Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Desertvalleychickens]

That was one windy day! Love your roo's and the whole dang flock! Your Dom boy is so impressive!

Thanks!

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

I love your videos. This one was a bit long for me to watch all the way through, but I do enjoy how you manage to catch them going about their daily business as if you weren’t there.
Nicely done.

I agree, this one might of been a bit too long. Thank you though!

 

[Ponypoor]

Thank you! Ill tell them!

R+ is positive reinforcement, using treats and clicking to make the horse feel like he/she did a job well done.



More tax!? Fine! Im running out of photos lol, lets save the horse talk for tomorrow lol!


View attachment 3896856
Chi-rex giving the side eye lol!

I love that name

This year I called two of my chicks Lavern and Shirley. Turns out Shirley is a Shorty. Darn another Roo to deal with

He’s a Midnight Majesty Marans, a hybrid that Hoovers sells, they are a Black Copper Marans Roo bred to Barred Rock hens. The chicks should be auto sexing by colour - Roos will be barred and the hens black.

So when little men here started to show barred pattern and that comb and now wattles well I just about cried.

So another Roo to rehome.

I am hoping and praying my baby silkies are girls. Though I am fearful that Clyde-ette is a Clyde.

Clyde-Ette (because she had feathers like a Clydesdale on her legs as a wee baby)

And Georgie Girl

 

[Ponypoor]

Took these on the way homeView attachment 3896828You can see the smoke rising.

View attachment 3896829Closest point on the drive. And one of the helicopters working on it. Hotshots are here and they have a Wildfire No Parking billboard up about 7 miles farther up for those headed the other way.

TaxView attachment 3896835

Oh darn that seems close

Be safe RM.

 

[Themellowyellows]

I love that name

This year I called two of my chicks Lavern and Shirley. Turns out Shirley is a Shorty. Darn another Roo to deal with

He’s a Midnight Majesty Marans, a hybrid that Hoovers sells, they are a Black Copper Marans Roo bred to Barred Rock hens. The chicks should be auto sexing by colour - Roos will be barred and the hens black.

So when little men here started to show barred pattern and that comb and now wattles well I just about cried.
View attachment 3896863

So another Roo to rehome.

I am hoping and praying my baby silkies are girls. Though I am fearful that Clyde-ette is a Clyde.

Clyde-Ette (because she had feathers like a Clydesdale on her legs as a wee baby)
View attachment 3896864

And Georgie Girl
View attachment 3896865

Aw I am very sorry! I had to rehome some of my hens to, its hard! Haha love those clyde legs!

 

[Ponypoor]

Aw I am very sorry! I had to rehome some of my hens to, its hard! Haha love those clyde legs!

The hens I wouldn’t have an issue rehoming around here. But Roos are not overly wanted. I am not sure what I will do with the little monster.

 

[Ponypoor]

Hmmm looks like some of the tweens and Mr LC are roosting in Hen House B. Good to know they will roost in there.

But I will put them back on the Summer house…. Still haven’t don’t chores yet.

 

[Sylvester017]

Oh I am sad to hear she passed but glad she passed with love and care.

Truly is 22 but she has been a hard case since birth. She and I have had many a battle. Now she has bad arthritis in her hocks and her back. She can’t get up very well when she gets down so she is sleep deprived. She has fallen in the stall when falling asleep standing up many times.

It’s a huge worry to me, if she were to fall and break a leg in the stall. I keep a close eye on her using the cameras.

It's so hard when our babies worry us. And arthritis is so inevitable on older humans and animals .

 

[BY Bob]

That's a great idea, thank you so much !
It's funny I didn't think of it at all, because I've done exactly that with Chipie, but for another reason. A few months ago she began to have strange fits thrashing and throwing her head backwards all the way. I thought maybe it was a form of wry neck and since she is so tiny and bullied by everyone, maybe she wasn't getting enough nutrition. So I began giving her special food every morning; I lock her up in the coop while I clean it, just after opening for the chickens, and she gets a small bowl of scrambled eggs, almonds and peanuts, whole rice for selenium.
First I did that because it was the only way to give it to her since she is such a wild little thing. But she has gotten really used to it and now she follows me around whining really annoyingly in the morning if I'm not quick enough to give it to her !

