Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

I've been thinking about this post all night. I like to help people, but I don't like to 'enable', and I am not by any means wealthy. My approach would be: speak with her outside - at a picnic table or standing at your fence - or something like that (she probably is lonely. ) If/when she does ask for money - my policy is: I do not give money to the homeless etc. If they really need something, I will buy them a bag of groceries or such - but I do not give money (for those who I am close to and want to help - I also generally don't give money, either - I quietly pay their electric bill or such anonymously). Feel free, when she asks, to state something like "It is my policy to not give money/cash to people - I give to authorized charities locally. If you are hungry, I will happily buy you some food at the grocery store" Or whatever iteration works for you. Be polite but firm, and if she starts harassing you for money after that statement, say, again, firmly but politely. "I've given you my answer - I think you should leave now. If you can't handle my personal response, please don't come back, as while I enjoyed our conversation, I do not like to be harasses. (It is, I think, okay to lie a little white lie about enjoying the conversation...I think everyone needs to feel valued - but it doesn't mean you need to be taken advantage of - and you should stand firm on that. I will give people some of my time, but I worked too hard for what money I have to give it away and potentially be used in a manner I can't abide by. You could also refer her to local charities that help with whatever she states she wants the money for.

Polite but firm! Since you were in law enforcement - I KNOW you can do both simultaneously. I hope this helps.

Tax for non-chicken ramblings;

View attachment 3702162Yay! Mommy says I'm Handsome! and can stay instead of going to some camp or other!
(Well, she actually says I'm pretty nice for a hormonal idiot and handsome, but I'm all about the HANDSOME part! Right Ladies)
See how handsome I am:
View attachment 3702165

I have some brothers (like, a whole bunch) and she is contemplating keeping one more, but can't decide if it will be Harry or Joe (I'm joking about the names, she hasn't named them yet - but those two names are just your average, run-of-the-mill names, like them - they aren't SPECTACULAR like me!!)

What a wonderful and thoughtful response to Alex’s dilemma.
And what a stunning rooster - so glad he is staying!

 

[featherhead007]

He is handsome and I glad he will stay. Hopefully he continues to behave

Thank you for thinking I’m handsome, and of course I’m going to stay. I promise to behave!
Oh, you were talking about the rooster.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Thanks everyone. Very sad, a little in shock, but doing ok. She had a very rough year going through cancer treatment. While she beat the cancer it was all too much for her heart. She went to the hospital on Saturday because she hadn't really been eating and was dehydrated, after a few hours she perked right up and was reminding Bill of her upcoming appointments. Sunday morning she asked for morphine so she could rest, she knew it was unlikely she would wake up again. Really hard for those of us still here, but her choice.

 

[rural mouse]

They're back up around the house this morning...wind is still blowing hard.

And Twirp is looking goooood!

Still growing feathers out, probably has more pins hiding under the rest, but she's getting her feist back.

 

[BY Bob]

It is Pony Sunday so I thought I would share a very short video that explains why I have so many foxes.
This was from several years ago before I had chickens. My understanding is that the females tend to stay in the general area of their birth.

Wow! That is something!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I've decided that if it starts to bend I'll just cut it off. I can remove the roof easily so I can work on it.

You know, do nothing maybe? If it bends down some, would that be bad?

 

[BY Bob]

You know, do nothing maybe? If it bends down some, would that be bad?

Nope. The metal is bent for strength. We shall see how strong it is. Last winter there was no snow to speak of. Perhaps that will happen again

 

[RoyalChick]

Wow! That is something!

How many babies do you think she had there? It is really hard to count. I thought maybe seven.
She had another litter the prior year but I never got video of them.
She was an impressive hunter and would leap up and snatch birds out of the sky and their families would attack her by dive bombing her in groups in the hope she would drop the one she snatched.
This was all before I got the Arlo cameras - I must dust off my old trail cams and set them up - it isn't real time, but they can be way further from the house and get some amazing wildlife photos.

 

[bgmathteach]

How many babies do you think she had there? It is really hard to count. I thought maybe seven.
She had another litter the prior year but I never got video of them.
She was an impressive hunter and would leap up and snatch birds out of the sky and their families would attack her by dive bombing her in groups in the hope she would drop the one she snatched.
This was all before I got the Arlo cameras - I must dust off my old trail cams and set them up - it isn't real time, but they can be way further from the house and get some amazing wildlife photos.

I was going to say it looked like 6 or 7 - a very large litter (? is that the correct term for a group of baby foxes?) They all seemed quite healthy and active, too! She would have to be a very good hunter to keep them all fed (either with her milk or with 'take-out' food!) Is this the same fox you would see/post about last year with a breakfast squirrel...then a lunch squirrel, then mid-afternoon snack squirrel???

 

[RoyalChick]

I was going to say it looked like 6 or 7 - a very large litter (? is that the correct term for a group of baby foxes?) They all seemed quite healthy and active, too! She would have to be a very good hunter to keep them all fed (either with her milk or with 'take-out' food!) Is this the same fox you would see/post about last year with a breakfast squirrel...then a lunch squirrel, then mid-afternoon snack squirrel???

It may be her daughter. In my video it looks like she has a touch of mange and the one who was going to the squirrel grocery store did not have mange.
Mind you, the one in the video must have been pretty strong and healthy to raise that many kits so maybe she beat back the mange.
I saw a juvenile with horrible mange last Fall who I imagine did not survive through last winter - it can be very debilitating particularly for the young ones.
It is apparently easy to treat mange by lacing food with ivermectin. Maybe I should douse the dead mice I leave out with ivermectin.