Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Babs worries me. Her tail is really ratty now but she shows no sign of molting and she lays every day. I am wondering if I should try and black out the Chicken Palace windows to increase her darkness. The trouble is the roof ridge vents and soffit vents will always let in some light. I really wish she would slow down.

My Azurs need to slow up also.

How old is she now? Rose is now 2 and this is her first time moulting as she was a late October baby.

 

[RoyalChick]

My Azurs need to slow up also.

How old is she now? Rose is now 2 and this is her first time moulting as she was a late October baby.

About 16 months I think.
@bgmathteach have I got that right?

I am also really upset at Piglet and to some extent Sylvie. Piglet went (after dark) into the nest box to attack Sylvie and pull her out. She really has it in for Sylvie.
On the other hand, there are gazillions of places to roost for Sylvie and she insists on going into the nest box right by where Piglet roosts and lays her eggs. She could easily roost with Babs or even on a different roost entirely and stay out of Piglet's way.

I am sure interfering will just make it worse, but I am seriously considering keeping Piglet confined until Sylvie goes to bed and putting her on the roost later. Mind you, Piglet seems to be able to see perfectly well in the dark so not sure that is going to help anything.

It is very upsetting to see.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Babs worries me. Her tail is really ratty now but she shows no sign of molting and she lays every day. I am wondering if I should try and black out the Chicken Palace windows to increase her darkness. The trouble is the roof ridge vents and soffit vents will always let in some light. I really wish she would slow down.

If you did the black-out work, does dusk still count as daylight? When it's cloudy the hens here go in to roost sooner than when it's clear. Their sense of daytime shortens. Maybe dawn feels later too, I'm not around when they wake up. But would that be enough reduction to slow her down? We are already approaching the shortest days. Babs is an Arctic Hen!
She is who she is; I'm sorry she's not taking a break. Do you think about going the medical route? I'm whacko again and can't think of the term right now...

 

[Ponypoor]

Wait - why is she bald and where is she bald, if she's not moulting? Mr P's attentions?

Partly from Mr P breeding her, and partly from the young Roos, I ended up keeping her separate from them when I wasn’t around.

She had been laying soft and brittle shelled eggs, but hasn’t since Henny went broody, her last eggs she laid were those I put under Henny but they turned out not fertile.

She started sitting in the nest box about the time Henny had been sitting for a week or so and hasn’t laid an egg since. She and Curly…. Sitting in the nest boxes. Curly is definitely broody - bok bok bok….

 

[ChicoryBlue]

No she doesn’t - but she also isn’t gaining or losing feathers. She just has those broken feathers that the brats damaged and she hasn’t regrown.

I am beginning to think she may have some sort of feather disorder. If she doesn’t start gaining new feathers soon I am going to have mum make her a nice blanket.

You're sure she's eating enough, and good protein?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

He is VERY laid back, and is my only Chanti. He has never challenged me, he's good with the ladies. Since they don't free range, I don't know how he'd handle kind of predator threat.

Bur he doesn't care to be touched. Due to not handling that much when younger?

 

[Ponypoor]

About 16 months I think.
@bgmathteach have I got that right?

I am also really upset at Piglet and to some extent Sylvie. Piglet went (after dark) into the nest box to attack Sylvie and pull her out. She really has it in for Sylvie.
On the other hand, there are gazillions of places to roost for Sylvie and she insists on going into the nest box right by where Piglet roosts and lays her eggs. She could easily roost with Babs or even on a different roost entirely and stay out of Piglet's way.

I am sure interfering will just make it worse, but I am seriously considering keeping Piglet confined until Sylvie goes to bed and putting her on the roost later. Mind you, Piglet seems to be able to see perfectly well in the dark so not sure that is going to help anything.

It is very upsetting to see.

Yep I know what you mean.

Sophia’s chicks seem to glory in attacking and dragging poor Marty off her nest - what brats!

But not much I can do, other than not watch. As long as they didn’t bother the babies I just let it be.

 

[Ponypoor]

You're sure she's eating enough, and good protein?

Oh ya she likes her grub like Red

I make sure to haul her off the nest at least twice a day to eat poop and drink.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

About 16 months I think.
@bgmathteach have I got that right?

I am also really upset at Piglet and to some extent Sylvie. Piglet went (after dark) into the nest box to attack Sylvie and pull her out. She really has it in for Sylvie.
On the other hand, there are gazillions of places to roost for Sylvie and she insists on going into the nest box right by where Piglet roosts and lays her eggs. She could easily roost with Babs or even on a different roost entirely and stay out of Piglet's way.

I am sure interfering will just make it worse, but I am seriously considering keeping Piglet confined until Sylvie goes to bed and putting her on the roost later. Mind you, Piglet seems to be able to see perfectly well in the dark so not sure that is going to help anything.

It is very upsetting to see.

They are pretty young still, aren't they? I think they do everything on purpose for their own reasons we haven't a clue about. It's a battle of wills, and unless somebody's really getting hurt and you separate them from each other it's useless to try to persuade them to behave differently. What again is the order as you see it now?

I felt that Butters #3 and Hazel #2 battled all the time (to a certain degree) over their ranks, Hazel having to assert her authority. Though they got along well they periodically had a little match about something.

Butters got on great with #1 Peanut. And #4 Popcorn wasn't hard to keep down on the other end, but she met her match in Hazel, who I think has a fiery edge and willingness to peck hard that always beat out Butter's more gentle easygoing nature.

 

[Ponypoor]

Could she be a good flock protector and help Mr. P fight a predator?

Here read this:

Post in thread 'Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock'
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-26218908

My first encounter with the little she-devil!