She has also become much more familiar. I appreciated that when I had to catch her a few days ago because she was pecked in her right eye. And she hasn't had any more fits so hopefully it helped.
View attachment 3896170

So I think it's a great idea for Alba and Nieva. I am going to start in the evening when they are all on the roost. That way I won't be swarmed by the other chickens and I hope it will teach them to be less afraid if I have to catch them off the roost. Blueberries are hard to come by here and we don't eat cheese crackers but I'm sure I'll find something .

We're pretty stand offish and don't handle them unless necessary, but if I get more chickens one day maybe I'll do like you. I have one chicken, Laure, who is even more afraid than the leghorns, bigger, and more feral and I dread the day I will really need to handle her.
Yes, it's amazing to me how different they are in their relationship to humans. In our last batch of chicks, there were three true sisters, raised by the same human weary broody. Mélisse is really familiar, will easily jump on us for food and doesn't mind at all being handled ; Lulu likes us, hangs around talking with us, but hates being picked up, and Annette is very aloof and hard to catch. Genetics and environment are identical and yet they have really different temperaments.
I've seen chickens change both ways throughout their life. Some became closer to us and some who were very sweet and funny as youngsters became afraid getting older.

Getting back to the discussion about eating chickens, this realisation made it hard for me to eat any meat, even farm raised- I keep thinking if my first hens who came out of a battery had such strong individualities, and develop specific relationships, why would a cow or a pig be different ?

I have kept two roos who don't get along, Gaston and Théo, in the same coop, and at some point in the same yard, although now Théo free ranges. It was hell for months, then it worked out nicely for about a year, and now it has been getting really bad again since about three weeks.
For it to work, one roo needs to accept that he is not dominant.
When Théo finally understood Gaston was stronger, he conceded and did not try attacking anymore and Gaston more or less tolerated him.
This may mean they have to fight until one cedes. But it's hard as you do have to separate them if the wounds gets too bad or they risk a heart attack.
In my case, what triggered Théo again to attack is that three hens started free ranging with him outside, and his ego went straight to the roof. He has somehow become obsessed with Merle and when she decides to go back with Gaston, he goes crazy and will go attack him.
Maybe Bert has been having some success with the ladies, maybe he got to Mr P.s favorite hens...

Part of the aggressive behaviour is ritual. Fence fighting involves a lot of pretending. I think it really depends on the roosters temper. Théo has a bit of game blood I think and he is extremely aggressive. Gaston would let him go even though he is way bigger and stronger.
Mr LC is so small he likely plays in another category and should quickly realise he can't fight with Mr P.

My cockerel Pied Beau, who is now a bit older than one, has been rehomed in a multi rooster flock and they don't fight because Pied-beau is at least twice the size of all the other roos and he has been dominant as soon as he arrived. There are six males there now. The two bantams stick with one another, there's a lone shy Araucana who has just two hen friends, and two cockerels. Sometimes these two fight one another but never really seriously.

If I could find a nice home for Théo, maybe I would think of rehoming him. But he is too unfriendly to humans and people around here would quickly have him for dinner.

Piou-piou hangs out with Théo but these days he has only eyes for Merle.

The many varied personalities help to make them the fascinating creatures that I just love to watch. Today's fight video is only available because I was filming how the mums and littles were working with the main group. I had never seen that before and just got lucky with the camera. I love capturing them on film and looking back to see what may have been going on. Their motivations are fascinating.

 

[BY Bob]

FBA chicken Synopsis
14 to 20 July.​

Link to last week's synopsis.

Again, a lot of cute chick action for this week's synopsis ! They are all growing so fast.
We said goodbye to the young and beautiful Cinnamon and sent good thoughts for her human family, knoturavggrl.

