Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ValarieF]

To me, that looks more like someone bit him. The one tip on top has a couple of spots, so a very light case is possible, but I'm not seeing any inflammation (which tends to go hand in hand with frostbite).

I was worried Zeus might get frostbite but my roosters were ok.

 

[RoyalChick]

Bubba is breaking my heart. I have several frostbite victims but none are as bad as Bubba. It has affected both his comb and wattles. He is acting fine, but I am going to crush up a chewable asprin and give him a small dose for a few days because that has got to hurt. I have never had frostbite on wattles before. I fear this gorgeous boy is going to loose every point on his comb.
View attachment 3360540View attachment 3360542

Oh no! Poor guy.

 

[Sally PB]

My first roo, a buff Orp, got frostbite both of his two winters, on his comb and wattles. It was 2-3 months before everything sloughed off. He had a black "edging" on his wattles into April. None of my girls have ever gotten frostbite, thank goodness. And so far, not this year either.

 

[Kris5902]

Oreo possible frostbite pictures:
It does look considerably smaller today so some of it was indeed dirt. This is what it looks like this morning.View attachment 3360412View attachment 3360413

It’s a weird spot that’s for sure if it is frostbite, I wouldn’t completely rule it out based on your temperatures, but it could also just be a wound with some dried up blood. I honestly wouldn’t even give aspirin for this, unless he shows obvious signs of discomfort.

 

[rural mouse]

Sydney was pretty close to that when she went broody the first time. She might have been 7 or 8 months old. Maleficent was a similar age when she went broody.

Come to think of it, Jess was 8 months when she first went broody....in Feb....and 10 months when she went again....successfully...

 

[rural mouse]

Holy cow! Your girls have it bad! I am just cringing at the thought of my gals going broody on my mum

I have read the rules though… no broody stuff till April first!

They don't read the calendar. I'm hoping they have more smarts this year.

 

[featherhead007]

Ask Aurora

This week's question comes from Muffless in Massachusetts.
View attachment 3360492


She asks........

Dear Aurora,

You have such legendary beard and muffs. How do I get them? People say ‘drink coffee, it puts hair on your chest”. Is there something I can eat or drink to grow myself a stylish beard & muffs?

Signed,

Muffless in Massachusetts



Dear Muffless,

You are of course correct. I have splendid beard and muffs. I have spent a lot of time growing and grooming them to be the truly spectacular display you see today.

View attachment 3360488

How can you grow them if you don’t already have them is quite a conundrum. But of course, I understand why you want such luscious facial feathers. What is a chicken that is not blessed with superior genetics like me to do? Time for some research. I grabbed my trusty bearded sidekick and we set off to solve the mystery.

View attachment 3360489

We asked every chicken we could find, performed exhaustive research on both Beakbook and the internet. These are all the things we could find that will supposedly put “Feathers on your Face”.

• Black Coffee
• Tabasco Sauce (or Anything Spicy)
• Bread Crust
• Hard Work Scratching and Digging
• Wheaties
• Whisky
• Spinach
• Horseradish Sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Buttermilk
• Responsibility

There seem to be 2 categories of ways to get “Feathers on your Face”, eating certain foods and Working Hard. First, let’s look at all of those things you can eat to achieve a thick gorgeous set of facial feathers. We can rule out some of these immediately:

• Bread Crust
• Spinach
• Wheaties

All of these have been consumed here by many birds including hundreds of songbirds. Have you ever seen a songbird with muffs and/or a beard? Crazy. This is just patently false. Busted!

View attachment 3360486View attachment 3360487

• Black Coffee
• Whisky

These two are just flat out dangerous. These myths are put out there by chickens trying to get revenge on other chickens without being hen enough to do it themselves. Both of these will kill you if consumed in any quantity. Dare we call them busted? I say so, Busted!

• Tabasco Sauce (or Anything Spicy)
• Horseradish Sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Buttermilk

These are your bitter and spicey foods. I can honestly say that Betty and I love spicey food. There may actually be something to these. Of course, Sydney also eats spicey foods and she has a clean face but maybe it just doesn’t work for everyone. These may be worth giving a try.


That leaves the activity-based means of growing facial feathers. Let’s address them individually.

• Hard Work Scratching and Digging

There is one hen here who never stops moving. She is always scratching and digging. To be frank, I find her exhausting. She is even difficult to peck when needed as she moves so much. That hen is Glynda. If scratching and digging was going to grow facial feathers, Glynda would have a beard down to her knees. She definitely does not. I call this busted!

What would Glynda look like if this were true?

View attachment 3360493

Our final way to grow facial feathers

• Responsibility

I’m pretty certain this one is busted as well. I have heard of no hen who carried more weight and responsibility than the queen who was before me, Queen Lilly. Her reign was peaceful and just. Even when injured and it was hard for her to move, she still made certain we were all protected as best she could. She oversaw multiple successful tribe expansions. Yet she never grew a beard. This photo alone says Busted!

View attachment 3360515


So, my best available advice is to eat as much spicey food as possible. You will need your human’s support as it is hard to find spicey plants. Perhaps one of your roosters might know where some are. Don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen for you. Not everyone can be blessed with beautiful facial feathers. That does not mean you are less of a chicken. Every chicken has value and purpose no matter what they look like………..

except maybe for Phyllis…………

Although I guess her purpose could be to just annoy the crap out of me.

