Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

Phyllis loved slugs. She ate them all the time.

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Phyllis is gorgeous but as for that diet omg

 

[Marie2020]

You are silly.

Didn't you know
I'm always right

 

[Marie2020]

Slugs ARE disgusting & my chickens won't eat them either they are so sticky to touch or eat ~ yuck! Ducks have no problem making fast feasts of slugs/snails but our chickens leave them alone! I sometimes use Sluggo around my garden beds ~ supposed to be safe around pets. Otherwise I go after a rain using long handle tongs to pick up all the slugs & kill them in a pail of Sluggo pellets otherwise they'll just keep breeding more.

Our hens use the dog houses we set out in the yard but the houses also attract slugs hiding underneath the houses in the wet pools or damp earth.
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Eww .I've just gone off duck eggs

 

[Marie2020]

She's a celebrity status I wouldn't want for my kids. I'd rather see my kids love animals instead.

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DD's rescue dogs



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Adorable little creatures

I have to utmost respect to anyone that adopts and not shop for their animals

 

[Ponypoor]

Phyllis loved slugs. She ate them all the time.

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She would like escargot I am sure hahaha!

 

[ManueB]

Being outside in nature... And, have any of you ever heard of grounding/earthing/rooting? It's the practice of taking some time out of your day to stand with your bare feet on the earth. It can do wonders for not only emotional health, but physical health too!

Thanks for the article, it was really interesting. Yes, I heard of it, it's gotten quite fashionable in my country and there are organised outings to get people barefoot in the forest. But I had never read anything about anti-inflammatory effects and physical healing !

I used to spend a good amount barefoot when I lived by the sea. But here I really don't because this old property has so much junk buried. Rusty nails and glass pieces. Oh and scorpions, wasps and other stinging species are another issue.

Spoiler: off-topic on the weighted blanket

I find that really interesting. There was a technique much used in psychiatry here in France before it was made illegal in 2016, called packing or pack, with autistic and psychotic children and teens when they had crisis. It consisted of wrapping them up in icy damp sheets, the idea being that making them very aware of their body limit brought them back inside (sorry if I'm not explaining this right, it might not translate well from french to english !) ...It was quite shocking but also effective and there were some very conflicting opinions about it when it was forbidden. Some thought it was a better option than sedation. I guess a weighted blanket would work in the same way but on a much softer and pleasant manner, a bit like holding someone tight for containment. Do you know if it's helpful for everybody ? Like a hug ?

Which reminds me that splitting logs also helps me get back into balance

Whow whow ! I can't split log. It's not only that I'm not strong enough, but I've never managed to aim right.
I think it's very grounding for my partner though .

Molting In November

Last week it was 17F in the early mornings. Anna /Annie sets herself apart (she's on the left) a lot when she rests I think because of her molt. So I set up another panel for her there.
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Annie and Tedi, hopefully not too triggering for @RoyalChick
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The whole gang stopping to preen by the warmers. All the Spuds (Buff Orpingtons) are in their first heavy molt, and Hazel (brown Buckeye) is molting too, but slowly. The roost has been looking like a pillow fight occured in the night
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A warmer day a couple days ago, it was Friday so I tried to get butt shots but you really don't want to see that, it's mostly just pins!
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I've decided the Spuds should be called The Merengues, or Toasted Marshmallows for now, until they finish their molts. Or The Creme Brulees...
The cold wind whips through this alley, looking directly North, quick, get across!
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But it was nice in the sunny shelter of this corner behind a red currant bushView attachment 3989849
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Back on the warmer South East side, in the garden. Annie eating collards
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Wonderful update. Thanks for sharing!

I sit with cats and chickens to relieve stress. I write while sitting with them. Trying to focus on creating something. To acheive, create, accomplish gives me peace.

That does sound very helpful. I would love to do that, I used to really enjoy creative writing. I know it's something that would be just right for me. I need to kick my butt and do this. You know, once in a while I still read the story you wrote for Gucci.

It’s a big beautiful moon out there tonight, and cold! The sky is clear and the stars are brilliant. Likely have a good hard frost tonight. Which is good, the ticks have been horrible for poor Truly. She just swells right up where they bite into her; poor old girl is just one big itch!

I’ll have to give her some prednisone tomorrow as I am sure the shot I have her last week will be wearing off. I have never seen the ticks so bad! I have checked the chickens over some, but haven’t seen any ticks on them, not sure if they would just pluck the tick off or what?

Has anyone ever seen a tick on a chook?

Yes, I have, twice. The first time was with my broody Léa when she was spending the day with her chicks in high grass to hide them from the hawks. Taking it off was a heroic deed. The second time was with my hen Piou-piou and she had it when she came out of the coop in the morning. This time it was easy. In both cases the ticks were on their faces.

Thanks everyone for making this thread a confort on top of being informative with all it's different views, and different ways to interact with chickens. There has been some wonderful things and some very hard ones and I hope that in the long term all of that will contribute to make us better humans to our chickens.

Here are some pictures for pony Sunday.

One of the sheep owner had lambing in the mountains in mid-october which is totally unusual. He took a gamble that it would not freeze, and climate change proved him right. Here the lambs are lying down as the sun starts warming everything in the morning.

My closest neighbour has goats who are very cute but total hoods. The ram

And the ladies with their kids.

A baby Anatolian shepherd is now staying with the few ewes from another herd that require tending to.

Highland pets.

 

[Debbie292d]

Calcium w/o Magnesium won't be absorbed by the body. A supplement that has both will work best.

Some I know grind eggshells to feed back to their chickens but my understanding is they don't contain as much as oyster shell. Oyster shell does have some magnesium in it.

Calcium ( Cao) —- 47.49%
Sodium ( Nao) —-1.119%
Magnesium ( Mgo) —-0.619%
Sulphur (SO2)——0.403%
Strontium ( SrO) —-0.020%
Carbon ( total) —-43.87%

I can only assume, if they're getting oyster shell, that's enough magnesium to help with absorption. Their feed most likely has some in it too.

 

[Marie2020]

... Another hawk attack. Good heavens. I didn't see it happen because I was upstairs aloeing my poor UVB burnt leopard gecko's skin, but dad heard something and went to check, and a cooper's or sharp-shinned hawk had the girls pinned under a brush pile. He yelled and clapped to scare it away and then came and got me.

Aliss and Gytha were under the brush pile and did not want to come out for anything. I don't blame them. There were Gytha colored feathers everywhere, but most of them were downy feathers, like from her fluffy butt. It must not have gotten a good grip on her.

I left them to calm down there and look for the other 3, who were all hiding under the tractor trailer. A couple minutes later we hear a squawk and Aliss comes running up the driveway to join her sisters. I went back to the brush pile to check on Gytha, and she came out and followed me up. She was walking slowly and cautiously but not limping or dragging a wing or anything.

They all got a dried BSFL treat once they were snug under the trailer together. I'm going to TRY to pick Gytha up later to give her a good once over. She hates being held. (Just paused typing this up to check on her. She's just fine)

Gosh, they've been so lucky (and no small part smart, I'm sure). I don't want to keep trying their luck! Gotta get their coop and run all situated. We're starting work on it today, soon. Didn't do it yesterday because both dad and I got no sleep the night before.

I'm so relieved that they are all okay
Darned hawks should be on barbecues

 

[Marie2020]

We would love to meet you. So would the chickens!

Careful, he might turn up with Kelly. If he does then I suggest you count your chickens. Kelly will take them all

 

[Marie2020]

Pony Sunday

@Ponypoor