Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Spring has Sprung

Spring has truly arrived here. I was out in short sleeves today! Of course, it probably snowed at @RoyalChick place today, NJ is a strange place.

We decided to have lunch outside. Sydney decided that my sandwich looked too good to wait for scraps. She channeled her inner Daisy, the greatest hen ever, and onto the table she jumped. Check out my little raptor poised to strike at my sandwich.

One of the things I have been struggling to achieve with Sydney was to be allowed to touch her. I can touch everyone else except Aurora. So instead of shooing her off of the table I decided to try and hold her at bay with the back of my hand. To do so would require me to touch her. If she did not like it she could leave.

Well she was more than willing to key me touch her as you can see. If fact at times it became a little desperate but I managed to eat my sandwich although I did share it with her. She eventually jumped down on her own.

The real test came later in the evening. Sydney popped up next to me on the patio furniture.

I had no food for her.

Slowly I resched out the back of my hand.

She looked me in the eye.

I brushed her chest.

She kept staring me in the eyes.

I brushed her side.

No reaction.

I did not push my luck. It feels like we may have a breakthrough. I will attempt reinforce tomorrow but it is very exciting! It almost cost me a sandwich bit it was worth it.

By the way, Hattie is way more polite when begging food.

 

[micstrachan]

It's so hard. They lay so many eggs everything has to be in perfect balance.

I know. Poor Dorothy. Last summer zucchini (manganese) seemed to help, but then there’s phosphorous that needs to be balanced, too. At some point I may give her one round of hormones for a laying break & hope it let’s her system reset.

 

[BY Bob]

I know. Poor Dorothy. Last summer zucchini (manganese) seemed to help, but then there’s phosphorous that needs to be balanced, too. At some point I may give her one round of hormones for a laying break & hope it let’s her system reset.

That makes sense The poor things just lay themselves to death.

 

[RoyalChick]

Spring has Sprung

Spring has truly arrived here. I was out in short sleeves today! Of course, it probably snowed at @RoyalChick place today, NJ is a strange place.

We decided to have lunch outside. Sydney decided that my sandwich looked too good to wait for scraps. She channeled her inner Daisy, the greatest hen ever, and onto the table she jumped. Check out my little raptor poised to strike at my sandwich.
View attachment 2578321

One of the things I have been struggling to achieve with Sydney was to be allowed to touch her. I can touch everyone else except Aurora. So instead of shooing her off of the table I decided to try and hold her at bay with the back of my hand. To do so would require me to touch her. If she did not like it she could leave.

View attachment 2578337

Well she was more than willing to key me touch her as you can see. If fact at times it became a little desperate but I managed to eat my sandwich although I did share it with her. She eventually jumped down on her own.

The real test came later in the evening. Sydney popped up next to me on the patio furniture.

I had no food for her.

Slowly I resched out the back of my hand.

She looked me in the eye.

I brushed her chest.

She kept staring me in the eyes.

I brushed her side.

No reaction.

I did not push my luck. It feels like we may have a breakthrough. I will attempt reinforce tomorrow but it is very exciting! It almost cost me a sandwich bit it was worth it.

By the way, Hattie is way more polite when begging food.
View attachment 2578348

Love that development with Sydney. She looks very pretty on the table.
Lovely sunny day here too. Still below freezing tonight though. No new snow forecast!

 

[micstrachan]

Spring has Sprung

Spring has truly arrived here. I was out in short sleeves today! Of course, it probably snowed at @RoyalChick place today, NJ is a strange place.

We decided to have lunch outside. Sydney decided that my sandwich looked too good to wait for scraps. She channeled her inner Daisy, the greatest hen ever, and onto the table she jumped. Check out my little raptor poised to strike at my sandwich.
View attachment 2578321

One of the things I have been struggling to achieve with Sydney was to be allowed to touch her. I can touch everyone else except Aurora. So instead of shooing her off of the table I decided to try and hold her at bay with the back of my hand. To do so would require me to touch her. If she did not like it she could leave.

View attachment 2578337

Well she was more than willing to key me touch her as you can see. If fact at times it became a little desperate but I managed to eat my sandwich although I did share it with her. She eventually jumped down on her own.

