Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

My niece gives her hens shrimp shells uncooked which freaks me out! I cook stuff like that if I were to feed my gals it.

Of course then I catch them cracking and eating snails! ??? Who knows if it will be good or bad for them.

I did a fecal sample for worms and it came back clear, so guess they are ok.

I give mine raw shrimp bits. They go crazy for shrimp cooked and raw.

 

[r0bz]

Sneak up behind …. They have eyes in the back of their heads you know

Not sure what everyone else does but I gently herd one into a corner and gently catch it.

Patience young Jedi - breath deeply and calm yourself- and keep trying…

Hrs and hrs and hrs - but don’t worry chickens are time thieves - those hrs will go by really fast. And before you know it you will be the Jedi chicken master giving others advice

too bad i cant stand in their coop (it is not tall enough for a human to stand at)
also if they are free roaming outside good luck catching them hhahaha
also if i catch 1 they all start to do the chickhen alarm

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Well, I almost made it the full 3 weeks before mom found Chiquita. We had some flash flooding today and the water got up. Thankfully the stalls did not get flooded this time around but they came close. After the water went down a bit mom was walking around checking everything and poked her head into the chicken coop. Instead of keeping quite someone lets out a banshee shriek. Mom yells at me did I know someone was broody? Busted, "yup, she has about 3 to 4 days to go". This was followed by "Are they the demon spawns?" Well whose else would they be . I consoled her that there was just 2 eggs under her. She loves Ezzie and Chiquita, I will make her adore Branch if it kills me. She also is enamored with Twiggy, who I have to bring up every time she glares at Branch that he is her daddy.

 

[Kris5902]

Thanks! Interesting you brought this up. Now I think her comb really was blue, it just comes and goes.

Nope. Cashew is having a blue comb issue after all.

I have this is some of my Roosters and heavier hens, especially when it is hot out. Mr Maran and Dean both have combs that turn blue under even slight stress, and I’ve also seen it in my meat girls, and a few of my older heavier laying hens. It comes and goes, and I usually take it a a sign that something is stressing their system, usually heat, casing down an idiot cockerel, or a reluctant hen etc.

 

[Kris5902]

You know this take hrs and hrs of spending time with your animals, it doesn’t happen overnight. People always comment on my horses and how they are quiet well trained etc. they want to know my secret. No secret, I just spend all my time with them, I am part of their herd, and part of my chickies flock.

Could you please send Jimmy a memo that I spend all my time with them so he should be better behaved? Or have one of the horses chat with him to that effect? Na-na nipping day is coming up in the next two weeks (going to do it down on the farm scale, so he doesn’t have any bad associations up here) but he’s gone rutty and is being a total brat… and the face peeing today I could even smell him, so I imagine he must absolutely reek!

But yes, this is a good chicken catching description. I like to come in low and slow and scoop them up whenever possible. Green foot and her friend now literally run to me every night to be put up, chicken hug and into the maternity ward you go for the night!

 

[Kris5902]

Blind?

I was watching Gucci closely at bedtime last night and based upon her behavior I became concerned that maybe it wasn't her legs that were the issue, perhaps she was blind.

She would keep walking until her head hit something and then she would lay down and push up against whatever she had run into, preparing to sleep there.

The others would peep at her from the coop, she would get up, I believe to try and find them, and repeat the process. Walk until she hit something and then lay down again.

I finally put her on the ramp and tried to guide her up. She was having real issues but finally made it.

All night I worried and fretted about how I would handle this. What changes to living arrangements I might have to do, etc.

This morning I endeavored to determine if my fears were based on reality or not. I was able to startle Gucci by simply moving my hand into her field of vision without touching her. So she could "see" my hand at a certain point. Good news.

Then I got a good look at her. Check out this photo from TODAY.

View attachment 3201623

All of the feathers we trimmed have grown back. The poor girl simply cannot see very well again. There will be a very aggressive trimming event tonight.

This is why I just can’t see having polish etc in my flock, with the free ranging I don’t think they would survive here! But I mean really… look at all those feathers, it’s like a wool-blind sheep. Poor girl. Lucky she has you to trim them up for her.

 

[Ponypoor]

Could you please send Jimmy a memo that I spend all my time with them so he should be better behaved? Or have one of the horses chat with him to that effect? Na-na nipping day is coming up in the next two weeks (going to do it down on the farm scale, so he doesn’t have any bad associations up here) but he’s gone rutty and is being a total brat… and the face peeing today I could even smell him, so I imagine he must absolutely reek!

But yes, this is a good chicken catching description. I like to come in low and slow and scoop them up whenever possible. Green foot and her friend now literally run to me every night to be put up, chicken hug and into the maternity ward you go for the night!

Laughing is for the ‘face peeing’ ewwww is right! Billy goats should be put in a paddock away from civilization hahaha!

Once he becomes a sports model he will settle down.

 

[Ponypoor]

This is why I just can’t see having polish etc in my flock, with the free ranging I don’t think they would survive here! But I mean really… look at all those feathers, it’s like a wool-blind sheep. Poor girl. Lucky she has you to trim them up for her.

But so beautiful Glad he has a before photo! I will need to find an after photo later on…..

 

[Ponypoor]

All the chooks are back inside the coop, except Dakota. She refuses to go back to the coop. She was waiting for me on the porch, when I went to lock up the others.
(How can I refuse a cute little lady like her?) it’s obvious that I am no longer in charge of this place.

Glad you finally realized this!

 

[rural mouse]

Hector is officially in you "you randy idiot" faze. Yesterday morning he tried catching Pear. No dice. Last night he chased after her 3 separate times. She took him through the obstacle course of under the olive branches, over another branch, through the babies (or the adults still outside), around a bush, over the cinder blocks (he plowed into them), and lat attempt she slipped into the coop (I tried closing the door in his face, but wasn't fast enough) and hopped onto the nest boxes. He can jump up to the top....after pacing 15 laps around the interior of the coop, back outside 7 times to pace around, then back inside to pace back and forth in front of the boxes several times (jumble all the various pacing places together and mix thoroughly to find his trail). Obviously he got foiled again. He tried chasing Storm outside (she's been merciless with him at roosting time: 6 feet!). She looped a tree, came up behind him and pecked the back of his neck....repeatedly. He tried chasing Nellie. Cheetah was already roosted so just sent up the disgruntled bok bok and stayed put. She eeled through the olive branches and Hector plowed into them again. He caught Twirp on the floor of the coop, managed to get on her, only to have her squirm out from under him, whirl around and jump in his face, talons extended. She looked like Karate Kid with the Flying Crane (?) move. Result: his wattles were bleeding, he's back outside trying to tidbit for me and she's settling into her roosting place with nary a feather out of place.

In the past week I've seen (or heard) all of his girls and at least 2 of the younger girls pitch a fit because he's grabbed and they're not ready. I can see why the waterer is considered a prospective mate in certain other tribes....I swear he's going to try a rock or a tree stump soon...

Young idiot needs to be courting the ladies, not me, and the hormones are....

Young idiot at full volume (still fuzzy)