Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[TOMTE]

The more I look at mastiffs the more I think it is a mastiff breed, at least mixed with one. The face, the stance, and its neck looks pretty muscular

 

[SimpleJenn]

Much as we all fear them because of our chickens, both owls and hawks are magnificent birds.
I have owls here - I need to look up what kind. I hear them hooting at night.
But I assume I am too far south for snowy owls.
My cameras picked up a disturbing new potential threat.
Any of you knowledgeable folk know what kind it is?

Boxer type dog with cropped tail in my opinion

 

[RoyalChick]

You're right. It does. Docked tail, so rottie, Dobie (too sturdy), one of the spaniels (likely due to the wavy fur), ummm what other breeds have longish fur and a docked tail? (Weimaraner has a short coat)

With your proximity to wild life, I went straight there (obviously).

Yes. And I never get unknown dogs.
I have one neighbor who breeds labs and another who has three Old English Sheepdogs. Both have electric fences.
The sheepdogs sometimes come over but are unmistakable given their size and that the three of them are very roll poly together.
The labs are very well controlled and never leave their homes.
Once, maybe five years ago I had a strange dog come. It was clearly elderly and confused. It was followed by a very apologetic guy who said his dog wandered off and he had been trailing after her to bring her home.
If it is a new neighbor with a new dog, I want to figure out who, to warn them about my chickens and ask that they keep it under control.
The wildlife preserve people (NJ Fish & Wildlife) will also not be happy about a dog on the loose.

 

[TOMTE]

Um... Hello?

You're not a chipmunk!

I love opossums, they're so cute. And softer than they look. Their little hands are adorable! Dad and I let this little beastie go down the road yesterday. Just stay away from my chickens, please!

The first of the shelters for around the yard is... not quite done but done enough to put out there! Piled branches up around it for now, until dad and I are able to finish it. We built it with some of the scrap wood we have lying around, and I had a lot of fun with it! Excited to finish it and build more!

 

[RoyalChick]

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Um... Hello?

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You're not a chipmunk!

I love opossums, they're so cute. And softer than they look. Their little hands are adorable! Dad and I let this little beastie go down the road yesterday. Just stay away from my chickens, please!

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The first of the shelters for around the yard is... not quite done but done enough to put out there! Piled branches up around it for now, until dad and I are able to finish it. We built it with some of the scrap wood we have lying around, and I had a lot of fun with it! Excited to finish it and build more!

I love the yard shelters! Giving me all sorts of ideas.
I will try and get pictures later - but I am trying to create a living gazebo for the chickens using saplings that self seed. They are invasive and so I chop most of them down but I saved a few and have been binding them together to create a shelter. If it fails I will just remove them.

 

[Ponypoor]

Shortly after moving here, went for a walk with then 12 year old YS. Heard rustling sounds so kept looking in the dry grasses along the road for rabbits. Suddenly a HUGE, white, barred bird swooped out of the trees on one side (less than 10 feet in front of us), skimmed no more than 12 inches (30cm) above the road, across the road, into the trees there, and was gone. Not a sound to be heard. He turned to me with eyes the size of dinner plates, "Was that a hawk?" "No, that was an owl."

Got home and started looking it up: youngish female snowy owl. It was a warm February day and we haven't seen or heard one since.

Have seen a long eared owl getting hassled by hawks while sitting in a tree farther out in the same area latter in the early summer.

Tax
View attachment 3965546Late afternoon pullet adventure to eat some pea tree seeds supervised by a slightly older Nimbus.

Is that frost on the grass there? Where the chooks are grazing?

 

[TOMTE]

I love the yard shelters! Giving me all sorts of ideas.
I will try and get pictures later - but I am trying to create a living gazebo for the chickens using saplings that self seed. They are invasive and so I chop most of them down but I saved a few and have been binding them together to create a shelter. If it fails I will just remove them.

That sounds amazing! I might want to try something like that at some point There are tons of invasive autumn olive bushes here that we're slowly working on culling, those are the branches I used to cover the shelter. The branches are super pliable when young so it would probably be pretty easy to weave them together, but they also have thorns so I don't like handling them more than necessary.

Maybe I could do something like that with lilacs. It would be really pretty, smell amazing, and be great shelter for the chickens once it's grown big enough! Orrrr common ninebark because it's native here, so better for native birds and bugs

 

[Sylvester017]

Your garden is chicken heaven, a lovely place for them

TY ~ our small cottage property has been easier to manage than a farm but I do miss the glorious charms of your spacious farm & other owners' chickeneering in suburban, wooded, mountainous, hilly, or desert farms. The variety & people are also really something to appreciate on this thread!

 

[RoyalChick]

That sounds amazing! I might want to try something like that at some point There are tons of invasive autumn olive bushes here that we're slowly working on culling, those are the branches I used to cover the shelter. The branches are super pliable when young so it would probably be pretty easy to weave them together, but they also have thorns so I don't like handling them more than necessary.

Maybe I could do something like that with lilacs. It would be really pretty, smell amazing, and be great shelter for the chickens once it's grown big enough! Orrrr common ninebark because it's native here, so better for native birds and bugs

I am still just starting but it is beginning to form an arch and there are several more shoots I can tie together to expand the covered area.
I didn’t plant anything, so I was constrained by finding two that grew close to each other.
I use the long ties you sometimes get around produce in the supermarket to tie the shoots together. The shoots don’t die when they are tied, but a new leader takes over.
Eventually I will prune off any lower branches that obstruct the cave.

 

[Sylvester017]

I have found here that it depends on how much actual grit they have access to, they will use the oyster shell as grit if non is handy. They feed I use has ‘limestone granite’ mixed with the feed so they are ingesting that as they are eating. That is then their source of grit and calcium.

Yes, grit is important ~ for baby chicks too. Whenever we had chicks we put out dishes of grit for them. Our baby chicks took dust baths in their grit, the silly's!

Grit in square white dish for baby Dom's (2017)