Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[SimpleJenn]

Oh poor boy. I wish you were near me, I would help catch him. But yes, your flock comes first. I sure would be tempted to hatch the egg from the lady he bred though.

 

[RoyalChick]

First video, he is crowing down by the barn. Bubba is aware and is watching the girls.

It did not take him long, here he is. Bubba is watching and Trampy Judy is thinking of heading his way.

The Interloper

Off the hill he comes.

He is bold and not afraid of Bubba.

The fight was short, sweet and to the point. He gave way to Bubba and ran off. Neither boy was hurt. Again though, idiot phase, he will be back to wash, rinse and repeat. Bubba has age, experience and size on his side. Bubba also has not been 100% and with this heat I do not need him exerting himself defending his flock. The interloper, young, fit, stamina and stupid. If he does not get the point quickly he could cause Bubba to give himself a heart attack in this heat.

I have to take care of him and I have to do it soon. I do not have the grace of time to try and catch him to rehome. My boys well being and safety comes first.

Way too hot for Bubba to be exerting himself.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Thursday evening I agreed to help Rosie clean out Russ's stall. I get out there and my Branch let me know he wanted to sit in my lap and held. So I did. I held my little buddy for 30 minutes while Rosie did the stall herself complaining the entire time. She was playing music, and me and Branch both criticized her song choices and her stall cleaning. Once it got almost dark as she was finishing up Branch hopped down and put himself in the coop for the night. I have held fast to that memory this afternoon and evening while I was working at the concession during the horse show. I could not fall to pieces. I am home now, and I am shattered. I had my first hawk attack this morning. My buddy, my best friend, my tv watching Monkey Man was the one taken. It killed me when I lost Drumstick, but this, this hurts worse. Through my tears I am staring at 6 little Branchlets. Please, please let one of these be a boy. I do not think I have prayed so hard for a rooster chick ever.

Rest in peace Branch. The last 2 months you have been stand offish since you have taken over the brunt of rooster duties now that Bubba has slowed down. Thank you, thank you for chest bumping my leg Thursday evening in your way of telling me you wanted picked up.

My Monkey man Branch
5-15-2021-7-6-2024
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Oh no not Branch Awful news, I’m so sorry Rebecca!
RIP Branch.

I hope you do get at least one wee Monkey Man in the chicks!

 

[featherhead007]

I have done all I can for the birds. Water parks, water supply stations, anytime feeders. But the temperature is very hot here now.
I fear for their safety. They refuse to come inside the house.

 

[featherhead007]

I have done all I can for the birds. Water parks, water supply stations, anytime feeders. But the temperature is very hot here now.
I fear for their safety. They refuse to come inside the house.

 

[BY Bob]

Frustration and Repeated Cleaning

The mums were driving me nuts today. They kept filling the waterer with straw and scattering the food all over the place. I must have cleaned the waterer 4 times. I was getting desperate and was thinking of what I needed to do differently. I put in a different food dispenser and was trying to figure a solution for the water supply.

Then, out of the blue, they stopped doing it. I watched them on camera all day. Around dinner time I finally figured out what they were doing.

The straw in the coop was too deep for them to teach the wee ones. They were clearing it out of the way. They were then scattering the food on the coop floor to show them how to scratch and find food!

This photo shows the area they were able to clear.

After dinner tonight I will clear the coop of the excess straw so they can use the whole coop to teach them.

Smart Mommas!

 

[Ponypoor]

So one Sussex hen didnt hatch any chick so she's co-parenting w/ the white hen's chicks? Those chicks are adorable!

Isn’t it wonderful to see the two of them sharing both their chicks so adorable, and such good first time mamas

Glynda and Lady Featherington were raised together so they are like sisters - these two chickies will be raised as sisters too (they better be little girls ).

 

[Ponypoor]

Frustration and Repeated Cleaning

The mums were driving me nuts today. They kept filling the waterer with straw and scattering the food all over the place. I must have cleaned the waterer 4 times. I was getting desperate and was thinking of what I needed to do differently. I put in a different food dispenser and was trying to figure a solution for the water supply.

Then, out of the blue, they stopped doing it. I watched them on camera all day. Around dinner time I finally figured out what they were doing.

The straw in the coop was too deep for them to teach the wee ones. They were clearing it out of the way. They were then scattering the food on the coop floor to show them how to scratch and find food!

This photo shows the area they were able to clear.

View attachment 3885746

After dinner tonight I will clear the coop of the excess straw so they can use the whole coop to teach them.

Smart Mommas!

I put my feeder and waterers up on brick pavers - keeps the shavings and straw out of it.

Try that, also I put two 4x4 beams I cut in 2’ lengths together for the larger waterer.

 

[Ponypoor]

Lady Featherington is not a Sussex, she is a Jubilee Orpington. She hatched the Polish chick, multicolored. Glynda is a Frost Legbar and she hatched the Orpington chick which is yellow. They each have one of their own but are coparenting so far.

It’s wonderful to see them together, just like Fluffy and Curly did with theirs last year

 

[Ponypoor]

This is beautiful, thank you for posting it. I am jealous, you have something special happening. I can praise my girls, I have never had a bad momma. None of my girls will co-parent even if they hatch at the same time. They fight each other, run off chicks that are not theirs and stake out their own patch in the back yard as their own jurisdictions and woe to the one who crosses boundaries. Those 2 chicks will be spoiled with 2 momma's. 2 is a perfect number, there is competition to encourage them to eat well. I have had momma's raise single chicks and while they did good, without competition they grew slower. I look forward to watching them grow and learn their names.

You will get your chance for co-broodies with the silkies - Fluffy and Curly frequently go broody together.

I don’t think Marty would share being a co-broody, and I haven’t had be broody since over a year. Oh drats did I just say that out loud?!