Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Unfortunately the health issues are a permanent thing. Osteoarthritis Osteopenia, Scoliosis, Stenosis, Spondylosis, Degenarative disc disease, herniated discs, Diabeties 2 (A1C is down to 5.8! woohoo!) Tendonitis, stomach issues, heart issues..... I could go on but I hate typeing. Hubby has been taking care of the chooks and I have groceries delivered because my neck and back are so bad I currently cant stand or walk for more than about 5 minutes because Im so weak. Still doing injections and ablations in the neck and back.
Ill try to get current chook photos.

None of that is any fun, so I do pray for you every chance I get.

 

[Ponypoor]

Thirsty Thursday

Chilly one today, no one is overly thirsty

Buttercup having a sip

Curly trying a taste

 

[Ponypoor]

9 days away from our Pink concert. I think I am going to hire Maddy next door to take care of the chickens. We will be gone all day as it is in Louisville which is a almost 5 hour drive. I will not bother dad about them. The 11th also happens to be opening day of gun season for deer, his Christmas. I hope he is too busy dragging something off the hill to worry about them. The coop will need to be opened and everyone let out and the feeder filled up. Then she will have to come let Poppet out of her tote with fresh food and water. Around 5 she will need to put Poppet back in her tote for the evening and block it off and open up the coop so the rest can come to roost. Around dark she will then need to do a sweep and carry any of Ravens group who insist on roosting on the porch to the coop. There is still 3 that like special treatment of being packed to bed and close it up. She will also need to gather eggs. Besides myself and Rosie, Maddy is the only one who knows where everyone sleeps and where all the nests are and can handle all of them without any fuss. Raven is also broody and wrongly thinks she is going to be allowed to hatch again. She has taken over her old porch nest box so she is also being packed to the coop at night to her displeasure. I hope by then I have her broody butt broke but if not, Maddy is not afraid of Raven. She packed her to the coop for me last night when I was locking everything up. She is afraid of 1 hen only, Momma.

I need a Maddy here someone who can deal with chooks and exercise the geegees!

 

[Ponypoor]

Chickeeens!

They are underfoot all morning! I have been trying to finish off the Hen House B and they have been getting in my way I am dangerous today, I have almost fallen off the step ladder 3 times (my balance is wonky today), I tripped over I don’t know how many chickens, slipped in a bunch of cecal poop…

Come on chickies stop it!

You know what it is right? They want out - but the bad girls make it bad for all of them - I don’t have time to be chasing their butts all over the place!!

Topsy telling me off

 

[bgmathteach]

Current pecking order is......

1. Aurora
2. Hattie
3. Sydney
4. Phyllis
5. Glynda
6. Lady Featherington

The thing is Aurora doesn't like Phyllis. So she still throws her off the roost. Aurora does like Glynda so her and Lady Featherington are allowed to roost in peace.

The tribe has also split into 2 during the day with more active hens and less active hens. I will see the threesome of Aurora, Glynda, and Phyllis out and about while the other three hang out in Hattie House. It is actually rare for Hattie, Sydney, and Lady Featherington to come up on the deck any more. Even if I put out special food. So now I take any special food to the magnolia tree so all can enjoy.

How is Hattie doing on her metcam? Still 'running for the money' to avoid you/dosing in the morning? And how old is Sydney - Both her and Hattie are getting up there, no, in chicken years? And, well, Lady F IS an Orpington, you know - they are very well studied in the nonchalant 'hanging out' AND she has Hattie to show her the ropes in that regard. too!

(correct me if I am wrong, but Syd is just 1 year younger that Hattie??? )

 

[featherhead007]

Chickeeens!

They are underfoot all morning! I have been trying to finish off the Hen House B and they have been getting in my way I am dangerous today, I have almost fallen off the step ladder 3 times (my balance is wonky today), I tripped over I don’t know how many chickens, slipped in a bunch of cecal poop…

Come on chickies stop it!

You know what it is right? They want out - but the bad girls make it bad for all of them - I don’t have time to be chasing their butts all over the place!!

Topsy telling me off

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Sorry that your day is going so fowl!

 

[bgmathteach]

I have always said they can be very active at night. Hattie is super busy all night long.

Yup - Super busy SNACKING!!!

I don't have food IN my coops (because they are small and really designed just for sleeping & laying), so I suspect mine aren''as busy'. That said, even when I go out EARLY before 'morning rousal', who is roosting where has always fluctuated some - especially when there are youngsters - they are more 'antsy' AND try to sneak up onto roosts in the middle of the night to get that roosting spot they weren't allowed to have at dark-thirty.

Plus - you witnessed Babs checking on Eli twice during the night, @RoyalChick , so you shouldn't be so surprised. They might not do some of the more precision guided flights (like up to the rafters kind of thing), but the less demanding, easier to navigate stuff they seem to be up for on all but the blackest of nights.

 

[RoyalChick]

Yup - Super busy SNACKING!!!

I don't have food IN my coops (because they are small and really designed just for sleeping & laying), so I suspect mine aren''as busy'. That said, even when I go out EARLY before 'morning rousal', who is roosting where has always fluctuated some - especially when there are youngsters - they are more 'antsy' AND try to sneak up onto roosts in the middle of the night to get that roosting spot they weren't allowed to have at dark-thirty.

Plus - you witnessed Babs checking on Eli twice during the night, @RoyalChick , so you shouldn't be so surprised. They might not do some of the more precision guided flights (like up to the rafters kind of thing), but the less demanding, easier to navigate stuff they seem to be up for on all but the blackest of nights.

Yes, I wasn't really surprised as I have lots of experience of them moving around in the night - including Babs going to lay at 3am the other day.
I was more just observing that it was a 'busy night'!

 

[BY Bob]

A Happy Anniversary

Today is the 8th anniversary of Patsy and Lilly coming to live with us. Rescued from living under the porch.

Check out this stuff that Daisy calls grass!

 

[BY Bob]

Morning!
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Action shot!
View attachment 3674341
And an update on my shrimp tank. The female is still carrying eggs, so we might have babies soon. She ate her last batch because something went wrong. The snail is named Roomba.

Great name for a snail! I love it. Fingers crossed all goes well with the shrimp.