Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

I didn't announce it last week but I lost 2 of my favorite roosters. A naked neck who was the son of Big Boy and Blackie, who was half EE and half Japanese bantam. Lety had loaned them out for breeding purposes and they were stolen along with several of the hens that belongs to Lety's friends. I was furious but powerless to do anything about it.

STOLEN! That's terrible!

I'm so sorry that happened.

 

[Ponypoor]

Is it okay if I make a memorial (forgot the other word) for my two guineas that passed? I don't have any pictures atm, so I will need to borrow my moms phone for pictures of them. It will be way later today, but I just want to make sure that's okay making one for a guinea.

Yes, I look forward to seeing their photos

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

No more Marshmallows?

No more new ones as long as I have the originals. I enjoy them for who they are, biting smart devil hens. Will I replace them in a few years once these are gone, probably, but not with 5 or 6 at once. Maybe 2 next time. I will probably hand rear them as well in the future to see if the "do not touch me" attitude is simply because Chiquita reared them. I swear you were think they were Momma Hens biological offspring. They are look but do not touch girls, touching equals biting. They can fly on me if they choose and eat out of my hand though.

 

[rural mouse]

Thirsty cockerels

And babies learning about live mealworms

Granite and a cloud

Storm and Nimbus?

Granite and Quartz getting a good look at the proper digging technique.

 

[BY Bob]

Found her! Hiding up high - Bob said they love to fly....

Anyways here is the story:

Went to the feed mill this morning, and they have baby chicks - sooooo cute. But I don't need any more chickens ok?

But the owner at the mill told me 'I have ready to lay pullets here - seems the person who ordered them doesn't want them'.

Oh no I don't think so... well what kind? I asked

The owner told me: Red sex-link (oh, no won't get those), and Azur Blues

Darn - my kryptonite I wanted Azurs - but not POL pullets, I wanted chicks. Then I thought, hmmmm, well I won't have any issues selling eggs, oh why not I will get a couple. What's the harm.

So I said: OK I'll take 3 of them

And that is how I ended up with 3 wild as the west wind POL pullets who can really fly! Those Azures are Leghorn crosses so they can really fly well and they have floppy combs and wattles. Mine though look like they are splash, and one even has a topknot.

What I am EXTREMELY displeased with is the beaks on two of them, I don't know if they were cut back incorrectly or if it is cross-beak. But I am really annoyed, as to me if I have 2 out of the 3 with this anomaly then it is likely due to poor breeding factors or environmental factors.

I am glad I bought the poor things, they look a bit ratty but that is likely from transport, and they are scared to death of me, so likely never seen a human before.

Since I wasn't aiming to get any more chickens then I am now scrambling to house the poor wee lasses, but that is minor, their comfort is of the the utmost importance. I was showing them how I picked up and fed Fluffy so they could at least see that I wouldn't murder them. They are in the Summer House, I have no way to quarantine the suckers, so I hope to H E double L they don't carry anything (highly unlikely with the biosecurity on these poultry factories here), or that mine don't have anything to give them!

I am sooooo very glad I bought them and wish I could have bought the other 3 but with me not working at the moment I need to really save my moolah. But I am glad I got to get these three and if they do have cross beak it doesn't seem to be bothering them, and I can deal with filing a beak every so often. I just need to gentle them now, with any wild beast it's a slow process of desensitizing them to me, and showing them that food is always there for them - Is this what chicken math is?



Here is the background for these Azur Blues
https://layinghens.hendrix-genetics.com/en/our-brands/special-layer-breeds/azur/

Topknot girl I will call Topsy (she has a cross beak I think)
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The one with the black spotted beak and upright comb will be Turvy
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The one with the obvious cross beak I will call Twister (or twisted sister hahaha)

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They all look like they will have splash colour pattern.

Bad Kelly.....

They are adorable.

Good job on your part.

 

[rural mouse]

@Ponypoor how are the Twisted girls doing after their first full day there?

 

[BY Bob]

Oh the cheek of them - what's got into people these days - sheesh - stealing chickens, cattle here, what's next? good grief

Maybe horses?

 

[BY Bob]

No, Good Kelly. Through no fault of their own those beaks will need some form of tlc. I will think of those as rescues. Now, as for the flying, um, you saw that one of my Marshmallows now roosts in the tree right? Have fun, if any girls lay in your hay loft, it will be them. Good luck taming them. My Marshmallows are semi wild still and I had them since chicks. They will eat out of my hand but no touching is allowed willingly. I cannot reach under them to get a egg, they bite. If they are not bright enough to get on the big roost and are on the stall boards when I go to lock up the coop, well, they get carried to the coop to be locked up. They bite the entire way and angrily squawk. I think they like to bite me, every other night I have to pack at least one of them to the coop. They really have paid too much attention to Momma Hen. But oh those leghorn smarts, let's hope they inherited it, that alone is worth the biting. One of my Marshmallows alerted me to a unwelcome devil bird sitting on the power pole out back the other day. Her alert sent the whole flock running for cover and allowed me to get outside to shoo it away. It was bold, banging two kettle lids together did not phase it. I threw a water bottle up at it and almost hit it to make it fly off.

I love hearing how smart and aware they are. I miss mine.

 

[Ponypoor]

No more new ones as long as I have the originals. I enjoy them for who they are, biting smart devil hens. Will I replace them in a few years once these are gone, probably, but not with 5 or 6 at once. Maybe 2 next time. I will probably hand rear them as well in the future to see if the "do not touch me" attitude is simply because Chiquita reared them. I swear you were think they were Momma Hens biological offspring. They are look but do not touch girls, touching equals biting. They can fly on me if they choose and eat out of my hand though.

The Azurs are more settled this morning they let me walk into the pen without trying to fly through a window. I guess they have figured out I am not an axe murderer!

Fluffy ran through my legs in there again this morning, this time she didn’t try to clobber them. Drats that hen - I have been trying to keep everyone separate, and feeding them last and she goes and upsets the apple cart.

Should I have just kept here in there and have her also quarantined? I feel like I should have, but feel she would have been very upset. Darn her for making me worry

Meanwhile I got a look at beaks last night and it loooks like their beaks were cut back and they are growing in wrong. Topsy needs the top right side filed and the bottom left side.

Same with the other two, Turvy isn’t so bad.

Next week I will see about filing them down -once they have settled in, one thing - Topsy bites hard even with her odd beak which is extremely sharp!!!

Can’t wait to see them next year when their feathers molt and their jaunty tails grow back, right now those tails are all shredded and ratty looking. I feel horrible I couldn’t get the other 3 Azurs

Also @RebeccaBoyd and/or @BY Bob or anyone else, I note that their comb and wattles are very pale, I don’t have any experience with such prominent combs and wattles - I seem to recall someone saying they will redden up when they get ready to lay… ?? I thought it might be from stress but they are still very pale, when will it get nice and bright? They are supposed POL ???

 

[Ponypoor]

I love hearing how smart and aware they are. I miss mine.

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See a bright red comb like TBHE