Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

Sometimes you just got to know when to admit defeat and call in professionals.

Yellowjackets have been terrible this year. I have never saw them this bad. It is not just us, it is everywhere around. I've saw news reports that Kentucky, West Virginia and Tennessee are horrible.

We knew there was a nest under the porch. We assumed it was under the ground. We have tried everything, homemade traps that were effective. Mom bought some kind of powder to kill them but no matter how many we killed there was still a insane number of the demons on the porch. We have not used our front door for over a week. This evening we had a exterminator come out. We were fighting a loosing battle. He found the nest and it was not under the ground. They had built a huge paper nest in our insulation and around the floor boards. The nest was removed and destroyed, and some kind of chemical sprayed for them. We were then assured that the few that remained would move on in the next 24 hours now that they do not have a nest to come back to and defend. If they are still a problem in a few more days he will come back out and look for another nest under the floor at no cost.

What a nightmare.
I've only had the tiny moths and fungus flies to deal with. The flies bite like crazy but these yellow jackets must be hell to cope with.

 

[Marie2020]

Did someone say mystery?

View attachment 3935854

This is so darned cute

 

[Marie2020]

Who's gonna turn out our best detective?! Was this a contest?

 

[micstrachan]

Bedtime

Glynda had started teaching the littles to roost at night last weekend. Lady Featherington had been roosting on her own with Sydney.

I was worried what might happen tonight as we all know Aurora does not leave others alone at roosting time.

Would Aurora chase them around?

Would they wind up in the Cluckle Hut with Hattie?

Here is how roosting played out tonight.
View attachment 3932970

Lady Featherington is roosting with them. Looks like she stepped up to help them out.

This is beautiful. THIS is why I love chickens so much. Such emotionally intelligent little feathered gems.

 

[rural mouse]

Gorgeous picture! Gorgeous hen. I wish you had posted this a few days sooner - I would love to have this picture included in a calendat!!!!

ALL of those (from mid July) pics were portrait rather than landscape. I spent the last couple of weeks of August TRYING to get good landscape pics.... (no blurs)

Rose's head....

Blur...and Hetty and whichever RIR tail that is both moving off camera at the RIGHT moment....

Come on, girls! FREEZE

Epic...and blurr....Daisy, you've been learning from Blurr and Focus haven't you!

(((Sigh)))

Aarrrgh!

From the July shots...blur and portrait... I give up on calendar shots for the moment.

 

[rural mouse]

Each had 2 brown eggs. Glynda only had 4 eggs and 2 hatched. I brown 1 white, I thought, but I did not take pictures. The white egg was the polish that did not survive so to me that left the brown egg. But maybe I'm not remembering correctly.

Somehow I had it reversed in my head: Aster hatching under Lady F and Versace under Glynda.... the polish that didn't survive was unmistakable as a Polish, so the brown egg is definitely Aster's....which throws out the Isbar idea entirely. Those were on the same site as you got the Polish eggs with the brown coming from the other place.....where ZERO of the listings match what we see in Aster.

Is there ANY chance that Aster managed to hatch under Lady F?....No, that doesn't explain the egg shells. 2 white egg shells and 1 brown.....2 polish chicks, 1 not.....

Puzzler....will keep mulling ideas on little Miss Terri Aster.

 

[rural mouse]

What a nightmare.
I've only had the tiny moths and fungus flies to deal with. The flies bite like crazy but these yellow jackets must be hell to cope with.

Bigger than honey bees, can sting repeatedly, bite also, attracted to meat (so they show up at barbecues, picnic, and other outdoor events with food involved, and can be MEAN.

 

[Ponypoor]

I had a huge nest in a bank in my front yard. They are terrible.

Bee tax
View attachment 3935771

Gosh she sure is getting her colour in isn’t she? What a beauty And just love that topknot

 

[Ponypoor]

Somehow I had it reversed in my head: Aster hatching under Lady F and Versace under Glynda.... the polish that didn't survive was unmistakable as a Polish, so the brown egg is definitely Aster's....which throws out the Isbar idea entirely. Those were on the same site as you got the Polish eggs with the brown coming from the other place.....where ZERO of the listings match what we see in Aster.

Is there ANY chance that Aster managed to hatch under Lady F?....No, that doesn't explain the egg shells. 2 white egg shells and 1 brown.....2 polish chicks, 1 not.....

Puzzler....will keep mulling ideas on little Miss Terri Aster.

I am quite eggcited to see colour egg she lays. I am hoping for green

 

[Ponypoor]

LEGHORN!!!

Exchequer Leghorn - gosh I would
Love a couple of them also