Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Desertvalleychickens]

Whoever gave me the Premium Feather Member-In this thread or another-I thank them very much!

 

[Ponypoor]

Reminds me so much of these two-I love seeing mama hens and their chicks!
View attachment 3692960

So tiny next to mama

 

[Ponypoor]

Whoever gave me the Premium Feather Member-In this thread or another-I thank them very much!

Did you win in a contest? That is how I got mine.

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

Did you win in a contest? That is how I got mine.

I didn't! Someone must have gave it to me.

 

[Ponypoor]

Good night all.

 

[BeastBaby]

I have a question for you all. Have any of you had a hen actively stalk you, growling like only a chicken can head down looking like a rooster ready to attack? I have never even had a cockerel full in his idiot phase act this aggressive. One of the speckled sussex's is doing this. Fairly certain it is Dottie. This behavior has been building up for about a month now. It started as simply following me around. Then the growling while following. Now she is got her head down and hackles slightly flared. This IS a pullet I am sure of it. I grabbed her yesterday and inspected her hackle and sickle feathers. Rounded pullet/hen shaped. I asked and I am the only one she is doing this too. I am very very close to treating her like a do a stupid teenage roo and snatch her up and start carrying her around while I do chores.

I’ve only had mine do that to the dog. There’s no down side to carrying her around during chores!

 

[Marie2020]

I hope it was painless for Chaco

 

[BeastBaby]

In an attempt to clear the name Dottie: this one is an even-tempered leader who is patient with the newbs and quite nearly never uses a heavy hand. (Except a few weeks ago when pullet Whiskey tested her- the outcome was fast and sure ).

She and her speckled Sussex sister (RIP) were named after a League of their own, because they had a relationship just like the characters Dottie and Kit. Although now that there’s no longer a Kit, you’d never know she wasn’t named for her spots…

 

[rural mouse]

I see...
I have a second question. He has 7 pullets that he can try and entice. Why the older hens?

Because the younger ones aren't ready to lay yet. Your big boy knows this and us ignoring them. You will know they're ready to lay when he starts paying attention to them. Meanwhile, the young cockerel has his hormones running a muck. He is ready to mate before his hatchmates are ready for him. This is where many chicken keepers get the idea that roosters are bad. The older roo AND the older ladies are needed to educate the younger ones on how to be proper chickens. The pullets see the rooster court the hens, tidbit over good treats. They see the hens respond to that and give the hormonal idiots a resounding NO BACK OFF. The hormonal idiots (aka cockerels) see the Roo tidbit and get the ladies, so they try...and grab...and get beaten up by the ladies....or the ladies scream for help and the Roo comes running and scares the Stuffing out of the H I. When the Roo has multiple H I to deal with, he's kept busy running all over and the H Is can get away with more.

Keeping the ones who are gentle with the ladies, respectful of the Roo (and you) is wise. Evaluating the H I for the good ones isn't easy. And even the worst offenders can turn out to be good boys given enough time and the right educating tool. Expect the H I to stay that way until he's roughly 18 months old. The best ones respond to hard looks from the ladies, step back, observe, maybe do some thinking before trying again. Even the "grab and hop on" ones learn NOT to given the right learning.

Twirp squirmed out from under Hector and karate kicked him, drawing blood on his wattles (she has a spur). Adding insult to injury, we applied vetricyn to it. I haven't seen him try that technique since. He courts and is patient.

Not every lady has the willingness to defend herself. That's when the Roo comes to her rescue. Keep observing. Your H I may get sorted out yet.

 

[Ponypoor]

View attachment 3693006In an attempt to clear the name Dottie: this one is an even-tempered leader who is patient with the newbs and quite nearly never uses a heavy hand. (Except a few weeks ago when pullet Whiskey tested her- the outcome was fast and sure ).

She and her speckled Sussex sister (RIP) were named after a League of their own, because they had a relationship just like the characters Dottie and Kit. Although now that there’s no longer a Kit, you’d never know she wasn’t named for her spots…

What a lovely hen! She’s a beauty