Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

Chiquita finally decided to bring the chicks out for a bit yesterday afternoon. She is still not ready to have them out all day, after a hour she was done and headed back into the coop. They are a week and a half old and still tiny. Right now they are the size of my pure Marans at hatch. I also got a shock when they came out into the light. Hoppy the silkie, is not going to be a black silkie. I will just say it, silkie's and their quirks and colors throw me. I assumed since it hatched out black, and has a solid black daddy it would be black. I'll let the pictures and video's show you just how wrong I am.

Overlook my yard. I know the grass desperately needs mowing, but first I need it to dry up a bit. Since the flooding started I have had 1 full day without some rain so I'm still walking around in a mud pit. I do believe the weather, and muddy state of my yard may be why Chiquita has felt more comfortable keeping confined to the coop.

 

[Ponypoor]

I would go 14 days. I did 21 days with mine but 14 covers most things pretty well. I would wait the 4 more days because of the lice. You know how his living conditions weren't great.

Yes I was thinking it might be safer to just wait till the weekend anyways so I am around all day.

He is doing ok getting out in his little paddock after work. He doesn’t seem to be a fretful or anxious guy and seems quite happy to sit with the fan blowing on his face

 

[Ponypoor]

Chiquita finally decided to bring the chicks out for a bit yesterday afternoon. She is still not ready to have them out all day, after a hour she was done and headed back into the coop. They are a week and a half old and still tiny. Right now they are the size of my pure Marans at hatch. I also got a shock when they came out into the light. Hoppy the silkie, is not going to be a black silkie. I will just say it, silkie's and their quirks and colors throw me. I assumed since it hatched out black, and has a solid black daddy it would be black. I'll let the pictures and video's show you just how wrong I am.
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Overlook my yard. I know the grass desperately needs mowing, but first I need it to dry up a bit. Since the flooding started I have had 1 full day without some rain so I'm still walking around in a mud pit. I do believe the weather, and muddy state of my yard may be why Chiquita has felt more comfortable keeping confined to the coop.

So tiny and sooooo cute

 

[bgmathteach]

It's Piou-piou (name on hold to see if she/he survives and what gender it choses!). From the beginning it has been late in growth and development and it's now about one month behind, half the size of Lea I would say. Other than that, it's active, doing well, eating and growing.
I was very pessimistic as all the threads on BYC about slow growing chicks ended with the chick dying between 6 and 10 weeks or staying very backward, but this one hasn't been showing signs of weakness up to now. It is much more shy with us than the other three however. You can sort of see the size difference next to Gaston and then next to Léa.
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Beautiful! But the hair....I'm straight back in my teenage punk goth days.

I had a runt once...one of my BRs from the hatchery. She did just fine, but was about 1/2 the size of the others once full grown...though she was only a little behind in terms of feathering out, etc...really only size was smaller. I did only keep her one year, though, because she was so small compared to my BR roos that she took a beating - they would crush her trying to mate....but health wise she seemed okay - just got a 'dwarf gene' or something.

Sorry to take so long to get to the point...but I think her health/length of life will depend on WHY she is small...not that fact that she is small.

 

[ManueB]

I had a runt once...one of my BRs from the hatchery. She did just fine, but was about 1/2 the size of the others once full grown...though she was only a little behind in terms of feathering out, etc...really only size was smaller. I did only keep her one year, though, because she was so small compared to my BR roos that she took a beating - they would crush her trying to mate....but health wise she seemed okay - just got a 'dwarf gene' or something.

Sorry to take so long to get to the point...but I think her health/length of life will depend on WHY she is small...not that fact that she is small.

Well, genetics seems the most likely explanation as most others I can think of would imply showing up in behaviour (trouble ingesting or digesting food, lack of vitamins or minerals...).
However I've also been wondering if the fact that the momma Chipie sat in the darkest corner of the coop where there was very little natural light could have caused the problem. I've heard several people pointing out that light plays an important role in chick development inside the egg.

 

[RoyalChick]

Hattie House

Things move slower at Hattie House. Even dust baths are more laconic.

A nice leisurely soak in the tub.

 

[RoyalChick]

Chiquita finally decided to bring the chicks out for a bit yesterday afternoon. She is still not ready to have them out all day, after a hour she was done and headed back into the coop. They are a week and a half old and still tiny. Right now they are the size of my pure Marans at hatch. I also got a shock when they came out into the light. Hoppy the silkie, is not going to be a black silkie. I will just say it, silkie's and their quirks and colors throw me. I assumed since it hatched out black, and has a solid black daddy it would be black. I'll let the pictures and video's show you just how wrong I am.
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Overlook my yard. I know the grass desperately needs mowing, but first I need it to dry up a bit. Since the flooding started I have had 1 full day without some rain so I'm still walking around in a mud pit. I do believe the weather, and muddy state of my yard may be why Chiquita has felt more comfortable keeping confined to the coop.

So pretty!
And your grass looks like mine after I have mowed - I believe in mowing high because it is better for other species of plants (aka weeds which I encourage) and for insects. It stresses the grass less too.
Now you know you can celebrate your grass!
Oh and grass? Mine is all going yellow in the drought!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Rest in peace my lovely Dotty

My lovely Dotty has died after a mystery illness of only a couple of days.
She leaves an outsized hole in our lives including for her partner in crime and inseparable companion, Minnie.

I never knew whether Dotty loved me, or hated me. In the end I believe she just saw me as an inferior being who needed to be reminded of my place in life.

In spite of my complicated relationship with Dotty, I loved her dearly. I was so happy to find that she was very often in my presence. She liked to be near me, to explain things to me, and just hang out. She was quite tolerant of me stroking her neck and wattles.

Her tail and fluffy butt were a wonderful sight and she was always alert to whatever was going on around us.

In her short time - she was only 2 years and 3 months old - she lived life to the full and on her own terms.
She loved to sunbathe by my chair; she loved to fly; she molted when the temperature was single digits Fahrenheit; and she would always poop on her eggs. Always.

She was obsessed with pecking my ankles, and fortunately, before she died, Dotty passed on her knowledge of ankle pecking to none other than Lulu, so the tradition will live on.

Farewell Dotty, may wherever you are going be populated with many ankles to attack. I did my best for you and I am so sorry it was not enough.
I miss you already.

Here are some pictures to celebrate Dotty's short life - inevitably many of my photos are together with Minnie. Dotty is the one with the much bigger tail and the (ever so slightly) less weird comb.

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RIP Dottie. An uber chicken, she was magnificent and plucky! I’m so sorry.

Again I’m sorry for terrible post timing.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

No, it's actually loose, I can move it up and down and all around.

I haven't had a chance to remove it yet it's been so hot and humid I didn't want to stress him holding him. He sure is a wild one!

Oh good, there’s so much he needs to adjust to now. Glad you checked it and can leave it alone for now!

 

[BY Bob]

Oh so beautiful all of them

They were very photogenic this morning.