Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

We'll just wait until she's not looking.

Someone always is...

 

[rural mouse]

How about this?

Taxes

 

[bgmathteach]

It is not for my sake - I speed read/skim and can always put you on ignore to make that even easier.
Just remember we have lost many people from this lovely community because they found the thread was getting cluttered with chatter.
That is sad, and you should not feel proud about making it worse.
There are many other threads where chatter is encouraged.

Chatter tax: broody Sylvie not entering into the spirit of being a jail bird. She seems to be making the 2x4 into her nest and it is hard to cool her down in 95° temperatures. I really am curious to know if the dunk in water method works.
View attachment 3869896

A colleague of my husband uses the 'dunk in a bucket of water' method (they don't have any roosters, so no fertile eggs to brood). He says it works. Occassionally, he will have to dunk them twice ( two seperate days), but he said usually one dunking works. He leaves them wet to slowly dry off - so it 'cools them' for a bit as the water evaporates. That said, he has only done it when temps are okay for them to be wet. For what it is worth - he said it works for him.

Given how warm it is (Is it humid where you are? It is here atm.) and humid, I am not sure just how much cooling off it would create unless the water was pretty cold. I did not ask him about the temperature of the water - but it stands to reason the water should be on the cooler side (cold tap water?).

 

[RoyalChick]

A colleague of my husband uses the 'dunk in a bucket of water' method (they don't have any roosters, so no fertile eggs to brood). He says it works. Occassionally, he will have to dunk them twice ( two seperate days), but he said usually one dunking works. He leaves them wet to slowly dry off - so it 'cools them' for a bit as the water evaporates. That said, he has only done it when temps are okay for them to be wet. For what it is worth - he said it works for him.

Given how warm it is (Is it humid where you are? It is here atm.) and humid, I am not sure just how much cooling off it would create unless the water was pretty cold. I did not ask him about the temperature of the water - but it stands to reason the water should be on the cooler side (cold tap water?).

I have been reading a bit more about it and like everything in the chicken world it has advocates and detractors.
Some people use icy water in a bucket, but others warn that could kill the chicken from shock. So not going to do that!
Others just use cool water and some don't dunk but empty a bucket over the hen and leave her to preen herself dry.
So I am not sure whether to try one of these or not.
Sylvie has an almost completely naked chest where she has plucked her feathers and she is very hot in that spot. I wonder if I could use a spray bottle and spray her front with cold water rather than tipping a bucket over her.
Hmm.

 

[Ponypoor]

Someone always is...View attachment 3870030

Oh is that the silver laced Wyandotte?! Wow ! Lovely

 

[Ponypoor]

I have been reading a bit more about it and like everything in the chicken world it has advocates and detractors.
Some people use icy water in a bucket, but others warn that could kill the chicken from shock. So not going to do that!
Others just use cool water and some don't dunk but empty a bucket over the hen and leave her to preen herself dry.
So I am not sure whether to try one of these or not.
Sylvie has an almost completely naked chest where she has plucked her feathers and she is very hot in that spot. I wonder if I could use a spray bottle and spray her front with cold water rather than tipping a bucket over her.
Hmm.

And then there are my old bats caught in the tropical deluge here this afternoon and it didn’t stop them.

Just made Whiskers madder then a wet hen

Now I know where that saying comes from.

 

[fuentemoon]

I know right?

But what if all they need is a dark night to adjust, wake up and taadaa babies?! They would be such good mamas as they are high ranking hens.

What if ya am taking that away from them?

But I truly cannot risk the babies and the stress to me worrying. So no I think I shall not try again.

I have given it some thought and I want to be I control of them. Gosh these birds are going to be the death of me!

I always heard night was when you should give chicks. I waited until full dark to transition mine.

 

[Ponypoor]

I always heard night was when you should give chicks. I waited until full dark to transition mine.

I am so stressed now that I am just going to raise them myself, it’s nice they have fit in with the two remaining silkie chicks - they were very lonely today. It’s actually rather fortuitous I did get them, the poor silkies were just Missing their other chickie friends.

These new ones are chicks I will resell when they are a few months old. I will also sell some of the bigger chicks I have; I will keep Sweetie and Butters (2 buff Orps), Jaffara (Americana) and Pepper (aka Larry 2 the BR) the other buff Orp and Americana I will sell along with the chicks I got today .

Then there is the little OEGB bantam who I am almost sure is a cockerel- he will need to be rehomed. The little pullet I will keep.

When all is said and done I will up my count by 7 this year. We lost Larry, and what with all the old ladies I have here who knows what may happen to them.

It as it stands now I am at my limit, no more will be added to the flock for at least a couple years.

 

[RoyalChick]

I am so stressed now that I am just going to raise them myself, it’s nice they have fit in with the two remaining silkie chicks - they were very lonely today. It’s actually rather fortuitous I did get them, the poor silkies were just Missing their other chickie friends.

These new ones are chicks I will resell when they are a few months old. I will also sell some of the bigger chicks I have; I will keep Sweetie and Butters (2 buff Orps), Jaffara (Americana) and Pepper (aka Larry 2 the BR) the other buff Orp and Americana I will sell along with the chicks I got today .

Then there is the little OEGB bantam who I am almost sure is a cockerel- he will need to be rehomed. The little pullet I will keep.

When all is said and done I will up my count by 7 this year. We lost Larry, and what with all the old ladies I have here who knows what may happen to them.

It as it stands now I am at my limit, no more will be added to the flock for at least a couple years.

Never say never!

 

[Ponypoor]

Never say never!

Nope I am at capacity here. The old girls are no problem but those young pullets and hens drive me crazy with their hormonal fits.

Even Betty has joined the crazy bats society - I hope she doesn’t go broody.