Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Aussie-Chookmum]

BREAKOUT!!!!!!

I briefly mentioned earlier that I was planning to let the Phyllistines into the big run today. They had other plans.

I had a late night last night and was sitting on the deck reading a little and drinking some coffee when I heard peeping that was much louder than it should have been. This concerned me greatly as they must have been in some distress in the coop for it to carry that well to me.

As I walked to The Hut my ears started to lead me away from the coop. Here is where I found them.

So that's a change in plans. Here the automated door, which I swear was set on manual, had opened after I had let Phyllis out and closed it. The ladies had decided to head off into the world.

The big girls had not seen them until Sylvie's spastic flight. I distracted the big girls with some walnuts but there is no distracting Sansa from fresh targets. She actually flushed them back to the complex and they roosted on the big cops steroids for a moment.

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I took advantage of that situation to close them into the full complex. I still need to shower, etc. They are now exporting the porch.

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I can't leave the complex locked up as Phyllis and Aurora are still laying and will need nest box access but since no one seems in a hurry to do so right now, I am going to leave it as is and get cleaned up.

I am of a mind to let them have the full yard and spend my day babysitting them. I don't feel like doing much else today anyway. This could be fun.

They are really enjoying foraging aren’t they? They blend into the background so well I had trouble seeing them at first.

 

[featherhead007]

This is why I left DC, and moved back to California!

 

[featherhead007]

I so wish I could come with you to see Chaco
Take a picture please

 

[BY Bob]

I love this story.

 

[BY Bob]

They've seen me coming! They can't wait to get out. They'll get three hours out today plus cooked mackrel and sunflower seeds.View attachment 2863810
Most have got the idea about digging now. It took a couple of them quite a time to discover that a light ground scratch didn't produce much.
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This one, she a legbar and Marans cross who was a rescue can dig and I've watched some of the Ex Batts watching the digging.
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That is serious digging. She certainly applies herself.

 

[featherhead007]

They didn’t want my pumpkin I’m devastated!

 

[BY Bob]

The bad news is we lost an Ex Batt. Not absolutely sure how it happened but reasonably certain the predator was a stoat. I don't do the morning shift, Caroline does the mornings apart from Mondays atm. I offered to do one day of three shifts so she could at least have one complete day off.
Caroline found the body, minus the head on the inside of the run and a few feathers on the outside of the run. It seems that somehow the stoat had got this hen by the head and bitten it off but couldn't drag her body through the fence.
One of the many problems with the Ex Batts is their lack of predator awareness. They just don't know. Some of the rescues do, at least about threats from the air. It seems that while certain threats produce an instinctive reaction others need to be learnt about.
On the plus side, despite the ramshackle fencing arrangement it seems that so far at least predators find it difficult to break in, There are reasons for this which I will explain later.

I'm so sorry you have lost one and I'm afraid it won't be the last.

 

[BY Bob]

Their colours are amazing!!

They really are feathering out nicely. Very pretty girls. Thanks for saying so.

 

[BY Bob]

They are really enjoying foraging aren’t they? They blend into the background so well I had trouble seeing them at first.

They had a great day.

 

[BY Bob]

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Hi Chaco!