Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Don’t worry, I have my two friends… Tye-and Lenal.

I very much over did it today. TY-&-Lenal are trying to make me feel better. Time to use that jacuzzi tub again tonight. (Maybe I’m just not as strong as I used to be?)

 

[bgmathteach]

Just not a clue how to tell! only reason I can tell the adult Canada geese’s apart is the Gander is larger, meaner, and has more of a white face (don’t let your DH read that one!)

Well, the boy is already a bit larger than the girl. He is also a bit more vocal & 'active'. He is the one who has to nibble my neck & check everything out before settling into snuggle mode. Her? soon as she touches me, the head snakes up against my neck & she feels like she is melting into me!

 

[bgmathteach]

Hattie does not like walnuts. Everyone else does but not Hattie.

Poor Hattie She doesn't know what she is missing!
(or, maybe, the great Rooster doesn't break up the walnut into small enough pieces for the gentile lady?)

 

[bgmathteach]

The difficult part to wrap my mind around is that she only just turned 2 in February. She is not a high production breed and she gets a tumor.

I think that’s what happened with Penguin, although she had Australorp in her and they can be prolific layers. She was only about 18 months old.

I don't know much at all about hatcheries in Australia, but here in the US in the large hatcheries, there is no 'quality control", i.e. selective breeding, making sure genetic pool remains diverse, aggressive culling/removal from breeding pool of marginal/poor specimens, etc.. I *suspect* that this contributes to it, and probably also the fact that those hatcheries (most) use a significant amount of bleach for disinfecting, and bleach is a known carcinogen. Also, a small percentage of a healthy population will get cancer - even without environmental toxins.....

That said, this is my ASSUMPTION based on general information accumulated over the years, nothing too in depth, and some from non-scientific sources....so anyone with more knowledge, please feel free to add to this theory, or correct it.

 

[BY Bob]

What happened to my Arizona? Yesterday she was fine, but today she’s wearing stick tight fleas on her face. On her ears, her comb, above her eyes, some on her waddles too. Those fleas are very annoying for her.

That's terrible. Are you helping her?

 

[BY Bob]

Oh lovely and bet they smell heavenly

We are about a month behind here, not sure about were you are....

Should have had them blooming mid April....

I am in Hershey, PA in the USA

 

[BY Bob]

The dogwood has finished blooming and I plan on making a trip down very soon to attempt some cuttings from the remaining semi-live branch… technically this is borderline illegal, what with it being the official tree species of our province, but as the tree is clearly devastated and unlikely to survive I’m not too worried.

Please keep me posted I would love for you to successfully grow another.

 

[BY Bob]

Does this count for FBF? Or is it cheating??? What’s that idiom about shooting fish in a barrel? View attachment 3106223

It counts and I love it!

 

[BY Bob]

There must be some place in the yard where they are encountering the buggers and bringing them back to the coop.

 

[BY Bob]

There’s all the old familiar faces

There are still some left.