Yours,
Aurora

View attachment 3360498

Song birds with muffs, tuffs, and beards?
( I laughed at that one! )

 

[featherhead007]

Now for some happy pictures.
Goose showing off her good looks. She wants everyone to ooh and aww over her beard.
View attachment 3360553View attachment 3360554View attachment 3360555
Twig looking even more handsome.
View attachment 3360556View attachment 3360557View attachment 3360558View attachment 3360559
Karen
View attachment 3360560
and of course my boy
View attachment 3360561

And Twiggy!

 

[rural mouse]

Snow is mostly gone....except sheltered areas and where it had been packed down. Chooks are very much enjoying the freedom.

Including poor Cuckoo who's still got bare patches.

The pile to the right WAS as high as the surface of the deck, and spread across the whole flower bed. They're pretty happy the favorite hangout spot is mostly bare again.

As temps have been up in refrigerator temps rather than colder than the ice cream freezer, I've kept the big door open today so the coop gets throughly aired out. Silver and Thing are the only ones I haven't seen outside, most for several hours at a time. There's another cold snap in the forecast, but still warmer than the ice cream freezer. Eggs stopped after the first day of the deep cold, but they're starting a few again (so far 3 today, still a change from the 6-9). I'd rather they keep the numbers down to the 3/day and have them trade off on who's producing them.

 

[featherhead007]

Ask Aurora

This week's question comes from Muffless in Massachusetts.
View attachment 3360492


She asks........

Dear Aurora,

You have such legendary beard and muffs. How do I get them? People say ‘drink coffee, it puts hair on your chest”. Is there something I can eat or drink to grow myself a stylish beard & muffs?

Signed,

Muffless in Massachusetts



Dear Muffless,

You are of course correct. I have splendid beard and muffs. I have spent a lot of time growing and grooming them to be the truly spectacular display you see today.

View attachment 3360488

How can you grow them if you don’t already have them is quite a conundrum. But of course, I understand why you want such luscious facial feathers. What is a chicken that is not blessed with superior genetics like me to do? Time for some research. I grabbed my trusty bearded sidekick and we set off to solve the mystery.

View attachment 3360489

We asked every chicken we could find, performed exhaustive research on both Beakbook and the internet. These are all the things we could find that will supposedly put “Feathers on your Face”.

• Black Coffee
• Tabasco Sauce (or Anything Spicy)
• Bread Crust
• Hard Work Scratching and Digging
• Wheaties
• Whisky
• Spinach
• Horseradish Sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Buttermilk
• Responsibility

There seem to be 2 categories of ways to get “Feathers on your Face”, eating certain foods and Working Hard. First, let’s look at all of those things you can eat to achieve a thick gorgeous set of facial feathers. We can rule out some of these immediately:

• Bread Crust
• Spinach
• Wheaties

All of these have been consumed here by many birds including hundreds of songbirds. Have you ever seen a songbird with muffs and/or a beard? Crazy. This is just patently false. Busted!

View attachment 3360486View attachment 3360487

• Black Coffee
• Whisky

These two are just flat out dangerous. These myths are put out there by chickens trying to get revenge on other chickens without being hen enough to do it themselves. Both of these will kill you if consumed in any quantity. Dare we call them busted? I say so, Busted!

• Tabasco Sauce (or Anything Spicy)
• Horseradish Sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Buttermilk

These are your bitter and spicey foods. I can honestly say that Betty and I love spicey food. There may actually be something to these. Of course, Sydney also eats spicey foods and she has a clean face but maybe it just doesn’t work for everyone. These may be worth giving a try.


That leaves the activity-based means of growing facial feathers. Let’s address them individually.

• Hard Work Scratching and Digging

There is one hen here who never stops moving. She is always scratching and digging. To be frank, I find her exhausting. She is even difficult to peck when needed as she moves so much. That hen is Glynda. If scratching and digging was going to grow facial feathers, Glynda would have a beard down to her knees. She definitely does not. I call this busted!

What would Glynda look like if this were true?

View attachment 3360493

Our final way to grow facial feathers

• Responsibility

I’m pretty certain this one is busted as well. I have heard of no hen who carried more weight and responsibility than the queen who was before me, Queen Lilly. Her reign was peaceful and just. Even when injured and it was hard for her to move, she still made certain we were all protected as best she could. She oversaw multiple successful tribe expansions. Yet she never grew a beard. This photo alone says Busted!

View attachment 3360515


So, my best available advice is to eat as much spicey food as possible. You will need your human’s support as it is hard to find spicey plants. Perhaps one of your roosters might know where some are. Don’t be disappointed if it doesn’t happen for you. Not everyone can be blessed with beautiful facial feathers. That does not mean you are less of a chicken. Every chicken has value and purpose no matter what they look like………..

except maybe for Phyllis…………

Although I guess her purpose could be to just annoy the crap out of me.

Yours,
Aurora

View attachment 3360498

Bob, I want to thank you for NOT putting a beard and muffs on Phyllis this time. I don’t think that I could “un-see” that picture!