Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

OK deal. To me, a vet is a researcher, but with some pre-training, experience, and access to equipment. Sadly, probably many vets are robotic and don't research.

Sweet Foxy on my lap:
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I just love this picture of Foxy! She looks to be quite the curious/inquisitive one....but in a calm, not nervous, way. And clearly she is already a lap chicken....what a wonderful combination - I bet she is a smart one!

 

[BY Bob]

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.

Thanks so much for sharing these. I just love watching Mums and Chicks.

 

[BY Bob]

One of our bantam GLW hens was plugged up with a dried brick like plug of poop this morning. We soaked and cleaned and lubed her up. We mixed up baby aspirin and electrolytes and syringes some down her. She is isolated but near her flock so we can keep a close eye on her.

Wow! Great job catching it. How did you happen to notice?

 

[BY Bob]

Here is Lulu’s mugshot to wish you all a happy Monday.
Her comb is getting more eccentric by the day. And it has to be said, she can be a very annoying little chicken. She is exceptionally vocal. Second only to Maggie and that is saying something. And she will not stand still for even a moment. She has her beak in everyone’s business and somehow everyone just tolerates her.
And she pecks me. She has taken her mission to carry on Dotty’s legacy in that department a bit too much to heart. Not just my ankles - arms, fingers, nose - it is all fair game to her. It hurts!
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Meanwhile, I am worried about Minnie. She is not looking her normal perky self. I am hoping it is grief and loneliness and she will gradually adjust. But I do worry about her health-wise as she never restarted laying after being very sick with sour crop.
I hope she perks up.

I have seen mine grove but I know you will keep an eye on Minnie. I would be leery of everything right now were I you.

Glynda is an excellent pecker of my hand. Hand feeding her is a painful experience. She grabs, pulls, and twists. It is pretty darn painful.

 

[BY Bob]

Mugshot Monday:
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Those are great! How is the wing healing?

 

[bgmathteach]

Here is Lulu’s mugshot to wish you all a happy Monday.
Her comb is getting more eccentric by the day. And it has to be said, she can be a very annoying little chicken. She is exceptionally vocal. Second only to Maggie and that is saying something. And she will not stand still for even a moment. She has her beak in everyone’s business and somehow everyone just tolerates her.
And she pecks me. She has taken her mission to carry on Dotty’s legacy in that department a bit too much to heart. Not just my ankles - arms, fingers, nose - it is all fair game to her. It hurts!
View attachment 3215677View attachment 3215678

Meanwhile, I am worried about Minnie. She is not looking her normal perky self. I am hoping it is grief and loneliness and she will gradually adjust. But I do worry about her health-wise as she never restarted laying after being very sick with sour crop.
I hope she perks up.

I am absolutely certain she (Minnie) is in mourning, especially given that you said she wouldn't roost and settle a few nights ago until Dotty was in the coop. I do so hope that that is all it is! Maybe a little extra time/attention from you will help her? While you may be the servant, you are a comforting one.

I will probably sound mean in this, but good for Lulu. You, the servant, will have to teach her some boundaries, but I like that she is a feisty, social, eccentric gal. Each flock really needs one of those! (plus, you could use a distraction with a 'character' chicken after all you've been through)

@RoyalChick I thought we had established that 'ruffled combs' was the new fashion trend? Just like Ruffles and lace were high fashion in Victorian times, now ruffles and spikes are in in the chicken world!!

 

[lightm]

I just love this picture of Foxy! She looks to be quite the curious/inquisitive one....but in a calm, not nervous, way. And clearly she is already a lap chicken....what a wonderful combination - I bet she is a smart one!

Thank you. She is really smart and chill. She is also very brave and start to compete with the big girls.

The integration appears to be going well as they don't need to come inside anymore. The bigs are willing to share the shaded area with them.

I still have to throw them into the coop every night. It is a good sized coop for a prefab, but not human accessible. When I put them in last night, they both screamed murder because they know they'd get pecked on the way. I had to shield them so lots of pecks on my hand. At least it didn't hurt.

 

[bgmathteach]

I am fending her off with my phone.
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Aren't we the lucky ones that is your defense tool of preference!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

They are absolutely adorable! I wouldn't have expected them to be pure black given momma is ?brown/caramel? (not sure of official name for her colouring). But they look lovely and I think will be absolutely beautiful, despite not being fully black. I suppose you won't really know final color until they are mostly feathered out.

Chiquita was sold to me as a Buff silkie. She came in rough shape and after some new feather growth it was pointed out to me in the silkie thread that she is actually a Partridge. Ezzie according to them is also a Partridge although he is various shades of deep red which I love. I really have no clue how these color gene's work, Hoppy could be a variation of partridge for all I know. I just assumed partridge colored chicks would hatch out with chipmunk colored down like Ezzie. Instead Hoppy's hatch down was solid black. To tell you the truth, I'm slightly disappointed, I wanted another solid black pullet.

 

[Ponypoor]

I have so many spiders in the yard right now, way more than last year. I am thinking maybe it is related to the increased mosquitos population? They are fairly good sized too. I can go collect over 30 at any given time. I do give them to the sweeties if they got into my every day path.

I do that with the Japanese beetles, mixed with some wild blackberries nice treat for the gals.