his...big voice. In the meantime, sometimes I can keep one long enough to fertilize some eggs. Will let this happen if it's a breed I would love to have, even mixed because I know I'll get egg layers. Right now, I'm wondering if I will be keeping any this winter, because my husband has had another..very big decline this past week. It's happening so fast. Chickens have been my happy part through all of this. I love hatching. Don't think I'll be doing that again unless our son here can help me with the taking care of chickens. I would miss them, but it's starting to become a very heavy load with him. Busy watching him, taking him to the Dr if needed. Having his Medicair check up tommorow. Thinking hospice respite is in my near future. Hospice will come in to help a few times a week...not just for "the" death sentence. I'll take that help when needed, then maybe I can keep chickens. Oh..not sure I said..sadly, his psa was way up again. Supposed to be below 4, it was 11. Prostate cancer is supposed to take a long time. I'm beginning to wonder with all of his symptoms lately. Poor guy. I really don't like seeing him in pain. Have pain relief when needed. Well..I wrote a book again. You can tell it's just good to let it out..hmm..on BYC. Ok, chicken tax. This was one of my most favorite girls..ever! When she hatched, I immediately named her Uggums. She became pretty popular on a couple of other threads years ago. I kept her for her forever. View attachment 2544223

What a difficult time for you.

 

[LozzyR]

I won't be keeping them all. Unlike most of you here, I place my older hens and replace future eggs layers. I will keep some of these and some from my next hatch...and one more. Watch them as they grow, and decide. Not supposed to have roosters here. Sometimes I keep one for a while until he finds his...big voice. In the meantime, sometimes I can keep one long enough to fertilize some eggs. Will let this happen if it's a breed I would love to have, even mixed because I know I'll get egg layers. Right now, I'm wondering if I will be keeping any this winter, because my husband has had another..very big decline this past week. It's happening so fast. Chickens have been my happy part through all of this. I love hatching. Don't think I'll be doing that again unless our son here can help me with the taking care of chickens. I would miss them, but it's starting to become a very heavy load with him. Busy watching him, taking him to the Dr if needed. Having his Medicair check up tommorow. Thinking hospice respite is in my near future. Hospice will come in to help a few times a week...not just for "the" death sentence. I'll take that help when needed, then maybe I can keep chickens. Oh..not sure I said..sadly, his psa was way up again. Supposed to be below 4, it was 11. Prostate cancer is supposed to take a long time. I'm beginning to wonder with all of his symptoms lately. Poor guy. I really don't like seeing him in pain. Have pain relief when needed. Well..I wrote a book again. You can tell it's just good to let it out..hmm..on BYC. Ok, chicken tax. This was one of my most favorite girls..ever! When she hatched, I immediately named her Uggums. She became pretty popular on a couple of other threads years ago. I kept her for her forever. View attachment 2544223

I’m so sorry your husband is so unwell. It must be very difficult for you.

 

[Ribh]

I won't be keeping them all. Unlike most of you here, I place my older hens and replace future eggs layers. I will keep some of these and some from my next hatch...and one more. Watch them as they grow, and decide. Not supposed to have roosters here. Sometimes I keep one for a while until he finds his...big voice. In the meantime, sometimes I can keep one long enough to fertilize some eggs. Will let this happen if it's a breed I would love to have, even mixed because I know I'll get egg layers. Right now, I'm wondering if I will be keeping any this winter, because my husband has had another..very big decline this past week. It's happening so fast. Chickens have been my happy part through all of this. I love hatching. Don't think I'll be doing that again unless our son here can help me with the taking care of chickens. I would miss them, but it's starting to become a very heavy load with him. Busy watching him, taking him to the Dr if needed. Having his Medicair check up tommorow. Thinking hospice respite is in my near future. Hospice will come in to help a few times a week...not just for "the" death sentence. I'll take that help when needed, then maybe I can keep chickens. Oh..not sure I said..sadly, his psa was way up again. Supposed to be below 4, it was 11. Prostate cancer is supposed to take a long time. I'm beginning to wonder with all of his symptoms lately. Poor guy. I really don't like seeing him in pain. Have pain relief when needed. Well..I wrote a book again. You can tell it's just good to let it out..hmm..on BYC. Ok, chicken tax. This was one of my most favorite girls..ever! When she hatched, I immediately named her Uggums. She became pretty popular on a couple of other threads years ago. I kept her for her forever. View attachment 2544223

