Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

Bit of rain on the island today, and there's a cockerel crowing right outside the window...

Rain Tax:
View attachment 3715822

Oooh, he's beautiful!

 

[bgmathteach]

So, I know I am preaching to the choir, here, so to speak...but
Chickens are NOT DUMB!! They prove their smarts time and time again. Case in point:

Yesterday I was letting the young boys and some older girls go to freezer camp, and it was well after dark when I finished up. This means everyone got locked up in the pitch black. In the dark, I did not latch one of the coops properly. This morning, my dog convinced me to sleep in a bit and snuggle (about 30 min. beyond my normal 'get up' time. I walk out to the kitchen, and within a few minutes, I hear a rooster crow. Not unusual - EXCEPT - it sounded too loud and like it was coming from the front of the house, not the back/side where the coops are. Hmmmm....get my boots on and go out - and yup there he is. The boy I just couldn't process last year because he was so good to the ladies - and never showed much of the idiot hormonal stage most young cockerels go through. Anyways, I go out and he comes up to me -- I crouch down and chat with him - he gives me little chicken noises back. When I stand up, he gives a short crow and starts walking away towards the corner of the house...he stops after about 5' and looks at me...so I start to follow him. He trots on around the house and heads towards the run (has multiple coops in it, including his.) I stop to pick up a piece of trash that blew in overnight, he stops, comes trotting back, and starts 'chatting with me' - as soon as I look at him and he catches my gaze, he turns around and heads off again - stopping and looking back to be sure I am coming. He runs to the people gate (now, mind you, he is OUT of t he run - he hops the 5' fence all the time...but not now..nope, he keeps going and goes around to the side where the people gate is) He stops at the gate and crows...I let him in and he runs over to where their food dish usually is (that one is a tub that I make mash in for the ducks - and it gets locked up at night due to rats) and he starts chatting again and looking from me to where the dish should be. This is when I see that the latch wasn't fastened properly and he and his 6 girls are, of course, out. (the girls, surprisingly enough, are all in the run) I get the dish out, fill it with food and water, and put it down and fill the nearby water dish....and he calls his ladies over!!

I think he was saying: come on, mom, we are up and my girls are hungry - come feed us! I suspect they can tell time, too (at least in terms of when I usually come out - right about dawn this time of year...and I was late) He was ever the gentleman - not yelling at me, but clearly wanted me to feed his girls!!! I did not need another roo last year, but I am glad I decided to keep him!

My smart, handsome boy:

And his fluffy booty:

He doesn't like to be held, but will come close and 'chat' with me, and if I have treats that I try to give him, he tidbits for his girls to come. I try to hold my hand so only he can reach - but he pecks one sunflower seed at a time from my hand and drops it in front of his girls (and, he makes sure he drops at least one in front of each of his girls - so they all get some!) When there are plenty, and his girls have gotten some, he will sometimes then eat one or two himself. He is a good boy, and it is so nice to see a good Rooster doing what they are meant to do. How can you not love that??

BTW @RoyalChick wouldn't you just love to have a sweet, protective, smart man to add another dynamic to your flock - and to watch over the girls and warn them of foxes and hawks and such?!?!

 

[Sally PB]

Chickens are NOT DUMB!! They prove their smarts time and time again. Case in point:

What a wonderful story! Thank you! for posting this.

 

[rural mouse]

So, I know I am preaching to the choir, here, so to speak...but
Chickens are NOT DUMB!! They prove their smarts time and time again. Case in point:

