Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Been giving the Clyde the Brave feather thing a thinking.

I figure the follow four scenario could have happened with a Curly x Teddy offspring:

1) regular silkie feathers (like Teddy)
2) regular satin (normal) feathers
3) Satin frizzle (like Curly)
4) silkie feathers frizzled (which I guess we all feel he is)

Of those 4 scenarios the only one which would have thrown me for a loop would have been the regular non frizzle feathers.

I would not have batted an eyelash at normal silkie or satin frizzle, and the idea of his being silkie frizzle never occurred to me.

He looks like he just pulled a sweater over his head and has static

 

[Sylvester017]

Every Spring our post office back room will have boxes of chirping chicks or crowing roosters ready for customer pickups. Our zone can have chickens & certain neighborhoods can have roos too, not me (I can have hens but no roos). & since most breeders send out orders of birds usually on Mondays, our post office starts receiving shipments by Wednesday & the post office will be alive w/sounds of chirping & crowing !

Years ago when I picked up my shipped pullets from our post office I noticed some breeders had to scribble their NPIP# on the shipping box & show AI & Newcastles clearance documents before the breeder's post office would ship out birds. USPS doesn't allow Non-NPIP breeders to ship birds but I believe the breeders are allowed to ship hatching eggs only. I once wanted to order pullets from out-of-state but the breeder said they weren't NPIP certified to ship live birds ~ bird pickup only or shipped eggs only.

Below is our last received pullet order shipping box. See the NPIP# written in the middle of the shipping box. All the approved test documents had to be on the shipping box. Only USPS ships chickens ~ UPS, FedEx, doesn't.

It's costly to ship live birds both for the customer & the breeder so breeders forestall the NPIP process or AI clearance to just ship hatching eggs. However, hatching eggs can carry some ailments too like avian sarcoma leukosis virus (ASLV) which is a cancer virus passed down from hen to egg embryo. That's what had infected so many of the Breda Fowl shipped to us unbeknownst to the breeder until too late. The breeder responsibly did necropsies to find the cause to eliminate the breeding parents ~ who originally probably came from infected hatching eggs unbeknownst to the breeder.

ASLV chicks hatch from an infected egg & the internal organs form the cancer as the chick grows so many die in less than 2 years. Chicks hatched from infected parent will all hatch seemingly healthy but die from juvenile to under 2 years. It is heartbreaking that there is no vaccine available for it either.

There is Mareck's & Fowl Pox vaccines available but none commercially for AI, ASLV, or Newcastles in hatcheries or industrial poultry companies that I know of. The poultry industries more than likely are dragging their feet to initiate more vaccinations in fear of the public outcry regarding medicating food sources. Supposedly research is still active but not commercial yet.

Pony Doggie Sunday ~ DD/SIL's rescue Pit-mix juvenile after her rescue eye surgery ~ 2020. This girl is amazing w/other dogs & people.

 

[Ponypoor]

Every Spring our post office back room will have boxes of chirping chicks or crowing roosters ready for customer pickups. Our zone can have chickens & certain neighborhoods can have roos too, not me (I can have hens but no roos). & since most breeders send out orders of birds usually on Mondays, our post office starts receiving shipments by Wednesday & the post office will be alive w/sounds of chirping & crowing !

Years ago when I picked up my shipped pullets from our post office I noticed some breeders had to scribble their NPIP# on the shipping box & show AI & Newcastles clearance documents before the breeder's post office would ship out birds. USPS doesn't allow Non-NPIP breeders to ship birds but I believe the breeders are allowed to ship hatching eggs only. I once wanted to order pullets from out-of-state but the breeder said they weren't NPIP certified to ship live birds ~ bird pickup only or shipped eggs only.

Below is our last received pullet order shipping box. See the NPIP# written in the middle of the shipping box. All the approved test documents had to be on the shipping box. Only USPS ships chickens ~ UPS, FedEx, doesn't.
View attachment 4021170

It's costly to ship live birds both for the customer & the breeder so breeders forestall the NPIP process or AI clearance to just ship hatching eggs. However, hatching eggs can carry some ailments too like avian sarcoma leukosis virus (ASLV) which is a cancer virus passed down from hen to egg embryo. That's what had infected so many of the Breda Fowl shipped to us unbeknownst to the breeder until too late. The breeder responsibly did necropsies to find the cause to eliminate the breeding parents ~ who originally probably came from infected hatching eggs unbeknownst to the breeder.

ASLV chicks hatch from an infected egg & the internal organs form the cancer as the chick grows so many die in less than 2 years. Chicks hatched from infected parent will all hatch seemingly healthy but die from juvenile to under 2 years. It is heartbreaking that there is no vaccine available for it either.

