Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

No, it's not a sign he will turn mean. But, if you constantly reject him and fend him off in an aggressive manner he may well take a swipe at you.
In fact, when he's around stay on your feet. If you don't like this type of attention then don't pick him up anymore.
Learn what are aggressive signs, what are herding signs. You must get these things right or you will join the depressingly long list of posters who post, "I used to have such a sweet roo but now he attacks me" and as one might expect the advice is almost always to get rid of the rooster, usually by death and cooking.
Roosters do not dance, not for anyone. They herd and it's harmless. Just walk around him.
Hackle Flashing is a bit bossy. Ignore it.
In fact, read this article. It will explain a little about rooster behaviour and at least you will understand better why they do what they do. Hopefully with this knowledge you will be able to come to a working relationship.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

Wait, if I read this correctly your saying instead of jerking my hand away I need to let him finish? If so that is just lovely. Why my hand branch instead of a perfectly good filthy barn boot. I knew it wasn't really a dance but it looks like it and it's what everyone around me calls it. If one of my young boys try it I just walk through them and make them back up. After a time or two they give up on me and redirect their attention to the hens. I had 1 boy who liked to flare his hackles at me, but did not flog or bite until Butter got injured. She was his favorite hen and after her stay in the house when I moved her back outside and would let her out to exercise he came running to try and breed her. She was too unsteady on her feet so I gently pushed him back on the chest. He circled around and tried it again. I again pushed him back and he crossed the line and flogged. He had a new home with full disclosure in under a week.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Thanks for the input
It’s a cold 13C here so I was hoping being out in the yard mixed with the cool wind that it might help without bathing or putting ice under her. She’s young so I’m hoping she’s not too determined
She has come out with Snow so that’s a good sign. I’m trying to learn on the hop haha
I really can’t let her sit because I foresee issues when Snow needs to lay (that’s the only nest box) or thought I could make one up with a milk crate in the plastic cubby in the run she could claim if she really wants to keep it up

Same as @RoyalChick, I anticipate this problem too. Your nestbox holds two hens, but was Belle nasty to Snow, or are you afraid she will be?

 

[rural mouse]

Double fluff

More fluff

Leaves are noisy fluff

 

[rural mouse]

Here. Lay eggs here.

Ummm....dunno how to do that....oh well. I'm gonna go roost now.

 

[Blazinga]

I got some pictures and did some research.
Wood sorrel (Oxalis stricta) is this stuff in the first two pictures that's around here. It's tangy and tasty and we ate it as kids but this isn't what we called sourgrass, although some people call it that. The seed heads, shaped like okra pods, pop open when they're ready, scattering out the sticky little seeds. It grows well in part shade, I'm weeding it out all the time in the garden, it loves being under other things. I've never come across tubers but I'll investigate more. Research is preliminary but I didn't find any reference yet to edible tubers with Wood Sorrel (Oxalis stricta). ("They may form colonies arising from slender but tough underground stems (rhizomes), but more often are individual, seed-grown plants." https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/common-yellow-woodsorrel-oxalis-stricta/ ) https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/oxalis-stricta/

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I also found what we used to call sourgrass as kids, and someone told me years ago this was sorrel. This below is called Red Sorrel, or Common Sheep Sorrel (Rumes acetosella). It has tall thin spiky red-flower stems. It is not in the oxalis group but does have oxalic acid in it. The arrow-shaped leaves are very tasty. Larger cultivated kinds are made into sorrel soup. The only ones I could find today are growing on big gravel, making it hard to dig, but I'll keep looking.
It has "creeping rhizome roots" https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/rumex-acetosella/.
https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/rumace/all.html
What the chickens found were individual tubers/bulbs, not rhizomes on roots.

View attachment 2867078

I am doubting that what the chickens were eating is either of these. But I don't really know. Best to try to find and grow some tubers like @rural mouse? or @fuentemoon? suggested!

I remember picking the oxalis seed pods to let the seeds fly out when I was little. I mistook them for clover. The red sorrel looked like the sorrel that grows in my friend's garden. They call it the Latvian, scabania, there. It's a sour flavored leaf.

 

[Scrambles83]

Same as @RoyalChick, I anticipate this problem too. Your nestbox holds two hens, but was Belle nasty to Snow, or are you afraid she will be?

She wasn’t nasty, she’s still my sweet baby for now thankfully but I’m a worrier so yes, I worry she could go that way Snow is definitely a biter when laying or even roosting if I put my hand near her, I’m glad it’s not her going through this!
I believe she’s still out with Snow now in the cooling wind so maybe crisis averted haha
I hope so because I’m weak and I don’t know how long I can hold out when I look into her sweet face and eyes to get her out of the box

 

[rural mouse]

Thanks for the input
It’s a cold 13C here so I was hoping being out in the yard mixed with the cool wind that it might help without bathing or putting ice under her. She’s young so I’m hoping she’s not too determined
She has come out with Snow so that’s a good sign. I’m trying to learn on the hop haha
I really can’t let her sit because I foresee issues when Snow needs to lay (that’s the only nest box) or thought I could make one up with a milk crate in the plastic cubby in the run she could claim if she really wants to keep it up

I'm not gonna be much help. When Mama went broody, everyone had quit laying, probably due to the heat (temps running upper 90s/low 100s F: incredibly hot for here with night lows upper 60s/low 70s F: 10-20 degrees hotter than usual). I didn't even try to break her. The heat was going to send her right back into it. I tracked down fertilized eggs, not wanting any more at the time (before the dog killed so many). Thankfully only 1 egg hatched, and a beauty she is too.

How I handle the next broody will depend upon the circumstances when it happens.

 

[Scrambles83]

I'm not gonna be much help. When Mama went broody, everyone had quit laying, probably due to the heat (temps running upper 90s/low 100s F: incredibly hot for here with night lows upper 60s/low 70s F: 10-20 degrees hotter than usual). I didn't even try to break her. The heat was going to send her right back into it. I tracked down fertilized eggs, not wanting any more at the time (before the dog killed so many). Thankfully only 1 egg hatched, and a beauty she is too. View attachment 2867437How I handle the next broody will depend upon the circumstances when it happens.

She sure is

 

[micstrachan]

Dustbathing in the Shade.

It is now too hot to sunbathe so dustbathe it is.

I always love a good dust bath! It’s hot there?

 

[micstrachan]

I have been outwitted by a chicken.
The plan last night was to grab a sample of Minnie’s diarrhea by placing a piece of cardboard where she roosts.
This morning I head out with my baggie to collect and drive to the vet.
She left nothing but a feather!
She must have moved in the night but I didn’t catch that on camera and nor can I work out where she moved to.
I will try again tonight.
She does still have diarrhea but maybe a bit less bad. Her comb doesn’t seem that much paler than Dotty’s - here they both are - first Minnie then Dotty. Do you agree?
She ate Kefir, rice and beef liver and she looks bright eyed to me. In the last two photos her tail is down but she is alert and she then went to bathe and her tail went back up.
I am still worried so if any of you spot anything in the photos or have suggestions let me know!
View attachment 2866999View attachment 2867000View attachment 2867001View attachment 2867002View attachment 2867003

RC, I’m sorry I have not been following closely enough on this. I do not like her stance. It looks like laying or poopy discomfort. What is her laying and molting status? Can you feel her over for a couple things? Specifically, check how prominent her keel bone us compared to her sister. Also check her fluffy butt for bloatedness. You can also compare this to her sister. For how many days has this been going on? Do you know how her poops are looking?