Yesterday I was letting the young boys and some older girls go to freezer camp, and it was well after dark when I finished up. This means everyone got locked up in the pitch black. In the dark, I did not latch one of the coops properly. This morning, my dog convinced me to sleep in a bit and snuggle (about 30 min. beyond my normal 'get up' time. I walk out to the kitchen, and within a few minutes, I hear a rooster crow. Not unusual - EXCEPT - it sounded too loud and like it was coming from the front of the house, not the back/side where the coops are. Hmmmm....get my boots on and go out - and yup there he is. The boy I just couldn't process last year because he was so good to the ladies - and never showed much of the idiot hormonal stage most young cockerels go through. Anyways, I go out and he comes up to me -- I crouch down and chat with him - he gives me little chicken noises back. When I stand up, he gives a short crow and starts walking away towards the corner of the house...he stops after about 5' and looks at me...so I start to follow him. He trots on around the house and heads towards the run (has multiple coops in it, including his.) I stop to pick up a piece of trash that blew in overnight, he stops, comes trotting back, and starts 'chatting with me' - as soon as I look at him and he catches my gaze, he turns around and heads off again - stopping and looking back to be sure I am coming. He runs to the people gate (now, mind you, he is OUT of t he run - he hops the 5' fence all the time...but not now..nope, he keeps going and goes around to the side where the people gate is) He stops at the gate and crows...I let him in and he runs over to where their food dish usually is (that one is a tub that I make mash in for the ducks - and it gets locked up at night due to rats) and he starts chatting again and looking from me to where the dish should be. This is when I see that the latch wasn't fastened properly and he and his 6 girls are, of course, out. (the girls, surprisingly enough, are all in the run) I get the dish out, fill it with food and water, and put it down and fill the nearby water dish....and he calls his ladies over!!

I think he was saying: come on, mom, we are up and my girls are hungry - come feed us! I suspect they can tell time, too (at least in terms of when I usually come out - right about dawn this time of year...and I was late) He was ever the gentleman - not yelling at me, but clearly wanted me to feed his girls!!! I did not need another roo last year, but I am glad I decided to keep him!

My smart, handsome boy:
View attachment 3715837

And his fluffy booty:
View attachment 3715843


He doesn't like to be held, but will come close and 'chat' with me, and if I have treats that I try to give him, he tidbits for his girls to come. I try to hold my hand so only he can reach - but he pecks one sunflower seed at a time from my hand and drops it in front of his girls (and, he makes sure he drops at least one in front of each of his girls - so they all get some!) When there are plenty, and his girls have gotten some, he will sometimes then eat one or two himself. He is a good boy, and it is so nice to see a good Rooster doing what they are meant to do. How can you not love that??

BTW @RoyalChick wouldn't you just love to have a sweet, protective, smart man to add another dynamic to your flock - and to watch over the girls and warn them of foxes and hawks and such?!?!

I am so glad you kept him too! I love stories like this!

I let the birds out this morning, and while I was still down at the coop, Castor comes down the garden steps and meows at me...repeatedly...head back up...sure enough, he's tattling.....Blanche is helping herself to his food. Shoo her off, take eggs in...wash hands, Castor meows at the door...Twirp is there this time...2 mins later, he calls again and it's Cardhu. He decided to come inside with me. His food dish is still out there, but no more raids on it this morning even though there's still some kibble in it. Castor is sitting on the stairs, Sherlock's in the kitchen, and Twirp is getting a drink, all calm...for the moment. It's amazing how smart critters are!

 

[RoyalChick]

So, I know I am preaching to the choir, here, so to speak...but
Chickens are NOT DUMB!! They prove their smarts time and time again. Case in point:

Yesterday I was letting the young boys and some older girls go to freezer camp, and it was well after dark when I finished up. This means everyone got locked up in the pitch black. In the dark, I did not latch one of the coops properly. This morning, my dog convinced me to sleep in a bit and snuggle (about 30 min. beyond my normal 'get up' time. I walk out to the kitchen, and within a few minutes, I hear a rooster crow. Not unusual - EXCEPT - it sounded too loud and like it was coming from the front of the house, not the back/side where the coops are. Hmmmm....get my boots on and go out - and yup there he is. The boy I just couldn't process last year because he was so good to the ladies - and never showed much of the idiot hormonal stage most young cockerels go through. Anyways, I go out and he comes up to me -- I crouch down and chat with him - he gives me little chicken noises back. When I stand up, he gives a short crow and starts walking away towards the corner of the house...he stops after about 5' and looks at me...so I start to follow him. He trots on around the house and heads towards the run (has multiple coops in it, including his.) I stop to pick up a piece of trash that blew in overnight, he stops, comes trotting back, and starts 'chatting with me' - as soon as I look at him and he catches my gaze, he turns around and heads off again - stopping and looking back to be sure I am coming. He runs to the people gate (now, mind you, he is OUT of t he run - he hops the 5' fence all the time...but not now..nope, he keeps going and goes around to the side where the people gate is) He stops at the gate and crows...I let him in and he runs over to where their food dish usually is (that one is a tub that I make mash in for the ducks - and it gets locked up at night due to rats) and he starts chatting again and looking from me to where the dish should be. This is when I see that the latch wasn't fastened properly and he and his 6 girls are, of course, out. (the girls, surprisingly enough, are all in the run) I get the dish out, fill it with food and water, and put it down and fill the nearby water dish....and he calls his ladies over!!

