Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

Lilly did that for Sydney one day during her hatch. Lilly did not lay an egg. I just think she wanted to try setting for a few hours. Sydney sat in the box next door and waited for Lilly to leave. Just like Jessica.

With the cold temps, this would keep the eggs at constant temp even when Mom's on break. Splash is one of the highest in tribe for pecking order. Silver and Pear are older and frequently seem to be above the disputes. Cheetah seems to mediate within that age group and Splash is one of the most assertive of them. Maybe has to do with higher ranked/boss lady indicating approval of the mother without having to step out of her position to brood eggs? Idk, does that make any sense? Am I rambling? Night catching up with me so brain feels muzzy. Splash didn't lay an egg and did turn the eggs. Wonder if co-brood/teamwork like happened today happens more frequently when temps are rather on the wonky side?
somehow I doubt any significant studies have been done on this... sorry if I sound like a lunatic. Sleepy/tired brain thinks in strange/odd ways.

 

[bgmathteach]

A Polish Present!

One of the Polish laid an egg today! They gathered all of the eggs together into one nest. Check it out!

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I took this just in case it is Betty's first egg here!

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Yay!
Even if it isn't Betty's first egg, it is always super exciting when one hen resumes laying!!

 

[Kris5902]

I would love to be able to put ceiling fan in but it's the hay loft above (darn it), a window exhaust fan for a barn is too big, but I wonder if I can utilize a bathroom fan (another consideration is noise level those fans can be noisy!) and run exhaust through the wall out into the barn itself....

I was also thinking bathroom vent fans, you can get them reasonably priced and the are usually relatively quiet and will give you specs for air movement. They are also reasonably easy to install. You will probably want to add more screen/air filtration though. Maybe a boxed out window screen to help keep any debris/dust and feather dander out of the fan? That’s what the coop where I brooded the last few batches of my meat birds had for ventilation… it’s not sufficient for really hot situations (like an old, giant, single pane, south facing window… turning the coop into an oven) but would certainly help, especially if you have a passive air intake from a cooler area available.

 

[BY Bob]

With the cold temps, this would keep the eggs at constant temp even when Mom's on break. Splash is one of the highest in tribe for pecking order. Silver and Pear are older and frequently seem to be above the disputes. Cheetah seems to mediate within that age group and Splash is one of the most assertive of them. Maybe has to do with higher ranked/boss lady indicating approval of the mother without having to step out of her position to brood eggs? Idk, does that make any sense? Am I rambling? Night catching up with me so brain feels muzzy. Splash didn't lay an egg and did turn the eggs. Wonder if co-brood/teamwork like happened today happens more frequently when temps are rather on the wonky side?
somehow I doubt any significant studies have been done on this... sorry if I sound like a lunatic. Sleepy/tired brain thinks in strange/odd ways.

When Lilly did this it was June and toasty out. I am wondering if it is a sign of approval as Lilly is my alpha hen.

 

[Kris5902]

Hawk Attack
As most of you know, I have a lot of chickens. I am out with them when free ranging, but it is impossible to be 'near' them all as each group tends to go to a different spot.

So, I was hanging around with the group that is in the most unprotected area...when I hear a "Whummmp" (Sounded like a cow-patty hitting a wooden wall.) Then, a fruckus breaks out from the group near the house, with hens running & squawking bloody murder!. I go running over to that space (thinking the neighbor's dog was out & chasing them.) Nooooo, as I arrive (out of breath) a 'chicken'; flushes from the dense yew shrub against the house - I look down under the shrub, and there is a hen 'dust-bathing'. I look back in the direction the flushed 'hen' went and see our resident hawk sitting on a limb not 30 feet from me. I ran at ?her? yelling & waving my arms and she took off.

Back to the hen under the shrub..I could see blood dripping from her mouth, but she was clearly frightened and wouldn't let me near her. Finally got hubby to help and caught her. After cleaning her up, it appears this is her damage:
Scraped/abrasion on skin @ base of left side of beak and just below eye - minor. Blood from inside the mouth leaking out both sides of beak and dripping from cheek puffs appeared to be from a talon piercing the right 'cheek' through into the mouth, and she has an abrasion/cut around her right nare. After cleaning her up best I could and applying triple antibiotic ointment to exterior, she seemed okay but still quite frightened (she was anything but cooperative!). She will be fine if she doesn't get an infection. I am concerned about the inside of her mouth getting infected...but outside has been flushed well & again, anti-biotic cream....

Didn't have camera with me then, but older, poor pick of hawks (I am pretty sure they are Cooper's)
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My Americauna hen, after clean-up: (it was still bleeding slightly)
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Poor hen! Hawks are awful creatures. I had a coopers picking off the babies of my Rogue Mama when they were about a month and a half old and starting to stray further away. I think 11 were just too many babies for her to keep track of. It took two before I saw it, one each day, when it took the third I saw it and chased it into the woods throwing rocks at it. If I had neighbours they would swear I am crazy… but it didn’t come back after that.

 

[MaryJanet]

A Polish Present!

One of the Polish laid an egg today! They gathered all of the eggs together into one nest. Check it out!

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I took this just in case it is Betty's first egg here!

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Yayyyyy!

 

[MaryJanet]

@Ribh @MaryJanet @Aussie-Chookmum @LozzyR @micstrachan @ChicoryBlue

Thanks for the tag Bob

 

[Kris5902]

So about my too many cockerels here are the main culprits, they were all supposed to be named “Sausage” when I took them in from a friend who though they had hatched 8 “hens” so there were originally 7, but one was getting picked on quite heavily right from the get go, and I separated him for three days then moved him into my main flock

He turned out pretty decently and has integrated very well

He was even a good guy and sheltered many of the newly weaned chicks when mama turned her back on them he would let them snuggle under his wings at night… he’s a keeper, but I haven’t found the right name for him. The other six are awaiting their previous owner to pick one (when the roads are ok for him to get here) as he also lost most of his flock including his two roosters, these guys’ dad to mink attacks. Plural. He didn’t listen to my suggestion of consolidating flocks and securing one coop fully… and has trapped 8 mink so far this year… 8!

 

[Kris5902]

A Polish Present!

One of the Polish laid an egg today! They gathered all of the eggs together into one nest. Check it out!

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I took this just in case it is Betty's first egg here!

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Congrats! Betty??? Are you sure that fluff all is a chicken Bob? Lol she is beautiful… and I see you also have a blue layer now?

 

[Iluveggers]

He was even a good guy and sheltered many of the newly weaned chicks when mama turned her back on them he would let them snuggle under his wings at night… he’s a keeper, but I haven’t found the right name for him.

Papa would be a great name after hearing this story! What a great roo!