Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

They simply prefer outdoors to indoors. I suspect vitamin D is a strong motivator, but the high cloud cover today sort of negates that idea. There are some who've chosen to stay inside, and miss out on all the scraps and treats.

Keep track whether the snowbirds or the coop cozies have the longer lifespans. It would be a longterm record of interest.

 

[Sylvester017]

Even the deer came in...jumped out of the yard when I went to close the coop (7 eggs today)View attachment 4031991and REALLY startled whe I opened the coop door after head count and egg collection. They started at about 4 feet away....and made the distance greater in a hurry.

They are incredibly wary timid creatures. Amazing they find anything to forage in the snow!

 

[Marie2020]

Made it back safely though it wasn’t the nicest of driving conditions and some guy shot through a red light just as I was approaching the intersection. I think maybe his brakes failed because he was blaring his horn to warn me!

Geez. You could have been killed

Three ladies (thankfully including Calypso) ate roosting under the umbrellas and by the panel heaters.
Piglet wants nothing to do with them so is roosting on her own, and Sylvie has gone back to a nest box.

 

[Marie2020]

Dining under the umbrellas. Kinda like Naples Italian style! Please pass the vino

And then pass the bowl of pasta and meal worms

 

[micstrachan]

Didn’t you have a big dumping of snow a few yrs ago?

That’s fair. We did have some snow. But it was slushy wet. Very heavy and broke some trees. But the chicken waterers did not freeze even a little bit.

 

[rural mouse]

I bet they spooked! Gahhh! It’s a Hooman! Coming from the chicken house! Quick run away! Hahaha.

They WATCHED me go in....

 

[rural mouse]

Keep track whether the snowbirds or the coop cozies have the longer lifespans. It would be a longterm record of interest.

Most of December and January I'm leaving before they get up and getting home after they go to bed. No cameras: finding ones rated to withstand -40 without breaking the bank.... and batteries get drained in the cold (is why Electric Vehicles aren't generally wise around here), plus leafy summer trees block lines of sight..... not going to happen anytime soon.

I'm pretty sure the coop cosies are any still moulting or attempting roo avoidance for one reason or another. A few take forever in laying eggs or prefer total isolation (never quite possible), so drama queens extend coop time....plus opportunities to munch/drink abound too.

 

[rural mouse]

They are incredibly wary timid creatures. Amazing they find anything to forage in the snow!

The native animals do fine most of the time. Bison will brush snow off an area to find food. Cattle will stand there and starve. Mule deer prefer hillsides, where the wind blows much of the snow off. Whitetail deer prefer creek/river bottoms, where there's brush to keep snow off of browse (and will browse on trees if they have to).....and both will raid hay. Elk like the higher altitudes, but will move down the mountain sides as snow gets deeper up high. Moose.....go wherever they choose. All will make beds in grass, usually on the lee side (of shrubs, hills, rocks, trees) to avoid the wind. The winter fur insulates them pretty well.

The deer are more wary of the unfamilar/unexpected. They've been coming through/living in the fields below their entire lives. There aren't a lot of predators that can take them down (besides humans). Dogs aren't allowed to harass the deer (easier to hunt in season) and other deer predators are also a threat to cattle, horses, and sheep, so when they do show up, get removed fairly quickly (whether Fish & Game traps and moves them or they simply get shot depends upon the circumstances at that time). We've never hunted deer on our property, so they feel pretty safe in that regard.

A few communities have the entire herd living in town. They figured out that cars are the biggest threat...and getting hit by a vehicle at 25 mph....They're more likely to stand back up and trot off while you're still looking at the dent in the front. Gardiner (entrance to Yellowstone) has ELK in town much of the year, and West Yellowstone has had to get the kids in off the playground due to BISON strolling through during recess.

Shy and skittish......no more than any animal vs the unknown.

 

[RoyalChick]

The native animals do fine most of the time. Bison will brush snow off an area to find food. Cattle will stand there and starve. Mule deer prefer hillsides, where the wind blows much of the snow off. Whitetail deer prefer creek/river bottoms, where there's brush to keep snow off of browse (and will browse on trees if they have to).....and both will raid hay. Elk like the higher altitudes, but will move down the mountain sides as snow gets deeper up high. Moose.....go wherever they choose. All will make beds in grass, usually on the lee side (of shrubs, hills, rocks, trees) to avoid the wind. The winter fur insulates them pretty well.

The deer are more wary of the unfamilar/unexpected. They've been coming through/living in the fields below their entire lives. There aren't a lot of predators that can take them down (besides humans). Dogs aren't allowed to harass the deer (easier to hunt in season) and other deer predators are also a threat to cattle, horses, and sheep, so when they do show up, get removed fairly quickly (whether Fish & Game traps and moves them or they simply get shot depends upon the circumstances at that time). We've never hunted deer on our property, so they feel pretty safe in that regard.

A few communities have the entire herd living in town. They figured out that cars are the biggest threat...and getting hit by a vehicle at 25 mph....They're more likely to stand back up and trot off while you're still looking at the dent in the front. Gardiner (entrance to Yellowstone) has ELK in town much of the year, and West Yellowstone has had to get the kids in off the playground due to BISON strolling through during recess.

Shy and skittish......no more than any animal vs the unknown.

No natural predators for adult deer here and some years the population explodes.
Hunting is encouraged because of the danger on the roads.
One year Princeton (the town) actually hired hunters with night vision to shoot deer in the town at night. I was amazed no student wandering around after a party got shot! But it wasn’t a popular move and wasn’t repeated.
Someone comes to hunt my land and keeps my freezer full of venison. It is low fat and delicious. Also free as it is not legal to sell hunted deer meat (not sure if that is a NJ-specific law). I just made lasagna for the freezer from this season’s ground meat.



They will be out and about in the snow nibbling shrubs and trees and also deep in the woods where the tree canopy blocks a lot of the snow.
The foxes will also be out catching mice. The mice tunnel under the snow and the foxes can hear them and pounce on them from above.

Wildlife in snow tax: ladies snug and cozy under their umbrella. During the storm some snowflakes blew into the Chicken Palace onto Piglet. Clever girl moved under the umbrellas. I am feeling good about the umbrella idea!

 

[rural mouse]

My wildlife in snow tax