Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[CrazyChookChookLady]

Well, today was heartbreaking and makes owning and raising chickens hard. One of my silkie chicks crashed today. Totally unexpected, it was perfectly fine yesterday and first thing this morning. At noon, it was found on it side seizing. I have no clue what happened, but before I could get it in the house it passed. This is the 2nd one out of 6 successfully hatched to pass and it was the 2nd biggest of the group. I'm going to be honest here, while they are adorable, and Rosie loves them if I can successfully raise just 2 of these for her I don't see myself hatching anymore for myself. After having large fowl raising true bantams is nerve wrecking. They were so tiny for so long that they were over 2 weeks old before I even felt comfortable letting them and momma free range for a few hours. I have a personal favorite of the group, and it is the tiniest but so sweet. I'm praying I do not loose anymore and that my tiny one thrives and turns out to be a pullet.

I've personally only ever bought semi-mature (sexable) silkie birds for this very reason. They are very fragile.

 

[featherhead007]

It’s two for Tuesday so….

 

[adwil21]

Than

Smart chickens! I also don't go far in winter

Here's the link to the ceramic water containers. https://wisementrading.com/farm-and...ceramic-stoneware-watering-fountain-1-gallon/

It's a different design from the ones I use, but will have similar benefits.

Smart chickens! I also don't go far in winter

Here's the link to the ceramic water containers. https://wisementrading.com/farm-and...ceramic-stoneware-watering-fountain-1-gallon/

It's a different design from the ones I use, but will have similar benefits.

Thank you!!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Spoiler: in a little “sanity deprived” AKA, crazy.

I may be in the minority here… but I think he’s just adorable! Personally, I probably would have “accidentally” released him just outside. If a snake problem is helping with the hoarding problem, and definitely doing some population control on the rodents… well grandma didn’t know he was even there before. Yes, I know… I am a horrible human being. I get very upset when snakes get killed, they are mostly so beneficial.

We accidentally ran over one with the truck on Friday.
K: “Oh no! Stop, be careful don’t hit that”
DH: Looking for a baby deer or something “what I don’t see anything, what? Where?”
K: opens door while still moving “Damn it! A snake”
DH: “oh, I didn’t see it, did we hit it?”
K: “yes, poor little guy”
DH: “did we get it fully, or should I back up?”
K: “no he’s gone, and it was just a little guy”

Luckily he didn’t really suffer much, but I was still pretty broken up over it. I really, really wish we had some decent sized snakes here! The garters are great for slugs, but that’s about it. We really need a rodent eating sized snake. The only one we really have in the province is our only rattle snake, and it has an extremely limited range.

Snakes have never given me the willies like they do for some people. We take care for snakes here, even stop when we're bike riding to herd them off the road, because people here AIM for snakes with their cars (we've seen it). I didn't know garter snakes eat slugs & snails, that's great news!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

You guys are just awful to me

You might want to go and search this thread for one of the deadliest - drop bears. It will make you forget about the worms! (Just kidding. But really, go look them up!)

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I've personally only ever bought semi-mature (sexable) silkie birds for this very reason. They are very fragile.

I honestly went into this blind. I had no interest in silkies in the past, thought they looked weird so never properly researched them. While yes Rosie has begged for them, I was able to use the excuse I didn't have a place to properly house them until we built the grow out coop. Even then silkies were not even on my radar until I was asked to hatch eggs to test fertility and had a hen go broody. I'm still learning with these guys and have fallen for the little aliens we have but I have no desire to hatch anymore. Maybe it would be different if I get eggs from a good breeder. My neighbors flock came from one of the hatcheries, they ordered 24 last year and 7 made it to adulthood. So in this experiment for her, yes her eggs are fertile if she wants to sell them, but I'm now questioning the genetics in her flock. The remaining 4 are running and bouncing around outside this morning looking perfectly healthy, but then so did Branch until yesterday when she crashed.

 

[Blazinga]

It’s two for Tuesday so….View attachment 2739715

They've grown so much!

 

[featherhead007]

They've grown so much!

Unfortunately, they haven’t grown fast enough. I’m still trying very hard to integrate them into the rest of the family, but so far, no cluck doing it!

 

[featherhead007]

Unfortunately, they haven’t grown fast enough. I’m still trying very hard to integrate them into the rest of the family, but so far, no cluck doing it!

They still won’t enter the coop at night. They both wait on my porch, tapping at the door “Let us in, it’s dangerous out here “

 

[featherhead007]

These girls are getting big too. They are all in lay or “point of lay” too.
(My rooster has his hands full)!