Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

I'm hoping the Ex Batts get to at lleast four years old. I beleive they were two years old on arrival a couple of months ago.

That would be a great outcome for them.

 

[MaryJanet]

I am observing this with Maggie now. She has completely switched what she forages does I can tell because there are patches of plants that have gone untouched all summer and now she is systematically destroying them.
She is also targeting roots which wasn’t the case before.
She looks skinny to me but that may be because she has lost a lot of feathers.
For now I am going to just observe and not interfere.

It's amazing how well they take care of themselves. I'm in awe.

 

[MaryJanet]

Hey Everyone. It's been a while since I've last been here I'm slowly getting caught up with everyones posts.

Do y'all remember the two chicks I rescued? The first in May and the second in July? They're all grown up now!

Kiko (Rescued in May)
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Gizmo (Rescued in July)
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Kiko & Gizmo
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Clearly Gizmo is a rooster. He started crowing a few weeks ago and makes a GREAT alarm clock!

Okay, going to continue catching up on this thread!

Hi cfonts! I had a meeting with someone in Hawaii on Monday and we were talking of the feral chickens and how that hen brought all her chicks to visit you

 

[MaryJanet]

Hey Everyone. It's been a while since I've last been here I'm slowly getting caught up with everyones posts.

Do y'all remember the two chicks I rescued? The first in May and the second in July? They're all grown up now!

Kiko (Rescued in May)
View attachment 2849668

Gizmo (Rescued in July)
View attachment 2849672

Kiko & Gizmo
View attachment 2849670

Clearly Gizmo is a rooster. He started crowing a few weeks ago and makes a GREAT alarm clock!

Okay, going to continue catching up on this thread!

Kiko and Gizmo are looking great and that's a wonderful photo

 

[rural mouse]

This is an interesting and according to the people I've spoken to about the topic whose knowledge I respect; badly missunderstood.
The best free rangers are fast. The colour that is supposed to aid camouflage doesn't play much of a role. All the ariel predators I'm told hunt on movement.
Sitting hens is a good example, I used to wonder how a couple of the tribes hens managed to not get taken by hawks because of the exposed natare of the sites they chose to sit at. Donk, and her mother Dink, Fray, Tan, Thunder and of course Cheepy prefered exposed site. Their colours ranged from almost pure white to black and white and about every shade of brown. They survived by keeping perfectly still and when they moved from their nests they moved to cover very quickly.
Of course, this may not help much when it comes to ground predators who may locate the hen by smell. I am told that some hens more used to feral sitting choose strong smelling foliage to help hide in. Rosemary and Thyme bushes are favorite in many warm climates.
So, it's movement that usually gives the hens away. Donk, who is black and white and sticks out like a sore thumb once you know where she is is virually invisable while she is still. She looks like an odd looking rock.
Fayoumies (probably my favourite breed) are just too fast for hawks and the feral ones will fly into trees when in danger.
It's speed and stillness that counts most.

Speed and stillness do count most. Donk as black AND white still has decent camo as the outline gets broken up with the color patches. An entirely white or entirely black bird is at a disadvantage because when they go still, their stark 1 color (especially either end of the spectrum) outlines them nicely for predators (speaking as a predator within a family of predators and applying same principles of garb when going hunting) even when they are still. Multiple colors (even if black and white) still breaks up the shape, making them harder to spot when still.
My original point though was that color of a breed shouldn't affect the breed characteristics. I would expect how well a breed forages (or doesnt), how it holds up to cold/hot weather, broodiness, egg production, etc would be similar within a breed. Plymouth Rocks are a popular breed. They come in white, black, barred, partridge, blue, buff, and a bunch of other colors. I would think that the breed characteristics would be very similar. Back to the Wyandotte. The hatchery where I got my goldan wyandottes has them listed as poor free range birds (recognizing that hatchery free range isn't like what you had in Spain or I have in Montana) but the Colombian and silver laced wyandottes were both listed as excellent free rangers. (I dont think US hatcheries factor in a birds ability to be predator savvy, just willingness to poke into everything, scratch up grubs and forage) Other than the color of the bird (which shouldn't be a factor in the bird's ability) why such a difference?

 

[MaryJanet]

I agree, this hen looks like a legbar to me.

SHRA...

 

[MaryJanet]

Speed and stillness do count most. Donk as black AND white still has decent camo as the outline gets broken up with the color patches. An entirely white or entirely black bird is at a disadvantage because when they go still, their stark 1 color (especially either end of the spectrum) outlines them nicely for predators (speaking as a predator within a family of predators and applying same principles of garb when going hunting) even when they are still. Multiple colors (even if black and white) still breaks up the shape, making them harder to spot when still.
My original point though was that color of a breed shouldn't affect the breed characteristics. I would expect how well a breed forages (or doesnt), how it holds up to cold/hot weather, broodiness, egg production, etc would be similar within a breed. Plymouth Rocks are a popular breed. They come in white, black, barred, partridge, blue, buff, and a bunch of other colors. I would think that the breed characteristics would be very similar. Back to the Wyandotte. The hatchery where I got my goldan wyandottes has them listed as poor free range birds (recognizing that hatchery free range isn't like what you had in Spain or I have in Montana) but the Colombian and silver laced wyandottes were both listed as excellent free rangers. (I dont think US hatcheries factor in a birds ability to be predator savvy, just willingness to poke into everything, scratch up grubs and forage) Other than the color of the bird (which shouldn't be a factor in the bird's ability) why such a difference?

My guess is that folks are giving opinions rather than objectively established knowledge.

 

[rural mouse]

My guess is that folks are giving opinions rather than objectively established knowledge.

That was kinda where my mind was going on it too. The same ones who express opinions on behavior based upon 30 min of observation at coop open/close time. So do I contact the hatchery when Jessica is a year old (covers all the seasons) and ask them to modify their breed characteristics being as mine contradict what they're saying? (Hoping to spread better info?) Do I contact sooner and ask about the discrepancy between the "breeds" (color variants)? or Do I just let it go and enjoy the chickens? (I do the 2nd half of that Q anyway)

 

[MaryJanet]

That was kinda where my mind was going on it too. The same ones who express opinions on behavior based upon 30 min of observation at coop open/close time. So do I contact the hatchery when Jessica is a year old (covers all the seasons) and ask them to modify their breed characteristics being as mine contradict what they're saying? (Hoping to spread better info?) Do I contact sooner and ask about the discrepancy between the "breeds" (color variants)? or Do I just let it go and enjoy the chickens? (I do the 2nd half of that Q anyway)

I'd pursue this kind of thing if lives were at stake. But someone's poor effort at describing chicken behaviour doesn't grab much of my time. That said, I have very very little free time. If I weren't working and I was bored, I might offer to rewrite the breed description for them.

 

[Lady Red]

First a Monday mug
View attachment 2848882
I should have gotten a picture of her out in the rain this evening, she doesn't let any but the heaviest shower stop her

I am supposed to be working a ridiculously long day tomorrow starting at 6am, but my covid test results did not come back today as they should have. So now I am left hanging, technically I can't work without a negative result, haven't heard back from work either, so if I don't so I risk a penalty for being a no show.

How did your day end up going? I hope the test results showed up today (albeit late) and negative.
More importantly, I hope you are feeling well!