Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Bad news today. I saw my neighbor putting out mice bait traps around his house (the kind with baited poison inside)
I’m hoping none of those poisoned mice come over to my yard and my chooks eat them!

Oh no! This is bad news, Alex. So sorry to hear that.

 

[micstrachan]

Here are some pictures from this afternoon.
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Corona
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Frick
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The cochin girls who for the most part have finished their molts and look 100% better then when they first arrived.
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Bubba
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Blueberry
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And the little silkies
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They are really looking beautiful! Thanks for all the photos.

 

[micstrachan]

This is just so sad. That's Amp in the picture. She's pretty much on her own now and she knows it. I'm hoping that one of the legbars who sometimes forages with her will be her friend. It's not the dead that suffer, it's the living they leave behind.
Amp is not well. It looks to be heart problems which has caused ascites. Ascites cannot be cured. The belly can be drained but the underlying problem still remains.
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Aw, poor Amp. I’m so sorry, Shad.

 

[micstrachan]

This is all of us.
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Wonderful photo! I think I count 21 chickens. I love how Henry is watching over his hens.

 

[micstrachan]

Note: I don’t use poison, or weed killer anywhere on my property. The idiot next door, has chooks too (he should know better) yes I have spoken to him about it. He refuses to care.

What a jerk. Just sayin’.

 

[micstrachan]

My silly girls are still nervous and mostly sticking close to home. They did finally forage in my neighbor’s big field later in the day. I was gone for three hours walking in a United Against Hate event with my daughter today, and when we got home and I let the girls back out, they acted like real chickens.

Earlier in the day, they sunbathed like this, even though they had access to the whole property. I find it adorable how they love their Sun Room. This is the area under the second level of the coop and where I find them if I’m late opening up the coop in the morning.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Silent Film

I have one of the original Arlo cameras with no sound still in operation. It covers the big run from the main door. I was checking in on them the other day and I caught this little interaction.

As with any silent film I will now provide some written dialog.

Sylvie: Cheep Cheep Cheep Cheep

Legertha: You need to settle and be quiet or someone is going to notice us.

Sylvie: Do you love corn? I love corn. It is so sweet and tasty. I heard Hattie say the purple ones taste better. I've never had a purple one. Have you ever had a purple one? What is purple anyway? Is that a color? Boy It is windy today. The wind flips my feathers everywhere. Does it flip yours?

Legertha: Would you shoosh already!

Sylvie: I want to see a real horse. Phyllis was talking about Chaco last night. You think she has seen a horse? Horses are so beautiful. I don't like mean chickens like Sansa. Why is she so mean? She is scary. That Sansa is just a meany and mean chickens stink. I wish Sansa wasn't so mean.

Legertha: Would you stop saying her name! She is going to hear you.

Sylvie: You can't tell me what to do. Sansa, Sansa, Sansa, Sansa, Sansa!

Legertha: You are such baby.

Sylvie: I am not! I am almost as big as you. Sansa!

Legertha: There you've done it. Here she comes!

Sylvie: Hide me Legertha. I'm sorry. I promise I will listen you next time. Hide me!

Legertha: Get behind me and be ready to run when I say. You go right, ok?

Sylvie: Yes Legertha, whatever you say. Just don't let her peck me.

Sansa: Did someone here want to speak with me? I keep hearing my name. You babies should understand your place. You should be seen and not heard. I'm going to have to teach you some manners.

Legertha: Get ready to run Sylvie

Sylvie: whatever you say Legertha. I'm so scared.

Phyllis: Sansa! What are you doing over there.

Sansa: Who said that. (Looks around) Phyllis! I'll teach you to interrupt me!

Sylvie: What happened Legertha? Is she gone?

Legertha: Yes, she chased after Phyllis

Sylvie: I think Sansa is mean because she is jealous of our beautiful headresses.

Legertha: Doesn't matter why, just matters that she is.

Sylvie: Phyllis was brave. I was too, right Legertha?

Legertha: Sigh, yes you were very brave. Now listen to me and be quiet until Sansa is out in the yard.

Sylvie: I will. You ever talk to the song birds. They are silly. Always flying here and there. If I had a horse I would call it Loqui and I would stand on its back and have him take me over to the deck and house. And I would be so high up that Sansa could never peck me.

