Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ChicoryBlue]

Two, you need two so they can play together.

Two cats, brothers, same reason!

 

[bgmathteach]

So.....
Diane-Ida 's gotten into trouble, somebody (Popcorn probably?) has laid into her and drawn blood, looks like it happened earlier today by the fresh color. I saw them in person first around noon today outside but didn't look closely, everybody was acting normally.
Below, a video still with flash as it was about 4pm when I realized it wasn't dirt but blood and tried to get pictures.
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Diane-Ida-Biter, a.k.a. "The Bruiser"
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She went for my hand right away, first off, today when I was doing chores but I said a strong No and picked her up near the litter, turning her a bit on her side, held her like that for 10 seconds and she didn't fight me. She behaved pretty well after that and I didn't offer her a chance at my hands for awhile, then later we foraged together a little in wet leaves and she didn't try for my hand. Late in the day she did attack my boots, I said No several times, she was growling and keening, then Popcorn trotted over ready to rumble and she ran away.

I don't think of Popcorn or Hazel as ones to pick fights. I assume one of them dispensed this for a good reason? I hope it was a smack-down for something earned and it's some kind of Idiot Stage she will outgrow, and accept her place. Bob called her feisty, is she an Ambitious pullet? The Spuds are 21 weeks old as of last Monday.

Then again Dakota spent the night with @featherhead007 because of Flash and they are two years old (?) or so?

Seems peaceful enough in there now, and it's looked that way every evening....I don't know about early mornings though.
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Peaceful foraging around the blueberries yesterday afternoon -
Tedi in front, Diane-Ida then Anna in back.
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Popcorn
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Hazel
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So, I am sure there are lots of other replies - take this one with a grain of salt, as I know you are very attached to all of your chickens - spuds included.

It really does not look very bad at al. The comb and wattles are easily damaged, and bleed freely, so it looks pretty minor to me. I suspect that Diane-Ida stepped out of her bounds/position, especially given how she is challenging you - I am sure she challenges Popcorn and/or Hazel a times, as well. I would keep and eye on them, but not really worry too much. She is definitely in the 'feeling her oats' stage. I suspect there will be a bit of tomoult now through when all 3 spuds start laying, then things will probably settle down again - until Diane-Ida decides to try for top spot.

I completely understand you worrying - but I think for now it should just be a watch and see game - as it really doesn't look like Diane-Ida was really injured - just a little scratch in a bleeding prone area.

And, for you, if the stern no doesn't work, and you can keep picking her up and it works, great! If not, I think you may really need to have a hen fight...but I think Diane-Ida is a ladder climber, so you might periodically have issues with her until she is an adult and 'settled' into her place in the flock.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Lmao at least 10?! No more than 1

I had a vague plan using dog crates of various sizes. No plan as far as where to actually take them after that! I guess drive circles in the car until all seven chickens and two children fall asleep.

A gas leak totally blew up one house and knocked the walls in damaging three others in the town near me just a couple of weeks ago. Killed the one guy, three other households displaced. There had been visits to nearby houses on that street three times that day trying to locate the leak since the early morning, and it finally blew up late in the afternoon. Pretty awful. I'm not a fan of the natural gas lines in so many towns. Seemingly safe, yes. And yet, neighborhoods blow up on the regular here.

Two crochet chickens from a village fair this summer

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Woah, so much going on here. Your relationship with her is definitely evolving… seems like your more dominant moves worked.
When she came after your boots, did you move backwards at all? Or are you protected enough that you could hold your ground or even advance towards her?

I didn't back off. I had stepped there and she approached and pecked my barn boot a couple of times. At first I wasn't sure if she was just checking it out but the next pecks were strong, and I tried to move her away because I was trying to put a low perching board up and I wanted to crouch right there. So while I said No I actually gently moved my foot to the side, which was towards her, a couple of times to make her move away, and that got her more agitated and she decided it was battle time with my boot. Then Popcorn showed up.

One ingredient with the dynamic this time was treats, this was a few minutes after they all got mealworms, spread out on different logs and boards, but it's still a big competition, with Popcorn running from area to area, trying to claim them all. Maybe she was fired up because of that.

 

[featherhead007]

Trouble makers! So sorry, the nerve of some chickens !

 

[BeastBaby]

A gas leak totally blew up one house and knocked the walls in damaging three others in the town near me just a couple of weeks ago. Killed the one guy, three other households displaced. There had been visits to nearby houses on that street three times that day trying to locate the leak since the early morning, and it finally blew up late in the afternoon. Pretty awful. I'm not a fan of the natural gas lines in so many towns. Seemingly safe, yes. And yet, neighborhoods blow up on the regular here.

Two crochet chickens from a village fair this summer
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Holy moly!! I didn’t realize it could be that bad. I think I had been picturing fire potential, but not explosive. The emergency response teams were here several hours, and the smell completely dissipated by the time they left. My house doesn’t use gas, so if anything we would get peripheral damage.

Tax: Albert is pinking up this week, and did some sorry excuse for a squat two days ago (she kind of flared her wings up a bit).

 

[RoyalChick]

A gas leak totally blew up one house and knocked the walls in damaging three others in the town near me just a couple of weeks ago. Killed the one guy, three other households displaced. There had been visits to nearby houses on that street three times that day trying to locate the leak since the early morning, and it finally blew up late in the afternoon. Pretty awful. I'm not a fan of the natural gas lines in so many towns. Seemingly safe, yes. And yet, neighborhoods blow up on the regular here.

Two crochet chickens from a village fair this summer
View attachment 3713626

How terrifying - the gas not the crochet chickens who seem relatively harmless.

 

[RoyalChick]

I didn't back off. I had stepped there and she approached and pecked my barn boot a couple of times. At first I wasn't sure if she was just checking it out but the next pecks were strong, and I tried to move her away because I was trying to put a low perching board up and I wanted to crouch right there. So while I said No I actually gently moved my foot to the side, which was towards her, a couple of times to make her move away, and that got her more agitated and she decided it was battle time with my boot. Then Popcorn showed up.

One ingredient with the dynamic this time was treats, this was a few minutes after they all got mealworms, spread out on different logs and boards, but it's still a big competition, with Popcorn running from area to area, trying to claim them all. Maybe she was fired up because of that.

I can see the treats playing into it.
Some of my worst pecks come with general excitement around treats.
Some, like Bernie, peck my fingers and hands pretty hard to get more treats faster.
Others, like Sylvie, seem to peck me out of frustration that she isn’t seeing any treats ‘cos the others eat them so fast.
Tassels I suspect would actually like to eat my fingers.

 

[Ponypoor]

Lmao at least 10?! No more than 1

I had a vague plan using dog crates of various sizes. No plan as far as where to actually take them after that! I guess drive circles in the car until all seven chickens and two children fall asleep.

I have a big horse trailer, I would shove alll the chooks in the trailer and get mum to drive it out, the horses I would ride out leading the other two.

Dumb horse Truly won’t get on the trailer anyways so the chooks will use it

Heaven forbid I ever have to do such a thing.

 

[Ponypoor]

My cats are highly trained.
They can sleep, purr, destroy furniture, send e-mails, limit my screen time, tell me when it is time for me to go to bed to warm it up for them, confine me to the couch, and tell me when it is time to feed them.

Me thinks it’s you who is trained ! Right Alex?