Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Snow is mostly gone....except sheltered areas and where it had been packed down. Chooks are very much enjoying the freedom.
View attachment 3360663View attachment 3360664Including poor Cuckoo who's still got bare patches.View attachment 3360665The 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.View attachment 3360666View attachment 3360667View attachment 3360668View attachment 3360669As 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.

It's nice to see them out and about!

 

[BY Bob]

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!

I could never do that to her.

 

[BY Bob]

But I also saw that white raised edge you mention. If that's frostbite that's a very strange place for the white edge to be. If it's a part of a wound, like the edge of a slice that's getting no blood, that might make sense. This part puzzles me.


and and and and and
But especially

I am so very glad that you enjoyed it.

 

[BY Bob]

Well, seeing as we are talking frostbite… I didn’t get through completely unscathed here this year either. Sausage is likely to lose two or three tips, but that’s my only new case here. The spots are from him challenging Scarface… they have been squaring off frequently, and Sausage might be making an exit if he doesn’t settle down. Sammy wasn’t about to get between the two of them, so he called me to break it up instead. I hadn’t noticed the frostbite until this morning when I was tossing him back over the fence.View attachment 3360923View attachment 3360924

That's not too bad. Poor fellow though. If he gets into a scrap and someone grabs one of those frost bitten points, well, that's going to smart a bit.

 

[Ponypoor]

I’m worried every minute of every day about my rooster being hurt, or getting sick, or stubbing a toenail, getting pecked in the face, attacked by a dog or anything else. I have met people with less personality than he has ! He’s irreplaceable.

He sure is a handsome fella, and good with his flock. you have lucked out with him

 

[featherhead007]

I could never do that to her.

Some humor is prima facia! (Evidence: the Polish chicken)

 

[Ponypoor]

Good idea. I'm on board with that idea.
There is one thing that Grandma is having issues with: her breathing. If you hold Grandma for a few seconds, you'll hear very loud breathing but mostly wheezing that sounds a bit like my dad's old Sprinter van and our old Subaru Outback but that's besides the point. I heard that cinnamon is good for chickens, especially those with heavy breathing. My mom is on board with that but my dad finds it ridiculous.

It won’t hurt to mix a spoonful in some wet mash for them, like a nice porridge

 

[Ponypoor]

I opened the coop door back up a hour before dark. I wanted to see if the youngsters have learned to roost on their own. They have not. After everyone was on the roost I looked at Chiquita back in her spot growling at me. I thought I had collected all the eggs when I opened the door, but just for the heck of it I stuck my hand under her. She has conspirators, someone gave her a single contribution that she was fiercely trying to protect. The egg was removed and the grouch placed on the roost.

Wow another determined broody! It’s almost laughable, if it was for the fact it’s winter!

 

[Ponypoor]

Does he look convinced that I’m serious?
View attachment 3360844

He looks like he has his human well trained

 

[Ponypoor]

I have, from a rooster drinking from the duck water in the winter. He has a line of frost bitten comb down the front where the water dripped as he drank - on both wattles. When it happened, I didn't know whether to curse him out or cry. Silly boy - the chicken drinker was only 2 feet away!

His wattles healed. They look fine now, but they have a slight 'puckering/gathering' along the front of each comb. giving them an ever so lightly dished shape - otherwise, perfectly fine. Seemed to suffer no ill effects from it in the heat this summer.

Poor wee fella they sure do know how to stress us out with their actions I have been keeping Sophia and Mr P away from the bowls I have been cleaning in the morning so their wattles don’t get wet.