Legertha: That would be wonderful. Maybe someday little one.

Phyllis is aware of where the Littles are generally and drew Sansa's attention. If Sansa had persisted Phyllis might have approached even closer. It really looked that way. There may be an historic Alliance Of The Phyllistines forming!

 

[LozzyR]

Fantastic! I did not know you drew. Very nice.

Thanks Michelle! I’d be a lot better at it if I did it regularly and I usually have to copy something; I can’t just do it from memory.

 

[LozzyR]

You are really talented! I'm struck with how bold the tattoo is against the texture of the rest. Can you reveal what that symbol means?
If you're not happy with something and now you know what it is, you could make it again - don't artists do "study" pictures all the time, to work just this sort of thing out? (That wouldn't be me, not usually anyway, the act is where the main joy comes, and then the end product is what it is.)

Thanks CB! This is an amalgamation of three different photos; the body, head and tattoo are separate components. I knew I needed a tattoo so I just looked online until I found one that met my needs, the description just said ‘tribal’.

I worked out why the perspective was off; I didn’t draw it on an easel, just a pad in front of me. It was between a 90 and 45 degree angle so it was in perspective from my POV. As soon as I put it upright, the perspective was out.

I’m toying with the idea of asking for an easel for Christmas and some bigger card stock and redoing it properly. I’m thinking I’d like to draw a collection of tasteful nudes (myself included) as a series, I’m just in that kind of headspace at the moment.

 

[LozzyR]

Silent Film

I have one of the original Arlo cameras with no sound still in operation. It covers the big run from the main door. I was checking in on them the other day and I caught this little interaction.

As with any silent film I will now provide some written dialog.

Sylvie: Cheep Cheep Cheep Cheep

Legertha: You need to settle and be quiet or someone is going to notice us.

Sylvie: Do you love corn? I love corn. It is so sweet and tasty. I heard Hattie say the purple ones taste better. I've never had a purple one. Have you ever had a purple one? What is purple anyway? Is that a color? Boy It is windy today. The wind flips my feathers everywhere. Does it flip yours?

Legertha: Would you shoosh already!

Sylvie: I want to see a real horse. Phyllis was talking about Chaco last night. You think she has seen a horse? Horses are so beautiful. I don't like mean chickens like Sansa. Why is she so mean? She is scary. That Sansa is just a meany and mean chickens stink. I wish Sansa wasn't so mean.

Legertha: Would you stop saying her name! She is going to hear you.

Sylvie: You can't tell me what to do. Sansa, Sansa, Sansa, Sansa, Sansa!

Legertha: You are such baby.

Sylvie: I am not! I am almost as big as you. Sansa!

Legertha: There you've done it. Here she comes!

Sylvie: Hide me Legertha. I'm sorry. I promise I will listen you next time. Hide me!

Legertha: Get behind me and be ready to run when I say. You go right, ok?

Sylvie: Yes Legertha, whatever you say. Just don't let her peck me.

Sansa: Did someone here want to speak with me? I keep hearing my name. You babies should understand your place. You should be seen and not heard. I'm going to have to teach you some manners.

Legertha: Get ready to run Sylvie

Sylvie: whatever you say Legertha. I'm so scared.

Phyllis: Sansa! What are you doing over there.

Sansa: Who said that. (Looks around) Phyllis! I'll teach you to interrupt me!

Sylvie: What happened Legertha? Is she gone?

Legertha: Yes, she chased after Phyllis

Sylvie: I think Sansa is mean because she is jealous of our beautiful headresses.

Legertha: Doesn't matter why, just matters that she is.

Sylvie: Phyllis was brave. I was too, right Legertha?

Legertha: Sigh, yes you were very brave. Now listen to me and be quiet until Sansa is out in the yard.

Sylvie: I will. You ever talk to the song birds. They are silly. Always flying here and there. If I had a horse I would call it Loqui and I would stand on its back and have him take me over to the deck and house. And I would be so high up that Sansa could never peck me.

Legertha: That would be wonderful. Maybe someday little one.

I will read this properly a bit later but for now, let me offer my film-scoring services.