There is Mareck's & Fowl Pox vaccines available but none commercially for AI, ASLV, or Newcastles in hatcheries or industrial poultry companies that I know of. The poultry industries more than likely are dragging their feet to initiate more vaccinations in fear of the public outcry regarding medicating food sources. Supposedly research is still active but not commercial yet.

Pony Doggie Sunday ~ DD/SIL's rescue Pit-mix juvenile after her rescue eye surgery ~ 2020. This gitl is amazing w/other dogs & people.
View attachment 4021214
View attachment 4021210

Puppy would freeze here my neighbour had an American Bulldog who had a whole wardrobe of winter wear, he was very very short haired! Suffered in the cold poor fella!

Dreaming of warmer days

 

[Sylvester017]

I've been watching the weather and praying this would miss us. Newest predictions and sadly we are not going to avoid this mess.

hmmm well 4” of snow no biggie but the 3/4” of ice is extremely worrisome.

Do you have a generator? Ugh hate ice more than snow. Be very careful please.

I know I whine about the weather here and the snow, but we are used to getting lots of it and have a lot of equipment to deal with it. Please be very careful anyone down south there, don’t drive it you don’t need to. Please be careful.

Ok I still need to tromp through my snow to the barn, looks like my smart older ladies have all roosted properly, need to go move the youngsters into the Hen House as usual.
View attachment 4020849

And feed the horses and see what on earth Reenie has done to her stall door and the manure rake and broom…. That horse….
View attachment 4020848

Yep, that sounds about right...blame Reenie

 

[Ponypoor]

Yep, that sounds about right...blame Reenie

Don’t worry Truly gets lots of blame for stuff also. Lulu is about the only well behaved one here.

 

[Sylvester017]

No frizzle no matter the breed (Polish, Cochin, etc), should be bred together.

It’s not an issue keeping everyone apart, I do not plan on hatching chicks from my eggs. The risk on getting Roos is more likely, than the frazzled issue!

As I have said before - if I had a way to deal with the cockerels that hatch, I would hatch chicks. But the dealing with the Cockerels is extremely stressful.

The only issue is my niece, and her wanting to hatch eggs again for her class - I already told her I don’t want to take any chicks she hatches. I also told her if she wanted to have chicks I would order a bunch of day old pullets from Peavey - they can easily be sold as laying hens here. But nope she doesn’t want to do that… she wants them to ‘experience’ the eggs developing.

So I told her, fine let’s get some fake eggs, let them sit there for 21 days then one night yay! They all hatched and look 6 lovely Buff & Light Brahmas ready to love

That didn’t fly either….. so I told her she could find egg’s somewhere else.

I am sure she will suck me into the plan to hatch again. This time I will give her 6 non fertilized eggs. I will keep a bunch of the hens separated from the Roos for a month and give her the eggs

And - to make sure the kids had some chicks I can still grab some from Peavey Mart - OR better yet some Russian Orloff pullets fro Performance

Aunt Kelly is very very sneaky…

Great plans! No issues from me !

 

[Sylvester017]

Pony Sunday

Snow squalls yesterday, winter seems to want to stick around this year - I hate snow and cold did I ever mention this?

How did he get so sweet? I forgot how you got him?

 

[Sylvester017]

Puppy would freeze here my neighbour had an American Bulldog who had a whole wardrobe of winter wear, he was very very short haired! Suffered in the cold poor fella!

Dreaming of warmer days
View attachment 4021223

I started typing then it all !poof! disappeared! Trying again...

Not only dreaming warmer days but lots of green grasses for the horses & chickens to forage

We have the opposite problem here re: longhair vs shorthair breed doggies. We need smaller & shorthair breeds to tolerate our heatwaves. We once entertained a small poodle that doesn't shed but the cost to keep monthly grooming didn't appeal to us. Our friend spends $100 for ea grooming trip!

 

[Sylvester017]

Have you ever seen an Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog? I love Bullies & this one intrigued me cuz of their light golden or blue eyes. Supposed to be a good powerful working farm dog but I have no farm!

Alapaha puppy

My 1st Bully on the farm c. 1956
Jiggy ~ an Olde Boston Bulldogge like Helen Keller's dog

Helen Keller's Olde Boston Bulldogge

 

[Sylvester017]

I'll get olivers picture when I can brave this snow. No cat pictures at the moment.
Last night it started to snow

Will Nancy do? She's on my bed with me right now
View attachment 4020936

Love Nancy's pajamas I'm so glad you got her. She's just the right size