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@BY Bob :

Versace and Aster mugs !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27884779
Happy 6th hatch day to this beautiful lady .
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27886877
Her party is delayed so that Eve can be there and due to the heat, can't wait to see that !
Chick flick video in the heat :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27889227
Co-mothering allows very interesting dynamics, and seems to work well.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27891595
Looking like a leghorn...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27892806
Happy Friday !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27894476
Chick camouflage, how chic !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27895045
Oh no, Sydney ! Aurora shows again what a good queen she is.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27895442
A good explanation of how heat plate work for chicks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27895768

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@bgmathteach :

A very informative post about sexing with feather shape.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27881652
How to create a grazing frame :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27892807

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@Desertvalleychickens :

Storm and tax : https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27884155
After the storm.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27885073
Beautiful Tuefer seniors :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27888099
Get a taste of free range in the desert with this long but beautiful video.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27890496

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@featherhead007

Just some cute tax https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27882239
And again tax for being a nice guy...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27885630
Remembering the best rooster there ever was.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27886101
Wyandottey roo, special time :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27886361
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27886363
Alex finally found the heart to share Knight Jaffar's peaceful resting place.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27887263
The littles went exploring and gave him a scare :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27890341

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@fuentemoon :

Babies grow up so fast !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27893879

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@Grandma The Chicken :

Did you know chickens like classical music best ?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27880435
Grandma watches music videos but not if they contain dark or horrible sequences !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27882010
Tax :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27882025
Good evening/morning!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27888686

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@knoturavggrl :

Fly high, beautiful Cinnamon.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27889765
Finally some cooler weather and beautiful flock pictures :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27891709
Beautiful Fluffy butts ! Check out Lore's - if I was a hen I would follow that fluff to the end of the world !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27894105

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@LaFemmeKatia :

Hens stopped laying after 4th July fireworks.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27880432

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@Marie2020 :

The picture may be blurry but what a sweet pair.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27881076
Good morning Princess!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27882239
Princess tries to lay an egg.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27883445
Princess shows her muscle. Better not mess with her !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27891497
Princess had a spa :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27893829

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@notabitail :

Two for Tuesday..but it's Wednesday!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27890101
How about mugs for Monday ?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27890111

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@Ponypoor :

The six weeks old school chicks : Georgie and Clydette.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27881641
Rain ! And postponing working on the roof.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27883016
Bert needs to go ; he got into a brawl with M. P .
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27883605
And Mr LC is getting feisty
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27884491
Monday mugs :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27884774
Bert picture. He is good with the hens but how sad that he won't get along with Mr P.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27886091
The two broodies have quit at last.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27891161
Thirsty Thursday :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27892635
Kelly handles all her chickens, so they get used to it.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27894158
The situation with the two roosters almost caused a puppy drama .
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27894868

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@RebeccaBoyd

Siri doesn't like Randy : video
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27885181
Randy and Booba
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27885199
Randy mugs
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27885199
Game bantams are more cold hardy than one would believe:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27885310
A Tuefer, grieving for Branch, on a nice summer morning.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27886955
Poppet is broody :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27887138
What it was like growing up with meat chickens and pigs.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27889793
All silkies are smart...but Branch was truly special.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27892256
I have a polkie !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27892075

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@RoyalChick :

What an interesting mug !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27884621
A big scare from across the world...for nothing!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27888897
An interesting fluffy butt, and rather pretty too !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27893660
Good news for the weekend :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27895203

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@rural mouse :

New pullet eggs ! But from whom ?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27888668
Sherlock and the river...a wonderful story.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27890024
Criminal idiots tax :
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27891146
Egg stash
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27893057
Quite a scare for Violet ? or Hyacinth ?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27893394

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@SimpleJenn :

Happy chicken maths- two pom-pom chicks and a lot of hatching eggs!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27880753
All set for the eggs and the chicks !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27881326
A better look at the two polish babies
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27881579
Update on the broodies and the incubator
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27882733
Building an outdoor chick brooder
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27883059
Broodies and chick's settings
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27884917
Scrambled eggs
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27885685
How sad ! Kiddo turned the incubator way too hot
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27886220
A good deal of the incubator eggs turned bad. So...chicken maths- happened ...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27892380
Babies pic !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27892690
Babies again, a pile of babies !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27893676
Moving in their outdoor brooder
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27894390
First night went well. Shep is very interested by the chicks !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27895588


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@Sylvester017 :

Story continued : 2016-2017, sad years.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27886241
Think twice about eating fast food chicken
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27887350
Once a hen reaches six, she may have long years ahead, like this pretty lady !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27886910
Just like people, some chickens are more social than others.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27893501
Silkie play in a really cool water set-up
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27893585
Explaining the set-up.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27893730
Fluffy Dominique butts !
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-27895177

Thanks for doing this for us all.