Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ValarieF]

Today we cut a door in the coop wall so I can gather eggs from the outside. Hopefully they'll continue laying on the right spot. Gave them some new hay in the run, which made for some happy chooks and discussed the new run...which will be 8' wide and 12' deep...about double our hoop run. And unlike the current one it'll be predator-proofed. Looking forward to it! Here's a couple short videos (with my husband putting in his 2 cents.)

I love videos keep em coming and photos. Your rooster is gorgeous I cant get over him.

 

[Lilion]

I love videos keep em coming and photos. Your rooster is gorgeous I cant get over him.

Aww thanks! I just took what the farmer gave me. LOL. Thought they were all pullets and never intended to have a roo...but I'm pretty pleased with the outcome.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Sure will!

I am enjoying watching your marshmellows and their growing feathers - sure hope that Chiquita is ok with them flying up on things she can't reach - poor Henny was beside herself when her chicks kept flying up onto the round bale she couldn't get up onto hahaha! I had to lift her up with them.

Chiquita is the best little momma. She is so proud of her babies and brings them to anybody outside to show them off unlike someone else we know. She is actually encouraging their flying skills by hopping up on things and having them fly up to her. If they take it a step farther and go higher up on things, as long as she can see them she is good. Yesterday evening mom was outside sitting with the horses. Chiquita came up with the marshmallows and she started dustbathing right beside mom's foot. This allowed her time to really visit with them. She was able to pick them up and place them in her lap without any fussing from either the chicks or momma. Considering mom claims the Marshmallows as her chickens she was thrilled. When she came in she declared Chiquita the best mother hen I have and anytime she wants chicks in the future she gets them.

 

[ManueB]

I'm working in Oklahoma and got Lety's message that she found Gorda dead this morning when she opened her coop. Not sure why but Gorda was sick constantly as a pullet. She was in our home several months. That's how we have a strong bond. Fortunately yesterday Lety had put some of her last eggs in the incubator. Cholo has lost 2 girls from his tribe recently, poor fella.

I'm sad to learn this, she was a big, beautiful and special hen. I know Lety and you were very attached to her as you spoke of her very often. I do remember she had issues with the heat this summer. I hope the eggs hatch so you can have some chicks from her. And I seem to remember you already had a bunch of chicks from Cholo and her, no ?

Why do my Princesses wait until I am away to fulfill my dreams. Bernadette I now know laid her first egg literally the first day I was gone. And this morning I get this lousy picture from the coop cam which is all three dust bathing together. Actually Babs was kicking dirt into Bernadette’s face and Bernie seemed fine with that.

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It's such happy news ! I don't agree with By Bob, I don't think Bernadette did this to spite you. I have a conspiracy hormone theories and believe that pullets are like young girls that all get their periods at the same time. I think it's Babs and Elie that got Bernie to start laying. And I think the fact that they are all laying helps to bring them together!

My big worry are the freezing rain and then snow on top of that which could clog the openings making it very heavy and sag. Of course I could just roll it back for the winter, they rarely go outside in the winter.

I had netting before we covered the run on a much smaller surface (12m 2) and it was a huge pain with the snow. It wasn't as solid as what you are looking at, it was second hand olive netting, but the problem is not that it breaks but the weight of the snow. If you have wet snow or icy rain or hail it can get heavy very quickly, like you would need to shake things every two or three hours. If your netting is on a big surface, too wide to make the snow fall to the sides, or too high to reach easily with a stick it's a huge pain. I think the possibility to take it away in winter is a good one.

 

[Ponypoor]

Today we cut a door in the coop wall so I can gather eggs from the outside. Hopefully they'll continue laying on the right spot. Gave them some new hay in the run, which made for some happy chooks and discussed the new run...which will be 8' wide and 12' deep...about double our hoop run. And unlike the current one it'll be predator-proofed. Looking forward to it! Here's a couple short videos (with my husband putting in his 2 cents.)

Hmmm so your husband knows about chicken math I see

So you know that if you get a bigger run you're doomed right? You must then get more chickens!

And of course then there is the succession planning of ensuring that you get younger pullets to lay eggs as the older gals stop laying eggs, and those older gals then become your beautiful lawn ornaments

If you can get straw (oat or wheat straw - not barley BTW), they will really enjoy digging through that - there are seeds left in the straw that they can dig through.

 

[RoyalChick]

It's such happy news ! I don't agree with By Bob, I don't think Bernadette did this to spite you. I have a conspiracy hormone theories and believe that pullets are like young girls that all get their periods at the same time. I think it's Babs and Elie that got Bernie to start laying. And I think the fact that they are all laying helps to bring them together!

I too wondered about this. Particularly as Bernie got dragged into all the drama of Babs' first egg. She really did join in all the singing and shouting that accompanied that momentous event!

 

[Ponypoor]

Chiquita is the best little momma. She is so proud of her babies and brings them to anybody outside to show them off unlike someone else we know. She is actually encouraging their flying skills by hopping up on things and having them fly up to her. If they take it a step farther and go higher up on things, as long as she can see them she is good. Yesterday evening mom was outside sitting with the horses. Chiquita came up with the marshmallows and she started dustbathing right beside mom's foot. This allowed her time to really visit with them. She was able to pick them up and place them in her lap without any fussing from either the chicks or momma. Considering mom claims the Marshmallows as her chickens she was thrilled. When she came in she declared Chiquita the best mother hen I have and anytime she wants chicks in the future she gets them.

Awwwww Good Chiquita! Henny was like that - I think she enjoyed showing off 'her' babies

I am sure hoping I have at least a couple of the gals broody when I get those chicks, and I bet if I showed Henny those chicks she would instantly go broody

I bet that Dorothy would be a great mama too - and I am sure she would have not problem covering 5 of the chicks being a good sized hen.

My luck though, no one will be broody

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Today we cut a door in the coop wall so I can gather eggs from the outside. Hopefully they'll continue laying on the right spot. Gave them some new hay in the run, which made for some happy chooks and discussed the new run...which will be 8' wide and 12' deep...about double our hoop run. And unlike the current one it'll be predator-proofed. Looking forward to it! Here's a couple short videos (with my husband putting in his 2 cents.)

Those are some very happy chickens right there. In the fall when the leaves drop rake them up and save them in garbage bags to toss in the run every now and then. They will go crazy scratching through those as well. It is nice to see your husband has accepted the inevitable. He better get to building fast. Spring is coming, and you have a boy in your flock. No excuses if out of the blue one of your hens go broody. They can do the adding for you.

 

[Ponypoor]

I too wondered about this. Particularly as Bernie got dragged into all the drama of Babs' first egg. She really did join in all the singing and shouting that accompanied that momentous event!

There is a lot of anecdotal evidence with mares and cows having their babies together! In fact I had 2 mares foal within 30 minutes of each other once!

And then one need only look at wildebeest and antelope in Africa, and caribou in the arctic who all drop their babies within a week or so so that they all are growing up together.

I don't see it as any stretch that pullets would also be affected by such things. And isn't it said that leaving chicks in the incubator will encourage other chicks to hatch with their cheeping

 

[ValarieF]

Once 1 of my EE were laying all of them started laying, same is true of my Anconas.