Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Wishing you a belated but happy birthday Alex

Thanks Greg,

 

[featherhead007]

Thanks Greg,

They are having the party at church today. Everyone was sick last week.

 

[Sylvester017]

The black crowed yesterday morning.

The other has not crowed - I have no idea what gender - I wish now I had done the gender dna test.

Yep, bantams need DNA results for positive ID unless they are an auto-sexing at hatch bantam breed like BRs or Doms. Over 13yrs ago the homeschool mom gave us our first two Silkie babies and when one at 7 months was cockerel we had to give him back. Hence a scramble to find another juvenile female Silkie to pal around w/our remaining female Silkie! No fun raising/hatching surprises. Too too heartbreaking!

The day we made a separate enclosure for "Trumpet" awaiting his pickup ride away. It killed us to watch his pacing w/him wondering why he was separated and going away!

He was such a perfect gentleman letting the girls go first and always vigilant but his crowing was just too noisy and frequent. We aren't zoned for roos

 

[featherhead007]

My chicks ar just fascinated with my shirt that had buttons - they attack those buttons with gusto!

Mine love buttons too. They just can’t help themselves. They peck at each one.

 

[featherhead007]

Yep, bantams need DNA results for positive ID unless they are an auto-sexing at hatch bantam breed like BRs or Doms. Over 13yrs ago the homeschool mom gave us our first two Silkie babies and when one at 7 months was cockerel we had to give him back. Hence a scramble to find another juvenile female Silkie to pal around w/our remaining female Silkie! No fun raising/hatching surprises. Too too heartbreaking!

The day we made a separate enclosure for "Trumpet" awaiting his pickup ride away. It killed us to watch his pacing w/him wondering why he was separated and going away!
View attachment 3921794
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He was such a perfect gentleman letting the girls go first and always vigilant but his crowing was just too noisy and frequent. We aren't zoned for roos
View attachment 3921796

 

[ManueB]

Pony Sunday.

Mojo / Gribouille, the old ex-abandoned horse whose story I told, is back for a few weeks in the place he used to live. My neighbour Amelia, who abducted him about a year ago when she had her cows on pasture over there, has them grazing in that place again for the end of summer. So the horse is back in his old home, which he obviously remembers, with the cows. But now he is not alone, and Amelia goes there daily to milk the cows. He would never have survived there on his own this past winter, he is 31 now. It's a beautiful place but quite isolated. It was very strange for me to see him back there again. I will never forget finding his mare friend dead in the narrow canal.

On crated broodies, I have a mystery myself that needs at least Sherlock Aurora to look into. I have a new broody, Lulu, who like Calypso is extremely aggressive. I put her in the crate in the evening, because she aims for the same nest as Merle, who is the devil itself, and she tries to poke Lulu's eyes out.
Anyway yesterday I left her in this crate locked up. An hour and a half later I heard a big commotion. I ran to the coop. Lulu was on top of the crate. Water and food were spilled. But the crate was still locked.
I don't understand how she got out.
The top bars, not shown on the picture, are slightly wider, three inches square. But even if she could possibly have forced squeezed her way through how would she get to the top ?
Very strange.
View attachment 3915861

Also wanted to do a follow up on this post : I know how she did it, I saw her getting out of the crate this Friday. If I hadn't seen it I would not have believed it was possible.

Sitting on the perch she launched herself up until she had her head through one of the larger square on top (these are 10 cm /3.9 inches wide). Then using her head and neck as lever she pushed herself up and forced her body through, until she found herself on top of the crate. It really looked like some challenge in a reality show and like she hurt herself doing it, so needless to say she is not going in the crate anymore!

I've also found out something useful which is probably obvious to those of you who are used to aggressive broodies. They are like other broodies : when you pick them up and put a hand under their belly to makes them think they are covering eggs, it calms them down instantly. Thinking of Calypso !

Glad to get news from @ChicoryBlue and @GregnLety . Greg I'm sorry for your losses and hope your health issues will finally get better !

 

[Sylvester017]

I have lost track of time but I believe everyone is 8 weeks old now, maybe 9.

