Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ChicoryBlue]

In a few weeks I will be heading off to Africa and then Europe and then Asia.
I am anxious enough about leaving animal care to others for such a long time without having to worry about babies as well.
And that is not even counting the fact that I have Marek’s in the flock (that is what killed Eli) and so introducing unvaccinated chicks risks their lives.
So no. Not gonna happen.

Maybe you should branch out to ducks. Check out this picture of Cayuga ducks! All black! So much green sheen!

 

[rural mouse]

Maybe you should branch out to ducks. Check out this picture of Cayuga ducks! All black! So much green sheen!
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Requires 2 reactions.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Getting ice here again. Took the problematic netting down already yesterday, think the remaining frame will be okay like it was last time... The chooks have been in and out under it all day yesterday and today in between the pulses of bad weather. If I'm proved wrong then they'll just have to be locked up when it ices.

 

[Ponypoor]

Yesterday

Forgive the long post and general grumpiness. It was a bit of a miserable day yesterday and I need to let off steam.
For context, I had agreed to do some project work - come out of retirement for a few days over the next few weeks - and yesterday was one of those days.
It was a good choice of day because the weather here is atrocious - someone forgot to turn off the faucet in the sky. I have running water in the Chicken Palace run again and everywhere is just mud.
I spent the day glued to my computer - either doing stuff for the project or on video calls with the people involved.
I barely got a break, and certainly not one long enough to go out and visit the Princesses. In good news, it reminded me why I retired!
I glanced at the cameras a couple of times - but only enough that I knew a bear hadn't wandered by and destroyed the whole structure.
It was not until I was in my PJs after a long day, that I looked at everyone roosted and realized I was missing a Princess.
And as you saw from my post last night - she (Tassels) was to be found looking very broody in one of the nest boxes. I pulled 4 eggs out from under her (one was hers) and went back in.
Once back in the dry, I looked through the video footage for the day and what was revealed was a high level of drama going on with the Princesses.
The whole event seems to have started at about 6:30am with this encounter. All you experts - that looks quite odd to me - does it look like broody behavior to you? She left the coop with Babs, but returned later and went into the nest box where I eventually found her when I went out at night.

The drama was the other Princesses. It was like a crowd gathering at the scene of a crime. Everyone wanted to look in to the box she was in. Some even squeezed in with her for short periods. As they gathered outside they all were shouting excitedly about the event going on inside.
Piglet and Sylvie were particularly interested and must have visited the nest box at least 30 times while the cameras were on!
They were certainly not giving Tassels any peace and quiet to contemplate the meaning of life.
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Yep sure looks like what my ladies do when they are broody.

Looks like the others are all eggcited to see what she is doing, and you do know it’s contagious, right?

That’s likely why Sophia went broody last year she saw the others and thought ‘hey let’s drive our Hooman crazy’!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Russ is on mine and dad's hit list today. Decided this morning he needed to scratch his butt on the stall boards and then sit on it afterwards. Needless to say it broke and also partially dismantled the big roost. Got the stall almost fixed then we have to redo the roost entirely. I have yelled at him several times that instead of fixing a stall I should turn it into a chicken coop.

 

[Ponypoor]

Getting ice here again. Took the problematic netting down already yesterday, think the remaining frame will be okay like it was last time... The chooks have been in and out under it all day yesterday and today in between the pulses of bad weather. If I'm proved wrong then they'll just have to be locked up when it ices.
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Oh no! I hate ice so dangerous. I sure hope this is the last of it for you, be safe.

 

[notabitail]

Nooooooo!
I cannot add babies this year whatever the Princesses have to say on the matter!

You're a servant. Shouldn't the Princesses decide?

(If you can't hatch any, that's ok. I get it).

 

[notabitail]

Do they have names? If so, then the rules of chicken math say that you don’t have any. Just like @Ponypoor has no chickens at all!

You don't have any either

 

[Ponypoor]

Russ is on mine and dad's hit list today. Decided this morning he needed to scratch his butt on the stall boards and then sit on it afterwards. Needless to say it broke and also partially dismantled the big roost. Got the stall almost fixed then we have to redo the roost entirely. I have yelled at him several times that instead of fixing a stall I should turn it into a chicken coop.

It’s all that old winter hair it’s itchy! I screamed at Truly three times last night; little good it does. She loves scratching her arse on the hay netting, and the stall wall just creaks and groans as she puts all her weight and strength into it! At least my chooks have the good sense to run away when she starts that!

Oh and I did turn Truly’s big 10x20 stall into a coop it’s now the Summer House! And Truly gets a regular 10x10 stall now.

The chooks love hanging out in her stall for some reason.

Stall tax

Fluffy and Henny in the Summer House yesterday morning.

 

[notabitail]

I did the math a while ago.

It’s all that old winter hair it’s itchy! I screamed at Truly three times last night; little good it does. She loves scratching her arse on the hay netting, and the stall wall just creaks and groans as she puts all her weight and strength into it! At least my chooks have the good sense to run away when she starts that!

Oh and I did turn Truly’s big 10x20 stall into a coop it’s now the Summer House! And Truly gets a regular 10x10 stall now.

The chooks love hanging out in her stall for some reason.
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Stall tax

Fluffy and Henny in the Summer House yesterday morning.
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Didn't know I need a back scratcher for chickens.