Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Meri Maura]

View attachment 3339178my new golden comet roo, David the 2nd

I will change his name later

 

[BY Bob]

First off spectacular fluffy butts!
Secondly, thank you for sharing your experience regarding Roosters and calcium. In Oreos case it could have been a novel food item and that will be that or he is definitely still growing so maybe for bone growth he does need a bit extra. Also your feedback you got on the other threads made me go look some stuff up.

Here is what I found:
Chicken feathers contain more than 85% of crude protein, 70% of amino acids, high-value elements, vitamins, and growth factors.

I would think those elements, vitamins, and growth factors could well include calcium. Maybe BY Bob will be kind enough to educate us further though I am no expert lol

In the end, I think we are doing well by our Roosters they have it available to them if they choose to eat it then so be it. Perhaps they do need some extra particularly during stressful times like molting and growing. I feel good leaving it up to them

I've been puzzling on this. I feel that my chickens are pretty good at knowing what they need to eat. Watching them turn their noses up at earth worms is very confusing to me but all of my hens except any that are molting will do that in the late fall/early winter. I don't know why but worms are not something they want during that time frame. In the spring and summer bring the worms on. They clearly know something I don't.

To that end I would not question my rooster eating oyster shell. He just feels he needs it for some reason.

Calcium is used for other things in the body besides laying eggs. Strong bones being one. If thay are young Roosters they may be growing bones rapidly.

They could also be mistaking it for grit. I have always marveled at how hens know they need to eat oyster shell. It looks like rocks to me. How do they know it is the calcium they need? Conversely how would a rooster know it is not a good source of grit. Somehow they just do.

 

[BY Bob]

View attachment 3339178my new golden comet roo, David the 2nd

Handsome fellow!

 

[Ponypoor]

Hope everyone has a nice Friday! Thank you for all the answers about dealing with the cold, I loved reading those and learned quite a few things (plugged in vehicles, what ?! I don't drive anyway!)

@BY Bob I'm a Mediterranean but I do live close to the mountains, -3/27 is a normal temperature for me in the morning at this time of year. But it never gets colder than -10, and we have a lot of sun.
I personally agree that every degree makes a difference, at least for me. I have light Raynaud syndrome and my feet toes freeze easily. My feet feel a huge difference between 27, 20, or under that !
Our bedroom is between 13c to 15c (55 to 60f) in winter, I always used to sleep at warmer temperatures but I discovered I sleep much better that way! Under 55 my nose gets cold though. In the living room it's much warmer, we don't choose with the wood stove.
I wouldn't like to have to stay inside. I got very disagreeable two winters ago when it snowed everyday for a month. But very cold countries often mean beautiful wild landscapes!
********
@knoturavggrl I've forgotten to answer about Oreo eating crushed eggshells. I worried about Théo two months ago because he was eating them diligently every night on top of being on layer feed, and asked about it on another thread. I was wondering if he needed more calcium because of his molt. I was told that no, calcium played no role in growing feathers, and didn't get any real answer. However, after a while I started supplementing my flock with fishbone meal for their molt, which very high in both calcium and protein, and he then completely stopped eating the eggshells. And now I've stopped giving them the fishmeal, he's started eating them again ! So I know too much calcium is definitely not good for roosters, but I can't help wonder if he doesn't need more, for some reason I don't understand.

Anyway, sorry for all the out of subject talk and here are some butts for Friday. @BY Bob your butts' pictures today were exceptional.

Gaston's butt is looking better and better.
View attachment 3339134
A size perspective: Gaston's butt next to his sweetheart Piou-piou's
View attachment 3339135
Merle and Léa's butts
View attachment 3339136
Cannelle's butt, now she had finished her molt. She's started laying again and she's in great shape, scratching vigorously around! I'm very glad as there was a time she was so unwell I was pretty sure she had an underlying health issue.
View attachment 3339137
And Mr Théo smart butt. Tonight he jumped on Gastounet's roost and threw him out of the coop again . I had to use a stick to separate them .
View attachment 3339138

Naughty boys! Theo is lovely though

They are all beautiful

 

[Ponypoor]

View attachment 3339178my new golden comet roo, David the 2nd

What a handsome fella

 

[Meri Maura]

Lunar the mystery mix

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Hope everyone has a nice Friday! Thank you for all the answers about dealing with the cold, I loved reading those and learned quite a few things (plugged in vehicles, what ?! I don't drive anyway!)

@BY Bob I'm a Mediterranean but I do live close to the mountains, -3/27 is a normal temperature for me in the morning at this time of year. But it never gets colder than -10, and we have a lot of sun.
I personally agree that every degree makes a difference, at least for me. I have light Raynaud syndrome and my feet toes freeze easily. My feet feel a huge difference between 27, 20, or under that !
Our bedroom is between 13c to 15c (55 to 60f) in winter, I always used to sleep at warmer temperatures but I discovered I sleep much better that way! Under 55 my nose gets cold though. In the living room it's much warmer, we don't choose with the wood stove.
I wouldn't like to have to stay inside. I got very disagreeable two winters ago when it snowed everyday for a month. But very cold countries often mean beautiful wild landscapes!
********
@knoturavggrl I've forgotten to answer about Oreo eating crushed eggshells. I worried about Théo two months ago because he was eating them diligently every night on top of being on layer feed, and asked about it on another thread. I was wondering if he needed more calcium because of his molt. I was told that no, calcium played no role in growing feathers, and didn't get any real answer. However, after a while I started supplementing my flock with fishbone meal for their molt, which very high in both calcium and protein, and he then completely stopped eating the eggshells. And now I've stopped giving them the fishmeal, he's started eating them again ! So I know too much calcium is definitely not good for roosters, but I can't help wonder if he doesn't need more, for some reason I don't understand.

Anyway, sorry for all the out of subject talk and here are some butts for Friday. @BY Bob your butts' pictures today were exceptional.

Gaston's butt is looking better and better.
View attachment 3339134
A size perspective: Gaston's butt next to his sweetheart Piou-piou's
View attachment 3339135
Merle and Léa's butts
View attachment 3339136
Cannelle's butt, now she had finished her molt. She's started laying again and she's in great shape, scratching vigorously around! I'm very glad as there was a time she was so unwell I was pretty sure she had an underlying health issue.
View attachment 3339137
And Mr Théo smart butt. Tonight he jumped on Gastounet's roost and threw him out of the coop again . I had to use a stick to separate them .
View attachment 3339138

Animals seem to know what their body needs. Your rooster must need the calcium. I wouldn’t worry, I think when he doesn’t need it he will stop eating it.

 

[featherhead007]

View attachment 3339178my new golden comet roo, David the 2nd

“Why so serious!”

 

[featherhead007]

Why do I spend so much time on BYC?
-There will be that one idea or remedy that I haven’t heard of before
-I like learning about other people’s experiences with chickens, good or bad.
-the stories about chickens is humorous at times.
-And I can vent my frustration with life at times and sometimes people here listen.
BYC, keep up the good work.
Class dismissed!

 

[featherhead007]

Copyright infringement

I’ll post it again, and see how long it’ll take to disappear.