Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

Which one?

And need more chicks pics! Come on Alex you have a new group of wee ones we all want to see pleaaaase!

You've got the whiney tone down! Baby fever. May as well set your splash chicks

 

[Marie2020]

I stand corrected ~ so Nimue was the eyeliner chick? & Niamh the wing tipped? I guess you have figured I'm curious if your eyeliner chick is a girl?

Don't get Bob's back up with the girl thing again

 

[Sylvester017]

Well gosh I hope not! It is on par with the other chicks that we got it with, same day, same hatchery shipment from Wilco - they are our oldest batch (next ones we got 3 days later, and the next 4 days after that for a total 7 day age span). It's not monstrous compared to those birds. Also, it likes to run around, isn't pigging out all day like a Cornish X would. It is a scratcher and frankly looks pretty healthy and spunky, albeit a bit of a boss. I would be SERIOUSLY pissed if they sold me a Cornish x and not a layer!!!

Wouldn't be the 1st time for someone to get a wrong shipment... happens more often than we want.

Our worst wrong order: We ordered shipped 4-month-old two rare pullets from a private Colorado breeder. We got the birds but one was obviously a cockerel. The breeder wrongly shipped our 2-pullet order to Florida while FL's cockerel/pullet order got shipped to us in Calif! Two opposite ends of the continent where we weren't close enough to drive to each other to exchange our birds!

Our wrong shipment ~ both birds arrived w/alarming bloody cocci & the pullet was so ill the vet put her down! The roo survived treatment but we aren't zoned for roos & had to send him to a rescue farm . We got reimbursed $$$ for the birds but not the exorbitant shipping costs when it was clearly the breeders fault all the way around! I wondered how sick the FLA birds were!

 

[Sylvester017]

......
Hawks I feel are my worst worry, they are stealth from above, how does one truly protect from above without creating a prison for the chooks.

Lots of trees or low bushy places to hide & no open aerial hawk space...that's why we crowded the chicken area w/ trees, popup canopies, patio roofs, recycled doghouses or makeshift huts, lawn furniture & tables, many makeshift bench/lean-to's, anything scattered around in open spaces so the hens didn't have to go far to a hiding spot. The trees & canopies & patio roofs are great to interfere w/ hawk aerial space. We took no chances at making it easy for Cooper's to have swooping aerial space on a running chicken especially since we aren't zoned for a protective flock rooster.

Even in the old days before our yard remodel we made the yard un-appealing to aerial predators!

 

[BY Bob]

Versace was very loved here
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I miss him dearly, as well as the rest of the flock.

Thank you for sharing those pictures.

 

[BY Bob]

Per BY Bob I might have to wait a little longer. These Polish hide their tells really well. No crowing yet from Polly, but some of the wives tales signals are pointing Roo. Truly a waiting game

Nelly is so precocious and is my pick for top hen when the Delaware-turned-leghorn exists the scene!

Don't rush it. Enjoy your time together. They can be quiet for some time. I know Versace never crowed while living here but Aurora is quite the dominant hen. I don't think Versace actually ever crowed, did he @SimpleJenn ?

 

[Marie2020]

Lots of trees or low bushy places to hide & no open aerial hawk space...that's why we crowded the chicken area w/ trees, popup canopies, patio roofs, recycled doghouses or makeshift huts, lawn furniture & tables, many makeshift bench/lean-to's, anything scattered around in open spaces so the hens didn't have to go far to a hiding spot. The trees & canopies & patio roofs are great to interfere w/ hawk aerial space. We took no chances at making it easy for Cooper's to have swooping aerial space on a running chicken especially since we aren't zoned for a protective flock rooster.

Even in the old days before our yard remodel we made the yard un-appealing to aerial predators!
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A very good idea!.
Byc should consider adding these solutions on the front page. It would save a lot of lives a a huge amount of heartache

 

[Sylvester017]

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Nancy after here operation and long journey home
Nancy now after breakfast
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Sweet baby... how's she now

 

[Sylvester017]

A very good idea!.
Byc should consider adding these solutions on the front page. It would save a lot of lives a a huge amount of heartache

It's funny that I accidentally got a lot of good ideas from the BYC thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/post-your-chicken-coop-pictures-here.596294/
The thread has tripled in length since I went there in 2011 as an on-looker before officially joining BYC, so the thread must be helping a lot of chickeneers

The way coop owners were sharing stories of predators taking their chickens gave us good insight on prevention ideas w/our own coop-yard ideas from inexpensive small yard solutions to large property predator solutions.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Don't rush it. Enjoy your time together. They can be quiet for some time. I know Versace never crowed while living here but Aurora is quite the dominant hen. I don't think Versace actually ever crowed, did he @SimpleJenn ?

He did not. Neither did Ric Flair. My only crow-er was the Sebright, Trickster.