Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

I’m off to town. But I’m wearing my leather jacket for the first time in years. My chicken shirt is under my sweater
Tax

 

[featherhead007]

If you read thru all the comments, the difference between CBD and THC is explained. I think I also brought it up here once? Or maybe it was another thread.

Basically, and this is VERY simplified, THC is what causes the high and it has to be activated (heated to a certain temperature) to do that.

Activated CBD has many effects ranging from calming to physical health benefits. It does not, however, cause any sort of high at all. That's why we see CBD pet treats, not THC pet treats (some animals don't even have the cannabinoid receptors required to get high anyways, like chickens. Some animals have them, like dogs, where only small amounts of THC can cause toxicity. Humans have cannabinoid receptors and we can process THC in just the right way to get high but not get sick from it unless we overdose which can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, vertigo, elevated heart rate and other uncomfortable symptoms but not death).

I don’t know why people think that they need drugs, I cannabinol?

 

[featherhead007]

I don’t know why people think that they need drugs, I cannabinol?

I can never know

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Unfortunately, I can't call today because they're closed. I'm calling at 8 tomorrow though!

My post office now answers the phone only during a certain two or three hours in the afternoon. You might have to go there.

Sounds like she needs someone to let her not be at the bottom of the pecking order and you are her chosen flockmate to dominate.
Maybe you need to add some chickens to the flock so she can be in the middle.

This occurred to me too. I didn't order them for this reason, but day-old Buckeye chicks are coming in early June!
I still think she will go after me, but we'll see.

 

[Ponypoor]

Brrr chilly Sunday here

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

Grandma, how exactly are you going to eat your food when you're sitting on it?

 

[fuentemoon]

View attachment 4079826

Those 2 girls at the top of pic & bottom girl all marching in unison...left, right, left, right...love this pic!

I opened the door and so they all came running

 

[Ponypoor]

Grandma, how exactly are you going to eat your food when you're sitting on it?
View attachment 4080173

Natural microwave - warms it up!

 

[fuentemoon]

I love that you care so much! She is definitely misunderstood by me; if there is a way to deal with her I don't know it. I'm afraid I have not unlocked the secret with this one. I'd say with the onset of regular laying she is pretty intense now. She is very high-strung, or something. Is there such as thing as a calming pill for a hen?

She is not squatting for me but when she gets a gleam in her eye, all growly, looking for a fight, I have taken to pressing down on her, hand on her back until she sits on the litter, and gently but firmly holding her there for 10 seconds or so. Hazel will sometimes come over and give her a couple of pecks. I release her and that seems to break it temporarily and she walks away. But she will come back again aggressively, sooner rather than later. I don't know if this is reinforcing a sense that she has to dominate me, as if I am a competing roo?

I have also tried ignoring her, or moving into her a little with my elbow or body so that she is not in a position to peck a hand while I do something like pet somebody else or lay down some pellets on their treat block. If she sees that I have pellets to eat she'll eat from my hands with the others, but pauses to glance up at me in between bites. Whereas everyone else just chows down.

It's very hard to do the normal things I do with the chickens if she is looking for a fight. (Tedi wants to stand and lean against a leg, or have my one hand a little under her, while being pet with the other; so then Diane comes over to bite any exposed hand. What do I do?) I sometimes pet Diane too as she passes by, I'm trying to normalize being touched, but she appears to not like it and takes it as an aggressive move by me.

Sometimes when I have to get something done and she wants to get all up in my business and bite me I pick her up and hold her with one hand against my side while I move about, either her head facing backwards or forwards. She might be quiet for a bit, or not, all growly and keening, but if quiet soon she complains and I let her down.

If I carry a stick around with me she generally keeps clear once she sees it, but sometimes charges to peck as I walk away unless it is behind me right in her line of sight. She wants to silently run at my legs and boots when I am moving away from her.

She is getting good at grabbing skin and twisting, if she catches me unawares. I had so many bites on my hands a couple of weeks ago before I realized how ramped up she's become that DH noticed. I also got a couple of marks on my forearm, and these were bites through exercise shirts plus a sweatshirt.

When I pick her up she is strangely compliant, though she might be growling. But if a hand is available in front of her she will likely try to peck it while held. She won't or can't bite very well unless her feet are on something solid. So I have held her on my lap for a minute or two, her feet off but her keel resting on my hand or leg. Only once last Fall did she relax enough to take even a one-eyed nap.

A hen on my lap brings Tedi around gently bokking, asking to get on too, because she loves lap time. Annie likes it too, but is asking less these days. Having another hen there and loving it, all happy, doesn't change anything for Diane though. She's usually just as upset or fearful or high-strung no matter who is with her.

Hazel will let her forage next to her. She will rest near Hazel. Tedi and Annie don't let her forage next to them for very long. Rest and preening times she's with anybody. But she's not that polite with Hazel either. Last week when Hazel was bathing, Diane decided to get up on the edge of the dustbath pool and step in - but decided to step right on to Hazel's back. Hazel was not impressed!

She sounds very much like Alinta. She has been an aggressive chicken since she was a chick, but it definitely got worse when she started laying. In her case she can be fine one minute and lash out a moment later, often with little warning. I am always wary when I am working in the yard. I definitely think there is a hormone component, as she is a bit mellower in the winter. Rosie and Brenna will both discipline her for attacking me, but that usually makes it worse. My feeling was that she was making sure I knew I was below her in the pecking order, but having younger chickens hasn't helped, so guessing there is more to it.
She certainly knows the word no at this point and even listens sometimes. When she is really bad I took carry a stick, I don't even have to touch her with it, just carry it around.

 

[Sylvester017]

Make sure to call your post office so they know they are coming.
Or camp out on the doorstep!

Keeping in contact w/ the post office is a good idea. Some post offices hire temporary help that don't know the rule to call customer for pickup so I made a pest of myself calling the post office every day & twice on expected dates of arrival ~ especially after my 1st shipped experience the mailman thought it ok to have my two pullets bounce around in his hot truck for hours. I yelled (firmly calm) to get those birds out of his truck immediately or the USPS would be reimbursing me over $100 for dead insured birds! The driver returned to the post office immediately. It was a good thing the 2 pullets were older juveniles & not baby chicks in that bouncing mail truck! What was really annoying is that our post office always receives or ships chickens so there was no excuse not following postal policy to call customer for pickup. That's why I insisted all future breeders write in bold letters on the shipping box CALL CUSTOMER FOR PICKUP w/giant TELEPHONE #!!! Most breeders did their best & it worked to catch the attention of any nincompoop!
Rant tx