Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Is this natural?… Ever since Emily passed away, my Beethov-Hen has been doing the job of pecking on my butt, while I’m sitting in my chair, out with the chickens. (It used to be Emily’s job to do the pecking) (Looks guilty, doesn’t she?)

 

[featherhead007]

Flockservations

I spent a lot of time with the tribe yesterday. I even let them out to free range. They had an armed guard standing among them the whole time and there was no sign of the hawk. Let's start with those videos.

We can come out?

This helps to demonstrate the fear they still have. As you watch you can see Hattie scare herself and some of the others.

Let's hang out under the apple trees

A New Leader
There has been a definitive change in the pecking order as well. I cannot tell you what happened but Aurora is now clearly number 2. Hattie has given way. I've seen Aurora growl Hattie off a hand full of food and I watched push Hattie off of a patch of leaves yesterday. The entire tribe followed her lead yesterday as to where they went. It is absolutely clear that she was in charge.

I have still seen Lilly push Aurora off of food and Aurora still defers to her elsewhere. So Lilly remains Alpha.

Watching Aurora yesterday I have to say that I am pretty much please with the way she is running things. I think much like Lilly, she has called down now that she is in charge, per se. This will be very interesting to watch.

The question at Fluffy Butt Acres being debated is did Hattie lose her spot because she was on sentinel duty when the hawk caught caught Sylvie and the tribe has asked for a change?

Good to see them, out and about for a while.

 

[RoyalChick]

Seeing this made me happy.
I suspect Hattie is just fine not being #2.

 

[BY Bob]

Is this a new thing for this year in your and others' experience with chickens? Or is it that "new" (young) chickens now are trending this way? Could it be due to breeding for higher egg production?

The only thing that differentiates Peanut from the other Buckeyes is that Peanut's taken a long time to slow her egg cycle. She was laying, but slowly, for way longer than the others. Her last egg was Nov 29, the previous egg Nov 25, and I think about every 3-4 days for a couple of weeks before that, while everyone else was more or less done. I'm going to say Peanut laid eggs every 3 days on the regular. Butters, I think, also stopped laying only after Hazel and Popcorn stopped, and her molt was also after Hazel's.

I have not kept records as I've mostly not been able to tell who's egg is whose for sure except for Peanut and possibly Popcorn. Peanut lays distinctive eggs - very long skinny ones. (she is the one needing extra calcium and laid weird long very thin-shelled eggs until she got supplements). Popcorn, if I can confirm it next year, lays small, almost round eggs.

I have never. Let me say again, NEVER, had chickens molt this late. I have 4 of 6 molting, Lilly, Aurora, Phyllis, and Sansa. If you exclude Sansa, that is half of my flock molting in December. In 8 years I have never seen this.

 

[BY Bob]

Is this natural?… Ever since Emily passed away, my Beethov-Hen has been doing the job of pecking on my butt, while I’m sitting in my chair, out with the chickens. (It used to be Emily’s job to do the pecking) (Looks guilty, doesn’t she?)View attachment 2926673

Sansa does that to me. I think it is very natural.

 

[BY Bob]

Good to see them, out and about for a while.

It was great to let them out. I felt like a prison guard standing there with a gun scanning the sky.

 

[BY Bob]

Seeing this made me happy.
I suspect Hattie is just fine not being #2.

There appears to be no issue on Hattie's part being number 2. I think these "mean" hens may make the best leaders in the end. Perhaps Sansa will be in charge some day too.

 

[Marie2020]

If he's anything like mine re: popcorn, you'll have to fight for it.

I'm game

 

[Marie2020]

I have never. Let me say again, NEVER, had chickens molt this late. I have 4 of 6 molting, Lilly, Aurora, Phyllis, and Sansa. If you exclude Sansa, that is half of my flock molting in December. In 8 years I have never seen this.

It's very strange, we are all getting this across the world

 

[Marie2020]

I've bought the live big cheese mousetrap

The door drops too easily and there isn't a way to slide out the bottom so had too put peanut butter in with a knife.

Anyone who knows about this contraption please advise me