Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

We really have no idea what kind of chicken she is. We are trying to puzzle it out. I really like @rural mouse genetic explanation of how you create a chicken like Aster. She came from a "Lavender Orpington egg" which I purchased for Glynda to hatch.

it just struck me. If the breeder had some blue and some lavender birds, it might be possible for a black split to lavender to have the black gene be the restricted black. I don't know how the dominate blue would interact with the recessive lavender gene....maybe lighten the blue to a more smoky lavender tone...not quite sure on that...

It is clear that Aster doesn't have the lavender gene, has 2 copies of the restricted black, and a Mediterranean body type. I still think a Med based roo (blue/splash) snuck into the pen, but the breeder doesn't have the lavender birds they think they have.

 

[RoyalChick]

@bgmathteach

2025 is a perfect square yr

https://kitchener.ctvnews.ca/2025-i...at-so-interesting-to-mathematicians-1.7163598

Wow. That is special. I am feeling better about it already!
The only one in my lifetime.

Square root tax: Sylvie tucked up warm for the night.

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

Twofer Tuesday (that I missed)

 

[Ponypoor]

Long overdue Tax...

Little Miss Princess today.

She's out in the grass behind her house on a cold but beautiful sunny day
View attachment 4019742

She looks great!

 

[Ponypoor]

Does this source help? I've used this list for years. Helped me plan the kind of plants to avoid. Chickens will chew on anything green so I planned our foliage according to this list.

https://www.poultryhelp.com/toxicplants.html

Rhododendron spp. (AZALEAS, LAUREL, RHODODENDRON); leaves; cardiovascular system affected by the resinoid andromedotoxin.

Mine are fussy about green foliage, so I would hope they would steer clear of it. They don’t even eat the blackberry leaves which are likely fine for them to eat.

I have lots of grass here so if it tastes bad they won’t be so prone to eat it.

Of course they do enjoy pecking the paint off the barn door….

 

[RoyalChick]

Even though @Desertvalleychickens is trying to confuse me with 2fer Tuesday pictures (), I know that today is Friday. And here is a Fluffy Butt to prove it.

That is Tassels with a fully fluffy butt. It is the only fluff to be found at the Chicken Palace (unless you count the heaps of fluff and feathers on the floor).

See how tiny Calypso looks compared to Tassels. Normally I cannot tell them apart by size.

Poor Calypso really isn’t properly dressed at all!

 

[Ponypoor]

Another random question for fun:

How do we all say good morning and good night to our chickens?

Morning: as I'm walking up to the run/coop I say "Good moooorniiing! Are we ready to have a good daaay?!" and then as I'm letting them out of the coop I tell them "go get your breakfast!"

Evening: I do a little sleepy chicken chatter with them first (soft "brbrbrbr"s). After they're all up on their roosts, as I'm closing up the coop and run, I say "goodnight, stay warm, sleep tight, don't let anything bite!"

Well mornings it’s the horses who get greeted first, I creep in and leave the lights off to not disturb the chooks at that point. I give the horses a quick look over to make sure I see three heads in the stalls looking at me (they are upright and alert) and I say ‘good morning ladies, breakfast is on the way’. Then I feed them and make all the chooks feed too, and put that out.

Then I open the chooks’ door and they come streaming out as I tell them ‘good morning chookchooks, get your breakfast’.

At night once all the drama is done, horses and chooks in bed and evening chores done I tell them all ‘be good, I’ll see you on the morning’.

 

[Ponypoor]

Even though @Desertvalleychickens is trying to confuse me with 2fer Tuesday pictures (), I know that today is Friday. And here is a Fluffy Butt to prove it.
View attachment 4019866

That is Tassels with a fully fluffy butt. It is the only fluff to be found at the Chicken Palace (unless you count the heaps of fluff and feathers on the floor).

See how tiny Calypso looks compared to Tassels. Normally I cannot tell them apart by size.
View attachment 4019870

Poor Calypso really isn’t properly dressed at all!
View attachment 4019871

Poor old Red is in a full blown moult

Poor old gal, she thankfully is still eating well and has some good heft to her when I lift her up. She a chunk!

 

[Ponypoor]

Even though @Desertvalleychickens is trying to confuse me with 2fer Tuesday pictures (), I know that today is Friday. And here is a Fluffy Butt to prove it.
View attachment 4019866

That is Tassels with a fully fluffy butt. It is the only fluff to be found at the Chicken Palace (unless you count the heaps of fluff and feathers on the floor).

See how tiny Calypso looks compared to Tassels. Normally I cannot tell them apart by size.
View attachment 4019870

Poor Calypso really isn’t properly dressed at all!
View attachment 4019871

Hopefully in a couple weeks she will be over the worst of it and start looking glorious again

 

[RoyalChick]

Hopefully in a couple weeks she will be over the worst of it and start looking glorious again

I hope so. We have an arctic blast coming next week which I am worried about.