Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

Speaking of Goose there is a new development with her. Sometime in the last week she decided she wanted to start roosting with the cool kids. She is too big now to stay in the "silly silkie and momma and baby coop". I flipped on the light last night too see what the horses were doing as they were making a racket. It was just Louis playing and dumping his water bucket at 1 in the morning. I then spotted her, on the top roost, beside Butter all snuggled in was Goose sound asleep. I asked dad about it this morning as he was supposed to be doing head counts at night when he feeds the horses. Told me she had been roosting there a few days. He decided to leave her alone as no one was bothering her. It is gutsy of her to choose to snuggle in beside the Queen. It also may be why she is not being bothered. The one thing Butter can not stand is roosting shenanigans. If someone close to her wants to be a bully she will throw the offender off the roost.

 

[Sally PB]

Then what do you use for your shower curtain?

We have a lot of iron in our water, so when the curtain is brownish on the bottom, they get a second life as run-wrap.

I buy a new shower curtain for my use.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Outstanding! We'll played!

Glad you liked it. I did not want to take nothing away from our lovely Queen Aurora in writing this. I also thought about how my boys behaved and tried to capture their point of view. The boys need their side of the story told as well.

 

[LozzyR]

It's chilly here now, in the 20s. Later this week, we'll get colder and another round of snow. So far, everyone is fine (people, dog, and most importantly, chickens). The chickens got warm mash made with whey yesterday.

The mash about 1/3 the volume of their regular food allotment, and becomes even more when it's wetted down. They really like it, because they eat it all in about 2 hours. (Don't tell them mash is how I use up the fine bits out of the bottom of the feed bowls that they won't eat.)

I need to do that trick! What do you put in the mash and how do you prepare it?

 

[LozzyR]

My sister just found out she now has to work both Christmas eve and Christmas Day so she brought over our Christmas gifts early. She now fully embraces the fact that I am the "crazy chicken lady" of the family. She is the "crazy cat lady" so she understands. I do not know how she came up with the egg apron idea. I never told her I wanted one. I've been trying to get grandma to make me one for awhile now and she always is doing projects for other people so I had given up. I tested it out with a Butter egg to see if my biggest eggs would fit, and they do and have plenty of room. I will wear it out with pride tomorrow when I take my tour around the house to gather eggs. She was upset that I already had the purple shirt and offered to take it back. I told her nope I'm keeping it, there is nothing wrong with having multiples of a favorite shirt.
View attachment 3355867View attachment 3355868View attachment 3355869

What a wonderful sister!

 

[Sally PB]

I need to do that trick! What do you put in the mash and how do you prepare it?

I save the leftover bits from the bottom of their feed bowls in a tin. At snack time, I take a scoop of that, put it in a pan, and add water. Or leftover whey from making yogurt, if I have some. I can make it warm in the winter, or cold in the summer.

Add enough water or whey to make it about the consistency of oatmeal. I add any kitchen scraps and stir those in, or just serve it plain, as is.

Scraps that my chickens like:
berries
melon or squash guts, including seeds
spinach leaves or other greens
the pulp left from juicing
carrot tops

I have very little chicken feed waste. My chickens love their "mash snack."

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

For pretty much the next week I like many people on here are going to be dealing with dangerous temps. It is 54 right now, by midnight tonight it will drop down to 8. Mom and dad are outside preparing the horses stalls and the chicken coops and beds. I am useless out there as all I can do is point out things. I was told to get the eggs and come inside when I told mom she went a little overboard with the hay bedding in the coop. I appreciate she deeply bedded the coop with hay. Some of my finicky hens will not. They prefer deep sawdust which they have with a light layer of hay. Yup I'm talking about the cochin girls who do not roost. I'm worried though. I worry about the momma's and their 8 week old chicks even though they should and will be fine. I'm really worried about Momma hen. Thankfully she seems to have the lip of the rock in her cave as a roof but still, she is going to be exposed to the cold weather. The chickens that roost with the horses will have a wind break so that is good but with these temps I worry about frostbite on combs and toes. 2/3rds of my flock have large combs and wattles. Looking at the next weeks forecast thankfully we should get no snow or rain so it will be a dry cold. If we can make it till Tuesday we should be good. Will be back in at least the 30s and out of single digits at night. Thursday we should be back in the 50s. I will probably have a hen inside at night the next few days. Holly is back to being fully feathered while Butter is rough and going through a slow molt. She is definitely not feathered enough to withstand the next few nights temps so mom already said she is bringing her in. There is one thing Butter is good at, ensuring every so often she gets house chicken privilege's one way or another.

 

[RoyalChick]

For pretty much the next week I like many people on here are going to be dealing with dangerous temps. It is 54 right now, by midnight tonight it will drop down to 8. Mom and dad are outside preparing the horses stalls and the chicken coops and beds. I am useless out there as all I can do is point out things. I was told to get the eggs and come inside when I told mom she went a little overboard with the hay bedding in the coop. I appreciate she deeply bedded the coop with hay. Some of my finicky hens will not. They prefer deep sawdust which they have with a light layer of hay. Yup I'm talking about the cochin girls who do not roost. I'm worried though. I worry about the momma's and their 8 week old chicks even though they should and will be fine. I'm really worried about Momma hen. Thankfully she seems to have the lip of the rock in her cave as a roof but still, she is going to be exposed to the cold weather. The chickens that roost with the horses will have a wind break so that is good but with these temps I worry about frostbite on combs and toes. 2/3rds of my flock have large combs and wattles. Looking at the next weeks forecast thankfully we should get no snow or rain so it will be a dry cold. If we can make it till Tuesday we should be good. Will be back in at least the 30s and out of single digits at night. Thursday we should be back in the 50s. I will probably have a hen inside at night the next few days. Holly is back to being fully feathered while Butter is rough and going through a slow molt. She is definitely not feathered enough to withstand the next few nights temps so mom already said she is bringing her in. There is one thing Butter is good at, ensuring every so often she gets house chicken privilege's one way or another.

I too am worried. Tomorrow night looks like the worst for me and am wondering whether to bring my Princesses in for the night. They have the flat panel heater - but that is really not a lot, just like a light bulb, and it is worth nothing if they choose to sleep on the other side.
I will close up the pop door which might help a little.
I am not sure what to do really.

 

[featherhead007]

We have a lot of iron in our water, so when the curtain is brownish on the bottom, they get a second life as run-wrap.

I buy a new shower curtain for my use.

When I lived in Minnesota don’t ya know, we had iron in our water too. We used a big pre - soak tank before the pump came in the house water.

 

[featherhead007]

I too am worried. Tomorrow night looks like the worst for me and am wondering whether to bring my Princesses in for the night. They have the flat panel heater - but that is really not a lot, just like a light bulb, and it is worth nothing if they choose to sleep on the other side.
I will close up the pop door which might help a little.
I am not sure what to do really.

Bring them inside. Teach them how to do your laundry.