Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Good morning all!

Here is some silly stuff

https://www.facebook.com/reel/689739309602999?fs=e&s=cl

And a Two-fer Tuesday

Two chickies I sure do miss my horses and chooks. Hopefully this is the last time o have to travel for work.

 

[Sally PB]

Could she not be feeling well? The pecking order does not usually change without violence or some significant event.

I wonder if something happened while I was gone to Charlotte. That's when she started sleeping in the nestbox. I don't see any signs of illness. They're all hunkering down in this cold weather. I went out to give them chickie snack, and they were all in the coop. Some on roosts, some down in the new pine shavings.

So glad I got them another bale of shavings. The floor is "cushy". I see some depressions where they made hollows to hunker down.

Little's comb is getting red, so maybe this is due to her getting close to laying again?

Can you add another roost so she has a place to sleep (other than a nest box?)

There are two other roosts, so she has places to choose from.

 

[Sally PB]

Speaking of molting, Stormy is the only one now who looks like a porcupine. Man, she has quills on her back! The tips of the feathers are starting to poke out the ends, but she sure looks ... odd. She has thin quills hanging down her neck. I keep thinking that they'll rattle like beads when she moves her head.

 

[BY Bob]

2 Days Indoors
Yesterday I saw three crows drive off a juvenile hawk from my yard. When I went out to check on the chickens, I could find them until I checked in the coop.

A couple of them did come back out late in the day but they spent most of the day safely indoors.

This morning we woke up to this stuff.

So no one has ventured outside again. I expect no one except Glynda will come out today.

 

[BY Bob]

I wonder if something happened while I was gone to Charlotte. That's when she started sleeping in the nestbox. I don't see any signs of illness. They're all hunkering down in this cold weather. I went out to give them chickie snack, and they were all in the coop. Some on roosts, some down in the new pine shavings.

So glad I got them another bale of shavings. The floor is "cushy". I see some depressions where they made hollows to hunker down.

Little's comb is getting red, so maybe this is due to her getting close to laying again?

There are two other roosts, so she has places to choose from.

All you can do is keep watching them. Perhaps some clues will become apparent.

 

[BY Bob]

Speaking of molting, Stormy is the only one now who looks like a porcupine. Man, she has quills on her back! The tips of the feathers are starting to poke out the ends, but she sure looks ... odd. She has thin quills hanging down her neck. I keep thinking that they'll rattle like beads when she moves her head.

Poor baby

 

[Aliceismad106]

Y'ALL!!!! My little special needs duck, who was rejected by another mama, Miracle, grew up to have part of her issue heal, and get big and stron like the others so she could be outside with them, is now a really big girl! She just watched, copied and helped her mama build a nest in their pen and then she laid an egg! She had been laying for a few days but just randomly in the yard, sometimes nowhere near where the other one laid. And she laid one and then her mama laid and then another one laid!
For the longest time we were scared she wasn't going to make it, or be able to live without help. I'm so proud of her! Sorry I had to share! Pics of her cute self and then her egg next to mamas egg.

 

[bgmathteach]

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

Are the pullets laying yet? If not, he will go for the ones laying. Maybe you can try to entice him to focus on one of the younger pullets? Is there a way to put a sheet or something (visual barrier) at one end of the run? If so, you could pick him up and take him behind teh sheet, and offer him treats from your hand. After a few times and he is more comfortable, drop the treats on the ground - and get one of the younger pullets/hens - one that Ijak is less bonded with - and bring her behind the sheet, too...and drop some more treats in front of Stormfeather, then set her down. Do this daily for a couple of weeks and see what happens.

Note: it will take careful observation of Ijak and 'his girls' to see which one(s) he is really close to, and which one(s) he is less bonded with, and pick a hen/pullet that doesn't seem to have a tight bond with Ijak - otherwise it will not work.

It isn't a guarantee that the hen/pullet will then choose Stormfeather - but it definitely tips the scales in his favor.

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

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.

Great info! Thank you very much!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

2 Days Indoors
Yesterday I saw three crows drive off a juvenile hawk from my yard. When I went out to check on the chickens, I could find them until I checked in the coop.

View attachment 3693073

A couple of them did come back out late in the day but they spent most of the day safely indoors.

This morning we woke up to this stuff.

View attachment 3693074

So no one has ventured outside again. I expect no one except Glynda will come out today.

View attachment 3693075

Before I had chickens I used to get aggravated with the crows. They were notorious for tearing up garbage. Now, I love them and encourage them to hang around. I do not know who has trained who. If I spot a few of them hanging out in the mimosa tree that is my cue. Coffee can full of whole corn tossed onto the hillside for them to eat. They also help themselves to any scraps the chickens do not like and they leave them alone. The only time the flock raises a fuss is when they try to help themselves to the chicken feeder. I think the flock knows the crows help deter hawks, they are really the only birds they do not gang up on and try to run off. Sorry about the white stuff. We had our first flurries this morning. Ick is all I have to say about it.