Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

Sure has been humid and hot everywhere this summer, this morning it was so warm in the barn I am seriously thinking of letting the chooks roost were they want.

Which is likely the hen house anyways… need more fans…

I've taken @RoyalChick s advice. I have my fan on in my bedroom tonight

I hope I can sleep

Good night fluffy butt's

 

[SimpleJenn]

More coast pictures please. I really miss the ocean! I’m kinda land locked here in the valley. Pismo beach is two hours away by car. Or 30 minutes away by plane.

Never been to the ocean, never even saw in person!
We do have the great lakes though and I've been to Michigan (lived a little over 2 miles away in the city), Huron at the Mackinac border, and Superior.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Shep is broody and is getting picked on. Hubby is taking it personally

Handfeeding her first

Telling Kasumi she sucks for bullying Shep

Everyone at the table. Liara is also picking on her now, but she's higher in the pecking order anyways. Ash never bothers anyone, she's just here for the food.
I told him that I can break her broody this weekend and she will likely get her place back. But when it comes time to integrate, if Kasumi draws chick blood again we will eat her. I can understand pecking order, not chasing down and hurting chicks who are in no way challenging you.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Also, so much for "They're your chickens babe, I don't really care about them at all."
Then today he was acting as chicken bouncer while I spot cleaned the maternity suite for the broodies and babies.

 

[Ponypoor]

babies!!!
We woke up this morning to 7 lil puffballs. Morinth has 4 and Samara has 3.
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Samara and her 3 wee floofs.
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The proud mamas
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I'm leaving the last egg until the evening in case it's just lazy. No pip and it had gotten tucked into a blue eggshell somehow so...we will see. I'm so happy with 7 though! And proud of the hens!

Gosh how adorable

Congratulations! Well done mamas!

 

[Ponypoor]

The littles are MAD this morning. They are ready to go outside. 1 problem with that little ones. It is downpouring. They have food and fresh water, but they need space and are letting me know it with their protests. Just as soon as the rain lets up I will go get the coop ready. I already got soaked once to go check and yup, coop is partially flooded. Thankfully the creek is not rising and it has been raining hard for over a hour. There is nothing worse then breaking a chickens routine, even chicks. They know by 10 every morning they are supposed to be outside and come in at dark. Don't ask me how they know, but they do. By 10:30, the angry loud screaming started.

Yep mine know when I get home from work! I can hear them start crowing as I drive in, they must hear my truck and recognize it. Smart birds!

 

[Ponypoor]

Shep is broody and is getting picked on. Hubby is taking it personally
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Handfeeding her first
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Telling Kasumi she sucks for bullying Shep
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Everyone at the table. Liara is also picking on her now, but she's higher in the pecking order anyways. Ash never bothers anyone, she's just here for the food.
I told him that I can break her broody this weekend and she will likely get her place back. But when it comes time to integrate, if Kasumi draws chick blood again we will eat her. I can understand pecking order, not chasing down and hurting chicks who are in no way challenging you.

Awwww I do that also

The key to having babies and adults together is to provide lots of barriers they can get under away from the adults, also sight barriers so they can get out of the eyesight of big bad adults.

Make sure no place to get caught in a dead end, and multi levels they can hop up on.

My adults will peck mine, but they learn fast which ones to stay away from. But the only way they can learn is by being out in the gang. Mine get integrated as soon as they can run away - about a week or 10 days. I always monitor them but try not to get involved. Tis the way of the chicken.

Also, so much for "They're your chickens babe, I don't really care about them at all."
Then today he was acting as chicken bouncer while I spot cleaned the maternity suite for the broodies and babies.

Awww your hubby has it bad

You need to get him a nice lawn chair to sit in with a cuppa tea (ok a beer), and let him watch them peck and dig about - it’s very therapeutic!

 

[featherhead007]

Never been to the ocean, never even saw in person!
We do have the great lakes though and I've been to Michigan (lived a little over 2 miles away in the city), Huron at the Mackinac border, and Superior.

I always think about the Edmond Fitzgerald tragedy, when I think of the Great Lakes. Very cold water in those waterways.

 

[SimpleJenn]

@Ponypoor We're building some obstacles soon. We definitely need more run clutter before we let them integrate.
I like to sit on my folding chair out there and talk to the birds about whatever I am reading. I should see if hubby wants to do that too.

 

[Ponypoor]

I always think about the Edmond Fitzgerald tragedy, when I think of the Great Lakes. Very cold water in those waterways.

Very wild weather in November - we get a reverse wind, the land is cold and water warm so the winds become off shore (winds go from the land to the water), and of course with nothing to stop the winds on the water, and the huge expanse of those lake, the wind just howls! That’s what they call the witches of November.

And also why we get a crap load of snow, the cold air on the warm water get laden with moister and when it crosses back onto the cold land drops it as snow. And those snow squalls can be ferocious! I saw a whopping 130cm of snow in one 24hr period. My yard stick disappeared! That’s over 3’ of snow, I couldn’t go anywhere, hardly made it to the barn, the horses couldn’t get outside, poor Lulu got stuck in the snow it was up to her belly! I had to dig her out to get back to the barn.

Thankfully my neighbour had a snowblower on his tractor he did my driveway, up to the barn and made a path for the horses from the barn to the hay feeder winter is always such a pain.

January 2024
Hardly any snow last winter.

I am sure the chooks were happy about that!