I think he was saying: come on, mom, we are up and my girls are hungry - come feed us! I suspect they can tell time, too (at least in terms of when I usually come out - right about dawn this time of year...and I was late) He was ever the gentleman - not yelling at me, but clearly wanted me to feed his girls!!! I did not need another roo last year, but I am glad I decided to keep him!

My smart, handsome boy:
View attachment 3715837

And his fluffy booty:
View attachment 3715843


He doesn't like to be held, but will come close and 'chat' with me, and if I have treats that I try to give him, he tidbits for his girls to come. I try to hold my hand so only he can reach - but he pecks one sunflower seed at a time from my hand and drops it in front of his girls (and, he makes sure he drops at least one in front of each of his girls - so they all get some!) When there are plenty, and his girls have gotten some, he will sometimes then eat one or two himself. He is a good boy, and it is so nice to see a good Rooster doing what they are meant to do. How can you not love that??

BTW @RoyalChick wouldn't you just love to have a sweet, protective, smart man to add another dynamic to your flock - and to watch over the girls and warn them of foxes and hawks and such?!?!

What a wonderful guy!

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

Oooh, he's beautiful!

I know! That's why I had to get a pic of him!

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

So, I know I am preaching to the choir, here, so to speak...but
Chickens are NOT DUMB!! They prove their smarts time and time again. Case in point:

Yesterday I was letting the young boys and some older girls go to freezer camp, and it was well after dark when I finished up. This means everyone got locked up in the pitch black. In the dark, I did not latch one of the coops properly. This morning, my dog convinced me to sleep in a bit and snuggle (about 30 min. beyond my normal 'get up' time. I walk out to the kitchen, and within a few minutes, I hear a rooster crow. Not unusual - EXCEPT - it sounded too loud and like it was coming from the front of the house, not the back/side where the coops are. Hmmmm....get my boots on and go out - and yup there he is. The boy I just couldn't process last year because he was so good to the ladies - and never showed much of the idiot hormonal stage most young cockerels go through. Anyways, I go out and he comes up to me -- I crouch down and chat with him - he gives me little chicken noises back. When I stand up, he gives a short crow and starts walking away towards the corner of the house...he stops after about 5' and looks at me...so I start to follow him. He trots on around the house and heads towards the run (has multiple coops in it, including his.) I stop to pick up a piece of trash that blew in overnight, he stops, comes trotting back, and starts 'chatting with me' - as soon as I look at him and he catches my gaze, he turns around and heads off again - stopping and looking back to be sure I am coming. He runs to the people gate (now, mind you, he is OUT of t he run - he hops the 5' fence all the time...but not now..nope, he keeps going and goes around to the side where the people gate is) He stops at the gate and crows...I let him in and he runs over to where their food dish usually is (that one is a tub that I make mash in for the ducks - and it gets locked up at night due to rats) and he starts chatting again and looking from me to where the dish should be. This is when I see that the latch wasn't fastened properly and he and his 6 girls are, of course, out. (the girls, surprisingly enough, are all in the run) I get the dish out, fill it with food and water, and put it down and fill the nearby water dish....and he calls his ladies over!!

I think he was saying: come on, mom, we are up and my girls are hungry - come feed us! I suspect they can tell time, too (at least in terms of when I usually come out - right about dawn this time of year...and I was late) He was ever the gentleman - not yelling at me, but clearly wanted me to feed his girls!!! I did not need another roo last year, but I am glad I decided to keep him!