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Such a pretty bevvy of Silkies! How I LOVE them!

Silkies can be determined broodies but we've become accustomed over the years and their different antics don't surprise anymore. We've accepted broodiness & just deal w/it & learned what to do.

We like that Silkies can't fly out of the yard or into trees. They learn their flying limitations as chicks when trying to fly into your lap or trying to fly up onto a chair & missing. So we handle them a lot as babies and practice the Judges Hold w/ them. That way we can pick them up as adults for the cuddling & treats they want w/ the other hens that like attention.

On feathersite.com's Ohiki page at the very bottom of the page is a photo of a Judges hold on bantams. The hand slipped under the chest w/middle fingers between bird's legs while outside fingers press in to hold birds legs. We use our other hand to keep the wings down if the bird startles for any reason.
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/Longtail/BRKOhiki.html

The following show bird video helped us practice Judges Hold to know how to handle bantams when we do health checks too. We dont want to move a wing or leg incorrectly.

 

[Ponypoor]

From the outside of the closed coop two broody Silkies from yesterday trying to figure out how to jump into the open lid (for ventilation) nestboxes. So we had to move away the little resin side table or these determined broodies would try to jump into the nests & seriously drop to the ground if they missed.

Two minutes later Moorhead partridge Keiko was in a b*tchy mood & started an attack on Blue (gray) Betta ~ Betta is mild-mannered but she will defend herself. The two broody pullets were rolling on the ground in a fur-pulling claw-fight & DH was too busy pulling them apart to get fight video!

When my gals start fighting that’s how I know they are going broody - the old bats!

Those two are beautiful

 

[Ponypoor]

Pony Sunday.
View attachment 3921804
Mojo / Gribouille, the old ex-abandoned horse whose story I told, is back for a few weeks in the place he used to live. My neighbour Amelia, who abducted him about a year ago when she had her cows on pasture over there, has them grazing in that place again for the end of summer. So the horse is back in his old home, which he obviously remembers, with the cows. But now he is not alone, and Amelia goes there daily to milk the cows. He would never have survived there on his own this past winter, he is 31 now. It's a beautiful place but quite isolated. It was very strange for me to see him back there again. I will never forget finding his mare friend dead in the narrow canal.
View attachment 3921816

Also wanted to do a follow up on this post : I know how she did it, I saw her getting out of the crate this Friday. If I hadn't seen it I would not have believed it was possible.

Sitting on the perch she launched herself up until she had her head through one of the larger square on top (these are 10 cm /3.9 inches wide). Then using her head and neck as lever she pushed herself up and forced her body through, until she found herself on top of the crate. It really looked like some challenge in a reality show and like she hurt herself doing it, so needless to say she is not going in the crate anymore!

I've also found out something useful which is probably obvious to those of you who are used to aggressive broodies. They are like other broodies : when you pick them up and put a hand under their belly to makes them think they are covering eggs, it calms them down instantly. Thinking of Calypso !

Glad to get news from @ChicoryBlue and @GregnLety . Greg I'm sorry for your losses and hope your health issues will finally get better !

The old boy looks good.

Mojo / Gribouille Has had good luck it seems with his abductor

I can believe your broody escapes that way, I have seen my chickens squeeze through some really tight places, and fly up into spots they shouldn’t be able to fit! Makes me shake my head.

 

[Sylvester017]

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Princess is still here but not eating layers at all. I have to hand feed her now.

You probably know this already but Princess may not be eating layer feed cuz she doesnt need extra calcium if she's not currently laying eggs.

We offer non-layer feed for everyone w/ side dishes of oyster shell ~ hens eat what their bodies need when they need it. That way all hens have regular feed while the laying hens will eat the oyster shell in addition to regular feed.

Our birds go frumpy and lose appetite during moult. Sometimes we're not aware they're moulting cuz they dont go bald & it's not till we see new pin feathers that we realize they've moulted!

Whatever reason in Princess's case at least she's eating some other foods from you. As long as a hen eats I'm always relieved.