Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

It's funny how they react. I've seen chickens display a lot of emotions. It's part of what makes them so special.

Yes they are very complex creatures

She would love a barn. So much to explore!

Horses, I can't say.

you know her name means ‘loves horses’ or something like that welsh isn’t it?

 

[Ponypoor]

Truly update

Well we walk a bit stood a bit then she started getting interested in her hay, so she is now in her stall and i am back at the house.

I will set my clock for an hour from now to check on her. But she has her face in the hay net as usual.

Oi boy, these animals are going to give me grey hair! At least the chooks are good - knock on wood!!!

 

[BY Bob]

Fluffy Butt Friday

A wee rooster rump - Teddy
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Marty ignoring Teddy
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A young rooster rump
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And a lovely grey pullet derrière
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Great bums!

 

[notabitail]

Is Aghathae near the bottom of the pecking order? I've heard that can be a problem, they don't have enough "rank" to be deemed worthy of raising chicks, Josephine could be telling her to stop.

The other element to consider is that any chicks she raises will inherit her rank.

What I understand, is if she goes broody you need to take her off the nest twice a day to eat, drink and bathe, & give her time in each session to safely get out of the trance and do those things. (Protected from others if she needs protection.) Some people also tempt them with some food and water near them on the nest.

I don't have personal experience with any of this. Not happened here yet.

I don't think she is, but things have changed and been really chaotic. I've seen fights happening in the Bigs, and since Abigail died I haven't been able to really figure pecking order out. It may be that Josey just wants Agathae to shut up and quit clucking and bothering all the others.

I plan to make sure she has a way to get out at all times for food, water, and a dust bath. From what @Shadrach says if she does that, and flaps her wings while screaming, she will be healthy.

 

[notabitail]

It were me, I would order up some day old pullet chicks say 4 of them and give her. That way you wouldn’t have to deal with Roos.

I'd get as few as possible. If I'm going to order some it'd be Speckled Sussex. Abigail would be proud.

 

[notabitail]

Aurora attacked Phyllis the first time she went broody. She went as far as to drag Phyllis off the nest and destroy it. I had to put wire up to protect Phyllis.

Josey also had a egg and seemed grumpy. I'll see how she is tomorrow. She did throw Agathae out of the top. If Agathae stops being broody I'll have happy parents, but I'm sure Agathae will take my advice to get drunk on Batty Ol' Hens' Broody Tincture in May instead of March or April.

I noticed that when Dominica fence fights if Felicitas has had enough of the banging around she'll walk over, grab Dominica, and smack her hard (in which case I'm fine with it since the fence fighting never stops, even though I hope they integrate each other without hurting themselves someday).

 

[BeastBaby]

I am starting a new bag of feed today.
I got Kalmbach Full Plume Feather pellets. It is 20% protein like what they had before but is a layer feed so has the extra calcium.
Hopefully they will like it well enough. It smells quite yummy like the other one but maybe not as strongly. I didn't immediately get hungry when I opened the bag, which always happened with the other one.

Hmm, one of my bags of feed is running low so I need something new. Update us on what the princesses think of this bag! Maybe I’ll go this same route since I’d like to up the protein count around here.
I sure like that they use the (oft used) tag line “all natural”, even though I can’t pronounce most of the ingredients. I wonder if it’s the spent brewers corn that smells delicious.

 

[BeastBaby]

Truly is colicky

Came out late to feed and do chores and found Truly down in her stall, I wasn’t sure what was going on but just wanted to watch her, she got up after a about a minute.

So I did chores and fed as usual, but Truly just didn’t seem right, so I have her some pain meds figuring she was achy with her arthritis.

She wouldn’t eat her hay but I figured I would just keep any eye on her.

Back at the house I logged back on to the camera and she was down again and rolling - so back to the barn I went. I got her up and started walking her a bit to stop her rolling. Horses can get a twisted gut if they have gassy distended bowels.

So here I sit now in the dark with Truly standing quietly in the alleyway me on my lawnchair watching over her. As long as she is quiet she can stand there calmly.

Meanwhile I will sit here freezing!

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Yep that’s Truly and I in the alleyway.

Oh no! Is the plan to stay there all night? Truly is so lucky to have you.

 

[notabitail]

Fluffy Butt Friday.
@BY Bob
Guess what this is?

 

[Ponypoor]

Truly update

Well we walk a bit stood a bit then she started getting interested in her hay, so she is now in her stall and i am back at the house.

I will set my clock for an hour from now to check on her. But she has her face in the hay net as usual.

View attachment 3773253

Oi boy, these animals are going to give me grey hair! At least the chooks are good - knock on wood!!!

Truly update 4:00hrs

Up and eating yay!

Chooks are also sleeping - why they all insist on cramming together I don’t know,..