Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Here's a bad photo of my girl years ago. Ya'll are thinking by now, what chicken didn't she have? lol...I hatched! Still hatch, but I wanted to see as many different varieties as I could. It was fun. I found out which ones were sturdy, sun or snow. Which ones laid. Which ones went broody. Which ones were more friendly..and not. View attachment 2548532 Yes, I'm old. Had a few years to find out. Here's my Barny, used a bad camera. My phone does much better now. Her colors were much more vibrant. Not as much as some. Definitely not show quality. They can be, or not. Sweet chicken. They don't lay as well as some. Hardy girl. Friendly too.

She was a beauty! I actually love the idea of a less than stellar layer. I think that would (might?) make them less prone to laying issues.

 

[micstrachan]

A Cold Frosty Start turns into another Great Day

Saturday dawned with fog, drizzle, and a snow covered deck. The girls were locked in the complex and not happy.

By lunch time the fog had cleared and drizzle had stopped. The snow was melted from the deck. I headed out to chop up the brush left from trimming the butterfly bush and I released the flock.

About 1/3 of the side yard no longer has snow, the portion around the magnolia tree. The girls were digging in it in no time. Of course the snow was not restricting Phyllis.

Watch them dig away.

After I got the brush done, I grabbed a cup of coffee and a book and we spent the afternoon together.

Aurora came and sat in the chair next to me.
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Hattie figured out that enough space had melted for her to explore the entire fence line today.
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The tribe spent the day together scratching away leading to some really muddy feat. Phyllis left footprints on my pants.
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They patrolled the edge of the snow line devouring the grass as the snow receded.
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The sun did make some brief appearances but we still hit 50°F today. Not bad at all.

Lucky girls!

 

[RoyalChick]

Bridge, Rocks-Anne, and Sydney are all Barred Rocks or Barred Plymouth Rocks.

Barred Rocks are a type of Plymouth Rock. There are other Plymouth Rocks. Plymouth Rocks can be:

• Barred
• Blue
• Black
• Black Frizzled
• Buff
• Colombian
• Partridge
• Silver Penciled
• White

All but Whites and Barred are rare. We raised White Rocks when I was a wee lad as meat birds.

Oh dear. How confusing.

 

[micstrachan]

You are not seriously expecting any of us to say pass are you?
I assume as you know the guy you know a little about the flock they are coming from and know they are healthy and all that. If so, I would 100% go for it!

RIGHT???

 

[Marie2020]

Ok Fluffy Butt Friends, I need some advice. My sawdust guy delivered a load of sawdust for me yesterday and presented me with a problem or opportunity. Depends on how you look at it. He's a wonderful old man who likes chickens as much as I do and will stand around and talk horses and chickens all day long. This June he has 17 Beifielder chicks coming, and in order to make room for them he's offered me 5 or 6 hens for free. Was initially in the process of saying no when he showed me the pictures and told me to look and think again. THEY ARE BLUE MARANS. 2 years old and gorgeous. He knows my obsession with Marans, and has remembered that I also want blues, well, ok every color. I have until the new chicks show up to decided, but if I really want them in about 3 weeks when the next load of sawdust arrives they can hitch a ride with him. I WANT THEM, I think I'm going to say yes. Keep 3 of the best looking ones and let Maddy next door have the others to take to her papaws as they are wanting more hens and love the 2 Marans I gave them. That would still allow me to get a few Lavender chicks for Rosie. I think anyway, that plan would push me at or over 20 chickens, which I sorta want to keep under so as not to drive the neighbors crazy. But then, the neighbors love my chickens, 3 of them bring over kitchen scraps to them and since I've had a egg explosion they are loving the fresh eggs i've been giving them. Ok advise please, take them, or pass on them.

Grab them fast, you're soooooo lucky

 

[MaryJanet]

Isn't it a type of coffee?

I think it's a place?

 

[MaryJanet]

Not totally. I am more observant than I was - like I notice body type, and comb and even leg color. But I am realizing that most of the 'breeds' are made-up constructs, mainly in the 19th Century and some older.

Exactly! And potentially detrimental when breeds turn out susceptible to sickness or early death.

Is there a breed with official characteristics "healthy and long-lived"?

 

[Marie2020]

All my efforts at chicken education going to waste.

Nevermind Bob, don't give up

 

[MaryJanet]

I would be please with those eggs. While I love the darker brown eggs, any soft shade of warm brown makes me happy. I think if I had one that laid a blue egg I would find it weird and out of place.

I was very surprised when I found a blue egg one day, most unexpected!

 

[featherhead007]

I think it's a place?

Java, is all that, and also the new name of my last unnamed baby chick. She looks black like lava, so....... Java