Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

I found this for Hen-Rietta’s hatch day cornbread cake . So cute I had to add it to the party coming up soon. View attachment 3555805

Happy belated hatch day, Hen-rietta! Bridge is 7 also.

 

[micstrachan]

Ask Aurora
Today's Question comes from @RebeccaBoyd Peep and the Marshmallows.

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And they ask..........

Dear Aurora,

Hi, it is Peep and my fellow Marshmallow crew here. We caught our hooman mom busy tending to the new chicks and I made a break for it and snuck in her window. We want to know what is "Hooligans" and why is she saying it around us like it is a bad thing? We were not doing anything wrong, just testing out our wings. Yes we were using the neighbors chain link fence like it was a tight rope. Yes we also launched ourselves off it into the top of the tree when she spotted us and came to shoo us down. It was fun! We would have stayed in it longer except dad came around the corner and we did not want to get into trouble with him. Momma Chiquita has given up and now just threatens to tell our father when we have fun. Did you know we can now fly up to the top of the main big roost between the stalls from the ground? Half the other flock cannot do that, they have to use the stall boards. I think we can fly higher, I've been eyeing the roof. Our Hooman mom see this and dares us to do it saying we will get in trouble if she has to climb a ladder and chase us down. Uncle Dirt says do it, we are only young once. Also do you have any advice on how to catch a squirrel? We terrorize the birds and cats that come into the yard but the sneaky squirrel is smart. He jumps as good as we can fly. He stole some of our corn yesterday before we spotted him, the nerve. Our queen Butter says we are growing up and it is time to act like ladies. Acting like respectable ladies sounds boring, do we really have to? If you were our Queen you would not make us act like boring chickens would you? We all agree you would come up with fun games to play. How many Squirrels live at your house? Maybe if we had more then one to chase we could figure out how to catch them. Ooh gotta go, I hear our Hooman coming around the house, do not want to get caught on the computer and be called a hooligan again, I think.

Respectfully yours
Peep and the Marshmallows.


Dear Peep and the Marshmallows,

I have been delayed somewhat in replying to your inquiry. I apologize for that, but a Queen’s life is not easy and there are always things that need to be done. You know, Phyllis needs pecked, I need to steal food from Hattie, Sydney needs reprimanded for something, Glynda needs instruction on what it takes to be a great leader, etc. etc. The demands on my time are endless.

First off, your name, I love it. I swear I heard a song once by a band with that name. I wonder what it was………

Maybe it will come to me later.

My hooman servant tells me you are leghorns. From the way he talks about leghorns you would think they are the best chickens to ever roam the earth. We all know that is not true as you do not have beards and muffs so there is no way you could be the best. He did explain that you have big wings and look much like Glynda. I very much like Glynda. She is willing to take on our cat which is more than 4 times her size. I like a chicken that is not afraid of big challenges and who can punch way above their weight. It kind of sounds like you lot might be much like her. If so, then you are OK in my book.

You are blessed with large wings and can fly well then fly. Fly for all you are worth. Don’t limit yourself to the ground like the rest of us. It is the nature of chickens to explore and be curious. Go flying and have adventures. That way you have stories to tell on the roost at night. This will make you very popular with many other chickens who can’t fly and explore like you. Frankly who wants to hear one more time about the giant nightcrawler that Hattie caught that one time which was so big she could not swallow it all in one bite. She had to pull it back out and break it up so it would fit in her craw. If I have to hear that story one more time……….Well let’s just say we could use a little adventure around here. If you can reach the roof, you go up on the roof and come back and tell everyone else what you saw.

Now squirrel hunting is a serious business. The queen here before me, Lilly, was a great squirrel hunter. She would put on her squirrel hunting hat and she would encourage us all to join in.

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Her and Phyllis, if you can believe it, once cornered a squirrel and would have killed it but for the squirrel’s ability to climb. She actually got several whacks on its head before it escaped. My best friend Maleficent was an excellent hunter. She worked with Lilly and the queen before her, Patsy, to organize a chipmunk hunt one time. I participated in this hunt, and we nearly had it when it wiggled under the fence and got away.

What makes a good hunt? Communication and Coordination.

You must talk to each other and work together. You want to spread the marshmallows out and coordinate movements. The idea is to herd the squirrel into an area from where it cannot climb out or run away. You need to identify a fence corner or something similar. Then you need to slowly drive the squirrel towards that location. It is important to tell your teammates when the squirrel is headed their way. Slowly keep driving the squirrel towards the corner. When you finally have the squirrel cornered you will need to take turns attacking its head until you land the knockout blow. Whenever one attacks, the others keep the squirrel cornered. This is the only way to beat the squirrel. They are wily opponents. They are cheeky and will steal your food whenever they can. Lilly was never able to kill one, but she truly believed it possible.

A famous hooman servant named Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once said “Well-behaved women seldom make history”. The same holds true for hens as well. Butter truly sounds like an old bitty. I bet she is an Orpington. Old bitties like to say behave yourself, follow the rules, do things the right way and they will never change anything. They want things to stay as they are. I bet they would love Hattie’s stupid worm story. I bet Butter looks something like this.

