Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[LozzyR]

Gucci Does It Again, on Film!

I just love all the support she gets from the other 2. It is so sweet to watch them work together!

Yea Gucci! I knew she could do it!

 

[RoyalChick]

Gucci Does It Again, on Film!

I just love all the support she gets from the other 2. It is so sweet to watch them work together!

Brava Gucci!

 

[lightm]

Inky gets to stay
I think Inky learned the plan that we are going to invite Ginger back and dump her to another home (maybe through secrete antenna chatting with Lulu...), or maybe the other 5 girls don't want Ginger back , but they got along totally fine in the confined run today.
Inky even dust bathed with them!!

Maybe they just need this one week to settle down since Ginger's departure? Maybe Inky finishing molting and gained more confidence? Maybe it's the fact that Inky won two 1-on-1 battles and earned their respect? I have no idea but all is fine now.

 

[BY Bob]

@Marie2020 I am very happy that I was wrong and that Tina is better. I will be following for your updates on her health. You are definitely among those on the thread that have had enough chicken bad news for the time being!!
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@Ponypoor how are you feeling ?
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So, I've been trying to work on improving my chicken's coexistence and haven't had much success.
( As a reminder I have two main groups who don't get along : 4 adult ex-batts and four 12 months old teenagers, plus one rooster and his free loader bantam true love Chipie who was a broody for the chicks and is hated by everyone except Théo.)

Since they all sleep in the coop, I've been locking them up together every morning in coop + run for 30 to 45 mn. Unfortunately this is not a success as the younger four just stay perched, until I open up for everyone, and the ex-batts are furious at being locked up and wait in front of the coop for the young one to come down so they can pick on them. So I'm.wondering how to change this strategy : do you think I should lock them up for a longer time ? Or should I just leave them be ?

I've also been working on improving the younger ones following me with food, the goal being to be able to lead them back to the coop. So that has worked a bit better, they now have a little bucket that they know means food and they will follow me with it, but not to the point of coming near the other chickens. They are more afraid than hungry!

One major development is that Gaston the cockerel has grown so much that he can not go through the chicken nettings anymore. My ex-batts are netted in a chicken zone of about 500m2, but the chicks and Théo and Chipie could just go through the nettings and wander anywhere. So now if I don't help Gaston to get out he's locked with the ex-batts. I thought this could be an opportunity to get them to learn to be together in a space big enough for all. Unfortunately the three other young pullets will stay with Gaston for maybe ten minutes and then they hop out and he's left on his own.
The ex-batts were not that nasty in the beginning but he's making such a fuss being afraid and jumping around that now they're beginning to be really tough on him and Léa, who's also getting quite big.

We had a sparrow hawk attack an hour ago (I spoke too soon saying those were over!). Everyone, even the group of teenagers , ran to go hide under the huge laurel tree in the middle of our chicken zone, but Gaston couldn't get inside the chicken nettings. I helped him because he was getting in a panic. Then, after the initial silence and alarm cries sequence, the ex+batts and Théo started chasing the young ones around, lots of shriek and shuffling (it's impossible to see what's going on under there) And now it's back to quiet, I'm hoping danger will force them to coexist more peacefully .
Tomorrow we're going away on errands and to see my mother so we are locking them up in coop and run for half the day. They'll just have to manage. My ex-batts are so not tolerant, and Gaston is just the worst coward. I really hope it's just a phase.

Sorry for the very long post and some photos of the teens from this morning. All that rain we have been getting the last two weeks is beginning to compensate the nine months drought!

Merle
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Léa and Piou-piou
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Léa, againView attachment 3238676
Gaston flower child
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Chasing the small grass hoppers! Just like my cats when they were kittens!
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Gorgeous photos. I have thoughts on the integration but I will catch up first before paying so I don't repeat the advice you might get from others.

 

[RoyalChick]

Inky gets to stay
I think Inky learned the plan that we are going to invite Ginger back and dump her to another home (maybe through secrete antenna chatting with Lulu...), or maybe the other 5 girls don't want Ginger back , but they got along totally fine in the confined run today.
Inky even dust bathed with them!!

Maybe they just need this one week to settle down since Ginger's departure? Maybe Inky finishing molting and gained more confidence? Maybe it's the fact that Inky won two 1-on-1 battles and earned their respect? I have no idea but all is fine now.
View attachment 3239552View attachment 3239553

Oh I am so happy to hear that. She is a very pretty hen - I am glad they have all figured it out.

 

[BY Bob]

A week later
Inky is still in her own little run even with Ginger gone . She has been sleeping with them fine at night, but in the morning, she won't come out. She is so scared that she hides in the nesting box all the time. During free range, it is all fine.

3 days ago Inky had one-on-one battle with Light and Honey during free range (apparently Light become the instigator after Ginger left, and she was the only friend of Inky before...). Inky won both of them! I thought she'd gain more confidence thus tried to put her in the big run again. Same result

Today we are going to swap Inky and Ginger, that is, my friend will give Ginger back and take Inky instead. I hope Inky can fit in there better with help of roosters.

Inky's new feather is coming in very nicely! New darker gray patch on the butt, soon to be fluffy
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Fluffy butts from Foxy and Meimei
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"Oh yes, we are coming!"
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I'm sorry this is the outcome. I sure hope she can make new friends there. Hopefully Ginger hasn't spread nasty rumors about her.

 

[featherhead007]

I’m imagining that all Gucci needs, is to have that ladder covered with red velvet carpeting.

 

[BY Bob]

Prolly not!


I love old remedies and wisdom - so much of it has a basis in chemistry and biology - and we learn more of that every day, but I am a scientist (and specifically a physiologist), so when I cannot imagine a biological basis for something I have to research it!

This is one of the things I love most about you. Your constant thirst for knowledge.

 

[rural mouse]

It was like pulling teeth to get the answer, but my Rural King uses Hoovers. I swear asked them a simple "what hatchery do you use" and I got the 3rd degree. Why did I want to know? We cannot help if employee's mix up the chicks. Geez lady, I like my girls, but I want to know if possible what they truly are, I'm not mad at you.

None of Hoover's match. I can say I'm not impressed with their pic of a Partridge rock. Looks NOTHING like Pear or her 6 sisters.

Edit: guess: they had a cross from a Houdini and that's what they got. The Cinnamon Queen description is RIR x silver laced wyandotte, but the pic is very different. Running that in the Calc brings up the same as with the silver wyandotte: pullets red incomplete Colombian. The rose comb is dominate but genetically they're Rrpp not RRpp, so crossed with a straight comb roo will through plenty of straight combs. Crossed with a walnut comb (RrPp, RRPp, RrPP), they'll throw everything.

 

[BY Bob]

Okay, fine :

yeast/fungi/fungus tax:
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View attachment 3238699

Moniliasis (Thrush) In Chickens ...

Candidiasis in Poultry​

I could have lived a long time without seeing that!