Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

Happy birthday!

TY!!!

Happy birthday to you! You forgot your own birthday? You’re not that old yet!

TY!!! DH had to remind me the day of ~ he likes to celebrate my Bdays weeklong every year so I lose track of the specific date teehee!

 

[Sylvester017]

I am going to weigh him this weekend. He weighs a good chunk that’s for sure!

It's amazing the different sizes roos are ~ from tiny Sebrights to Jersey Giants!

 

[Sylvester017]

I like that she is keeping the swarms of song birds out of the backyard. I'm very pleased that she kills them. I don't need bird flu coming for a visit.

Or feather lice. Before we had chickens we rescued a Sparrow chick that fell out of its nest & was totally infested w/feather lice ~ not a way to start out its new life. To me, Sparrows are a scourge compared to other types of wild birds ~ they are nasty to other birds & chase off finches. blackbirds, Phoebes ~ Sparrows squabble amongst themselves, kill other nesting birds & throw out the eggs to take over the nests, & they aren't afraid to swarm a Crow on the ground by flock-pooping on the Crow so that its wings are too wet to fly away from the Sparrow swarm. Sparrows don't even have melodious voices, just shrill angry raspy noisy annoyances!

 

[TOMTE]

Or feather lice. Before we had chickens we rescued a Sparrow chick that fell out of its nest & was totally infested w/feather lice ~ not a way to start out its new life. To me, Sparrows are a scourge compared to other types of wild birds ~ they are nasty to other birds & chase off finches. blackbirds, Phoebes ~ Sparrows squabble amongst themselves, kill other nesting birds & throw out the eggs to take over the nests, & they aren't afraid to swarm a Crow on the ground by flock-pooping on the Crow so that its wings are too wet to fly away from the Sparrow swarm. Sparrows don't even have melodious voices, just shrill angry raspy noisy annoyances!

You should do some more research on sparrows, specific species and stuff. Have you ever heard the white throated sparrow, the song sparrow, the dark eyed junco, the eastern towhee, the vesper sparrow...? Those are just a few with beautiful songs around here!

They're not really as mean and destructive as people tend to think, either. Plus, some birds have learned to recognize sparrow eggs and, if laid in their nest, will sometimes either push the sparrow egg out, or build more nest over it so that it doesn't develop. Nature has its own balance. Sparrows do what they need to do to survive. Especially now, with songbird numbers steeply declining!

 

[Sylvester017]

I was looking all over for a tamed roo, but couldn’t find one that didn’t have issues. I took it to The Lord, and looked on Craigslist. I found Sir. Jaffar in the gardening and livestock section. He lived right down the road from me across the river on a ranch where fighting cocks were raised. He had no ladies of his own there. I call it a blessed providence, that God had brought us together. He had a wonderful life right up until the end. He died protecting his ladies.
He was already named when I got him. He came to me as Jaffar, and left this world as Sir Jaffar, chosen by Queen Aurora as a knight of her majesty’s court. There is a whole written history here in Fluffy Butt Acres historical documents. Maybe I will share it again someday. It still hurts me greatly because he’s now gone.

Names are significant. I came on this thread about the time he was babysitting your newest chicks so I got a lot of Sir Jaffar's story & his heroic end. So many owners lose their best roos defending the flock & that's why they are great roos ~ doing their best at what they're meant to do. Some birds are just there in the flock & you love them but then there are others that stand out in our memory.

 

[TOMTE]

Some tax, Friday Fluffbutts

Look at Gytha's tail! You could almost mistake her for a cockerel. Everyone else has bare butts, except for her and Magrat LOL

 

[Sylvester017]

You should do some more research on sparrows, specific species and stuff. Have you ever heard the white throated sparrow, the song sparrow, the dark eyed junco, the eastern towhee, the vesper sparrow...? Those are just a few with beautiful songs around here!

They're not really as mean and destructive as people tend to think, either. Plus, some birds have learned to recognize sparrow eggs and, if laid in their nest, will sometimes either push the sparrow egg out, or build more nest over it so that it doesn't develop. Nature has its own balance. Sparrows do what they need to do to survive. Especially now, with songbird numbers steeply declining!

Many beautiful Sparrows I love, yes. But the House Sparrow is not a songbird, & is our specific scourge here & not a melodious shoot of other Sparrows ~ found out they aren't even an indigenous species here but were brought here as cage pets & like many irresponsible humans released them (or escaped) into the outdoors many centuries back & thrived much to the bane of other nicer species. We also now have flocks of Green Parrots that escaped a local Arboretum decades ago & now they adapted, multiplied, flock & screech across our skies every morning & evening but they definitely are not indigenous here either. Humans really contribute to the imbalance of Nature.

 

[Sylvester017]

I have a huge disdain for an advertisement on the TV about a poultry factory farm and how they ‘enrich’ their hens lives.

I scoff every time I see the Ad. Wish I could email them and tell them get real. I use that Ad to educate people on the sad lives of layers.

Our friend worked for years trying to rescue battery hens from a farmer in her area but most of the time he refused to give them to her for fear he'd get reported for animal abuse! The hens they managed to rescue never saw grass before, confused, till they learned what a chicken does naturally.

 

[TOMTE]

Many beautiful Sparrows I love, yes. But the House Sparrow is not a songbird, & is our specific scourge here & not a melodious shoot of other Sparrows ~ found out they aren't even an indigenous species here but were brought here as cage pets & like many irresponsible humans released them (or escaped) into the outdoors many centuries back & thrived much to the bane of other nicer species. We also now have flocks of Green Parrots that escaped a local Arboretum decades ago & now they adapted, multiplied, flock & screech across our skies every morning & evening but they definitely are not indigenous here either. Humans really contribute to the imbalance of Nature.

The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a songbird, but maybe you haven't heard their song and have only heard their calls, or just didn't recognize the song as coming from them. Unless you just find their song grating but I think it's pretty and melodic, if a little simple (to our ears). Plus, songs and calls probably vary by region and population.

They are invasive in many countries, being native to Eurasia. Not their fault and I think they're beautiful little birds still, but yes human carelessness caused their spread over the globe, and they are one reason why native songbird numbers are declining.

Tax

Sybil at about 4 weeks

 

[RoyalChick]

Some tax, Friday Fluffbutts

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Look at Gytha's tail! You could almost mistake her for a cockerel. Everyone else has bare butts, except for her and Magrat LOL

And using their little shelter too!