Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[SimpleJenn]

Oooooooo !

Lookie what I have come across - and Pickering is only like 90min from here!

They bring chicks up from Texas! I wonder what hatchery????!!!

And they have Brabanters! But no Orloff

https://www.pickeringvalleyfeed.com/chicken-information/breed-info/


EDIT
Huge BUMMER!

Seems you also have a Pickering in the US….. so no easy 90min drive for me…. Oh well.

We have an Orloff Breeder in west MI I believe. Q's quirky cluckers. They have some rare birds!

 

[bgmathteach]

A couple days and you should be tip top.

Clyde says hi! Surprisingly he doesn’t mind snow…
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Well, when you have boots on your feet, the snow isn't so bad!

 

[Sylvester017]

I found this on your lovely Breda

https://www.birchwoodfarmsga.com/post/meet-the-breda-fowl-the-world-s-only-combless-chicken

In what country is Birchwood Farms? TY for the link.

They only offer the Cuckoo Breda (the larger gamier variety), they have an order minimum 10 chicks (way too many), plus they don't vaccinate. Mareck's vaccinations are best given to day-old chicks so I have no idea how they stay in business? I learned the hard way that vaccination is a necessary evil.

Birchwood doesn't carry the smaller pretty 6-lb BBS Blue Breda Fowl ~ only the hardier heavier (Malines crossbreed) Cuckoo Breda Fowl which stand way too tall over regular barnyard chickens & bully the flock. I believe if it were not for our defending Dominiques our huge Cuckoo Breda would've killed our Silkies. The Cuckoo variety was a sweet people person but a dangerous flockmate.

The Blue/Black/Splash Breda is a regular size hen but in the USA they got phased out due to a small gene pool & they rarely lived past 2 yrs so now the larger Cuckoo is all that seems to be offered because of the infused hardiness of the large Malines crossbreed. The cross-breeding w/Malines has saved the Cuckoo variety but efforts to save the BBS variety waned in the USA. I have no idea if any BBS even still exist in Europe anymore?

Sikies trusted our Blue Breda & went w/her everywhere.

 

[Sylvester017]

Last night I fell on my derrière in the Summer House while getting everyone in bed in the Hen House.

Nothing hurt, I was carrying two chooks at the time (Curly and Henny), Curly started flapped and threw me off balance, I didn’t want to drop her so down I went cradling her. She stood on my chest looking at me - likely sizing up an eyeball to peck - but then hopped off me and marched back and hopped up onto the roosting ledge.

Henny was a good girl and stayed with me, I put her in her nestbox she sleeps in, over at the Hen House.

DH was concerned for you . He says he never carries more than one Silkie at a time even tho they are little. If one starts flapping he needs a free arm to hold the wings down & can't do that if holding a 2nd bird. Sometimes Silkies are calm as a ripple & other times suddenly spook like a stormy sea!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I have another girl back laying. It's like the old saying "When it rains it pours."

Goose rejoined the ranks of a working hen.

My poor sister has stated I am never allowed to go into the winter months again without pullets ready to lay throughout the winter. I have spoiled her since she moved out. I have never charged her for my eggs and until this past winter I was able to be stingy with them and still have enough for myself, her and my grandpa. Well.....this year from the end of October I hoarded my eggs for myself. Sis and grandpa have had to buy their eggs from the store. Grandpa went the cheapest route of normal white eggs still over $4 a dozen. Sis, well she has really learned to appreciate my hens. She is getting the brown pasture raised hen eggs. $8 a dozen from Wal-Mart. She politely informed me this year if I sell my eggs for any less then $5 a dozen she is kicking my butt.

When she comes over this week I should have her a dozen unless me and mom continue our baking spree. I want 2 loaves of bread in exchange though. Sis has a bread maker that she uses all the time.

 

[Sylvester017]

Pony Sunday

This is Sandy, my cousin’s creature kid.

She likes to smile
View attachment 4016389

And dance
View attachment 4016388

TY for the lovely synopsis! I'm going to rely on a few after my hospital stay!

