Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

I can picture that.

I thought I was a good dancer! Not quite up to Mr P’s standards I guess.

 

[Ponypoor]

They are all game birds
Much more difficult to train than the other ones.

Give them time they will be fine.

 

[Sylvester017]

It’s amazing how big most tomato plants get - I would plant 2 on either side of the barn door and they would fill the spots.

It’s hard to keep bigger chooks that know how to fly well out of areas they should not be in! To day Sir Surely hopped the fencing into the neighbours yard - I had to go and try to get him back, took some doing but I finally got him home. Brat!

He and Mr P got into it and Mr LC joined in, the two of them ganged up on Mr P and really have him as beating - I tried to stop them but they were chasing him. Poor Mr P ran into the barn and went and hid in a nest box.

I hauled his butt out, checked him over and gave him some Tylenol. He is now locked away forever. He will no longer be able to run with the flock. Even Mr LC fights with him. I wish I could rehome Shirley. Just checked the camera and Mr P is roosting.

Not to offend any Polish owners plz correct me if I'm wrong...it appears to me Polish are way too laid back to be a #1 flock roo & that other standard breeds are more assertive...I mean, even Branch, a Silkie roo(?), showed flock courage that I'm not seeing in sweet Polish roo's. Just thinking out loud again...

Or would you say Mr P is just an unusually laid back Polish roo? The way I'm reading about flock roo's they are all different as all birds are, but Mr P seems extremely mellow & unassertive as a roo or even just as a chicken. Polish roo's seem nice to chicks but other than happy Bert who has a smallish flock to lead I don't see Polish roo's as very assertive.

Or maybe Polish are similar to Silkies where they might have a tendency to mostly form their own Polish tribe away from other breeds the way Silkies seem to form their own tribe when in a mixed flock. Both Silkies & Polish have gentle temperaments & similarly will have vulnerable vaulted open skulls to protect which may be a reason they protect themselves w/ gentle temeraments to avoid altercations? In Europe, owners love their Polish so much they keep a "Polish only" flock who obviously get along well w/ each other as a same breed flock.

Birds are such cannibals & beat up sometimes to the death on weaker flockmates to ensure none of the flock members are weak against predators ~ flock mentality seems cruel but it's survival of the fittest !

(So, now, why did I agree to keeping chickens ?)

Open top Polish skull

Open Silkie skull

Domestic closed chicken skulls

 

[rural mouse]

Let me add, one of my favorites, was found drowned in the watering bin. All my fault for not removing that bin before installing the chicks.
I value every little life, regardless!
Now I feel so ashamed.

 

[featherhead007]

My rooster BLU was a very aggressive little guy. The ladies were attracted to his long hair and wattles. But what ladies aren’t attracted to long hair and wallets?

 

[rural mouse]

Does everyone in the world know that dance ??

Meanwhile I tried that with my chooks one day and I scared the living daylights out of them! They all ran outside squawking

Sounds like mine this morning when I wore a rain poncho out to the coop....

 

[featherhead007]

Thanks rural mouse

 

[Sylvester017]

Last night's soggy is mostly dry todayView attachment 4114993and they all wanted out despite the continued wet falling from the sky

View attachment 4114992yesterday's soggy backs

View attachment 4114991today's somewhat dried out. I left the heat on in the coop so they can dry out/warm up if needed.

Meanwhile, Castor has found the inside of the mini well for a dry spot no pics yet, but the same well that Tuff was sticking his head in to crow.

Maybe the chickens are safe out in the rain since most predators might not fly well in the downpours? Even our neighborhood Crows which we love are not airbound today in our rain.

 

[rural mouse]

Maybe the chickens are safe out in the rain since most predators might not fly well in the downpours? Even our neighborhood Crows which we love are not airbound today in our rain.

It was just steady rain. No down pour, bordered on drizzle.

 

[Sylvester017]

Hey, I just figured a new way to entertain the little chooks.
I put my iPhone on the floor, with a continuous loop of YouTube music videos, and they are mesmerized by it!

An owner put his boombox in his coop w/classical music & all his hens were gathered around listening to it.

If we have a sick or isolated bird in the house & we leave for a while we put up a mirror for them & turn the radio on. The radio & mirror reflection keeps them from feeling totally abandoned.
Char