My smart, handsome boy:
View attachment 3715837

And his fluffy booty:
View attachment 3715843


He doesn't like to be held, but will come close and 'chat' with me, and if I have treats that I try to give him, he tidbits for his girls to come. I try to hold my hand so only he can reach - but he pecks one sunflower seed at a time from my hand and drops it in front of his girls (and, he makes sure he drops at least one in front of each of his girls - so they all get some!) When there are plenty, and his girls have gotten some, he will sometimes then eat one or two himself. He is a good boy, and it is so nice to see a good Rooster doing what they are meant to do. How can you not love that??

BTW @RoyalChick wouldn't you just love to have a sweet, protective, smart man to add another dynamic to your flock - and to watch over the girls and warn them of foxes and hawks and such?!?!

Such a sweet and handsome rooster you have!

 

[featherhead007]

Another heartwarming story:
Today I was headed home from church. I saw a women’s wallet laying on the street as I drove by. I stopped and picked it up, looked through it to find any identification.
A ladies drivers license was in there, credit cards, hundreds of dollars in cash too, so I followed the address and returned the wallet to the brother of its owner. And I also gave him my phone number so she could call me back to let me know that the wallet is safely in her possession. She called me back minutes later to thank me and asked if I wanted to come to dinner sometime. I said, maybe another time I will take you up on that offer. A very happy thankful woman was in my day today! (And a little police work done by me ).

 

[bgmathteach]

I am so glad you kept him too! I love stories like this!

I let the birds out this morning, and while I was still down at the coop, Castor comes down the garden steps and meows at me...repeatedly...head back up...sure enough, he's tattling.....Blanche is helping herself to his food. Shoo her off, take eggs in...wash hands, Castor meows at the door...Twirp is there this time...2 mins later, he calls again and it's Cardhu. He decided to come inside with me. His food dish is still out there, but no more raids on it this morning even though there's still some kibble in it. Castor is sitting on the stairs, Sherlock's in the kitchen, and Twirp is getting a drink, all calm...for the moment. It's amazing how smart critters are!

This story and ones with my cat are so funny. Hey CLeo (or Castor!) it is just ONE chicken - you can fend it off! Nope - the chickens have acted as a group and chased her off - she is NOT messing
with them.

Honestly, with stories like these - it makes me wonder who is smarter - the cat for getting help from the human - or the chicken(s) for intimidating the cat in the first place? With CLeo, if the rooster hadn't sounded the alarm and led a charge of 8 chickens (himself & 7 girls) at the cat - she probably wouldn't have been afraid - I had never seen all of them work together like that before - it was an amazing sight. That rooster was a great/special rooster, too (Sir Lancelot) Unfortunately, his life was cut short by a large neighborhood dog - and all of his girls but my sweet Rosie. He somehow managed to break the fencepost ( a metal T post) and bend a second one - and got into the run. Rosie survived because she was in the coop proper laying her first egg. I still miss my dear sweet Rosie, and her very smart Roo, Sir Lancelot. I wasn't going to keep any roos from that first batch, but as a chick and young adult, he stole my heart and I kept him instead of hen #8 - that is how smart and sweet he was. Rosie lived to be 5 1/2, and died in my arms. I think that is why, though I loved her, I just can't bring myself to get another Partridge Rock (Yes, RM, that is why I was rooting for Pear to end up being head hen - Rosie was a kind but firm leader)

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

Another heartwarming story:
Today I was headed home from church. I saw a women’s wallet laying on the street as I drove by. I stopped and picked it up, looked through it to find any identification.
A ladies drivers license was in there, credit cards, hundreds of dollars in cash too, so I followed the address and returned the wallet to the brother of its owner. And I also gave him my phone number so she could call me back to let me know that the wallet is safely in her possession. She called me back minutes later to thank me and asked if I wanted to come to dinner sometime. I said, maybe another time I will take you up on that offer. A very happy thankful woman was in my day today! (And a little police work done by me ).

You are a good man!