Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

There is no way to know how he is going to respond to another male until you have one. I would be surprised if he did it to hurt the chick. I'm guessing it was to move the chick along. Although it could be an initial reminder of who his better is. It still don't think he meant to hurt the chick. That would really surprise me.

Yes I agree with you, but it still made me mad, he was very careful to stay away from them, and other than that darn Dorothy everyone else also stays clear.

 

[Ponypoor]

So, my White Rock broody girl has 2 hatched out an dry, and another that has piped and partially zipped. One egg was definitely bad....I'll check again first thing in the morning and see if any others have hatched and/or piped.View attachment 3504454

And, a head start on Pony Sunday, as I will be gone most of the day:
View attachment 3504457

Congratulations! We are now officially chick crazy here

 

[featherhead007]

Yes it did and you are at least partially responsible.

I know

 

[featherhead007]

What breed is mama? What is their Roo?

I don’t know what she is. But they have several different roosters. I don’t snoop around much over that fence.

 

[notabitail]

Then he pecked the camera phone I was holding.

Same here.

 

[ManueB]

Oh those leghorns. They are the children that get into trouble, create mischief, and generally give you grey hairs.

God I love them.
View attachment 3503890

I haven't given news in ages. We've been having a few health and behaviour issues with our chickens.
But, I also have some leghorn news @BY Bob ! We will be welcoming four chickens next tuesday, and though it happened totally independently of any decision of mine, it turns out two are leghorns.

I do look forward to seeing how similar or different they are in shape and behaviour to american leghorns !

This is one possessed chicken. POW -worthy photo of her!

She trusts you to help her through the insanity!

The video you posted, she is moving & flying well, and scratching one-legged, as you mentioned before. My ignorant theory is the onset of broodiness somehow played havoc with her and caused the Wobblies. Lowered her ability to metabolism B vitamins? I find it hard to believe the two things aren’t connected.

I agree. There is another thread about a chicken having seizures when she went broody and she’s ago Shad posted about his hen Bracket who had the same.
I think it is possible that she had a seizure that first night she fell off the roost.
I have seen no sign of wobbling since she locked herself away in the nest box. Now she is out and about much less - but the stand on one leg and scratch your head test is very clear. When I was worried about balance she could not do that. Now she can.
Hormone induced wobbles?
Strange.

I was thinking about her last night when I couldn't sleep, and putting together the egg-laying problem she had before, her unbalance, and getting broody.
It could be coincidence but I was also wondering if it was possibly all hormone related ? Or if hormonal unbalance could be linked to other physiological or neurological issues ?
**********
Finally I wanted to share a video I filmed in between storms, showing a bit of our place, especially for those of you who are experienced in organizing spaces for chickens. I enjoyed @knoturavggrl 's coop tour, and thought maybe with a video I could also ask for ideas / feedback. We are still looking for ways to keep both our roosters who hate each other , either by separating them and the flocks (we have materials to build a second coop) or by using any other tricks, other than freezer camp, that is.
Problem is they both really want to hang around the coop and sleep in there- no one's willing to move!

Apologies for my french accent, I haven't had occasions to practice speaking English in years.
Have a lovely sunday and take care of your chickens.

 

[rural mouse]

I haven't given news in ages. We've been having a few health and behaviour issues with our chickens.
But, I also have some leghorn news @BY Bob ! We will be welcoming four chickens next tuesday, and though it happened totally independently of any decision of mine, it turns out two are leghorns.

I do look forward to seeing how similar or different they are in shape and behaviour to american leghorns !



I was thinking about her last night when I couldn't sleep, and putting together the egg-laying problem she had before, her unbalance, and getting broody.
It could be coincidence but I was also wondering if it was possibly all hormone related ? Or if hormonal unbalance could be linked to other physiological or neurological issues ?
**********
Finally I wanted to share a video I filmed in between storms, showing a bit of our place, especially for those of you who are experienced in organizing spaces for chickens. I enjoyed @knoturavggrl 's coop tour, and thought maybe with a video I could also ask for ideas / feedback. We are still looking for ways to keep both our roosters who hate each other , either by separating them and the flocks (we have materials to build a second coop) or by using any other tricks, other than freezer camp, that is.
Problem is they both really want to hang around the coop and sleep in there- no one's willing to move!

Apologies for my french accent, I haven't had occasions to practice speaking English in years.
Have a lovely sunday and take care of your chickens.

