Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Remembrances Continued

Get Off My Lawn
Lilly hated it when other animals invaded her yard. She took great pleasure in running through the doves that would gather under the bird feeders in the backyard and scattering them in all directions. It was hysterical and I wish I had video of her doing it.

Every spring before we pulled the cover off the pool, there were a pair of ducs that used to come and se our pool as a pond. They loved it because there was plenty of food available for them.

Chicken Food!

They were bold enough to go into the chicken run and eat the chickens food right out of their dish.

Lilly hated them.

She would chase them anytime they got out of the pool. She especially disliked the male duck. One time she was able to surprise him and got up onto his back. She rode that duck all the while trying to peck him in the head. I was sure she was going to hurt him when she finally fell off. What a site to behold.

Another time Mr. Duck was getting amorous with Mrs. Duck along side the pool. Lilly saw this about to take place and came sprinting across the yard. Just as Mr. Duck was climbing aboard, Lilly arrived and chested him right into the pool. Knocked him right off her back. Mr. Duck was a mess. He it the water on his side and rolled onto his head. There a was a lot of splashing as he righted himself. Lilly stood on the side of the pool just staring at him. Daring him to come back out.

Lilly also disliked squirrels. She would chase them relentlessly. She also would enroll others into her anti-squirrel campaigns. Her and Phyllis were quite the team. They once cornered a squirrel between the big run and the door. They had herded it across the yard working together and had it trapped. I feared that they might finally kill one. Lilly was pecking it in the head when Mr. Squirrel realized he could climb the door and escape into the run.

The squirrel thought it was safe in the run but Lilly and Phyllis had other ideas. Phyllis went to the big door on the other side of the run while Lilly waited for her to get into place. Once Phyllis was in place they charged in to get the squirrel from two sides. Mr. Squirrel started to panic again and started sprinting about. Luckily for him he was able to get past Phyllis, escape the run and climb the fence to escape the yard.

Not All Beak
I'm not sure that I have been presenting The Iron Beak in the nicest of ways. While Lilly was tough and she loved to chase other animals, including young chickens, she did have a best friend for who she really cared.

For whatever reason, Lilly decided that Sansa was to be her bestie. By the time Sansa arrived, Lilly was not really laying eggs anymore. So when it came time for Sansa to start laying, Lilly searched high and low to find her a good nest location. Here is one example that Lilly really liked in the vines.
View attachment 3805291

These two were inseparable. They spent hours together. They were never far apart. This picture has always represented their friendship to me. Two ladies strolling along as the sun set talking about their days and surly gossiping over the latest nonsense that Phyllis had gotten herself into.

View attachment 3805205

I truly felt for Lilly as Sansa passed first. You see her sadness in her lack of movement and interest in doing chicken things for a days after Sansa passed. I like to think that they are right now strolling along together just like in the picture above.

That was truly a delight to read even the sad part, I have been witness to my animals grieving the passing of their friends. My cat Velcro and our dog Newton were besties, raised together from puppy and kitten, when Newton died Velcro was inconsolable- she spent days wandering calling for him. She did live for many years after he passed but it just seemed she wasn’t as joyous.

I have had horses mourn their foals and their friends. Animals are just as capable as we are of empathy and grief, sadness and happiness, anger and revenge.

 

[rural mouse]

Ooooo - I have been told - ‘we are setting eggs on the 10th, so I will pick them up on the 9th’.

Seems my niece has a plan finally

So I have a week at most to get those silkies laying and being bred - come on girls get hopping! I’ll start collecting on the 29th, and then the n the 9th give her the best and most recent eggs, I’ll throw in a couple of Larry’s also.

@rural mouse the males will be barred correct?

Yes. Larry is barred. Mr. P is not. All cockerels should be single barred like their mother and all pullets should be solid....lemme check the genetics calculator but I think BLACK....unless they get the blue gene from Mr P's splash...

Calculator isn't pulling out the splash for some reason so ran Mr P as blue and again as porcelain. The splash would pop blue (both genders, doesn't change the barring). Porcelain will be black barred and black. Not sure which one he is but either way, the boys are barred, the girls are not.

 

[rural mouse]

No hens sadly

That explains why he's so willing to come to your place. He needs to NOT return home. Where he goes is up to you, but leaving him loose isn't an option.

 

[Ponypoor]

Yes. Larry is barred. Mr. P is not. All cockerels should be single barred like their mother and all pullets should be solid....lemme check the genetics calculator but I think BLACK....unless they get the blue gene from Mr P's splash...

Calculator isn't pulling out the splash for some reason so ran Mr P as blue and again as porcelain. The splash would pop blue (both genders, doesn't change the barring). Porcelain will be black barred and black. Not sure which one he is but either way, the boys are barred, the girls are not.

Good to know! This way I will know early on if the chicks are male or female - males will have a big white spot on their head if barred I think.

 

[rural mouse]

Those cheeks are so cute!
She certainly is a friendly little EE
Could this be my Canna reincarnation? View attachment 3805026

Is that the lightest one with a "smudge" on its head? What a darling!

 

[Ponypoor]

Yes. Larry is barred. Mr. P is not. All cockerels should be single barred like their mother and all pullets should be solid....lemme check the genetics calculator but I think BLACK....unless they get the blue gene from Mr P's splash...

Calculator isn't pulling out the splash for some reason so ran Mr P as blue and again as porcelain. The splash would pop blue (both genders, doesn't change the barring). Porcelain will be black barred and black. Not sure which one he is but either way, the boys are barred, the girls are not.

That is how they are getting those Midnight Majesty Maran hens, they are crossing the Marans on Barred Rocks for a Sex-link chick, easier and faster to tell the gender at day old - not sure how dark their eggs are next to a pure Marans though.

@SimpleJenn - how dark are the eggs from your Midnight Majesty Marans ?

 

[featherhead007]

Good to know! This way I will know early on if the chicks are male or female - males will have a big white spot on their head if barred I think.

Usually the bigger white spot means female. Has been my experience.

 

[Ponypoor]

Usually the bigger white spot means female. Has been my experience.

Oh - ok on that case I will keep a look out for that when and if they hatch.

 

[featherhead007]

They look like they are embarrassed by their circumstances. And is there a 3rd cat behind them?

Yes

 

[rural mouse]

Good to know! This way I will know early on if the chicks are male or female - males will have a big white spot on their head if barred I think.

It won't be a BIG, white spot. It will likely be a small white spot. They will only have 1 copy of the barring gene, so will be no more barred than their mother. If they had 2 copies they would have a big spot...and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference.