Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ValarieF]

I was up at 4 am and boiled italian sausage for the chooks they got it a little while ago. They go nuts for meat. Gonna share some blueberries later.

 

[Ponypoor]

Chilly morning for chicks

But warmed up nicely with a southern wind

No mugs from me this week. Between gardening and sitting out splitting grapes for the crew, my hands were a little occupied/dirty. I did notice that everyone is in the coop much earlier than before the dingalings went into the freezer. The ladies are much more willing to lounge under the trees. I saw Belladonna dust bathing. Poor girl needs to do a mini moult/moult early this fall to regrow her feathers. Silver sat out under the edge of the olive trees and watched EVERYONE. She wasn't even all that interested in the grapes (of course i went out at a time that most had their crop stuffed full anyway). Full crops slowed down some of the girls, giving Thing more opportunities to get some. Most of the time, goodies like grapes are piunced upon so quickly that if you blink, its gone. She tends to inspect things a bit before grabbing, and with grapes, that means they're gone.

This is why the chokeberry hedge is half bareView attachment 3506001

Anyway, back to Thing. Yesterday's grapes were thoroughly killed before she ate them....and she got very enthusiastic about grapes.

Oh Deer......

hahahaha

It's actually surprising that the deer around here don't eat everything, and we rarely ever see them - of course there is a lot of bush here - who knows what's lurking in there! Eyeing my wee ones


The two mamas took the babies on a tour of the Rooster Run - seems everyone has settled down, and I even through out some wild bird seed we had sitting here to see if anyone would eat it - seems everyone really like that ha! The babies and mamas were right in the middle of the fracas with everyone grabbing choice bits. They will be three weeks old come Thursday.

I am going to see if their toe nails will be long enough for me to snip for the blood droplets required for the gender DNA test. My thoughts are:
-Grey with funny white cap: Male
-White: Male
-Grey: Female
-Big Chick: Male

That big chick is flying everywhere - she jumped up and ran along the rail where everyone likes to roost, THEN she flew up into the branches on the Blue Spruce everyone likes to snooze and dust bathe under. Fluffy was in a fit because she wouldn't come down hahaha - that one is trouble and that is why I think it's a boy. But I am not going to do a DNA gender test on that one - it's my chick and I can wait to see what it is. The Silkies (except for whichever one is a boy) are my friends chicks and once they get weaned back they go to her.

 

[ValarieF]

Chilly morning for chicks

But warmed up nicely with a southern wind

Oh Deer......

hahahaha

It's actually surprising that the deer around here don't eat everything, and we rarely ever see them - of course there is a lot of bush here - who knows what's lurking in there! Eyeing my wee ones


The two mamas took the babies on a tour of the Rooster Run - seems everyone has settled down, and I even through out some wild bird seed we had sitting here to see if anyone would eat it - seems everyone really like that ha! The babies and mamas were right in the middle of the fracas with everyone grabbing choice bits. They will be three weeks old come Thursday.

I am going to see if their toe nails will be long enough for me to snip for the blood droplets required for the gender DNA test. My thoughts are:
-Grey with funny white cap: Male
-White: Male
-Grey: Female
-Big Chick: Male

That big chick is flying everywhere - she jumped up and ran along the rail where everyone likes to roost, THEN she flew up into the branches on the Blue Spruce everyone likes to snooze and dust bathe under. Fluffy was in a fit because she wouldn't come down hahaha - that one is trouble and that is why I think it's a boy. But I am not going to do a DNA gender test on that one - it's my chick and I can wait to see what it is. The Silkies (except for whichever one is a boy) are my friends chicks and once they get weaned back they go to her.

I cant wait until my silkies get old enough to have babies.

 

[featherhead007]

Chilly morning for chicks

But warmed up nicely with a southern wind

Oh Deer......

hahahaha

It's actually surprising that the deer around here don't eat everything, and we rarely ever see them - of course there is a lot of bush here - who knows what's lurking in there! Eyeing my wee ones


The two mamas took the babies on a tour of the Rooster Run - seems everyone has settled down, and I even through out some wild bird seed we had sitting here to see if anyone would eat it - seems everyone really like that ha! The babies and mamas were right in the middle of the fracas with everyone grabbing choice bits. They will be three weeks old come Thursday.

I am going to see if their toe nails will be long enough for me to snip for the blood droplets required for the gender DNA test. My thoughts are:
-Grey with funny white cap: Male
-White: Male
-Grey: Female
-Big Chick: Male

That big chick is flying everywhere - she jumped up and ran along the rail where everyone likes to roost, THEN she flew up into the branches on the Blue Spruce everyone likes to snooze and dust bathe under. Fluffy was in a fit because she wouldn't come down hahaha - that one is trouble and that is why I think it's a boy. But I am not going to do a DNA gender test on that one - it's my chick and I can wait to see what it is. The Silkies (except for whichever one is a boy) are my friends chicks and once they get weaned back they go to her.

Looks cold there

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Happy Mugs from a Marshmallow!

I see it don't you, the start of a floppy comb!

 

[Ponypoor]

We opened the west wall of the garage coops completely because it is steamy because of all the rain and now heat. We put up 6 feet of wire so now everyone can breathe easier hopefully. On my way to Colorado again so I'll get pics from Lety.

Drive safe and work safe.

Tell Lety I am looking at getting some Marans chicks if someone goes broody - there is a lady raising them not far from here

 

[notabitail]

Happy Mugs from a Marshmallow!
View attachment 3506296
I see it don't you, the start of a floppy comb!
View attachment 3506297

I think they are planning to stalk you.

 

[Ponypoor]

Looks cold there

It's actually warmed up really nicely! The mamas went into the shade with their babies, I am finding that chickens like horses, can tolerate the cold better than the heat.

Doesn't anyone else have that same observation? I am not talking about extreme -30C cold outside temps, but in the barn around +2C like this morning here. It's about 20C out there and everyone is in the shade now.

 

[Ponypoor]

Mugs from a calmer second outing, I ditched the pen since it cant keep the babies in and just trusted Brownie and myself to keep them safe as they explored. This worked out much better. The biggest danger to them seemed to be one of my cats who was watching them with wayyyy to much interest. I kept a close on him.

Brownie managed to get in a much needed and wanted dustbath for mother’s day. So I would call it a successful outing!

View attachment 3506113
View attachment 3506114

OMG they are so cute - love their dark wing feathers
So these are Jubilee Orpingtons - right? They will look like Lady F? Oh so lovely

Yes I just let mamas wander around freely, I found trying to contain them just caused them too much stress. Now the babies are about 2.5 weeks old and I have noticed that everyone is just getting along much better.

Fluffy and Dorothy seemed to have stopped trying murder each other. Mr P just ignores them all, and the Tweens do their thing.

I did spend a lot of time though in the beginning keeping tabs on everyone and making sure no one got too close to the babies and mamas. Two weeks of doing that and now I can relax a bit and actually run to the house for 7 min to grab lunch hahaha, of course I run back here just as fast - 7 min can be a long time and who knows what sorts of bad things they can get up to!

 

[Ponypoor]

Mine don't eat the tomato plants but they do eat the tomatoes!

I was working in the barn, and it was all quiet, I came out and my cousins hens were just new here and I had my niece's chicks, and my 3 silkies - they all got into the tomatoes and all they left me was the stalks!

My first reaction was OMG are tomatoes ok for them to eat? Had to run and check, apparently the fruit yes, the plant no - well they are all still here so can't be that bad for them I guess.