Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Chicken poppy]

Always. She absolutely loved the snow. All my leghorns did.
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Chickens are just models and they know it!

 

[micstrachan]

My apologies to everyone. My house is full of family right now. It is hard for me to find slone time to post much on the tribe.

Sansa's anitbiotic is up. Unfortunately I am seeing no change outside of the weight gain. Her feathers are as ratty as before. She will return to the vet in 2 weeks for more labs. Having handled her more in the last month than ever before in her entire life she still doesn't run from me on site as I was concerned. On cold nights her feet are very cold when I take her from the roost. She has no feathers to tuck around them. I think this might be the biggest concern moving forward as we enter the depth of winter. She seems to have enough fluff to keep her body warm down to below freezing as I have observed no shivering so far but her feet might be a problem.

No one is roosting with Phyllis, she still roosts alone. Roosting in the main coop seems calm. Aurora is still running this lot. I believe that Hattie has accepted her position for now. Hattie is still the most frightened (or cautious) of them all. She really does not like to leave the complex.

Thanks for the update, Bob. Between Christmas, my sister in law visiting and my son, who is sick, being home from college, I haven’t been on much, either.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Thanks for the update, Bob. Between Christmas, my sister in law visiting and my son, who is sick, being home from college, I haven’t been on much, either.

I wish the best for your son.

 

[micstrachan]

Merry Chickmas
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Unbelievably cute!

 

[micstrachan]

I wish the best for your son.

Thank you!

 

[Ponypoor]

Always. She absolutely loved the snow. All my leghorns did.
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Dont lose her in the snow !!!!

 

[Ponypoor]

My gang will go out in the snow - eventually, after sqwaking at me as if I can make the snow go away - but they don't like it. They don't stay out long, and they now hang out in the manure pile where it's warm hahaha. Also could be some bugs hiding out there, yummy treats in the winter!

 

[rural mouse]

Phyllis is with everybody else most of the day. There are times she goes to that high roost in the coop to roost alone, preen and I think, digest. That roost is the hottest spot in the whole complex aside from the porch. Phyllis will dustbathe with everyone else, scratch with everyone else, preen with everyone else, and really only separates at bedtime.

Then I would leave be at least until spring, do more observations then, reevaluate. they're all roosting in safe places. if you get bitter cold (like here yesterday), put a heat panel in each coop.

 

[rural mouse]

Ugh, that’s cold!

It warmed up to around 15F (@-10c) yesterday. haven't checked yet today. The HUGE blessing in the temps: it's DRY cold not Damp cold. The wind makes up for that though (like icy knives and adds to the chill). Solution: dress in layers (different types of fabric help battle the wind), avoid the wind, and warm up in front of the fire.

Chicken find all kinds of solution. Had 1 of our first birds hop onto the tip of my boot for a ride back to the coop rather than wade through the snow. This lot have been staying in the coop (keep it closed when under 10F). they also like the wood pile to avoid the wind.

 

[rural mouse]

SHRA!

Remembering Queenie
I am on my PC, I only have a few pictures on it, and this is one. But kind of fortuitous. It was in December last year when I got Queenie from the wood & storage closed-in shed abutting the house that she was roosting and hiding in. She had successfully hidden from the strangers (instructed by the departed chicken-keeper) that had come and split up the free-ranging tribe, taking chickens on two separate days, the week or so before, a flock of ~9 chickens and a rooster, all Buff Orpingtons. I think she chose the storage & wood shed because it was all enclosed but had a small hole in the wall that was like a little pop door; the human kept the actual door locked. It was safer for her as a single hen than the broken-down old barn across the street where her tribe had roosted but which was very open to owls, hawks, coyotes and other predators. Not much to eat except a bit of bird seed thrown out for the wild birds by the house occupant who didn't want chickens. Queenie was foraging in the snow and I think getting water from the small stream nearby. Soon it would freeze over and be snow-covered. Being so alone out there, and then having two weeks inside with me, when introduced to the Buckeyes she went crazy as soon as she saw them. She made it her mission to join them, volunteering to be bottom of the pecking order. Here's a picture I took about then (photo is dated Dec 19, 2020). You've seen it before. I remember I asked everyone about the spot at the top of her beak. It was a small scab and came off by itself some time later.

RIP Lil' Queenie
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She was a sweetheart.