Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Someone must have dropped off their unwanted cats near my home yesterday. There are cats roaming around here this morning. Six cats! I’m sorry but I’m not a cat person. I hope that they go somewhere else for food.

Additional information: the county animal services center does not take any more stray cats in. So people just leave them around the town and along the side of the highway.

 

[featherhead007]

She looks like she is singing

She was saying something. But I couldn’t understand what.

 

[BY Bob]

That would be not counting the ones that a certain someone gets when she comes into the house. Right?

I have no idea how many meal worms are distributed then.

Here's what I do know. With an average of 5.5 chickens over the last 12 months we went through 30 lbs of meal worms. That's 30lbs x 16 = 480 oz. ÷ 365 = 1.315 oz per day or 0.24 oz per chicken per day.

Now some chickens might get more than others........

.......but that does not seem like a significant part of their diet. At least not to me.

 

[BY Bob]

Thanks so much for all the advice, I'm glad I asked. l will be making a mix of all. I think I need to first get them used to getting locked up in the run on their own, which is easy to do in the morning as they are the last to leave the coop. It's harder at night because they are also last to go in and waiting impatiently for the older chickens to have gone to roost so they can do the same safely.
And I need them to learn to share a feeding space with the others, but I'll begin outside, so it's easier for them to escape when they are attacked.

It's hard to find a really special treat when they have free access to all the fruits and vegetables in the garden! They went crazy for broiled eggs the two times I gave them some but obviously not sufficient to overcome their fear today.

Our run isn't a run, it's just a small pen, we were planning on redoing it this week but my stepmom in hospital means we have to postpone. However it will never be bigger than 8/9 m square due to the land configuration.
Also, I don't want to be leaving food in the coop / run all day (I don't feed at given time, I let them have free access to feed) because we got rid of a bad mice situation and I think stopping leaving accessible food inside helped. So I will have to play with treats to make them follow us, and then maybe feed them in the run when they wake up in the morning.
Once they get used to that and when we have redone the run, we'll try keeping them locked in with all the other chickens in the morning. It will be slightly bigger and certainly more confortable once we've redone it.

I'm trying to find an excuse for my unorthodox mugshot and actually Grochatila was one of the main asset in the fight against mice in the coop. We call him "tigre des Sauches". Hard to believe he's such a fierce hunter.
View attachment 3223912

View attachment 3223913

Sounds like a good strategy. N you have to work with what you have. It is excellent that you have a cat that helps with rodent control. That's a true dual purpose kitty.

 

[BY Bob]

Update on Light: She has perked up and was eating/drinking/scratching, almost behave like normal. We are so happy and will continue to massage her.

Poor Inky is in her own run now (a small run we had for the babies, who are now successfully integrated). Inky and Light were free ranging this whole morning while the bullies were watching. But I know they are not getting the memo. Too bad Inky's egg hatched out a rooster, otherwise she may have had a friend by now. Speaking of rooster, I know this bullying wouldn't have happened if Foggy were still here.

Some chicken photos for Monday (not exactly mug)

TinaView attachment 3223954

Poopy
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WendyView attachment 3223952View attachment 3223950

Ginger
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for the photos

for the bullied chicken.

You do know that separating her from the others will only intensify the problem for her right? It will wind up like an integration when you put her back with the rest.

 

[RoyalChick]

Thanks so much for all the advice, I'm glad I asked. l will be making a mix of all. I think I need to first get them used to getting locked up in the run on their own, which is easy to do in the morning as they are the last to leave the coop. It's harder at night because they are also last to go in and waiting impatiently for the older chickens to have gone to roost so they can do the same safely.
And I need them to learn to share a feeding space with the others, but I'll begin outside, so it's easier for them to escape when they are attacked.

It's hard to find a really special treat when they have free access to all the fruits and vegetables in the garden! They went crazy for broiled eggs the two times I gave them some but obviously not sufficient to overcome their fear today.

Our run isn't a run, it's just a small pen, we were planning on redoing it this week but my stepmom in hospital means we have to postpone. However it will never be bigger than 8/9 m square due to the land configuration.
Also, I don't want to be leaving food in the coop / run all day (I don't feed at given time, I let them have free access to feed) because we got rid of a bad mice situation and I think stopping leaving accessible food inside helped. So I will have to play with treats to make them follow us, and then maybe feed them in the run when they wake up in the morning.
Once they get used to that and when we have redone the run, we'll try keeping them locked in with all the other chickens in the morning. It will be slightly bigger and certainly more confortable once we've redone it.

I'm trying to find an excuse for my unorthodox mugshot and actually Grochatila was one of the main asset in the fight against mice in the coop. We call him "tigre des Sauches". Hard to believe he's such a fierce hunter.
View attachment 3223912

View attachment 3223913

Awww. Such fine fangs!

 

[featherhead007]

I have no idea how many meal worms are distributed then.

Here's what I do know. With an average of 5.5 chickens over the last 12 months we went through 30 lbs of meal worms. That's 30lbs x 16 = 480 oz. ÷ 365 = 1.315 oz per day or 0.24 oz per chicken per day.

Now some chickens might get more than others........

View attachment 3223960View attachment 3223961

.......but that does not seem like a significant part of their diet. At least not to me.

Your math does not compute:

 

[RoyalChick]

for the photos

for the billed chicken.

You do know that separating her from the others will only intensify the problem for her right? It will wind up like an integration when you put her back with the rest.

The advice I have read is to separate the chief bully so she has to reintegrate.

 

[BY Bob]

She looks like she is singing

You know not everyone walks around singing all day, right? Just you and Disney Princesses.

I think that's why I lean towards......

 

[BY Bob]

Additional information: the county animal services center does not take any more stray cats in. So people just leave them around the town and along the side of the highway.

No better than irresponsible dog owners.