Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Awesome!
Did you spy many stranded bugs getting “rescued”?

No bugs yet too cold still (which makes me wonder how their legs and feet don’t freeze!), but worms and tender green shoots of grass they love to eat.

 

[BY Bob]

This was a wonderful tribute. Both funny and touching. I read the duck part aloud to my partner because I was in peels of laughter over Mr Duck getting rammed off Mrs Duck

It really was something to see.

Hysterical.

Well, maybe not for Mr Duck.

 

[rural mouse]

I also would have thought that, but what I have read states BR. But I bet they have bred them to be sex-linked with the dark eggs.

Cuckoo Marans are also barred so the sex-link still works. And the link @janiedoe shared says they're basically the same gene. At a guess, Australian breeding terms vs American breeding terms.

 

[knoturavggrl]

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.

What a beautiful tribute, she was a solid and capable leader and full of personality. One of the things that drew me to this thread is your account not just of keeping chickens but of the chickens themselves and their uniqueness.

Until I started my own chicken adventure I had no idea they were such characters! This and all of your stories really do capture their quirks and personality characteristics.

In short you are a wonderful storyteller and thank you for sharing these memories.

 

[BeastBaby]

Honestly, I’m afraid of that brooder heater now. 11:30 pm I heard one of the tiny ones screaming herself to death. I awoke from a sound sleep to find my little gold and black one soaking wet and ice cold. The heater wasn’t warming up so I reset it. I had to use Jaffar’s blow dryer to get her dry again and she calmed down. She’s got some powerful lungs to be loud enough to wake me up! I think I will try to return the heater to TSC tomorrow. It’s unreliable in my opinion. The little lady thinks so too! Poor little thing.

Oh no!!! How on earth did she end up soaking wet? That’s cause for alarm for sure.
More importantly, what were the other chicks doing? Were they calm and gathered under it? If so, it was working. Remember it won’t feel outrageously warm in the brooder because the plate isn’t meant to warm the air.

 

[featherhead007]

Oh no!!! How on earth did she end up soaking wet? That’s cause for alarm for sure.
More importantly, what were the other chicks doing? Were they calm and gathered under it? If so, it was working. Remember it won’t feel outrageously warm in the brooder because the plate isn’t meant to warm the air.

She was wet by stomping thru the water dish. When I checked her the heater was cold to the touch and she was very cold and miserable. I’m taking the heater back today. If I have to wake up to reset it, it’s not working for me.

 

[notabitail]

She was wet by stomping thru the water dish. When I checked her the heater was cold to the touch and she was very cold and miserable. I’m taking the heater back today. If I have to wake up to reset it, it’s not working for me. View attachment 3805674

Get the brinsea one. I have one and that is the one that works. It didn't shut off in the middle of the night either.

 

[Marie2020]

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.

Together

 

[Marie2020]

Princess enjoys the sun

Wet mucky princess

 

[notabitail]

Princess enjoys the sun
View attachment 3805688

Wet mucky princess View attachment 3805687

She needs to change her pants .