Your English I found to be great. (I love languages, dialects, and everything that accompanies that.) Looks like your place is steeper than mine is! For what it's worth, I've found that housing chickens gets interesting at the best of times. One type of building that happens in the US is cement basements: foundation of the house, floor, walls for the cellar (with windows). The rest of the house is built of wood on top of that. Later, the basement is frequently "finished" turning it into more living space. To do this, the cement walls get covered. First a framework of wood gets built against the cement (framed in is the term) , then it gets covered in sheet rock (usually less expensive to plywood). Last is painted and the floor gets done in carpet or wood. Anyway, I was thinking about your coop. could you "frame" in a wall or 2 so there's support for more roosts/ partial wall to break up the "I see you, must attack" between your groups?

2 walls from the "wrong" side unfinished sides to show framing

And some framing against the foundation bricks.

Pegboard is mounted to the frame so the wall becomes storage space

Shelving pushed up against the foundation, again turning it into storage space.

My point: even if the walls aren't perfectly flat, could some sort of framework be created (tree branches, fenceposts, shipping pallets) to provide support to place more roosting locations/pursuit blockers? Even hanging from the ceiling?

 

[bgmathteach]

I haven't given news in ages. We've been having a few health and behaviour issues with our chickens.
But, I also have some leghorn news @BY Bob ! We will be welcoming four chickens next tuesday, and though it happened totally independently of any decision of mine, it turns out two are leghorns.

I do look forward to seeing how similar or different they are in shape and behaviour to american leghorns !



I was thinking about her last night when I couldn't sleep, and putting together the egg-laying problem she had before, her unbalance, and getting broody.
It could be coincidence but I was also wondering if it was possibly all hormone related ? Or if hormonal unbalance could be linked to other physiological or neurological issues ?
**********
Finally I wanted to share a video I filmed in between storms, showing a bit of our place, especially for those of you who are experienced in organizing spaces for chickens. I enjoyed @knoturavggrl 's coop tour, and thought maybe with a video I could also ask for ideas / feedback. We are still looking for ways to keep both our roosters who hate each other , either by separating them and the flocks (we have materials to build a second coop) or by using any other tricks, other than freezer camp, that is.
Problem is they both really want to hang around the coop and sleep in there- no one's willing to move!

Apologies for my french accent, I haven't had occasions to practice speaking English in years.
Have a lovely sunday and take care of your chickens.

Just for the record, you spoke very well! (oh, and by the way, EVERYONE has an accent the moment they visit anywhere but home! I was in another state once - halfway across our country, and someone walked up to me and said "You are from Boston, Massachusetts, aren't you!" because of my 'accent'. I'm not actually form Boston, but am from MA!)

So, regarding a new/different coup for Gastonette, I think either would work (the barn or a new coop on that terrace.) What would work best for you/ be more convenient in the long run? (in terms of care, access, and maybe future plans for the property?)

If you were to use that bottom story of the barn, it is quite spacious enough for him and whatever hens he has to stay in there a few days until they learn that is their new home. You mentioned he escapes - can you put chicken wire over the windows/openings? (If I remember correctly, you don't have a lot of predator issues - if you do, maybe a sturdier wire to also keep predators out - but still allow light and ventilation.)

Hopefully others will have some good suggestions, and you can evaluate all and take the best of everyone's for what will work for you.


What a gorgeous place you live in! I am also impressed with the amount of labour to have built such structures! Also the fortitude to live on such a steep hilside - I remember the pictures of haying - once upon a time, I could have seen myself doing that...but this old, decrepit body would revolt these days!

 

[RoyalChick]

So, my White Rock broody girl has 2 hatched out an dry, and another that has piped and partially zipped. One egg was definitely bad....I'll check again first thing in the morning and see if any others have hatched and/or piped.View attachment 3504454

And, a head start on Pony Sunday, as I will be gone most of the day:
View attachment 3504457

Great! That was the one you were worried might not hatch any. Right?
That is a cute pony.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I suspected as much which is why I was puzzled at the suggestion I invite you to a 'bad shot' quail hunt!
Of course you would be very welcome, but I might deploy you to shoo the quail into the brush so they don't get shot.
In the cold light of day I am thinking a bird that requires a license and for me to stipulate that I won't do the very thing I want to do (liberate them) may not be such a good idea.
I will talk to the reintroduction people - but looking at what they post they are looking for people with thousands of acres.
I might still consider the 'ooops' they got away from the guy's neighbor but I will also explore Guineas (it confuses me that I can release a non-native, possibly invasive bird into the wild and not a native nearly extent one - but I am sure there is a reason!).
The best tick-eaters apparently are opossums. I have some of them around but I could encourage more by building them some nest boxes. I know they can kill chickens - but that is mainly chicks and at night when mine are safely locked up - so I think I am OK having more opossums.

Tax
View attachment 3502393

Possums probably can’t see or go after the tiny nymph ticks but birds probably would.