Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

On Their Own
With this step I will be no longer carrying the littles to bed.

Here is the video of them exploring the new opening and what was beyond.

Niamh was the first down the steps.

Nimue soon followed

Nimue promptly dug 2 deep holes in the run.

The next step will be to see if they can find their way back to roost tonight.

 

[Ponypoor]

Oh, I see they have learned from @BY Bob 's Aster & Hattie! I do think they need another lesson or two, though, as the plant is still standing!

And has petals….

 

[bgmathteach]

Now to throw a spanner in the mix, those blue hens are motttled with some white spots.

I wonder if they will get more white when they moult?

Well, in my opinion - you will just have to set a dozen or so of their eggs to see what hatches. All in the name of science, of course!

 

[Ponypoor]

I'm thinking chance of those babies throwing silkied offspring

Yes - if I had pullets from them and bred them to Jolly 50% chance silkie, and 100% chance cockerel!

 

[Ponypoor]

You people just amaze me. You speak of silkies as chickens.
Everybody knows that Silkies are not real chickens. . Some may be half chicken but I’m not sure about that!

They are all 100% velociraptor that’s for sure!

 

[Sylvester017]

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.

Cochin bantams (called Pekins in the UK) were almost what we started w/ 14 yrs ago before someone gave us two free Silkie chicks first.

Here's the Cochin bantam youtube video that I loved from 14 yrs ago

 

[rural mouse]

Nothing to see. Nope, no enabling here!

Ssshhhhhhh!!! I'm trying to sneak it in!

 

[Ponypoor]

On Their Own
With this step I will be no longer carrying the littles to bed.

View attachment 4125829

Here is the video of them exploring the new opening and what was beyond.

Niamh was the first down the steps.

Nimue soon followed

Nimue promptly dug 2 deep holes in the run.

The next step will be to see if they can find their way back to roost tonight.

Oh my gosh they are so big now! And beautiful! They are simply gorgeous.

 

[rural mouse]

You people just amaze me. You speak of silkies as chickens.
Everybody knows that Silkies are not real chickens. . Some may be half chicken but I’m not sure about that!

@RebeccaBoyd he needs one (or more) of those babies

 

[bgmathteach]

The girls arrived looking like this, and I they had been here about 3 weeks already.
View attachment 4125718View attachment 4125719

Flurry now
View attachment 4125722
And Grouchy Gryffyn the former naked neck.
View attachment 4125723

Boredom will cause egg eating - and that is a hard thing to break...I can't say I really blame them, given the circumstances they were in....