Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

"What did he do wrong to get turned to tin...?"

Ever heard of the “Man of Steel”?

 

[RoyalChick]

Fluffy Friday chick butt:
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And some other photos:

Good morning from Fennel to the FBA crew - (could he look more awake??)
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Rue
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Parsley and Rue
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Nap attack
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[RebeccaBoyd]

NPIP is not a thing here in Canada, and vax of backyard flocks also not a thing, next to impossible to get them for your poultry here. Only factory farms can get hold of any vax, and generally do not even bother as they are inside, broilers are processed at 6-8 weeks and layers are processed at 1.5 yrs just before they do their first moult.

Breeders of fancy birds don’t have access to vax unless they somehow get hold of it, and use of gender DNA testing is generally not done. People are not generally going to pay the expense of getting a day old chook for $50 to 100 - average price here is about $12 - spending more than $20 is unusual.

Edit: I should point out the chicks I got at Peavey brought up from Hoovers were vax for Mareks and coccidiosis. Freys doesn’t do that here.

Very similar here, at least in my particular area of Kentucky.

I will say throughout the state there are a lot of NPIP certified breeders. I would say at least a 3rd of them are. Ironically if you will all seem to be in Central to Western Kentucky. That is also where most if not all of the "show" super high quality breeders are located. I really think it has so much to do with that we just to not have access to poultry shows around us in Eastern Kentucky so it is not a thing folks do around here.

DNA sexing, it is just not done, even for hard to sex breeds like silkies. My silkie peeps in my area, we go into it buying day olds fully aware we could be buying all roosters. We hope for pullets, but are prepared for boys. I do think a big part of rooster acceptance is the fact that unless you are in the city there are absolutely no restrictions on roos, or how many chickens you can have. Rural life has it advantages trust me.

Unless you buy from a feed store you are not getting vaccinated chicks. I do not vaccinate and I do not know of anyone that does.

I do think if I continue to grow with my silkies in the next year or so I do want to look into getting NPIP certified. I will probably not do DNA sexing for chicks as the price would have to be raised and trust me, folks in my area would balk at that. Would I DNA for myself? Maybe, if it were for a special one that I just had to know the sex of. Lets be honest though, they become special around a couple months old. By then, it really is just a waiting game for a few more weeks until I know one way or another.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

The partridge chick should be named Miracle.

That is a good option. I was thinking more along the line of Lucky. It is the only one of my keepers who is yet unnamed. The blue one Rosie named Bluey. She named the other Partridge chick Bingo and the splash is Calypso.

 

[Ponypoor]

Very similar here, at least in my particular area of Kentucky.

I will say throughout the state there are a lot of NPIP certified breeders. I would say at least a 3rd of them are. Ironically if you will all seem to be in Central to Western Kentucky. That is also where most if not all of the "show" super high quality breeders are located. I really think it has so much to do with that we just to not have access to poultry shows around us in Eastern Kentucky so it is not a thing folks do around here.

DNA sexing, it is just not done, even for hard to sex breeds like silkies. My silkie peeps in my area, we go into it buying day olds fully aware we could be buying all roosters. We hope for pullets, but are prepared for boys. I do think a big part of rooster acceptance is the fact that unless you are in the city there are absolutely no restrictions on roos, or how many chickens you can have. Rural life has it advantages trust me.

Unless you buy from a feed store you are not getting vaccinated chicks. I do not vaccinate and I do not know of anyone that does.

I do think if I continue to grow with my silkies in the next year or so I do want to look into getting NPIP certified. I will probably not do DNA sexing for chicks as the price would have to be raised and trust me, folks in my area would balk at that. Would I DNA for myself? Maybe, if it were for a special one that I just had to know the sex of. Lets be honest though, they become special around a couple months old. By then, it really is just a waiting game for a few more weeks until I know one way or another.

Yep, and realistically I knew at about a week old Jolly was a boy, it’s the attitude.

I almost did the gender test and sure enough next day he crowed hahaha.

With Bert and Betty I did the test, and ended up keeping him anyways. And now he has a lovely flock of his own.

It’s $19 to do the gender test here so not overly expensive but as you say, why bother, they will show their true colours at some point!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Yep, and realistically I knew at about a week old Jolly was a boy, it’s the attitude.

I almost did the gender test and sure enough next day he crowed hahaha.

With Bert and Betty I did the test, and ended up keeping him anyways. And now he has a lovely flock of his own.

It’s $19 to do the gender test here so not overly expensive but as you say, why bother, they will show their true colours at some point!

I could spring for it and test my little nuggets in a few weeks when they are older. Knowing the gender would not change how I handle and raise them though. I raise all my chicks the same, even early known cockerels are treated no different.

I am not even going to speculate on their genders now for a few months.

That said, the little Partridge Lucky or Miracle, I want to call a boy. Why you may wonder? It has absolutely zero to do with looks or personality at this point. It all has to do with it's failed suicide attempt. Branch, bless him, tried unsuccessfully to kill himself twice before a year old. The first time he was about 3 or 4 weeks old, he hopped into a tote with rainwater in it and almost drowned. The second time he was around 7 or 8ish months old and he ninja kicked over a can of motor oil and spilled it all over himself. That resulted in a emergency bath with dawn dish soap to remove the oil.

Little lucky or Miracle is already taking after it's grandpa. I cannot help but wonder if it is a coincidence or not.

 

[Sylvester017]

Had 50mph sustained winds with gusts of 80mph last night. Thankfully we didn't end up with storm damage, just a few things knocked over.
View attachment 4124708
All the chickens are fine, other than the metal rooster tipping over haha.

Whew! Lucky there was little mess or damage & the chickens got a lesson in weather swings!

Sometimes I think our yard is a wind tunnel! Always blowing thru here from around noon till dusk but the real bad winds are what's called our Santa Ana Winds in the San Gabriel Valley ~ warm violent gusts sometimes up to 100mph that rip tiles off roofs, blow popup canopies thru the air, & keep the hens hunkered down in the garage corner of the house.

One year when the gusts were at 100mph our hummie feeder was swinging on the shepherds hook so violently. The next morning couldn't believe there was still syrup left in it for the hummies! This has been my all-time favorite glass hummie feeder.
Jan 2012

 

[Sylvester017]

Friday pics
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Ethel stole my chair!
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Comrade and Nosy Posy
View attachment 4124711Blue booty
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Periwinkle!
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Navy Beans!
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Nosy Posy. She will allow me to hold her but she doesn't like me getting the phone out when I do. I'm hoping when these girls get older they get a little friendlier.
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Just missed the shot of him being a circle.

Hi Periwinkle

Our Silkies are not fond of taking pics either. It's like R-U-N when they see a camera ~ however, a platter of treats & they're crawling all over our feet!

 

[Sylvester017]

Retreating butts and curious mugsView attachment 4124730

You have a nice way of framing a good photograph

 

[Sylvester017]

Happy 3 year Birthday to Foxy and Meimei!

Foxy the famous hugger (her beak is slightly open because she likes to be hugged TIGHT )
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Foxy and Meimei bathing sequenceView attachment 4124743

Awwww