Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

That story should have been filmed and at the very least been televised.

Thanks. It feels a little like a sketch comedy.

 

[Marie2020]

Thanks. It feels a little like a sketch comedy.

Feels like? It's blooming hilarious

Send that off to be published, it's excellent

 

[BY Bob]

If you’d been in Germany you would have been fine! Kreditkarte is pronounced ‘credit carta’.

Excellent!

If you’d been in Germany you would have been fine! Kreditkarte is pronounced ‘credit carta’.

I can't wait to tell SIL that. If he had just hit the button for German.

 

[Marie2020]

That story should have been filmed and at the very least been televised.

Only @BY Bob

 

[Marie2020]

I tried this in 2020… it didn’t go well. I need a better mold free environment. I have trouble even getting sauerkraut and Kombucha to work out. I did try a dandelion Jun that didn’t turn out too awful, but it was a little sweet (kombucha made with honey and dandelion flowers essentially). I used to do a lot of fermentation back in our house in the city, I was producing enough Kombucha for several friends and myself, and got pretty decent at the flavourings and secondary fermentation to carbonate. I’m just itching to get something going again, but the different moods, mildews and other trailer cultures seem to just overwhelm things. And keeping a stable enough temperature is also a challenge.

Don't give up lovely you're doing brilliantly.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

This mornings greetings has warned me that in the next few days/weeks my girls are going to drive me insane. I currently have Holly incubating a Rock waiting on day 18 for the viable Corona eggs in the incubator. Baby has spent the same amount of time trying to hatch nothing and I will probably give her the 2 Daisy eggs when I give Holly hers. Momma hen is under a week in on her eggs and as hateful as ever. What do I come out to at breakfast time this morning? Corona and Blueberry walking around like angry tom turkeys making the broody clucking. Squirrel, Raven and one of the cochin girls are also walking around like ticking time bombs but only puff up when someone walks by them. I will fight them, 3 broodies is enough, they need to get this nonsense out of their heads. Who is not broody you may ask, the silkie, Chiquita. She thought about it for all of 2 days about 2 weeks ago and then came to her senses. According to everything you read and hear about silkies and the horror stories of them being perpetual broodies I've came to the conclusion she is broken.

 

[bgmathteach]

Oh dear - I forgot to turn on the electric fence tonight and look who just came to visit.
Awwww - so cute! But get the hell away from my chickens!!!

BFTP:

While the 'family' IS cute, it is also scary...momma's teaching them young (not exactly what you want her to teach them...but it is what she must teach them if she is a good mom!).

You probably wont't forget to turn the fence on again for a long, long time.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Well, Rhode Island Reds with pea combs are Buckeyes.

Not really, but superficially maybe.
As My Pet Chicken hatchery birds - (maybe Meyer's carries a breed line) - Hazel looks to me to be closer to the SOP in feathering than the others, Butters the least. Popcorn exhibits the body shape and foraging temperament. I think the coloring is too light as far as the SOP.
http://americanbuckeyeclub.blogspot.com/p/understanding-sop.html
Here's about the black bar and tail feathers. They make a comment that the RIR rooster tail feathers show differently in light than Buckeyes'. RIR are not shiny?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

UNDERCOLOR

Photo 1: Undercolor (by Shumaker Farms)

Photo 2: Undercolor (by Shumaker Farm)

When looking at a Buckeye one cannot help but notice the beautiful dark mahogany sheen of their plumage.

This dark sheen is mainly attributed to the "bar of slate" (undercolor) that is beneath the exterior plumage. It shows as a charcoal grey color (as shown in Photos 1 through 3).

This special undercolor (often referred to as “smutt” by poultry judges) is mentioned in both the 1905 and 2010 SOP, and was specifically called out by Nettie Metcalf in her early journal discussions about plumage color. The darker the undercolor, the darker the bird.

Photo 3: Undercolor (by Shumaker Farms)

You can see the undercolor of a Buckeye by lifting the feathers located on the birds' back (as illustrated here). Note that Photos 1 through 3 show varying levels of undercolor. Some undercolor should be present in all Buckeyes (as specified by the SOP). The undercolor has to be closely monitored so that the dark color doesn't "bleed" onto the surface of the feather.

Photo 4: Undercolor (by Shumaker Farms)

Many of today's Buckeyes don't have this undercolor. Instead, the feathers are a light red all the way to the base of the feather (as shown in Photo 4). This is leading to Buckeyes becoming lighter in surface color, and should be avoided.

TAIL CARRIAGE

Photo1: Tail (by Shumaker Farm)

Photo 2: Tail (by Shumaker Farm)

MALE: Photos 1 and 2 are representative of how a cock should carry their tail and how the tail feathers should unfold or spread out.

As the standard suggests, the tail should be of medium length and size, carried moderately upright (roughly 40 degrees above the horizon). Sickles and coverts (secondary feathers) should be of medium length, nicely curved, and sufficiently abundant to cover the stiff primary feathers. Sickles and coverts should be shaded bay and black to avoid a sharp contrast between the body and tail. Pinched tails and excessively long secondary feathers are to be avoided.
Note that the camera flash shows the sheen of the tail feathers in Photo 2, making them look grey. This is one of the traits that separate the Buckeye from the Rhode Island Red, and illustrates that the feathers are not dull in color.

Photo 3: Tail (by Shumaker Farm)

Photo 4: Tail (by Shumaker Farm)

FEMALE: Photos 3 and 4 are representative of how a female should carry its tail and how the tail feathers should unfold or spread out. Note the color of the hen in Photo 4 is very light. This is due to the hen's age.
The female tail should be medium in length, fairly well-spread, carried at an angle of thirty degrees (30°) above horizontal.

 

[bgmathteach]

Has anyone seen/heard from @Lady Red lately? Hope all is well with her!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

@ChicoryBlue do you think we could be looking at a Buckeye here?

No, but I'm very new to learning about them. I think I posted somewhere Granny looks nothing like my Buckeyes did, nor like any chick or pullet/cockerel Buckeye pics I've seen. There's too much variety going on from head to tail, it's a kaleidoscope! (Look at the speckling on the neck! Way not a Buckeye.) If she had grey/green legs you all would be saying EE (except for no muff), right? The head & body shape is too long and narrow also but the camera may be exaggerating that. Buckeyes are bigger than other chicks, but more so they are shaped like little tanks, little bulldogs.