Sandy is too too cuuuute!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I swear if you do not have a older rooster to bring up a new one the next best thing is a flock full of older hens.

Poor George.

He is trying to step into his role of flock rooster, he is also a young dumb hormonal idiot. My girls are having the time of their lives beating some manners into him. When Goose laid her egg and gave the escort call he came running. The dummy came charging and tried to immediately breed her. Goose and Raven whipped him for that. If he so much as even looks at Gryffyn she pecks him. Siri is having a field day stalking him and pecking him for even the slightest offense to any hen. George is also more vocal now. Siri gave him a hard peck on the back of the head when he was crowing earlier.

Oh my poor boy. It is both funny and so hard to watch at the same time. As long as no blood is drawn I am staying out of it and letting my girls do their job.

 

[Ponypoor]

In what country is Birchwood Farms? TY for the link.

They only offer the Cuckoo Breda (the larger gamier variety), they have an order minimum 10 chicks (way too many), plus they don't vaccinate. Mareck's vaccinations are best given to day-old chicks so I have no idea how they stay in business? I learned the hard way that vaccination is a necessary evil.

Birchwood doesn't carry the smaller pretty 6-lb BBS Blue Breda Fowl ~ only the hardier heavier (Malines crossbreed) Cuckoo Breda Fowl which stand way too tall over regular barnyard chickens & bully the flock. I believe if it were not for our defending Dominiques our huge Cuckoo Breda would've killed our Silkies. The Cuckoo variety was a sweet people person but a dangerous flockmate.

The Blue/Black/Splash Breda is a regular size hen but in the USA they got phased out due to a small gene pool & they rarely lived past 2 yrs so now the larger Cuckoo is all that seems to be offered because of the infused hardiness of the large Malines crossbreed. The cross-breeding w/Malines has saved the Cuckoo variety but efforts to save the BBS variety waned in the USA. I have no idea if any BBS even still exist in Europe anymore?

Sikies trusted our Blue Breda & went w/her everywhere.
View attachment 4016529
View attachment 4016530

Looks like Tennessee, still a bit of a hike from you. And they only ship eggs from what can see.

 

[rural mouse]

In what country is Birchwood Farms? TY for the link.

They only offer the Cuckoo Breda (the larger gamier variety), they have an order minimum 10 chicks (way too many), plus they don't vaccinate. Mareck's vaccinations are best given to day-old chicks so I have no idea how they stay in business? I learned the hard way that vaccination is a necessary evil.

Birchwood doesn't carry the smaller pretty 6-lb BBS Blue Breda Fowl ~ only the hardier heavier (Malines crossbreed) Cuckoo Breda Fowl which stand way too tall over regular barnyard chickens & bully the flock. I believe if it were not for our defending Dominiques our huge Cuckoo Breda would've killed our Silkies. The Cuckoo variety was a sweet people person but a dangerous flockmate.

The Blue/Black/Splash Breda is a regular size hen but in the USA they got phased out due to a small gene pool & they rarely lived past 2 yrs so now the larger Cuckoo is all that seems to be offered because of the infused hardiness of the large Malines crossbreed. The cross-breeding w/Malines has saved the Cuckoo variety but efforts to save the BBS variety waned in the USA. I have no idea if any BBS even still exist in Europe anymore?

Sikies trusted our Blue Breda & went w/her everywhere.
View attachment 4016529
View attachment 4016530

Athens, Tennessee.....and it looks like they mostly sell hatching eggs, including @BY Bob Isabella leghorn eggs (yes, I'm enabling)

 

[Ponypoor]

DH was concerned for you . He says he never carries more than one Silkie at a time even tho they are little. If one starts flapping he needs a free arm to hold the wings down & can't do that if holding a 2nd bird. Sometimes Silkies are calm as a ripple & other times suddenly spook like a stormy sea!

Yup just like horses, which is how many of my injuries happened. Trusting they would be good when they were behaving! Then flapping of wings and off they go!

I didn’t have Curly tucked up under my arm like a football properly. So she got a wing free.

Anywhoooo she’s good, grumpy old thing pecking at the youngsters if they get in her way of her food!