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Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

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RebeccaBoyd said:
They started it their first winter with me. Temps plummeted and I did not get to a egg in time and it froze and broke. Eating that one egg was all it took and they have been horrible ever since. Thankfully none of my other hens have picked this habit up.

I have to wonder though if it was something they occasionally did with their previous owner. Remember these girls were kept in a coop that while it was long it was not tall. They never even learned to roost properly.

My bowling ball hens are beautiful. I cannot judge all cochins based on these. I will be hard pressed to be convinced to get some more after these are gone.
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I love bowling ball chickens. Maybe mine will be such good girls you'll give the breed another chance in the future. ;)
That's how I ended up with Red and Yeti! Featherhead007 posts so much of his darling rhodie, and allllll the brahma love here convinced me to get them (well the kid begging for a red hen helped out too!)

Hubby and I were talking last night, he wants to reinforce the brooder coop once the golden girls move out, if they move out before the cochins are ready to go outside. If not, it'll be after they move. He said "it's good enough for now but I'm going to put an actual post and hinge, make it sturdier for the next batch of birds."
Even he has fallen for chicken math...we have Polish eggs coming when we give Marble to his owner.
 
Ponypoor said:
Clyde joined his sweeties in a dirt pile yesterday 😆

The dirt was flying!
View attachment 4125630

He adores Patches and Silver Bord and they only have eyes for him. It’s so sweet.

Wonder what chicks from them would look like??? Brown eggs for sure, topknots…. They would be grey - likely look like their mamas.

Anywhoooo not hatching eggs this year, not even for my niece’s school. Seems the school board has banned hatching eggs in the Kindergarten classes. Something about health risk - stupid people make me want to scream. There has never been one issue with health ever from having chicks and pets in a classroom.

When I was in school we had gerbils, hamsters, Guinea pigs, hatched ducklings and geese. Sometimes the teachers would bring their dogs in. Sheesh! Never ever had any issues with anything, not even allergies.

Kids these days are not exposed to enough dirt I say! When I was growing u we spent summer days out on the floating raft which the Gulls roosted on at night. First ones out there each morning had to clean off the raft deck of all that Gull poop.

Two of us would go opposite corners and start rocking the raft and get the corners under the water to slosh the water up onto the raft. It was a huge raft about 15’x15’ wooden deck welded steel frame floated with the use of 50gallon steel drums. It took some work to get it cleaned off. We would start sliding around on the wet wood and fall into the water full of Gull poop, inevitably swallowing some - ewww!

But we were never sick, and I guess all that poop cleaning is why I have no issues with dealing with horse and chicken poop now.

Yep those were the days! Then we would all lay out on that raft all day in the sun like seals, when we got hot we rolled into the water. Sometimes a stray Gull would join us hahaha. All is girls laying in the sun with the odd Gull just relaxing the summer away like seals on a beach.

Oh and best thing! Our parents couldn’t get to us unless they swam out which never did! Heaven!

Sunshine tax
View attachment 4125635

Come join us Hooman!
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Wonderful childhood memories!
 
SimpleJenn said:
I love bowling ball chickens. Maybe mine will be such good girls you'll give the breed another chance in the future. ;)
That's how I ended up with Red and Yeti! Featherhead007 posts so much of his darling rhodie, and allllll the brahma love here convinced me to get them (well the kid begging for a red hen helped out too!)

Hubby and I were talking last night, he wants to reinforce the brooder coop once the golden girls move out, if they move out before the cochins are ready to go outside. If not, it'll be after they move. He said "it's good enough for now but I'm going to put an actual post and hinge, make it sturdier for the next batch of birds."
Even he has fallen for chicken math...we have Polish eggs coming when we give Marble to his owner.
Click to expand...
I'm not saying cochins are forever off my list. If it were not for the egg eating I could adore those girls.

Honestly it is not their fault, I got them and their sisters at almost 2 years old. They lived all their lives up until that point in a raised coop that while long, was only 2 feet in height. They never learned to roost. They were never allowed to free range. They could not be, their owner had a even worse time with predators then I do. He dealt with coyotes, bobcats, coons and weasels. If a chicken free ranged it was lucky to last 2 days. They were loved pets hence the reason they were kept up. He wanted better for them though that was why he gave them to me. They arrived in rough shape though. Confinement and boredom led to feather picking and their poor heads and necks were bald. I already had a aversion to naked necks in general, they reinforced my stance that I will never seek to own them.

