Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[CrazyChookChookLady]

Howdy y'all!! Things are going great, just super busy!

Rich had a repeat CT scan and follow up for his aneurysm. He is stable and had been removed from the Coumadin. He still has to take a baby aspirin and now Plavix for the next year. Then 1 more CT scan and as long as he is still the same, he can stop the Plavix as well.

The kittens are all in their new homes. Peaches appears to be staying, Josh has fallen in love with her.

The chickens are doing great. I did slpit of about half of my flock to my good friend. She has the ability to free range during the day, so I gave her all my jail breaker chooks. Cappy is now over with Ned and is doing well as a junior rooster.

Rex is watching Peaches eat one of his favorite treats and it's slowly breaking his heart!!

 

[featherhead007]

Howdy y'all!! Things are going great, just super busy!

Rich had a repeat CT scan and follow up for his aneurysm. He is stable and had been removed from the Coumadin. He still has to take a baby aspirin and now Plavix for the next year. Then 1 more CT scan and as long as he is still the same, he can stop the Plavix as well.

View attachment 2876181

The kittens are all in their new homes. Peaches appears to be staying, Josh has fallen in love with her.
View attachment 2876185

The chickens are doing great. I did slpit of about half of my flock to my good friend. She has the ability to free range during the day, so I gave her all my jail breaker chooks. Cappy is now over with Ned and is doing well as a junior rooster.
View attachment 2876187

View attachment 2876188
Rex is watching Peaches eat one of his favorite treats and it's slowly breaking his heart!!

Glad to hear that things are looking better for you!

 

[RoyalChick]

Howdy y'all!! Things are going great, just super busy!

Rich had a repeat CT scan and follow up for his aneurysm. He is stable and had been removed from the Coumadin. He still has to take a baby aspirin and now Plavix for the next year. Then 1 more CT scan and as long as he is still the same, he can stop the Plavix as well.

View attachment 2876181

The kittens are all in their new homes. Peaches appears to be staying, Josh has fallen in love with her.
View attachment 2876185

The chickens are doing great. I did slpit of about half of my flock to my good friend. She has the ability to free range during the day, so I gave her all my jail breaker chooks. Cappy is now over with Ned and is doing well as a junior rooster.
View attachment 2876187

View attachment 2876188
Rex is watching Peaches eat one of his favorite treats and it's slowly breaking his heart!!

So great to hear from you and know everything is going so well with you, Rich, and the animals.
That picture if Josh and Peaches is adorable!

 

[Grandmas Coop]

Phyllis Chose Wisely

She again roosted in the Cluckle Hut tonight by her choice. View attachment 2876072

The Phyllistines were another matter. I did not diffuse out a new roost for them. This is going to be harder than I thought. So I gave up for today and removed the heat block (they weren't using it anyway) and put them in the nest box.

To be fair to them, they roosted before Phyllis on the main roost. When Phyllis came in to roost, she threw them off.

If Phyllis has settled on this as her house, my next problem will be keeping the littles interested in using it as their house.

I now have 2 options for a roost. I could put one in the nest box for a while until they are big enough to roost with Phyllis or I can put one at the other end of the coop that Phyllis can't reach that I could, in theory, leave in place.

ya, this phase sucks-- all of mine are just now , 4 months later, getting on the roost with each other - one year olds with the 24 week olds, I let Granny Violet, who is 3, sleep in the nesting box of her choice and the little red leghorns have their box -


-there is a bit of "move over.. stop touching me" squabble that goes on for a good 5 to 10 min. but they settle down.

 

[featherhead007]

Then depression sets in. The chooks are just not cooperating with me tonight. I really could use a jacuzzi bath right now (can’t, until the birds are safely back in the coop) they are still all over the property, scratching the leaves, and digging holes. They won’t even let me bribe them back to the coop (and I have the best meally worms around)
Rant over!

 

[cfonts]

Oh how beautiful and how special that you were able to rescue her - I remember your first photo of her - it would be fun to post that again as a 'then and now'.
I love that she goes for a walk with you. So special!

I love the idea of posting then and now photos!

THEN

NOW

She is beautiful. I love that she will sit your shoulder like a parrot. That is wonderful! Thanks for sharing the photo with us!

My shoulder is her favorite place to perch, so it's easy taking her for afternoon strolls!

 

[Lexicon]

It is a very fraught topic, one that we must come to terms with by ourselves as there's no legislation anywhere (as far as I can tell).

I'm very troubled by so-called "waste" cockerels.

As someone who is obliged to ensure my neighbours are not disturbed by noise, I keep hens. My four hens had four brothers.

I have no idea what happened to those brothers. Ground up alive? Heads chopped off? Necks snapped? Roosters?

Terrified and panicked?

Calm and peaceful?

I haven't a clue.

So, my approach in future will be hatch my own and do my own disposals.

First, I'll try rehoming, but I genuinely think most people who accept cockerels eat them, so it might be impossible to find a home where they can live out their days in peace. Second, if I can't find an acceptable home, they will be humanely put to sleep by the vet.

This way the cockerels will live the healthiest and happiest lives I can possibly provide, eventually being rehomed or put to sleep.

My reasons are (1) it puts the responsibility for the brothers of my hens into my own hands and therefore I am able to take up the most ethical stance possible, (2) that step alone takes me out of the market for pullets and relieves other people of killing my hens brothers (2) like every other sentient being, the cockerels won't have any clue of life expectancy, they'll live joyfully in the moment until they must go (3) perhaps they can live their lives out in homes where they will be valued (4) if not, the end will be free of pain and panic.

It took me a long time to construct this stance. But for me, it's the right one.

Thanks for this discussion, it's something that I think about often as well. I know that I will eventually want to add to my flock and how to go about that is a conundrum.
I have four hens that went broody multiple times this summer, one who was broody five times!
It would make sense to let one of these hens hatch, yet I am not sure about the inevitable cockerels.
I don't have experience with cockerels and am frankly a little alarmed by the many threads about problem males on BYC.
I have an acreage in a rural area, so technically could have a rooster, but I quite like the relationship I have currently with my hens. I know that would change with a rooster in the mix.
My husband thinks that roosters are too loud, so he is not a fan. My son's house is very close to the chickens' area and despite being out of town, I still have neighbours who would be able to hear them.
It is not possible to get sexed chicks locally. They can be ordered and flown up by airplane. That's how I got my original chicks, but I think that starting life with an actual mother versus hatching in an incubator and then travelling in a little box on a plane would be so much better, but then again what about the cockerels?
I don't have an answer for myself yet.

 

[featherhead007]

Then depression sets in. The chooks are just not cooperating with me tonight. I really could use a jacuzzi bath right now (can’t, until the birds are safely back in the coop) they are still all over the property, scratching the leaves, and digging holes. They won’t even let me bribe them back to the coop (and I have the best meally worms around)
Rant over!

I should have gone to see Chaco, she would love on me! “Give is a kiss daddy “

 

[cfonts]

You Say it's your Hatch Day........

Today is Phyllis' hatch day. She is 2 today. Everyone please join me in wishing her Happy Hatchday!

It was a pretty good one for her. Here she is enjoying the day.

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HAPPY HATCHDAY PHYLLIS!

 

[cfonts]

Hooray!! First eggs are awesome!

I'm still over the moon about Kiko's first egg! It's my first time raising a chicken, so I wasn't sure what to expect! I didn't know I'd get so emotional about her first egg.... I feel like such a proud mama