Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

A Quick Trip Outside

Sylvie takes a bath while Legertha stands watch.

The pool pump monster nearly got them!

 

[BY Bob]

I needed this reminder. My pullets hit 15 weeks today. Some of breeds are listed at 19 weeks POL, most 20, 1 at 22 and the sapphires: not a bloomin' clue. They're a legbar x white leghorn and the legbar is listed at 22. faces are looking more adult, but combs aren't there yet....time to be more observational....weather permitting. LORD, BRING ON WINTER! Smoke rolled in so thick today clear visibility maybe half a mile. Anythinge else is looking blue and smells like campfire.

The smoke just sounds awful.

 

[BY Bob]

Is that Sylvie drinking? Did you notice how much her beak was open before she drank? At first I thought she was hot. Then I wondered if she was adjusting her crop?

That was Sylvie drinking. I'm Not sure what she was doing there.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Roosting is a little sad tonight without Elizabeth.
I think Elizabeth was the one that kept them together as a tribe. Everything was very calm today but they spent the whole day as two separate pairs.
Also, it turns out that four chickens is a lot less than five. It feels very empty in the Chicken Palace now.


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Yes, when Queenie died it was like that for me. Five had more varied dynamics in the group as Queenie paired with one or another in foraging. So there was a shift of sorts and the four have sort of rebalanced back to the original group. Popcorn doesn't have the competition at the bottom. There may be changes between your two pairs. I'm sorry for your loss of Elizabeth, it is hard!

 

[BY Bob]

The pool pump monster nearly got them!

That was actually the pool heater. It is not working correctly either so my algae riddled pool now has cold water too. The heater just switches on and off right now.

 

[fuentemoon]

Who ever said the trick to getting chickens to eat shrimp was to feed it raw was right. With the exception of cat food tonight was the first time my ladies have ever eaten any seafood I have offered.

 

[rural mouse]

The smoke just sounds awful.

Last time I checked, between Montana and Idaho there were 51 fires. A pair of them near a community @ 50 miles west as the crow flies merged over the weekend. The bigger challenge: smoke rolls in from San Francisco (latitude) all the way up to the Alaskan panhandle latitude depending upon how the jet stream moves (Montana seems to be in a pivotal zone). Didn't help being in red flag conditions today either. Pic from Mar 15, 2020. The visibility was about the same today.

Birds were all settled before I went out this evening....a good half hour early....Storm tried getting up when I turned on the light for head count.

Tax
The original 4, only Silver remains.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I am not really sure - I am not good at chicken breeds!
I want ones that aren't just egg-producing machines so they don't die too young.
I also really want a black chicken because they are so pretty but I am worried about feathered feet so was thinking about a black Australorp like @MJ's Mary but views differ on whether in the US they are production chickens or not.
I really only started thinking about it this evening so I have a ways to go!

May I ask what is about the feathered feet that concerns you? I admit, before I got my Marans I had never had a breed with feathered feet before and I was nervous about it. After having them for over 18 months now I can tell you that I don't think I've ever saw their feet dirty. They free range and are constantly either digging in the manure pile, fresh sawdust, stomping or wading in the creek or mud and their feet feathers never give them any trouble. I've also never saw them or any of the other chickens pick or try to pluck their leg and feet feathers off each other. I love feathered feet so much I now have 3 feathered feet breeds and some mixes with feathered feet which I adore. Marans are also not supposed to be heavily feathered on their feet and legs like the silkies and cochins. Plus you can get a clean legged Black Copper Marans, they are just not bred to the French standard, but English. Daisy has clean legs, her daughter Clover had clean legs. 2 of Clover's chicks that Bunny is raising have clean legs and her other 2 chicks have feathered legs. I will call the Marans decent layers, 4 to 5 eggs a week which is more then enough for me. Daisy rarely lays, I think I've gotten 10 eggs from her this season. I believe when she laid that monster egg last fall that she got egg bound with for a few days it maybe damaged something internally. Outwardly she is fine, and even goes through the motions of laying and sitting in the nest boxes sometimes for a couple hours and nothing. It is ok, she is one of my favorite chickens and if she is a freeloader the rest of her life I'm ok with it. I prefer her company over her eggs. Marans are also not just pretty to look at, they are friendly in your face chickens who want to be involved with whatever your doing. Even the roosters are friendly and gentle if you are able to have a rooster. The hens are pretty, but, those boys are stunning in my opinion. Oh and the egg color, they may not be blue like your roadrunners, but they are a dark brown, and the speckled ones are even prettier. The big combs can be a concern in cold weather, but if they are in a draft free coop at night, frostbit should not be a concern. We survived this past winter without losing a single point on a comb and we had some real cold snaps.

 

[BY Bob]

Goodnight My Loves

It was a big day today

 

[BY Bob]

May I ask what is about the feathered feet that concerns you? I admit, before I got my Marans I had never had a breed with feathered feet before and I was nervous about it. After having them for over 18 months now I can tell you that I don't think I've ever saw their feet dirty. They free range and are constantly either digging in the manure pile, fresh sawdust, stomping or wading in the creek or mud and their feet feathers never give them any trouble. I've also never saw them or any of the other chickens pick or try to pluck their leg and feet feathers off each other. I love feathered feet so much I now have 3 feathered feet breeds and some mixes with feathered feet which I adore. Marans are also not supposed to be heavily feathered on their feet and legs like the silkies and cochins. Plus you can get a clean legged Black Copper Marans, they are just not bred to the French standard, but English. Daisy has clean legs, her daughter Clover had clean legs. 2 of Clover's chicks that Bunny is raising have clean legs and her other 2 chicks have feathered legs. I will call the Marans decent layers, 4 to 5 eggs a week which is more then enough for me. Daisy rarely lays, I think I've gotten 10 eggs from her this season. I believe when she laid that monster egg last fall that she got egg bound with for a few days it maybe damaged something internally. Outwardly she is fine, and even goes through the motions of laying and sitting in the nest boxes sometimes for a couple hours and nothing. It is ok, she is one of my favorite chickens and if she is a freeloader the rest of her life I'm ok with it. I prefer her company over her eggs. Marans are also not just pretty to look at, they are friendly in your face chickens who want to be involved with whatever your doing. Even the roosters are friendly and gentle if you are able to have a rooster. The hens are pretty, but, those boys are stunning in my opinion. Oh and the egg color, they may not be blue like your roadrunners, but they are a dark brown, and the speckled ones are even prettier. The big combs can be a concern in cold weather, but if they are in a draft free coop at night, frostbit should not be a concern. We survived this past winter without losing a single point on a comb and we had some real cold snaps.

That was a great sales pitch.