Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Themellowyellows]

Hatchery stock has the issue. RIR have recently been bred as production hens. But show ones are the traditional RIR and no, do not have that issue.
There is a good explanation on the Cackle Hatchery site. They sell two lines of RIR - a production kind and the traditional kind. They have them on their site as two separate ‘products’.

Alright thank you, wish my hens luck!

 

[BY Bob]

I'm so sorry you lost Sassy, and I'm sure she enjoyed every single moment you gave her during those two months.

I always feel particularly sad when I see a red hybrid layer die too soon of reproductive disease or cancer. Like so many chicken keepers, I began my chicken keeping journey with them and it's heartbreaking that just a little time after you discover how endearing they are, you find out that they have been made by humans with built-in obsolescence.

This was my experience as well. We started with leghorns and fell in love with those sassy ladies. But they just aren't able to live long lives. Much as I love them it's too heartbreaking when they die so young.

 

[BY Bob]

I am ever so glad for my mutts, but worry extremely about the Azurs, and those ‘coloured egg layers’. They seem healthy enough, but they are only young.

Hopefully the Orpingtons are not heavy layers and live a good long life like Hattie

Question: those Marans hybrids you have there, are they a hybrid to lay lots of eggs? How are they doing? I still would like a Marans but they are hard to get here; I can get a hybrid Marans but again they are bred to lay lots of eggs.

Lilly was a Maran and she lived over 6 years. She was not a prolific layer at any point in her life. Patsy also was not a prolific layer. She died earlier than Lilly but she was at least 4 if not older.

 

[BY Bob]

Mugs Monday after being gone for a weekView attachment 3911521View attachment 3911522
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The juveniles may be cute, but they are fighting a lot these days.
Pecking order is coming in!

Those are great!

 

[BY Bob]

I thought I'd lost my beautiful white chicken but here she is . Gleaming like a pure white Swan .
Who ever could misplace her
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She surely believes in camouflage.

 

[BY Bob]

I can jump in here on Marans and Marans crosses.
In my experience with both I am going to call them good layers. In peak laying conditions I get 5 eggs a week from them. Here is the catch though. With the exception of Daisy and Squirrel every single one of them are habitual broodies. They are also a pain in the butt to break. This is the first year I have broke everyone up, no one has given up easily. Holly my last original girl, is 4 and broody currently and already a week into it. Goose the Marans x Silkie, also broody and if left alone would be hatching chicks anytime. These broody breaks, even when they do not get to hatch as it takes them so long to break they get a 4 week or longer break from laying is good for them. I believe I will be fighting these broody girls for several more years to come.

Neither Lilly nor Patsy ever went broody. Go figure.

 

[BY Bob]

A Quick 2fer

 

[notabitail]

This was my experience as well. We started with leghorns and fell in love with those sassy ladies. But they just aren't able to live long lives. Much as I love them it's too heartbreaking when they die so young.

Felicitas the Cream Legbar also seems to be having egg issues here. She started dropping eggs off the perch and now she doesn't lay them anymore. I'm hoping that since she has issues with eggs she won't try and strain another one out.

 

[Themellowyellows]

2fer!

 

[RoyalChick]

I made good progress repairing my steps before being overwhelmed again by the humidity. Somehow I seem to have laid them out differently so I have a gap.
Hmmm.
Fortunately the gap is on the flat so it isn’t a huge issue. I think I may just find a big rock to stick there rather than cutting one of those blocks which is a big pain to do as I have to do it by hand.
Maybe a brick would work.
I also think I need to put some rocks in the steps to discourage them being used as dust baths which is what caused them to slide down the hill in the first place.

Step tax: my 2fer chickens waiting for the cabbage to swing back to them. They are so funny when it swings away!