Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ikslo]

Wattle Wednesday

 

[Marie2020]

Wattle Wednesday with plenty of comb (old picture)

 

[SimpleJenn]

Gave the ol' broody butt some frozen veggies in water. She appreciates it.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I've employed some help with the taming of the chicks.

Goose and Gryffyn are such trusting girls that they have allowed handling of their chicks without too much stress. Goose allowed me to handle Homer without fuss from day 1 which is why I think Homer is farther along with socialization skills. Gryffyn, she's taken some work. I've been allowed permission to get close from day 1, I could pet their heads if they peaked out from under her, but no picking them up. If I tried that she bit, and bit hard. In the last week and a half she has relaxed and started to let me hold her chicks without coming at me. I still have 2 wild hooligans on my hands though. Georgina is the calmer one of the two. She protests for a second and then settles down on her own. I have gotten to where I can set her in my lap and after a minute take my hands completely away and she is content to stay put. Juice, well, he takes some work. He protests, loudly, takes a bit to settle and I cannot yet take my hands completely away. He is getting better each time, it is just taking awhile.

The last few evenings I've been home Vivvy has been wanting to hold the baby chicks. She understands not to try and pick them up on her own as the momma's will protect them. I have been bringing them over one by one after I have put everyone up and let her hold them with help. Homer is just a gem and a golden child. He allows me to pick him off the roost without a sound. I can carry him half asleep next door and when I place him on her lap he immediately sits down and lets her pet all over him. She pets him everywhere. touches his comb, rubs his growing wattles, crop massages, his back, his lack of tail feathers and she loves to look at his "dino" feet. He takes it all in and has shown he is very comfortable with this by flopping on his side and stretching out a leg for a foot rub in her lap. I love seeing this in a young cockerel, Homer is going to be very easy to work with and bring up myself. Georgina is always next. She protests for a second but has quieted down in the 30 seconds it takes me to get to the porch. I keep my hands close at first when I give her to Vivvy but I really do not need to. She too will now sit down and relax as she points out her new spots that appear every other day. Vivvy is learning to count doing a nightly spot check. We are up to 12 spots. A single black feather in a new location counts as a spot. Georgina does not like her feet touched, so we do not do that. She does love to have her head stroked and her little crest played with. She purred last night while Vivvy was playing with her little crest. Juice is always last, and for good reason. By the time we are done with Homer and Georgina it is getting later and closer to dark. He is less flighty at this time. Juice protests, loudly, the entire time I'm walking with him. He is constantly chirping the first few minutes Vivy holds him gently. The first night I could not remove my hands from him while she held them. Last night I was finally able to take them away. He has stopped trying to immediately fly away. He has not gotten to the point with her where he will sit down, but he did lean into her for about a minute last night as she employed the crop massage that I taught her. I'm also teaching her how to gently rub his shoulder blades, every other rooster I have had has always loved that. He is starting to appreciate that as well, he shut up once she did that. For Juice, shutting up screaming is the key. He is learning to tolerate his crest touched. He is getting better each night, slowly, but getting there. We ended on a good note when he had not cheeped or screamed for about two minutes after the shoulder massage. He was calm on his return trip to the coop and his momma.

I'm also taking opportunities when I can to have Rosie, dad, Vivvy's mom and dad also hold the chicks for a minute or two, especially Juice. Juice may grow up being a cockerel, rooster that does not want to be held. That is perfectly ok, but I need to teach him now when he is little that there are times he has to be handled. He is going to have to endure mite checks, injury checks and if something were to happen where he needed medical attention, handling is necessary. At the moment when he screams bloody murder I'm thinking of the stories of his grandpa Mr. P who hated handling.

In the end the goal for both Homer and Juice is not to lap chickens. It will be a plus if they are, I think Homer is definitely heading in that direction. I want gentle boys who are able to be picked up if needed though. That alone is the goal. When he is a adult Juice is more then welcome to a be a you can admire me, but I prefer you do not touch me rooster. Bubba was like that. He did not care to be picked up, but, when medical attention was needed I never had to chase him down. He also would allow me to pet him as he walked by, and he never missed a chance to eat out of my hand. Juice can be like that.

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks!

I miss your flock. BYC is my only "social" media so FB or youtube is not my thing to see FB or YT posts; therefore, I miss seeing your flock. We haven't got to over 100F temps here yet but soon I'm sure. We'll turn on a slow sprinkler when the heat happens. Our birds love playing in running water.

 

[Sylvester017]

Guys!!!

Riddick just asked me to fill the bowl with food just like Marble did!
So polite!
View attachment 4175519

They certainly know how to get a message across to you, eh?

 

[Sylvester017]

Wow just realized I pulled a ‘Notabitail’

It’s Tuesday! What a bummer still have Wednesday to get through

I figured you'd eventually notice... so I didn't make a crack about it...

 

[Sylvester017]

Well, another adventure tonight. Eating dinner (fish n chips, thank you AK fishermen), had 5 horses stroll into the yard, not a halter between them. Out the door I went, DS working parking Sherlock in the mudroom (he started going nuts), and DH right behind me, "do you know where they belong?"

2 neighbors over, the same ones that went up the road a couple of years ago, I think.

Horses turned around and right back out the gate into the empty field. DS ended up with the job of looking up a phone number in the book (he got to the correct last name and went "there's a bunch. Dunno which one" now knows about city/address stuff). I started down the road (only one fully dressed). Part way down the road, I saw a side by side come up over the edge from the suspected property. Good. I know where the horses go and phone call isn't needed. SBS turned into the field (1 occupant) and horses started moving back towards me....I started into field to try to head them off....nope, they enmass came towards me, ears up... K. I turned into a "large rock", hands on hips, elbows out, stand tall, and stay put. 4 horses in front of me, 1 circled around behind me. SBS came up behind them and feed bucket came out. Halters went on 2, one of which was herd boss. I ended up walking the boss back while owner in SBS with other on lead semi-herded the other 3 along back. The 3 loose horses turned into the barn rather than the pasture with the open gate in front of them (not the gate they slipped for their adventure).

Horses ended up in pastures in pairs, slipped gate closed, and I got a ride back in the Side By Side along with retrieving the feed bucket that certain 4-legged critters knocked out on the way back home.

Sherlock gave me a thorough sniffing over followed by doing the same with the yard and started down the drive/field. We'd gotten him a new training collar with more flexibility and range, so he came right back (vibration, YES!). He also stopped well short of Castor with the enthusiasm and walked around him calmly (entirely of his own volition) to which Castor showed his appreciation by not clawing at him (body language said claws were about to come out) and sniffing noses instead.

Chickens were entirely oblivious and put themselves to bed while I was out. I did close the coop before the sniff over with Sherlock.

Life would be so boring without these little adventuresLove how the chickens took it all in stride

 

[Sylvester017]

View attachment 4175692
The happy times ( old picture)

I am so impressed ~ cats w/ chickens ~ so many cute ones on this thread

 

[Ponypoor]

Wattles Wednesday!
Maximus in all his glory. Miss this boy! Most handsome rooster I've ever had.
View attachment 4175917

Very handsome