Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

I’m up to my eyeballs in meally worms, but the chooks don’t seem interested in eating them anymore, so what do I do now?

Mealworm peanutbutter toast?

 

[Ponypoor]

Happy Fluffy Butt Friday everyone!
I got a fluffy butt line up!


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The impressive fluff closest to the camera belongs to Tassels and is worth another picture. Somehow in the week I was away she became huge and very fluffy!
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Gosh she is gorgeous

 

[Ponypoor]

Jaffar, just say lawyer. I will say nothing without my lawyer.

Tax
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Only Phyllis is interested in the leftovers?

 

[BY Bob]

weird to me because I've never had that done

It's a good weird.

 

[BY Bob]

@rural mouse and @bgmathteach you both may be right. She may lay a few eggs next spring and go broody again. She may never lay again but steal another hens eggs and try to brood time will tell. I do know she is now at least 10 if not older. I do not know how old she was when she was brought to the fateful horse show she escaped from. All I can say for sure right now is this is very non Momma Hen. She is by no means ill or in what I would think of as a decline so no worries there. I had my hands on her to her displeasure about 2 weeks ago. weight wise and body condition wise she is perfect to be going into winter. Truthfully the best really she has been in a bit considering she is always nearing the end of raising a brood when winter rolls around and is skinnier then I would like. She may not be actively raising her own chicks but she has influenced this years different groups of chicks in some ways. She has one of the leghorns now roosting beside her in her favorite tree at night. Ravens group has followed her lead and now fish with her since the creek level is low. She has them all, including helicopter momma Corona and her crew foraging for bugs and whatnot on the hillside. Like I said, if any hen has earned her retirement and never lays another egg or broods another group of chicks it is her. She will just go from being called Momma Hen to Grandma or Granny Hen. It is way nicer calling her that instead of ole bat or worse when she is flogging me for trying to assist her in taking care of chicks.

She surely is a legend.

 

[BY Bob]

Ell, with yesterday's chaos, Thing came up missing at head count/close the coop time. There was still a bit of light, so I went looking. Found Zero traces of her: no body, no feathers, nothing. As she's been know to "go to ground" (find a hiding spot and hunker in and stay put) in the past, I figured (slim), possibility that's where she whe was. Opened coop in early light, so too early for her to be moving yet. Still no signs of her. Unless she's pulled a Storm and gone broody somewhere, I have to plan she's gone too. Sadly, we haven't even found feathers, so at this point, we don't KNOW.

Oh gosh no.

 

[BY Bob]

Yep they like to stick their heads inside and drag out all the inmates.

Is it a prison pumpkin? If so what have you imprisoned in it?

 

[BY Bob]

I saw a YouTube video with chickens wearing baby arms, running around in the yard. I didn’t think it was funny at all.

I agree. Or those tutus. Degrading.

 

[BY Bob]

I need to point out that I would never do anything to Branch that would physically harm him or stress him out in any way for my amusement. That little rooster is too special to me. I have found in some cases through necessity that he loves to be bathed, blow dried and wrapped in towels. That was learned when he tried to drown himself as a chick and then when he stupidly ninja kicked a coffee can full of used motor oil on himself. He also loves to be brushed. I can take one of the horse curry combs to him and he melts and purrs. Would i dye his feathers if it were possible? Absolutely not. Would I paint his toenails with nail polish.....the thought has crossed my mind a time or two, but I have not. I have massaged his feet with mineral oil after I have worked on his spurs, he does enjoy that. The thing with Branch is he craves attention and loves to be handled. I would not attempt any of this with the other chickens, well, maybe Owly. She also seems to be on Branch's level with craving attention. I have taken a toothbrush to her beard and muffs to comb them out. When she was transitioning from chick down to feathers her muffs had a few stray feathers that started to bother her eyes. It put her to sleep. I see absolutely nothing wrong with plopping a hat on your chickens head if the worst thing they are going to do is shake their head to make it fall off. Or for that matter sending a stick on googly eye flying off their head poof with a shake.

Ok. If they are okay with it who am I to disagree.

 

[BY Bob]

Does the animal KNOW that?

Yes they do. Beakbook.