Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

That is a magnificent photo of her.


Our cat tries her hardest to act like a dog. I think it is because she bonded to my husband and he says he hates cats.
She even plays fetch. Someday I will try to find and post a video.

❤

 

[featherhead007]

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Great photos of them snuggling up to the heater!

I've been meaning to ask you - what is that that you made the dust bath area out of? It looks almost like an inflatable kiddie pool, but not inflated.

It's a foldable doggie pool/bath, and they make bigger sizes
https://www.chewy.com/frisco-outdoor-dog-swimming-pool/dp/220149

It's worked really well. It's very tough material on the bottom and survives chicken scratching, and even me carefully dragging it around. I lift one edge and spin it to drag.

The Small is a good chicken height and manageable for me. The top edges are soft, covering something stiff in there, it's like a half inch of material on top. So the chickens often just step on the edge to get in, or even stand on the edge, poking around in the bath mix. When they were small I put a quarter log outside and in for a step up. They used it but also soon hop-jumped up and over so the log made a short appearance. They will bathe in it, but they now prefer the actual dirt ground holes they make in the aviary yard in summer, partly because I don't have it deep enough in there I think. But also they each had a special hole they liked.

The last time I saw them bathing in the big run it was in a sunny patch in the litter. Sometimes I see them doing both - one or two in the pool, one or two out next to it. They do like to peck and scratch in it for variety from the litter though, and pick up tiny pebbles, and I throw clods of dirt and grass in there.

(Their baths always start around 11-11:30am here, an interesting fact I noticed this year. Does anyone else notice their routine like that? Is it due to our latitude here, where the sun is in the morning, or is it due to their morning schedule - the time elapsed - since waking up?)

The Small will fit all four Buckeyes in it bathing, but usually only two or three get in there now, they tend to object and squabble when more try to join.

 

[Marie2020]

Merry Christmas from my two lovelies

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

Caturday Saturday!

Merry Christmas everyone

Missy wishes everyone a lovely Christmas and she hopes the weather improves for all.
View attachment 3357547View attachment 3357548

Now put a chicken under the tree. Grandma can sit still under the tree but I don't know if your chickens can.

 

[Marie2020]

It was Diana being still quite unfeathered that had me worried. She isn't completely naked but when she flaps her wings there is bare skin under there and when one of the gusts blows her feathers I can see skin and pin feathers.
Probably I was overly anxious, but no harm done (well Bernie appears not to agree with that sentiment).

To you and Diana

 

[featherhead007]

It must be cold out. I open the door to today’s advent calendar, and the little guy inside said “Are you crazy? Shut the door, it’s damn cold out there! “
Geez what a grouch!

 

[Marie2020]

Just tucking my girls in brb

 

[lightm]

What a sweet girl! She clearly likes you/your company, to be content visiting/watching you do dishes.

(Though I could watch anyone doing dishes, if it means I don't have to do them!!!! I'd rather muck out stalls and coops than do dishes or vacuum! Guess I'm weird.)

Not sure about dishes, but I love doing vacuuming, especially with the Dyson cordless vacuum cleaner. Soooo enjoyable.

What I absolutely hate is organizing mails/letters. This is partially due to the layout of this house. I really don't like our house. It is big yet the structure makes it pretty dysfunctional. Two years after moving in, I am still figuring out where to put what.

 

[Marie2020]

They are all snuggled into their straw together ❤ I have pine short straw and the long farm straw so they are nice and warm plus draft free.