Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[drstratton]

It's So Hot! Let's Take Our Feathers Off!

Sydney is smarter than the average hen. She has decided to have her annual molt now. What better time to be missing feathers than when it's 90+F outside.

View attachment 4173264

Sounds like the perfect plan! Beautiful girls!

 

[featherhead007]

Second one needs to go to caption contest

What did you use to get that glue off?

Regular Wesson cooking oil, and after the glue is diluted, use soap and water to remove the oil.

 

[Sylvester017]

Heat index forecast today is 104f where me and my birds live. It’s humid heat in the afternoon (makes it feel hotter)

It's been humid here for weeks. The worst is yet to come starting August. Joys of living in a State w/almost the longest coastline! I'm hurrying to clean the blown-in debris in the chicken yard so I can turn on their sprinkler when the really hot temps hit.

 

[kattabelly]

I just love your morning stampede, and the littles swarming everywhere is insane!
Haven’t finished the 2nd video yet but it confirms my view that being a mother hen is stressful. Always on guard and the little ones are just going everywhere.

Every time I let my chicks out to range, I wonder how any hen has ever managed to raise more than one or two at once without having a heart attack.

 

[Sylvester017]

This made me happy this morning. Lots more butterflies on the farm this year.View attachment 4173371

I believe we Californians are in the Monarch migratory path. We get lots more of them here than other butterflies... although Yellow Swallowtails are 2nd most frequent visitors too. We also get smaller white butterflies (possibly white cabbage butterfly?) & a teeny orange one
(possibly a fiery skipper?) but don't know for sure.

 

[Sylvester017]

PONY SUNDAY

VERY TEENY TINY ORANGE BUTTERFLY IN MIDDLE OF PHOTO RESTING ON A WHITE LEMON FLOWER ~ magnify to see ~ I was afraid to scare it away. A Fiery Skipper?

 

[rural mouse]

Observationally it's been said female chicks grow tails sooner than males... any truth to that? Those cute little buggers move FAST

That, like the wing feather pattern, and slow vs quick feathering only work when specifically bred for it. And even if I'd been breeding for it (no idea how), I'm not about to attempt catching (or stealing from under mama) babies to do any sort of detailed check.

I'm keeping a cockerel and a few pullets. How many depends on the ratio. All the rest will be going to FIL when mamas are all done. I'll know by then what I'm looking at. I'm pretty positive I'm keeping the last to hatch as I know it hatched from a green egg. Beyond that, I'm watching for crests to pop. Most of the all black chicks came from white eggs, so are likely Cheetah's grandchicks. Crests would be from Thing's daughters, so I'll keep them. Otherwise.... I'm deliberately trying to NOT get attached until the ones I keep are identifiable.

I'm NOT naming until after the others have moved. Do I have a few name ideas? Yes. Will they be appropriate for the birds? I won't know until I get to know the chicks....near decision time.

 

[Ikslo]

We still have 6-7 without names. They just haven’t done anything memorable yet and/or do not stick out in any way.

 

[Sylvester017]

Every time I let my chicks out to range, I wonder how any hen has ever managed to raise more than one or two at once without having a heart attack.

In the bird world the parents feed & nurture chicks but seem to accept that a loss can occur ~ flamingos, penguins, songbirds, etc. Even raptors accept that one out of their 2 chicks may not survive & that the bigger stronger chick will kick out the smaller chick out of the nest. The bird world can seem quite cruel ~ even in our sweet chicken world.

Our sweet Silkies can be real meanies too sometimes...

Picking up Ginny & Suzu chicks from Amber Waves Silkies during Covid in 2020.

Who knew the cute little Ginny chick would turn out a bully?

 

[Sylvester017]

I wonder how Ijak is doing in this hot weather? @Desertvalleychickens