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You be you. If you want to play in the mud, play in the mud. You white chickens repel mud like water off a duck’s back. You want to chase cats, Glynda likes to chase cats and she kinda looks like a leghorn, you chase cats. You think up a great new game, you play it and encourage others to do so. You want to eat pepper plants in the garden, well you should be careful there. Hooman servants are touchy about their plants. You show everyone how much fun it is to be adventuresome and maybe you can offset the Old Bitties a little bit. Who knows maybe you can change chicken life where you are for the better. Besides, I’m willing to gamble that Butter is unable to catch you to peck you anyway.

I do feel a little reminder is in order. Butter is your better. In most things she will be right. Don’t let her control your fun but you MUST listen to her in all other things. It is “The Way of the Chicken”. Despite everything you are still chickens and need to follow “The Way”.

By the way, I think Hooligan is a compliment. My Hooman servant called me one the other day when I stole Hattie’s tomato............I mean when I replaced Hattie’s overripe tomato with a fresh green one.

Queen Aurora

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Hahaha! Thank you, Bob! I had forgotten how funny these are. “land the knockout blow” cracked me right up especially!

 

[Lexicon]

You're likely going to hear hens screaming for help when he grabs one. Usually another rooster rescues the hen from the unwanted attentions. The hen can (and will) refuse to lift her tail for him too. Early on, Hector (already a big boy) pinned Twirp (one of my smallest hens) to the floor trying to mate her. She squirmed out from under him, turned around, and jumped at him...both feet. I clearly saw the bottoms of both when she went for him. He backed off in complete startlement, then turned to me (probably the what do I do now/mom, that wasn't nice help me). She drew blood on his wattles.

Yesterday afternoon, I watched him attempt to catch Maizie who isn't interested in him. He finally cornered her where he could grab and mount. She kept screaming. PRIMULA, one of Hector's loyal girls (and a dark Brahma, so larger hen)came up and went for him like another rooster would. Maizie ran off to hang out around Whiskey instead.

Your adult ladies will help to educate him on being a good boy. Your best approach in those instances: let them work it out. Doctor his wounds and put him back in with them I don't know if your babies are integrated with the adults yet, but the sooner you do that, the sooner the adults will educate him. He will also mature sooner than your pullets will. He will start attempting to mount the pullets because his hormones will push him. If he's with the adults, they will educate him early on good behavior while giving him an outlet for the hormones that are raging before the pullets are ready.

Thanks for this. Yes, they are integrated. The littles sleep in their own coop, but they spend the whole day together with the hens, although mostly as a sub-flock. The only hen who gives them any trouble is Clara who is lowest in the pecking order and understandably wants to keep the chicks under her in the hierarchy.

 

[featherhead007]

Happy belated hatch day, Hen-rietta! Bridge is 7 also.

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You didn’t miss the party, it’s her hatchday today. Party will start around noon, sadly the cake hadn’t arrived yet.

 

[featherhead007]

He is indeed a silly man. I turn down no pies.......

!

 

[RoyalChick]

I think it is an American dessert, it isn’t overly popular here in Canada - but we do know what it is, Lemon Meringue pie is popular here.

My mum make from scratch and uses something like 8 eggs! That’s a whole days worth of eggs, and with my eggs the Lemon has an awesome golden lemon colour, and gorgeous fluffy mer Meringue - good eggs make all the difference.

Speaking of eggs….

This morning Tuff seems a bit brighter, and best thing she isn’t breathing with her beak open. Her tail is still held downward, and her comb is limp and droopy. But she seems a bit better.

I gave her a ‘golden orb of power’ (an egg) which she picked at a bit.

Yes very American.
Lemon curd - which is truly from heaven and is the basis of most of the lemon tarts around the world is made from lemon juice, sugar and egg yolks. Of course you can also make it with limes. I have a killer recipe that uses 12 eggs in the filling for just one pie!
Key Lime Pie is lime juice with egg yolk and sweetened condensed milk. It is called Key Lime pie because it uses Key Limes - which are small limes naturalized in Florida that are smaller and more scented than the regular limes you buy in the store. The concept of Key Lime Pie came from a producer of condensed milk in the '30s (or maybe '40s).

Citrus treats tax - Bernie ensuring not a feather out of place:

 

[featherhead007]

Happy belated hatch day, Hen-rietta! Bridge is 7 also.

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Bridge is still so beautiful after all these years!

 

[RoyalChick]

Yep I have had quite the mix of pets here

Even Guinea Pigs - they birth babies that have their eyes open and can run around immediately when born!

I had guinea pigs - I really like them - they chat to you like chickens do. But I would have to move them indoors in the winters here so I am not sure it is a good idea.

 

[RoyalChick]

Hey i do but it's called lemon meringue pie here. I've never had it made with lime

I just posted. Lemon meringue pie is made with lemon curd - Key Lime pie is different.
Both are good. Personally I prefer lemon curd based pies.

 

[micstrachan]

You didn’t miss the party, it’s her hatchday today. Party will start around noon, sadly the cake hadn’t arrived yet.

Happ hatchday, Hen-rietta!