Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

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Not a great picture of Squeak getting a drink on Thirsty Thursday, but the best I could get. She is celebrating laying her first egg! 53 grams!

Good girl Squeak

 

[Sally PB]

Lastly, don’t be hard on yourself, we are all just doing the best we can with information we have at the time.

Do the best you can, with what you have, where you are.

Words to live by.

 

[Ponypoor]

This is a cool new use of moulted feathers! (and plucked ones when they are processed - I assume one would have to be careful that they aren't contaminated/bloody - unless the actual processing of them takes care of the sanitizing.

We all know how the coop looks when a hen does the explosive molt!

Very cool!

 

[Sally PB]

3 eggs today! The last time that happened was September 2nd!

Widget hasn't laid since August 23, when she went broody. Then started a slow molt to Solstice. Her comb is barely pink.

I am wondering who will lay first, Widget, or Pip? Pip's comb is still the orangey shade. And to think her comb popped up first and at 5 weeks, I had fears she was a not-Bielefelder cockerel...

 

[Ponypoor]

The chicks are a great idea. That would extend the egg laying vacation.

And they are super fun!

I put a camera where o can spy on them

This way you can get pullets and not take a chance of getting Roos if you hatch eggs

 

[Ponypoor]

She had been seen “scratching around” by herself for a little over two weeks in the neighborhood just south of me, and their local FB groups weren’t able to find her owners. I don’t doubt she had a happy home and just escaped and got lost.

Is this what a bantam Easter egger looks like?
Her proportions seem odd. She has either short legs or long pantaloons, and big wide eyes. I’m guessing she’s just three months old based on no-comb and that the box she was brought in had feather casings meaning she’s finishing a juvenile molt. But even so, I can’t remember if three month olds are this small.
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She liked the little run I set up for her, but was none too pleased with being put in a hardware cloth box for the night. Sorry little lady, there are too many predators about to do otherwise! And my last pullets are still using their mini-coop in the run (not for roosting at night, just as a glorified daytime perch).
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Now to name her

She is very fancy

There’s your name Fancy and Fancy Pants with her fluffy pantaloons

 

[Ponypoor]

Not to mention the chicken math enabling.

Hey did my bit, I followed in line with their wishes for me to get cracking with the chicken math… someone else needs to fall in line now

 

[Lilion]

I think things are not as dire as I feared. Went out to check the coop and lock up and here's what I found.

That's Meanie and Sheba on the top, Eenie and Goldie on the bottom, and Tres on the nest boxes, like always.

So she comes out to roost. I guess she just hides from time to time.

Crazy chickens.

 

[RoyalChick]

I think things are not as dire as I feared. Went out to check the coop and lock up and here's what I found. View attachment 3706329
That's Meanie and Sheba on the top, Eenie and Goldie on the bottom, and Tres on the nest boxes, like always.

So she comes out to roost. I guess she just hides from time to time.

Crazy chickens.

They will drive you crazy for sure!
Maybe give her more places to hide and maybe that will help her get her confidence back?
I know it is a different context, but after Sylvie went broody she was definitely being rejected by the others. They were always going after her and that is how she ended up on the roof that time.
But things have slowly got better. Piglet still guns for her but really only at night. And Sylvie still hides in the nest box at night. But during the day she is once more just one of the gang.
It has taken weeks to get this far.

 

[Ponypoor]

Apparently my sense of biosecurity is as thorough as Pony’s : everyone has already met across the fence.
For those who don’t want to watch nearly a minute of chickens growling, the highlights are that New Chicken (Nacho?) wants very much to join the flock! The older girls are pretty chill: Quincy took a good long look (they look so much alike!). Nacho(?) stands her ground and doesn’t back away when apparent bully Albert steps up roaring for a go at her.

Such shinanigans

So Nacho is it? Nice to meet you Nacho!