Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

Do you have the anxiety about the situation too?

I really don't like them out in the rain at all but I'm afraid they just do not like being locked in.

 

[Marie2020]

She’s being fed a special diet now, but the prognosis seems very promising. Thanks for asking.

That's good news

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

MY CATURDAY OFFERING:
These are my son’s cats but it’s so cute I had to share it.

There is a bug on the ceiling fan!

 

[BY Bob]

I really don't like them out in the rain at all but I'm afraid they just do not like being locked in.

If it's warm enough, I don't care about them being out in the rain. They really enjoy it sometimes.

 

[BY Bob]

MY CATURDAY OFFERING:
These are my son’s cats but it’s so cute I had to share it.
View attachment 3014413
There is a bug on the ceiling fan!

That is amazing! Thanks for sharing!

 

[featherhead007]

I despise any form of fighting. I want nothing too do with people involved in any form of it in any way

Thems fightin woods in my town! Kidding. (Said with a strong Southern accent)

 

[Kris5902]

I despise any form of fighting. I want nothing too do with people involved in any form of it in any way

To be absolutely clear, none of us are condoning, excusing, or engaging in this disgusting activity. Having Multiple males free ranging simply results in a small amount of violence in even a very large area. Chickens, for the most part, aren’t really loving domestic pets… they will very quickly revert to wild, and nature just isn’t pretty. The Rams also try to bash each others heads in here every spring and they are herbivores!

Most of the squabbles here are brief, and I always intervene when they do decide to get too serious about something, as I am sure everyone else does. Supported by ponypoor now having to separate and confine a hormonal little cockerel… 18 Roosters/cockerels, and I will have one or two incidents of actual attempted fighting/violence each year. Usually they do a pretty good job of self regulating, but it is coming into spring like weather here, so it will probably be a challenging month or two.

I am willing to bet that if the 6 Jerks that are currently causing my issues had been raised within my flock things would be much easier and they would be better behaved.

 

[Kris5902]

Here we have the fluffy butts doing their evening foraging before bed

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

100% agree. I’ve only had two or three really bad fights that ended in significant bloodshed since I started keeping the free range group, there will be little squabbles, usually extremely brief, and usually there are no injuries. People are the problem… completely and totally. Don’t get me started, on all the disgusting things people do to animals. I read about the guy that was killed by his bird… and I have to say sometimes people do get what they deserve. Significant fights always seem to come around spring, and sometimes are 2:1 which is usually when I have to REALLY intervene, fully separate the “loser”. There Have been a Few Changes in my top Rooster. Sammy then Dean and Cass knocked him out of top spot together and Dean took over, Sammy had rejoined the flock when Cass became #1, when I lost Cass to the raccoon Sammy took over again, then there was the last big fight with Dean, and I think Dean Has “top spot” again but the girls still mostly follow Sammy and listen to his alarms more attentively.

I also see occasional squabbles with my 3 boys. I will not go as far as calling them fights as most times it does not escalate more then hackles raised and a stare down. Before I placed the final 2 boys from my August hatch there were a few fights as their hormones were kicking in. Surprisingly the boy who fought them and put them in their place was Branch. That first one I was really worried for Branch and was running to intervene when he surprised me. That little guy has moves and used his small size to his advantage. They never got a hit in as he could duck under them and end up on top of their backs. It was all over with in under a minute when they gave up and Branch went strutting around and crowing his head off proclaiming victory. I think in total there was 3 more squabbles I witnessed with them and they all ended the same way. If you had to ask me who was head Rooster here now I would call it almost a tie. Basil commands more hens but when it comes to warning calls they listen to Branch before they do him. I had Branch send every hen under cover the other day. It took me 3 minutes to find what he saw, a hawk circling the other hillside in front of my house. From the hawks behavior it was not interested at all in what was going on in my yard but Branch kept them hidden while he growled at it for 20 minutes until it disappeared. Bubba will spend his days spending part of his time with Basil and the rest with Branch. He acts as a 2nd lookout for either boy and as a supporter for them. I have a couple hens who clearly favor him and he can breed them with both boys looking on and neither one bats a eye. I like this arrangement and it is why I will not be keeping any more boys. I feel a 4th one would throw a wrench in their system and peace be lost. All that being said I have yet to have a blood bath between any of my boys, the most violent fights have been between hens, especially if chicks were involved. Then they are out for blood.

 

[BY Bob]

Here we have the fluffy butts doing their evening foraging before bed

That was wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed them going into their camper to sleep. And grass! They get to eat grass!