Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Maybe in part they get their power from being close to you?

Maybe. I think I’m the rooster figure. Or the closest thing to it.

 

[micstrachan]

I am sorry to bore everyone with the figs, but I found this really interesting from a chicken behavior perspective.
Maggie jackhammered her way into the unripe fig while Minnie watched closely. Closely enough that she managed to get at least one bite of the inside of Maggie's fig.
Not 5 mins later I heard this banging and it was little Minnie trying it out for herself on another unripe fig. I really think she watched and learned from Maggie!
Amazing.

I’m sure of it!

 

[micstrachan]

Even though the hens are full of life and rambunctious, I also wake up expecting to find one dead. Hopefully I'll be able to cope when it does actually happen. Their lives are so short compared to dogs or cats.

It’s a sad reality. I don’t expect it, but brace myself for it sometimes. Hang in there!

 

[LozzyR]

Oh dear, I t hink I owe a chicken tax, but can't figure out how to get the new camera to upload to the computer. ?Is there a tax on a delayed tax paid????

We'll waive the tax tax.

 

[micstrachan]

SHRA...



View attachment 2849718

OMG, all your girls look amazing in this photo!

 

[LozzyR]

Lillie, please come back home. And Lord Jesus please heal Bob’s family and heal everything . I have my own problems today, but I care more my friends, than I do myself at times. Nothing compares to true friendships. Which I lost today. My friend from Texas died this morning this hurts!

I so sorry Alex.

 

[cfonts]

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

How funny that I came up in conversation!

Chickadee is doing well and still lives in my backyard! She is very friendly, but does NOT let me hold or pet her. She will stand next to me and is okay with me handling her baby chicks, but has never been one for affection of any sort. Last month, Chickadee surprised me and she actually let me pet her! This was such a special moment for me and one that I will always hold close to my heart!



You can see just how tiny she is in this photo!

 

[micstrachan]

This from the Smithsonian Magazine

Here’s how you do it:
All you have to do is hold the chicken's head down against the ground, and draw a straight line using a stick, a finger, chalk or whatever.
The line should start at the beak and extend straight outward in front of the chicken. If done properly, the chicken -or rooster- will be put into a state of trance and lie still for anywhere between 30 seconds to 30 minutes! To de-hypnotize the chicken just clap your hands or give it a gentle push. It may take a few tries to awaken the bird.

Tonic immobility is what researchers call "a fear-potentiated response” to being restrained. In other words, the chicken (or any other animal that exhibits this response) is convinced that it is going to die and goes into a kind of cationic state. According to Beredimas, farmers have known about this trick at least since 1646, when Athanasius Kircher published "Mirabile Experimentum de Imaginatione Gallinae.” The reaction seems to be most commonly reported in domesticated birds like chickens and quail, but other species seem to demonstrate tonic immobility as well. One study from 1928 looked at the response in lizards. Another watched the brains of rabbits during movement, rest, sleep and tonic immobility.

Here is the full article: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/can-you-hypnotize-chicken-180949940/

Very interesting! For me, I hate the thought of putting a chicken in a state where they fear for their life.

 

[LozzyR]

I am sorry to bore everyone with the figs, but I found this really interesting from a chicken behavior perspective.
Maggie jackhammered her way into the unripe fig while Minnie watched closely. Closely enough that she managed to get at least one bite of the inside of Maggie's fig.
Not 5 mins later I heard this banging and it was little Minnie trying it out for herself on another unripe fig. I really think she watched and learned from Maggie!
Amazing.

That doesn't surprise me in the slightest.

 

[cfonts]

Yay! I am finally caught up on the thread We'll see how long this lasts