The real test came later in the evening. Sydney popped up next to me on the patio furniture.

I had no food for her.

Slowly I resched out the back of my hand.

She looked me in the eye.

I brushed her chest.

She kept staring me in the eyes.

I brushed her side.

No reaction.

I did not push my luck. It feels like we may have a breakthrough. I will attempt reinforce tomorrow but it is very exciting! It almost cost me a sandwich bit it was worth it.

By the way, Hattie is way more polite when begging food.
View attachment 2578348

Awwww..., Bob!!! What a breakthrough!!! I love this.

We’re actually having a cold March for California. Not a chance of a tee-shirt. We had frost three days THIS WEEK, when we normally only get 5-10 per YEAR.

However, I did cut the grass, which is more of a pasture. At this point there might be more clover than grass. Here are Flo and Ester enjoying it, with DH in the background (he’s about to take an eBike ride to the market ).

In other news, poor, sweet Dorothy appears to have another softie in the works:

She did get a calcium tablet. Too late for forming a shell on this one, but it might help her push it out. She also just got a drizzle of nutridrench in baby bird formula for an energy boost.

Finally, Little Mill’s abdomen was HUGE this morning, but I just checked it and it’s vastly reduced. Somehow her body absorbed or expelled the fluid? I’m grateful and will keep watching.

What else? Buttercup laid another fart/fairy egg today. Ester is warming back up to me, so perhaps might come back into lay, and Bridge spent some time in the nest box today.

Thanks for letting us share our chicken lives on your thread, Bob. I don’t know where else I could babble and my family gets tired of it.

 

[BY Bob]

Love that development with Sydney. She looks very pretty on the table.
Lovely sunny day here too. Still below freezing tonight though. No new snow forecast!

Well at least no new snow. You can enjoy that.

 

[RoyalChick]

Well at least no new snow. You can enjoy that.

I certainly did. 🕶🕶

 

[BY Bob]

Awwww..., Bob!!! What a breakthrough!!! I love this.

We’re actually having a cold March for California. Not a chance of a tee-shirt. We had frost three days THIS WEEK, when we normally only get 5-10 per YEAR.

However, I did cut the grass, which is more of a pasture. At this point there might be more clover than grass. Here are Flo and Ester enjoying it, with DH in the background (he’s about to take an eBike ride to the market ).
View attachment 2578395

In other news, poor, sweet Dorothy appears to have another softie in the works:
View attachment 2578396

She did get a calcium tablet. Too late for forming a shell on this one, but it might help her push it out. She also just got a drizzle of nutridrench in baby bird formula for an energy boost.

Finally, Little Mill’s abdomen was HUGE this morning, but I just checked it and it’s vastly reduced. Somehow her body absorbed or expelled the fluid? I’m grateful and will keep watching.
View attachment 2578398

What else? Buttercup laid another fart/fairy egg today. Ester is warming back up to me, so perhaps might come back into lay, and Bridge spent some time in the nest box today.

Thanks for letting us share our chicken lives on your thread, Bob. I don’t know where else I could babble and my family gets tired of it.

I love your babbling. Please don't ever stop. I am invested in your tribe. They are like the extended family for my ladies.

It's moments like the one with Sydney today that just make the time I spend with the ladies so special for me. I always think back to how hard I worked to earn Daisy's, the greatest hen ever, trust. What an amazing relationship we wound up with out of it. I sure hope I can touch Sydney again tomorrow and keep us moving forward.

 

[micstrachan]

I love your babbling. Please don't ever stop. I am invested in your tribe. They are like the extended family for my ladies.

It's moments like the one with Sydney today that just make the time I spend with the ladies so special for me. I always think back to how hard I worked to earn Daisy's, the greatest hen ever, trust. What an amazing relationship we wound up with out of it. I sure hope I can touch Sydney again tomorrow and keep us moving forward.

LOVE!!!! For me, it’s Ester. I gained her trust in her crisis this winter. But she’s back to not letting me touch her. Until today.

 

[BY Bob]

LOVE!!!! For me, it’s Ester. I gained her trust in her crisis this winter. But she’s back to not letting me touch her. Until today.

Keep working with her. It's there. It will come back. She remembers you kindly I'm sure of it.