Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Aussie-Chookmum]

So seems this is possible, but given that you literally 'scare them into', should we? While I realize that it is important to check a bird for health reasons, and that this can be stressful in and of itself....does this catatonic state induce more stress, or less stress, overall than doing an exam without it? I am so acutely aware of the effects of stress on humans (well, me in particular), that I would feel badly actively inflicting it on chickens. So, which is the better (or worse) option in terms of stress on a chicken. Anyone know? I personally TRY to induce the least possible stress when examining a chicken...but clearly I am not totally successful given their reaction.

Thoughts on this?

Oh I definitely agree with you. I wouldn’t want to purposely inflict stress on my girls, I just thought it was interesting behaviour.

 

[MaryJanet]

Roosting protocol at the Chicken Palace
Roosting at the Chicken Palace is a bit like air traffic control at a busy airport. This picture captures it perfectly.
Maggie and Diana are on the main roost. But they have not yet gone to the sleeping end. Until that happens the Roadrunners are in a holding pattern.
Dotty is closest to being able to come in to land - but but she cannot venture onto the main roost until the other two move to the far end. Otherwise she will be mercilessly attacked by Diana, Maggie or both. So she waits patiently for the two older Princesses to settle at the far end before venturing onto the main runway roost.
Minnie is in a holding pattern even further away and has to wait for Dotty to get onto the main roost before she can fly over and join her. Sometimes she flies straight across and sometimes she flies down and then back up and sometimes she even uses the ladder up.
Ever been in a holding pattern over an airport? Then you know how they feel!

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Such an apt metaphor.

 

[RoyalChick]

These feathered dinosaurs will be the death of me.
I am sitting at my desk on a work Zoom and out of the corner of my eye I see movement outside.
It is Maggie marching purposefully past the window. I drop everything and run outside shouting ‘MAGGIE!!!”
“No need to shout” she says as she meets me by the garage.
I pick her up (very carefully because she is molting) and deposit her back in the chicken yard and am relieved to find everyone else is there chowing down on cucumber.
I have no idea how she got out. Theoretically she could fly out as the deer fencing is only 4’. But nobody has shown any inclination to do so before.
She is remaining silent in that topic (though not on any other topic).

Good grief. I just checked the cameras and it looks like Maggie was in walkabout for nearly an hour and a half before she wandered by the window. Still no clue how she managed to get out of the chicken yard. Or why, really as she loves the long grass in her yard.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Yopppppppeeeeee!!!!!!!!!
LILLY is home! I managed to run and catch her

Hooray! That’s great news! You must be so relieved.

 

[BY Bob]

I love Brown Leghorns! Thank you for sharing. If I could find them bred properly, I’d want them again someday.

I would love to get some Italian White Leghorns and bring them back to their natural state here in the states again.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Anybody waiting for lil and Era?!
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They are beautiful.

 

[Scrambles83]

No pics yet bc my work day was insane, but hubby got the automatic door in today! The big coop is really coming along. The girls slept well last night and explored the auto door today.
This weekend he intends to build the attached run (at least in part).

Do not fear! They have all day to play outside in Pecking Garden even without the run.

Goal of the run is to have it more sheltered with a roof so they can still be outside in rain or snow weather.

So exciting!! (And envy inducing I’ll admit )

 

[BY Bob]

I do think the obvious answer is for @BY Bob to camp outside with them. It is getting chilly at night but nothing a good sleeping bag couldn't cope with.

I am considering that..........🏕

 

[BY Bob]

And there I was thinking Alex was our resident storyteller

Different kinds of stories.....

 

[BY Bob]

I have scoured the academic literature and the university extension sites and cannot find any reference to wood ash needing to be from hard wood.
In the non-academic literature there is plenty of stuff that is hard to sift through which says everything from chickens will explode on contact with wood ash to you should be pouring it into their feed bucket. So I am ignoring all that.
I have read enough to be confident that my wood ash won't harm my chickens so I am going to go ahead.

Document what you are doing. Perhaps you could add to the non-scientific literature with some facts.