Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Success today. The game rooster from next door came over and was inside the run eating our chooks feed. Rudy (my Wyandottey rooster) beat the pizz out of him and sent him home.

At such a young age? Wow, good lad.

 

[featherhead007]

Throw him something over that fence. It only takes a minute and he'll be much happier.

I don’t want to start doing that. He could accuse me of something if his birds became sick.

 

[Ponypoor]

Our feed store has brooders easily accessed by customers or their bratty kids and they can sneak picking up cute chicks and carelessly return them to a wrong brooder pen so the next customer better know their chick breeds before purchasing cuz the feed store doesn't take "returned chicks" if a customer gets a misplaced brooder chick.

Here they are behind a fenced enclosure; they did the same at TSC in Niagara when I was down there couple months ago. You need a store associate to assist with access.

 

[featherhead007]

A little song to start my day

Africa

Sounds like my Wyandottey when he crows!

 

[rural mouse]

Cool enough (and clear enough thanks to yesterday's rain squalls) to sit out and enjoy the morning, and my coffee.

The close ish hill was hazed over yesterday. The mountain behind was completely invisible. Wonderful, glorious, cleansing rain!

Visitors

Preening party

Tiny visitor

 

[Ponypoor]

Hmmm, instead of 'Phantom of the Opera", it was 'Phantom egg Fairy"????

Well, I guess you have a federal/felony case, then! It is a federal crime to tamper with mail!!

Ooooo! Mystery on the Lavender Eggspress

 

[Ponypoor]

Great picture!

Her beak is wicked sharp! And hurts! She pecked my ankle - ow!

 

[featherhead007]

Ooooo! Mystery on the Lavender Eggspress

Clever!!

 

[Ponypoor]

I found a plane to take me. Thanks to security pulling some guy off and so there was a spare seat!

Meanwhile, back at the Chicken Palace, Pooh is heading to lay an egg. She is the only one using the nest boxes these days!
View attachment 3906307

Gotta luv security

I am sure you are 37,000’ in the air now safe journeys

 

[Ponypoor]

Good morning. I'm dropping in to say hello and see how you are all doing.
@BY Bob how are you? Again, I am so sorry that you lost Phyllis. She brought a lot of joy and laughter to BYC.

I lost my 9yo Lucy Langshan this summer to a predator while we were in the back yard.
Lucy was the best mother hen.
It took my joy away for a few weeks, but my spirits are better now, though I still feel guilty for not keeping her safe.
LucyView attachment 3906331
I stepped in a hole a few weeks ago. I heard my back popping but life went on, as we had a lot of company that weekend. By Tuesday I couldn't walk and was in a lot of pain. Turns out that all my L discs are bad to extremely bad so now I have to take better care of my back and be more careful in general.
Anyway, while I was laid up, one of my little girls managed to hide eggs. There were two dud eggs, so this baby is alone with just mama. Not ideal.
View attachment 3906329
I had said no more babies because I have Mereks in my flock now and do not want the baby chicks to suffer or die. I'll do my best to keep this one healthy with extra nutrition.

And for educational purposes, I'll tell you all how I ended up with Mereks. A year ago, for my birthday, my daughter asked if she could buy me some bantam pullets ( for my frizzle cochin boy) from a breeder. I checked out the breeder. She had a NPIP certificate. My daughter brought me 3 beautiful little pullets. One is a silkie mix, one a cochin, the other a silkie cochin mix satin. They look and act perfectly healthy to this day, but a couple of months after they arrived, I let them brood. I started loosing young chicks from 6 weeks to 6 months old. I lost almost half of the chicks who hatched last year. Turns out the NPIP does not include testing for Mereks or Avian Leukosis, two of the most devastating poultry illnesses.
The moral of this story is do not bring adult chickens into your flock. Quarantine is not always effective because they may have an illness that doesn't show.

Hope you’re feeling a bit better today with your back