Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

I wonder if I could find "My Life is Murder" on youtube. That sounds good

Try this link:

My life is murder season 1 episode 1

 

[Ponypoor]

Jaffarra is one special hen, that’s for sure.

And she’s very shiny

 

[Ponypoor]

Made myself a sandwich for lunch. Apparently even my cheese is getting into the Halloween spirit View attachment 3963829View attachment 3963832

You need to post this on the caption contest site

 

[featherhead007]

I’m feeling Blue today, and she feels very soft!

 

[Ponypoor]

RC, what ever you do try, to hatch chicks, I do sincerely wish you the best of cluck!

Alex is frisky this morning.

 

[Ponypoor]

TV Tax

Jaffarra - 3 times I tried to take a pic, each time she would move hahaha.

 

[SimpleJenn]

He will be like Mr P I bet, a lover not a fighter, he sure is getting really mottled isn’t he

Just be careful they don’t get carried away and start picking at his fancy coiffe and breaking the feathers - they bleed like crazy!

Both of my boys seem very chill. Polish roosters have a reputation for being very gentle so hopefully they are!
And yes, I have a pot of blue food coloring at the ready if they start over-picking head feathers! Ric Flair won't let the hens anywhere near the top of his head since he's pins and needles up there!

 

[Sylvester017]

I had a hawk visit today and sat in the tree for about 10 min, then flew away - wow did the chooks kick up a huge fuss! Good chook-chooks. I went and rescued poor Patches who was literally frozen in one spot under the tree. The hawk flew off at that point. I don’t think it could take the bigger chooks, but those youngest chicks are still small.

Then the Blue Jays had fun buzzing over top of them all day hahaha. They would fly low over the chooks causing them to run like crazy, then the blue jays would sit in the trees cackling I swear they did that on purpose.

Have you noticed the hawks might sit in a tree or on a fence to watch chickens but if the flying hawk doesn't have a long aerial space to grab prey w/its talons it doesn't bother to engage in ground stalking chickens? Any thoughts/observations?

A farmer oddly had a hawk sitting on a perch in his enclosed chicken run yet w/all the chickens in the run the hawk did not go after one hen ~ just stupidly stared at them ~ not enough flight space for it to swoop & grab w/its talons in flight. I believe that may be why hens run to the trunk of a tree to interrupt a hawk's flight space near the tree base?

We have had vulnerable Silkies for almost 14 yrs & never lost one chicken of any breed to a predator. I can't help feeling that aside from ground shelters/plants we did good to hinder hawk flight space by erecting a couple large patio roofs, several popup canopies, planted citrus & Pomegranate trees, plus use lawn furniture (bences/chairs/tables) as hawk flight deterrents. We once saw a Cooper's juvenile sitting on top of our Adirondack lawn chair but it didn't go down to the ground to seek out the hiding hens ~ there simply is not enough flight space for hawks in our backyard. Hawks will not go after our hens hiding in the dried up tomato vines in the garden beds & you know how easy it would be to pick off a 2-lb Silkie!

Obviously our climate doesn't support Blue Jays but we have obnoxious House Sparrows that are mean little suckers! Sparrows chase off House Finches, Yellow finches, Brewers Blackbirds, they are fearless to swarm & attack a single sweet Crow or Black Phoebe or Mourning Dove! They will kick out eggs or kill nesting hens to take over other bird's nests ~ just vicious little beasts. They're constantly warring amongst themselves too. They have no melodious song either just raspy shrill monotonous chirps. At least our resident Mockingbird has a melodious repertoire when he sings.

 

[Sylvester017]

Happy Mugshot Monday everyone

Here is the sassy look that Tassels gave me while I was giving her a lecture about how it was time she stopped being broody.
View attachment 3964889

But guess what? She was actually paying attention to my lecture. For the first time in a very long time she went to roost with the others last night.


Now we have to see if she tries again in ten days time as usual, or if she recognizes that it is winter.

She's a glistening beauty! Good luck w/her broody. Our lives are always dealing w/ broodies ~ we have Silkies!

 

[featherhead007]

How long does it take for an EE to get old enough to lay?