I worked with them, got them to trust me and enjoy being handled. Well, Gryffyn is still Grouchy Gryffyn and will bite me every chance she gets. Their feathers grew in after they got freedom and stopped pecking each other. I tried for months to teach them to roost, it could not be done. They still sleep on top of each other on the ground like a pile of chicks. From the day they started eating eggs I have threatened to turn them into chicken and dumplings. They have gotten better this year, but, given the opportunity will still do it. They also have not been turned into dumplings and they wont. I have threatened to sell them, I wont. They were Grandma's and Rosie's hens. I'm stuck with them. I complain about them as much as I complained about old Momma Hen. They are 5 now, almost 6. They will live forever like she did to torture me.

When they are gone I will not immediately run out to replace them. I will do that with my Marans, I love them as much as I love the silkies. In time will I get more, possibly. I think I might try for the bantam ones next time. I could also get the large fowl and raise them myself from babies. I mean, those 2 do have good qualities and I can see why they are a loved chicken breed. They do extremely well in the winter when it gets bitterly cold. They tolerate the heat and are smart and steal Dirt's fan during the hottest part of the days in the summertime.

Fresh out of their molts, if I ignore the egg eating they are stunning ladies. Big, beautiful, and those feathered feet. They check all those boxes that I love. Then they eat a egg and I curse them.
 
The girls arrived looking like this, and I they had been here about 3 weeks already.
DSCN5228.JPG
DSCN5241.JPG


Flurry now
DSCN4805.JPG

And Grouchy Gryffyn the former naked neck.
DSCN4833.JPG
 
FBA Weekly Synopsis 5/10/25 - 5/17/25​

Last week's synopsis by @knoturavggrl can be found here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-28591961

A Mother's day theme
And Three Hatchday Celebrations 🎂🎉🎈🎆
---------------------------------------------------------------
@TOMTE
@SimpleJenn
@Marie2020
@Ponypoor
@ChicoryBlue
@BY Bob
@Grandma The Chicken
@TX Chick Noob
@RoyalChick
@knoturavggrl
@rural mouse
@FeatherAndBloom
@notabitail
@RebeccaBoyd
@featherhead007
@Sylvester017
@Sally PB
 
lightm said:
FBA Weekly Synopsis 5/10/25 - 5/17/25​

Last week's synopsis by @knoturavggrl can be found here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-28591961

A Mother's day theme
And Three Hatchday Celebrations 🎂🎉🎈🎆
---------------------------------------------------------------
@TOMTE
@SimpleJenn
@Marie2020
@Ponypoor
@ChicoryBlue
@BY Bob
@Grandma The Chicken
@TX Chick Noob
@RoyalChick
@knoturavggrl
@rural mouse
@FeatherAndBloom
@notabitail
@RebeccaBoyd
@featherhead007
@Sylvester017
@Sally PB
Click to expand...
Wonderful synopsis, thank you for the hard work, it really is helpful 💗
 
Ponypoor said:
That are getting so big!!!! And that’s how it all starts with the garden diggers - a lovely flower pot and a pretty flower to nibble on. Turn your back for a few minutes and they have devoured it 😊👍

What breed did you say the grey is? She is a lovely colour, and that Americana is so cute - she’s gonna have a lovely beard and muffs ♥️
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She's an Andalusian. The store I got them from has a schedule as to when a certain breed comes in and when I walked in one Saturday (it was quite packed in there), there was only one breed for today and so I ended up getting that one instead. At first, she was always sitting (she didn't get to see Grandma but it was almost like an influence). I seriously need to be a photographer. I'm quite good with the camera, but then again, you can't beat a Google Pixel camera.
Ponypoor said:
As for you’re not feeling well still I am so sad to hear this. Remember if you do not get better or feel really poorly go to Emerg, but I hope you feel better soon.
Click to expand...
I feel fine today but yesterday afternoon, I took a nap and woke up with a headache. My head still feels weird today but it isn't as bad as yesterday.
 
lightm said:
FBA Weekly Synopsis 5/10/25 - 5/17/25​

Last week's synopsis by @knoturavggrl can be found here: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-28591961

A Mother's day theme
And Three Hatchday Celebrations 🎂🎉🎈🎆
---------------------------------------------------------------
@TOMTE
@SimpleJenn
@Marie2020
@Ponypoor
@ChicoryBlue
@BY Bob
@Grandma The Chicken
@TX Chick Noob
@RoyalChick
@knoturavggrl
@rural mouse
@FeatherAndBloom
@notabitail
@RebeccaBoyd
@featherhead007
@Sylvester017
@Sally PB
Click to expand...
That was lovely - thanks for your hard work! I need to figure out those links you create 😊🥰👍 I really need to step up to the challenge!
 

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