Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Marty Marty Marty

I am extremely glad Marty seems to be settling in, I caught her mingling with the gang throughout the day on the barn cams.

She still doesn't enjoy being outside but that will come with time.

Meanwhile my attempts to keep the gang inside is a huge failure, they run for the hills as soon as I open the barn door!

Today they ran through my legs out the door hahaha.

 

[Ponypoor]

A frizzled bantam cassowary, now there’s a conundrum! Do you cuddle it, or run away from it? Or cuddle it whilst you’re running away from it?!

Silly tax:

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As long as it comes in a barred pattern I am all in

 

[LozzyR]

Quick update: my little wet peep didn't make it. I suppose the other chicks were bullying him/her and was at the bottom of the chick pecking order.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

The feeder issue for the Hooligans is reaching crisis point.
I filled the feeder at 3pm. By the time they went to bed about three and a half hours later they had emptied it.
Of course a lot is going on the floor and presumably they can tootle for it in the bedding - but I can’t see myself leaving the feeder empty.
This feeder is designed for chicks. The Roadrunners used it until they were fully integrated and eating with the others. I know there were only two Roadrunners and there are three Hooligans - but seriously, the Hooligans are not yet three weeks old.
Any ideas?

I hung my feeder and raised a little each week. They want to scratch and keeping it above toe level was effective!

 

[LozzyR]

She sure has bed-hair!

I said that too!

 

[LozzyR]

I hung my feeder and raised a little each week. They want to scratch and keeping it above toe level was effective!

My Lottie completely climbs into the treadle feeder so she can scratch around in it!

 

[RoyalChick]

Chick fix
For anyone needing a chick fix here is a video of how they play roosting shenanigans before bed even though they actually go to bed under the heat plate. I guess they are practicing for later.

In the video there is a short bit where you can see Bella continuing to practice her running and flapping. She is the only one who really does that.

And in these pictures you can see that Lulu is having a really, really bad hair day.

In other news, raising the feeder has helped a lot. They still pull a lot out and some of it falls down to the main part of the Chicken Palace which the big Princesses appreciate.
And after her visit to the brooder, Minnie has started roosting on the roost right by it. I don’t know how that is going to work when I put the fire escape in so the chicks can come and go. I hope she doesn’t molest them too badly.

 

[rural mouse]

All I can see is poops or are they mushrooms
Oh I can see them now two eggs

3 eggs....all gone when I got home from work. I suspect the magpies. They replaced the 3 with 1 in the flower bed and 2 in the nest box next to Jess. She is broody again. I gave her the 2, to go with the fake she's on (not sure how many she's on as she's stronger broody this time). She gave me the screech with the curved out, fluffed up wings, then tucked them under herself. we'll see how it goes. Other fake egg still available.

 

[BY Bob]

It was not meant to be this way…
I decided that I would try and turn the Hooligans’ food obsession into a tool to try and tame them. They are still crazy freaked out by me.
So, my plan was to elevate the main food container as @bgmathteach suggested, but also let it run to empty and before refilling it to sit with my hand open and full of feed. Also part of the plan is to provide breakfast at a set time each day of feed in an open tray (egg carton) because they love exploring even if it is the same feed. That way I figure they will at least associate me with breakfast.
Good plan! Feeling proud of myself for figuring it out.
So feeder is empty and I bring a breakfast tray and sit with my hand open full of feed. Lulu even eats from my hand
But this was not part of the plan!
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I always underestimate how good the Roadrunners are at flying. This is Minnie. She flew from the ground, up and over my head (I was seated on a tree stump) and landed right on the brooder perch.
The Hooligans were terrified.
They all crowded together in a corner peeping. Minnie sampled their food and water and then when Lulu made a break for it she delivered a peck on Lulu’s head.
At that point I was able to encourage her to leave the premises and fortunately Lulu didn’t fly out in her attempts to get away.
I don’t think the peck was too bad. More intended to discipline than kill. Lulu and the others seem fine - tucking into their breakfast of course! I am a nervous wreck and need a bit of a sit down in the chicken run to recover.
I am such a wimp!

Never underestimate a roadrunner! That was exceptional on her part. Well done Minnie

The only chickens I've seen fly better were true leghorns.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Momma hen has officially went broody. She thought she was completely hidden from me, but all I had to do was slide back a piece of plywood to uncover her. I swear I will take the blood curling shrieks my marans make to this deadly silent evil hen. As the video shows she does not waste her energy on shrieking, she just goes straight for blood. I did finally manage to move her over to get a egg count, she's sitting on 13. Not all the eggs are hers, Daisy decided it was a good spot as well to lay so there is 4 eggs of hers in there. It was actually thanks to Daisy leaving her nest that I was able to discover this was where Momma was hiding her eggs. Tomorrow morning I will go out with a pencil and mark the 4 Daisy eggs and remove the rest. I figure I will have to constantly keep a check on it now and remove any extra Daisy eggs if she tries to keep laying in that area.
Here is the evil old bat in action.