That must be so hard but a beautiful chicken!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I won't be keeping them all. Unlike most of you here, I place my older hens and replace future eggs layers. I will keep some of these and some from my next hatch...and one more. Watch them as they grow, and decide. Not supposed to have roosters here. Sometimes I keep one for a while until he finds his...big voice. In the meantime, sometimes I can keep one long enough to fertilize some eggs. Will let this happen if it's a breed I would love to have, even mixed because I know I'll get egg layers. Right now, I'm wondering if I will be keeping any this winter, because my husband has had another..very big decline this past week. It's happening so fast. Chickens have been my happy part through all of this. I love hatching. Don't think I'll be doing that again unless our son here can help me with the taking care of chickens. I would miss them, but it's starting to become a very heavy load with him. Busy watching him, taking him to the Dr if needed. Having his Medicair check up tommorow. Thinking hospice respite is in my near future. Hospice will come in to help a few times a week...not just for "the" death sentence. I'll take that help when needed, then maybe I can keep chickens. Oh..not sure I said..sadly, his psa was way up again. Supposed to be below 4, it was 11. Prostate cancer is supposed to take a long time. I'm beginning to wonder with all of his symptoms lately. Poor guy. I really don't like seeing him in pain. Have pain relief when needed. Well..I wrote a book again. You can tell it's just good to let it out..hmm..on BYC. Ok, chicken tax. This was one of my most favorite girls..ever! When she hatched, I immediately named her Uggums. She became pretty popular on a couple of other threads years ago. I kept her for her forever. View attachment 2544223

 

[RoyalChick]

I won't be keeping them all. Unlike most of you here, I place my older hens and replace future eggs layers. I will keep some of these and some from my next hatch...and one more. Watch them as they grow, and decide. Not supposed to have roosters here. Sometimes I keep one for a while until he finds his...big voice. In the meantime, sometimes I can keep one long enough to fertilize some eggs. Will let this happen if it's a breed I would love to have, even mixed because I know I'll get egg layers. Right now, I'm wondering if I will be keeping any this winter, because my husband has had another..very big decline this past week. It's happening so fast. Chickens have been my happy part through all of this. I love hatching. Don't think I'll be doing that again unless our son here can help me with the taking care of chickens. I would miss them, but it's starting to become a very heavy load with him. Busy watching him, taking him to the Dr if needed. Having his Medicair check up tommorow. Thinking hospice respite is in my near future. Hospice will come in to help a few times a week...not just for "the" death sentence. I'll take that help when needed, then maybe I can keep chickens. Oh..not sure I said..sadly, his psa was way up again. Supposed to be below 4, it was 11. Prostate cancer is supposed to take a long time. I'm beginning to wonder with all of his symptoms lately. Poor guy. I really don't like seeing him in pain. Have pain relief when needed. Well..I wrote a book again. You can tell it's just good to let it out..hmm..on BYC. Ok, chicken tax. This was one of my most favorite girls..ever! When she hatched, I immediately named her Uggums. She became pretty popular on a couple of other threads years ago. I kept her for her forever. View attachment 2544223

 

[FransGran]

I won't be keeping them all. Unlike most of you here, I place my older hens and replace future eggs layers. I will keep some of these and some from my next hatch...and one more. Watch them as they grow, and decide. Not supposed to have roosters here. Sometimes I keep one for a while until he finds his...big voice. In the meantime, sometimes I can keep one long enough to fertilize some eggs. Will let this happen if it's a breed I would love to have, even mixed because I know I'll get egg layers. Right now, I'm wondering if I will be keeping any this winter, because my husband has had another..very big decline this past week. It's happening so fast. Chickens have been my happy part through all of this. I love hatching. Don't think I'll be doing that again unless our son here can help me with the taking care of chickens. I would miss them, but it's starting to become a very heavy load with him. Busy watching him, taking him to the Dr if needed. Having his Medicair check up tommorow. Thinking hospice respite is in my near future. Hospice will come in to help a few times a week...not just for "the" death sentence. I'll take that help when needed, then maybe I can keep chickens. Oh..not sure I said..sadly, his psa was way up again. Supposed to be below 4, it was 11. Prostate cancer is supposed to take a long time. I'm beginning to wonder with all of his symptoms lately. Poor guy. I really don't like seeing him in pain. Have pain relief when needed. Well..I wrote a book again. You can tell it's just good to let it out..hmm..on BYC. Ok, chicken tax. This was one of my most favorite girls..ever! When she hatched, I immediately named her Uggums. She became pretty popular on a couple of other threads years ago. I kept her for her forever. View attachment 2544223

I’m so sorry.

