Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

It is time my friends. After tomorrow the silkie eggs are no longer for eating, they are for hatching. I have 1 dozen pre-sold. Depending on how they lay I could get that in 3 days or it may take 4. After that dozen is collected I am collecting for myself. I plan on collecting for 1 week and set them. If they are laying good still and no one else besides Poppet goes broody I may push it to 11 days and see just how many I can get. Right now I am saying I will not keep any from this first hatch, they will be sold as soon as they are eating and drinking.

Poppet is broody though and that has me thinking. Currently she is not 100% committed. She is about 85% there. She has not laid a egg in over a week and will spend most of her time on her nest. I think if I gave her a egg or two that would really snap her into it for the long haul. After the 2nd day of her broodiness all the other silkies stopped trying to lay in her box so she has not had any eggs to stay on. If she is still in this state when I load the incubator up for myself I could give her 1 or two eggs and see what happens. This way if I am fortunate and do manage to hatch off a blue chick or two in the incubator I can immediately run out and stuff it under Poppet as her eggs should be hatching at the same time. 2 blues, I would be thrilled with just 2 blues to hatch and grow out in hopes of a pullet.

This is very exciting!

 

[BY Bob]

Good catch

Usually you catch these things.

 

[rural mouse]

Yesterday was a wild day weatherwise. Cloudy, windy, whirling fluffy snowflakes that didn't stick, breaks in the weather....

Then the continuous ruckus from the chickens on the lower length of the house. Initially it sounded like coop and house echo, then moved to all along the back of the house. I headed out.....all 32 birds were scattered through there, no sign of spats between them.

About to head back in and the marmalade cat slide out from behind a bush and sauntered towards a neighbor place. I followed.....and became the Pied Piper as ALL the chickens followed me. ("And STAY OUT or we'll taunt you a 2nd time!")

Cat has good mousing/bug hunting instincts. I tossed a few pebbles in its direction....to which it tried pouncing on them AND the chickens ran forward to find my goodies.

And Stay Out! See Ma, we done good, right?

and the stream following me back toward the house after.


Castor sort of joined in

And recirved the same stare

 

[SimpleJenn]

Everybody is out now, enjoying their new space.


Everyone running and jumping around, flaring hackles and chasing each other.

 

[RoyalChick]

Happy Thirsty Thursday everyone.
It is Sylvie’s week for photos and here she is sampling the wild water from the rain chain.
Such a connoisseur!

I think she must have given it a 99 because others joined in shortly after.

Thank goodness it is raining today so I have an excuse not to go out and keep tackling the wild roses. I am quite injured from yesterday’s attempts (blood was flowing freely) and sadly don’t have much to show for it.

 

[BY Bob]

Yesterday was a wild day weatherwise. Cloudy, windy, whirling fluffy snowflakes that didn't stick, breaks in the weather....

Then the continuous ruckus from the chickens on the lower length of the house. Initially it sounded like coop and house echo, then moved to all along the back of the house. I headed out.....all 32 birds were scattered through there, no sign of spats between them.

About to head back in and the marmalade cat slide out from behind a bush and sauntered towards a neighbor place. I followed.....and became the Pied Piper as ALL the chickens followed me. ("And STAY OUT or we'll taunt you a 2nd time!")

Cat has good mousing/bug hunting instincts. I tossed a few pebbles in its direction....to which it tried pouncing on them AND the chickens ran forward to find my goodies.

View attachment 4088990And Stay Out! See Ma, we done good, right?


View attachment 4088991and the stream following me back toward the house after.


Castor sort of joined inView attachment 4088992

And recirved the same stareView attachment 4088993

I love it. Good work chickies! Push those cats around.

 

[BY Bob]

Everybody is out now, enjoying their new space.
View attachment 4088994
View attachment 4088995
Everyone running and jumping around, flaring hackles and chasing each other.
View attachment 4088996
View attachment 4088997
View attachment 4088998

Space is one of the greatest gifts you can give them!

 

[featherhead007]

Space is one of the greatest gifts you can give them!

I heard that “Space is the final frontier!”
And chickens boldly go where ever they are at.

 

[Grandmas Coop]

I completed the chicken run spring clean up.

 

[Abrahen Lincoln]

Love the name of the coop