Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Sharing a favorite photo for the celebration. Ok a few. View attachment 3183222View attachment 3183223View attachment 3183224View attachment 3183225View attachment 3183226View attachment 3183227View attachment 3183228View attachment 3183230

It's Cynthia! Thanks so much for stopping by and joining our celebration! Love the photos!

 

[BY Bob]

Ok, I’m over 30 pages behind again (gee, how did that happen?!) so getting my chickie pics in as it’s already Tuesday in Oz. I’ll try to get more than one chook in a photo so there isn’t 12 pictures.

Lucy and Emily
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Given that they were ex-battery hens, they were dust-bathing like their lives depended on it!

Chickie and Henny Penny
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Ditto for the dust bath!

Charlie and Bessie
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Tegan, Nyssa and River
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Penguin, Lottie and Snowy
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So wonderful to see them all. Thanks Lozzy!

 

[BY Bob]

Three of my favorite pictures, "What the FLUFF!!! Is that??", "Peepzilla" & "My Friend Kiwi"

These are wonderful! Thanks so much for stopping in and joining the celebration!

 

[featherhead007]

115 heat index today. My AC crapped out. While I was adding shade cloth to the pens. Been a hot miserable day. Worked on the hvac until dark and not sure I fixed it

Any update Greg?

 

[BY Bob]

As I said, I won 6 Maran chicks. They were 1 day shy of being 3 weeks old when I picked them up. Their breeder tried to be fair when he split the chicks up. He told me when I picked them up that we each got 2 for sure girls, 1 for sure boy, and 3 that were questionable. I was totally ok with that, surely since I did not hatch, or pick these chicks out that I could at least get 3 hens out of 6. Again, how wrong I was. 6 chicks, 2 girls and 4 boys. Within that first week those 3 questionable ones, their combs popped and wattles appeared. The world hates me at this point, I just need some hens dang it.
Their first night home.
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A few weeks later. Oh if you are counting, I now have 8 boys in various ages, and 5 girls. Mom at this point tells me that I even look at a chick I curse it and it is destined to be a boy. I love her humor, and why it was very very painful last week to tell her she was right about Ezzie. Anyway back to the Marans. I was told Marans are in your face friendly and sweet. They were, and were in spades. These being my first, and first time raising chicks myself I was thinking maybe that had something to do with it. Nope, I've come to find out that no matter how they are raised Marans and Marans mixes are sweet, friendly, lap chickens.
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Now the pandemic has hit, everyone is in lockdown, and the chickens are keeping me and Rosie sane. Due to being a type 1 diabetic, and not knowing how the virus would affect me I took it seriously and stayed home. I'm normally a home body anyway, but after 3 weeks even I began to get stir crazy. But I have a problem, what am I going to do with all these boys? I cannot keep 8 boys. I decided I would keep Toothless and 1 of the Marans. Covid presents a problem though, everyone is afraid to get out and about, that made placing chickens hard in general, and I have the task of placing roosters. Momma Hen and her daughter Nugget decide it would also be the perfect time to go broody. At the same time and Nugget is just over 6 months old. I have a cousin who has chickens, he is laughing at me over my boy problem. He also swears that you can look at the shape of a egg and tell which is a hen or roo. Ok know it all, you have a huge laying flock bring me some eggs, only girls please and I'll give them to Nugget. Again, I'm swimming in boys. It did take me a few weeks to pick out which of the Marans boys to keep. Eventually we had a winner. Even as a chick my keeper Drumstick knew how to pose.
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Once Drumstick was chosen I started trying to place his brothers. Thankfully it took less then a week. Momma Hens 3 boys that appeared to be full game roos, they took a bit longer. It would take some time, but I was eventually able to place them with people I knew who had larger flocks of big stock chickens. I could have gotten rid of them sooner but well, cock fighting though illegal is still big here and some of the people that inquired were hard and fast no's. I felt if it came to a quick ending, or cock fighting, I was prepared to cull them.

 

[BY Bob]

Holy heck it’s been a while! Hello peeps!

Howdy! So nice to hear from you. I hope all is well and school is still going well.

 

[BY Bob]

Isn’t it funny how they use the Red Tail Hawk call for eagle images and videos? They do live here, but I only see or hear them occasionally.

I hear and see than here all the time but apparently I live on a hawk super highway.

 

[BY Bob]

Congratulations Bob!!

Of course, Sandy contemplating the beach comes first.

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And because it's nice to remember her face, Sandy keeping an eye on the road in case I take a wrong turn.

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Backseat driver no, just Janet.

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A young Mary.

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Be still my heart! And Bob's. It's baby Ivy!

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And now she's fully grown.

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Little Peggy had such a floofy tooshi!

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She did not! She did so. No way!! Yes, way.

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The sweetheart shot.

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Thank you for your stalwart friendship, wisdom and kindness @BY Bob

You're a wonderful friend!

Gosh! All of my favorite photos. Starting with that darling Sandy at the beach photo. It always stirs my heart.

All your hens are beautiful but you know Ivy stole my heart the moment I saw her.

Thanks for sharing these my friend.

 

[featherhead007]

I hear and see than here all the time but apparently I live on a hawk super highway.

You need anti-Aircraft artillery! (Just saying)

 

[BY Bob]

they hatched on 1 July - this is them @ 1 week (5 of them; the chipmunk and the crested each have a different mum). Juvenile plumage is coming through but it's not obvious what the adult plumage will be as yet. View attachment 3183339

Adorable!