Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[SimpleJenn]

I've crocheted a few coos, I want to remake this one now that I know how to properly loop stitch haha

Tax, Samara

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Blame Ponypoor

@Ponypoor Your lake effect snow is here. Geeze, can't you keep this to yourself!

Well, no, we technically cannot blame her. I got tired of my muddy back yard being a death trap and asked for freezing temperatures. I got it all right. I got 5 inches of snow plus ice and temps not getting above 25. I also got another snowstorm coming Friday I think.

I also got frozen ground, a frozen water hose, gutter down over the horses stalls so ended up with a partially flooded stall and complaining chickens.

It is ok, everybody is surviving. After the first night of loosing their mind everyone is walking through the shoveled path back to the coop at night. Thanks to this weather Turkey is also now integrated into the flock. I had to leave the coop open so they could take refuge if they wanted and several are multiple times a day. Poppet is now relaxed with everyone and little Turkey is a fully fledged member of the flock.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Their mother Poppet made me wait almost 11 months for that first egg. The silkie crew is 7 or 7 1/2 months old now, I figured I would have to wait at least until March for them to lay.

Look what I found a few minutes ago.

One of them is laying. I suspect it is either Patsy or Martina the partridge girls. They have both been inspecting the nest boxes a lot during the last few days. I am fairly confident this is a pullet egg and a silkie one at that. Mrs E's face is just not red enough for her to be laying yet, it is still light pink.

The new egg is in the middle. To the left is one of my speckled sussex's and to the right is Goose's egg. Goose who is half silkie lays just a tad bit bigger egg then a pure silkie.

 

[featherhead007]

Their mother Poppet made me wait almost 11 months for that first egg. The silkie crew is 7 or 7 1/2 months old now, I figured I would have to wait at least until March for them to lay.

Look what I found a few minutes ago.
View attachment 4023382
One of them is laying. I suspect it is either Patsy or Martina the partridge girls. They have both been inspecting the nest boxes a lot during the last few days. I am fairly confident this is a pullet egg and a silkie one at that. Mrs E's face is just not red enough for her to be laying yet, it is still light pink.

The new egg is in the middle. To the left is one of my speckled sussex's and to the right is Goose's egg. Goose who is half silkie lays just a tad bit bigger egg then a pure silkie.

View attachment 4023384View attachment 4023385

I thought your Speckled Suspect’s eggs would be smaller?

 

[bgmathteach]

I have a book of mid 19th Century farm building designs. Many of them have diagrams showing how to keep chicken and other livestock housing warm.
I will dig it up and share some pages. Some are quite ingenious and I wish I had found the book before building the Chicken Palace.

Oooh, will you share the name and author? Maybe I could find a copy somewhere.

That said, true deep litter method in the coop makes a huge difference. I use deep litter under the green coop where the ducks and geese sleeop (3 of the 4 wire sides tarped for the winter), and despite it being about 12 degrees F, the bedding wasn't frozen...in fact it was warm to teh touch onceI got below the first few inches! (I scrape off the top regularly as the ducks are so messy with liquid poop...and then put a layer fo dry bedding on top so they have soething dry to sleep on)

 

[BY Bob]

Well, no, we technically cannot blame her. I got tired of my muddy back yard being a death trap and asked for freezing temperatures. I got it all right. I got 5 inches of snow plus ice and temps not getting above 25. I also got another snowstorm coming Friday I think.

I also got frozen ground, a frozen water hose, gutter down over the horses stalls so ended up with a partially flooded stall and complaining chickens.

It is ok, everybody is surviving. After the first night of loosing their mind everyone is walking through the shoveled path back to the coop at night. Thanks to this weather Turkey is also now integrated into the flock. I had to leave the coop open so they could take refuge if they wanted and several are multiple times a day. Poppet is now relaxed with everyone and little Turkey is a fully fledged member of the flock.

That's a positive outcome for sure.

 

[featherhead007]

Wow! All my chooks are already headed to perch. Coco is going to sleep. Gee, what am I supposed to do with my extra hour tonight?
Only Nacho is still out in the yard with her babies.

 

[Ponypoor]

Blame Ponypoor

@Ponypoor Your lake effect snow is here. Geeze, can't you keep this to yourself!

Your welcome

Still snowing here, it was sunny earlier but the squalls started up again, not as bad but still it adds to the snow on the ground.

My beautiful niece dropped by with her work truck and plowed up to the barn for me so I could walk there without to much effort tonight.

And not fill the top of my boots with snow (it was over the top of my boots) hahaha, the chooks love love love picking the snow off my boots - funny birds.

 

[Ponypoor]

I've crocheted a few coos, I want to remake this one now that I know how to properly loop stitch haha
View attachment 4023325
Tax, Samara
View attachment 4023326

I love that cooo

Samara sure was the spitting image of Henny

 

[Ponypoor]

Their mother Poppet made me wait almost 11 months for that first egg. The silkie crew is 7 or 7 1/2 months old now, I figured I would have to wait at least until March for them to lay.

Look what I found a few minutes ago.
View attachment 4023382
One of them is laying. I suspect it is either Patsy or Martina the partridge girls. They have both been inspecting the nest boxes a lot during the last few days. I am fairly confident this is a pullet egg and a silkie one at that. Mrs E's face is just not red enough for her to be laying yet, it is still light pink.

The new egg is in the middle. To the left is one of my speckled sussex's and to the right is Goose's egg. Goose who is half silkie lays just a tad bit bigger egg then a pure silkie.

View attachment 4023384View attachment 4023385

Congratulations! That’s awesome!

I so stoked you have all those pullets!

Meanwhile my 2 are both likley boys