Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

Hello @LadyRed

 

[rural mouse]

FBF

Oops, Cheetah's isn't fluffy, just getting tail feathers as long as he is.
2nd try

Thing...wrong end....
3rd try

Twirp exploring the carport. I have a heated waterer (crock pot) in there for winter. I'd like them to know about it. So far she's the only one (that I've seen) willing to explore the area. Once winter hits, that may change. There's a corner shelf (empty), a plexiglass skylight, the water, and I keep my extra bale of straw in there...sometimes they like to spread it....enclosed on 3 sides, you'd think they would like sitting in there out of the wind. Nope. In the past, they like to woodpile...getting dripped on as snow melts/rain slides between the boards of the deck. Have a heated waterer under the porch coming off the deck around the corner from the wood pile too.

Ooh, another FB

Jessica

3 weeksish to egg watch....maybe...probably egg hunt, but Silver has built a nest or 2 in the nest boxes inthe coop even though she hasn't laid anything yet...modeling for the pullets or starting to work on eggs again while finishing her moult?

 

[featherhead007]

FBF (sorry no mummy pictures )

 

[rural mouse]

Yes, those. Are they more convenient to use?

I built a nipple waterer out of a flat backed black rubber bucket. With my crested Thing, I had to else the crest feathers would freeze in the winter fromg getting wet. My farm/ranch supply store (not TSC) had the bucket and the nipples for a fraction of the cost of preassembled. used a drill bit smaller than recommended. Once pushed through the rubber, rotated it a bit to expand the hole. Tried to shove the nipple in, drill/rotate more until could. Put the nipples in the sides rather thanthe bottom so I could set the bucket on the ground for new babies, then hang on a nail as they got taller. Put a round rubber tub (old water tub) in the top to keep them out of it (flat backed shape keeps the "lid" from creating a vacuum seal). Put peanut butter on all the nipples with a bit of scratch stuck to it so the adults would learn to use it. Did this just before Mama went broody. When the dog killed so many, I kept them locked in the coop for part of the day. I know they can all use it. most of them prefer "ground water" (from the hose) or roof water in the tubs under the downspouts, but they can all use the nipples. Thing prefers the nipples (she doesn't gov eye far from the coop. The most I have to clean up is the occasional bug or feather that slides past the "lid". I take it off the hook, dump the remaining water, rinse and refill. I now have the heat lamp mounted above the water so it will warm the bucket enough to keep it from freezing in the coop...I hope. That part will be tested this winter.

The thing I really like about it is they can't kick the bedding into the water. Even the rubber tubs they've been able to fill in. Those tubs work great to catch the water from the gutters and are easy to knock the ice out of, but can get cluttered up so easily that their only purpose at my place any more is under the downspouts or at the upper end of the hoses, which get attached with a slight leak so the tub gets filled for the birds/cat.

Mama just after Storm hatched, when I had the bucket on the ground so Storm could reach it

Silver at a downspout tub

 

[bgmathteach]

Meet Henry The Second and his hens!
These are all Ex Batts or rescues.
I'll be looking after them along with another person for the forseeable future.
They all live on a large allotment plot about 5 mins walk from my daughters.
I'll get some better pictures up later.
There is a lot of work to do. The start was made this morning when they all got out of their run for the first time together.
The first project is to increase the size of their run. There is just about enough grunt left in me to get a fence up and maybe even build a new coop. Negotiations are currently in progress.
I picked Henry The Second up today and a few of his hens. I haven't held a rooster for almost five months!
View attachment 2843499View attachment 2843506View attachment 2843507

Wait, @Sharach, I know I'm behind ('up to' page 600 now!..trying to plow forward & keep up with new posts)), but what happened to your tribes? I loved hearing about & seeing them. You were the prefect chicken tender (occupation, not food!).

 

[ChicoryBlue]

You got it.
View attachment 2844378

Excellent! Haha!!

 

[RoyalChick]

I built a nipple waterer out of a flat backed black rubber bucket. With my crested Thing, I had to else the crest feathers would freeze in the winter fromg getting wet. My farm/ranch supply store (not TSC) had the bucket and the nipples for a fraction of the cost of preassembled. used a drill bit smaller than recommended. Once pushed through the rubber, rotated it a bit to expand the hole. Tried to shove the nipple in, drill/rotate more until could. Put the nipples in the sides rather thanthe bottom so I could set the bucket on the ground for new babies, then hang on a nail as they got taller. Put a round rubber tub (old water tub) in the top to keep them out of it (flat backed shape keeps the "lid" from creating a vacuum seal). Put peanut butter on all the nipples with a bit of scratch stuck to it so the adults would learn to use it. Did this just before Mama went broody. When the dog killed so many, I kept them locked in the coop for part of the day. I know they can all use it. most of them prefer "ground water" (from the hose) or roof water in the tubs under the downspouts, but they can all use the nipples. Thing prefers the nipples (she doesn't gov eye far from the coop. The most I have to clean up is the occasional bug or feather that slides past the "lid". I take it off the hook, dump the remaining water, rinse and refill. I now have the heat lamp mounted above the water so it will warm the bucket enough to keep it from freezing in the coop...I hope. That part will be tested this winter.

The thing I really like about it is they can't kick the bedding into the water. Even the rubber tubs they've been able to fill in. Those tubs work great to catch the water from the gutters and are easy to knock the ice out of, but can get cluttered up so easily that their only purpose at my place any more is under the downspouts or at the upper end of the hoses, which get attached with a slight leak so the tub gets filled for the birds/cat.View attachment 2844665Mama just after Storm hatched, when I had the bucket on the ground so Storm could reach it
View attachment 2844672Silver at a downspout tub

Nicely done. I have a nipple bucket in the coop and hanging waterers in the run and bowls in the yard.
There is a general preference for ground water here too - but everyone always takes a few goes at the nipples before going to bed. It is cute - they line up to do that even though they are coming in from a yard full of bowls and puddles!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

FBF
View attachment 2844621Oops, Cheetah's isn't fluffy, just getting tail feathers as long as he is.
2nd try
View attachment 2844625Thing...wrong end....
3rd tryView attachment 2844629Twirp exploring the carport. I have a heated waterer (crock pot) in there for winter. I'd like them to know about it. So far she's the only one (that I've seen) willing to explore the area. Once winter hits, that may change. There's a corner shelf (empty), a plexiglass skylight, the water, and I keep my extra bale of straw in there...sometimes they like to spread it....enclosed on 3 sides, you'd think they would like sitting in there out of the wind. Nope. In the past, they like to woodpile...getting dripped on as snow melts/rain slides between the boards of the deck. Have a heated waterer under the porch coming off the deck around the corner from the wood pile too.

Ooh, another FB
View attachment 2844630Jessica
View attachment 2844631View attachment 28446323 weeksish to egg watch....maybe...probably egg hunt, but Silver has built a nest or 2 in the nest boxes inthe coop even though she hasn't laid anything yet...modeling for the pullets or starting to work on eggs again while finishing her moult?View attachment 2844633

I LOVE that picture of Jessica grooming under her wing, the pattern of her wing and her feathering is awesome!
Is Cheetah's tail longer than most or usual for a rooster?

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Just a couple casual chicken pictures…

 

[Lady Red]

My girls aren't as glamorous as Alice or Cheetah or Jessica and the likes, but they do have some fluff!

Allele with an awkward angled leg

And Ms. Meatbird in a more natural pose