 

[BY Bob]

I won't be keeping them all. Unlike most of you here, I place my older hens and replace future eggs layers. I will keep some of these and some from my next hatch...and one more. Watch them as they grow, and decide. Not supposed to have roosters here. Sometimes I keep one for a while until he finds his...big voice. In the meantime, sometimes I can keep one long enough to fertilize some eggs. Will let this happen if it's a breed I would love to have, even mixed because I know I'll get egg layers. Right now, I'm wondering if I will be keeping any this winter, because my husband has had another..very big decline this past week. It's happening so fast. Chickens have been my happy part through all of this. I love hatching. Don't think I'll be doing that again unless our son here can help me with the taking care of chickens. I would miss them, but it's starting to become a very heavy load with him. Busy watching him, taking him to the Dr if needed. Having his Medicair check up tommorow. Thinking hospice respite is in my near future. Hospice will come in to help a few times a week...not just for "the" death sentence. I'll take that help when needed, then maybe I can keep chickens. Oh..not sure I said..sadly, his psa was way up again. Supposed to be below 4, it was 11. Prostate cancer is supposed to take a long time. I'm beginning to wonder with all of his symptoms lately. Poor guy. I really don't like seeing him in pain. Have pain relief when needed. Well..I wrote a book again. You can tell it's just good to let it out..hmm..on BYC. Ok, chicken tax. This was one of my most favorite girls..ever! When she hatched, I immediately named her Uggums. She became pretty popular on a couple of other threads years ago. I kept her for her forever. View attachment 2544223

You are welcome to share as much as want. I'm sorry that there is so much on you right now. I can't imagine how hard that is. I'm glad you have the chickens to help. We are also here to listen if you want to share.

I can see why Uggums became so popular. She looks like she was a lot of joy.

 

[BY Bob]

SOMETHING HAPPENED.

Poor girls. I got home late, as I had a meeting that went until 6:30, and then my husband wanted me to meet him out with friends for a bit before going home. As always, the first thing I did when I got home it went straight to the coop to check that everybody had gone to roost and lock them up. When it opened the upper coop, I was shocked to see 8 birds in there! it’s usually anywhere from 4 to 5. Also, the roosting arrangement was all over the place. Nobody was in their usual spot.

When I went around to look in the main coop, there were only three birds in there, but I was expecting 5. I started panicking, and doing a headcount to see which ones were missing. I frantically shined a flashlight around the run, and didn’t see any evidence of a bird or a struggle. I checked the little mini coop inside the run and there was nobody there. It seem two birds gad vanished!

I then realized two were roosting in the sunroom, which is wire on three sides. They have never done this, not even on the hottest summer night. I donned a headlamp, took off the removable door to the sunroom, and carried each of the girls back into the main coop.

I didn’t do any physical exams, but I did a good visual on everybody that I could see, and everything seemed OK. I didn’t say that blood or really poorly body language or anything, though Cashew was partially in a nest box.

It seems something must’ve given them an awful fright. I just can’t explain why else they would be seeming to try to get away from the run as far as possible. I’m thinking either a predator visited, or perhaps there was some scary noise coming from next door.

I wish I knew what happened. I really need to get some cameras.

First, I am so glad that everyone was alright. That is the worst feeling.

Second, if it was a predator, I would expect it back again tonight at the same time. It's there anyway you or your husband could be home to watch?

Third, I would do a detailed perimeter check as soon as the sun was up this morning to see if i could find footprints or damage to the run.

Fourth, it could also be a random dog that got loose in which case it may not be back but you should see footprints or something.

 

[BY Bob]

Phyllis chooses a Nestbox

The following video is 5 minutes long. It is interesting to watch Phyllis choose a nestbox when the favorite box is occupied. My girls do not share nestboxes. It was quite a process. Took her more than 5 minutes!

I also like to point out how sad Phyllis' little squeak is when things aren't as she wants them and she has to find a alternate solution. It tugs at my heart every time I hear her make it.

 

[micstrachan]

Oh no. Pretty sure a predator is stalking them. I just had some tree work done behind the garage that makes them more visible.