Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

I was doing fine with hanging feeders. But I have a rat visitation so I need to cut their access to spilled food.

Hmmm, me thinks this isn't the accurate description. It sounds like they are in jail and allowed visitors. If they were actually in jail, you could enact the death penalty!

 

[rural mouse]

Looks like the seed heads off the grasses. Right now the wild blackberries are starting to ripen here, Blanche has been feasting on those, and now the others also know they are there.

So do you know how many chicks there are? I have missed many pages so if you have stated already I apologize.

Mr P and his lovely wattles and funky comb
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Clyde also has a funky comb and wattles.
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21 hatched, 1 passed in nest before PITA came off the nest (I suspect something was wrong in the chick). Should be 20. They clustered around the water today and stayed still for a moment. I don't think they've lost any, but I'm not 100% certain on that.

 

[rural mouse]

I love how they all came running out of the brush there at the beginning!!! It was like it was never ending!

I had the Pied piper effect when heading out there too....

this includes chicks...

And PITA started the feeding

Yes @featherhead007 that is NO feet on the ground.

 

[featherhead007]

A Hatchday With No Party

Today is a momentous day. Hattie turned 7 today. She is likely the oldest chicken to ever reside at Fluffy Butt Acres!

Unfortunately, the weather has prevented any party as it is raining out.

So instead we will celebrate with photos of Baby Hattie!

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Lovely Hattie

 

[Ponypoor]

Good night all

It’s a hot steamy miserable evening here, and not a breath of wind at all.

I have the fans going full tilt to n the chooks and horses.

Blanche has captured the choice location in front of the box fan,

And I have the high velocity fan blowing air into the Hen House B and looks like everyone is ok.

 

[BY Bob]

Wattles Wednesday!
Maximus in all his glory. Miss this boy! Most handsome rooster I've ever had.
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He was a beauty.

 

[BY Bob]

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.

Amazing how you train them so well. Great work.

 

[Ikslo]

Oooo, Eeeeee, Awwww! We can't have roo's in our zone so more pics plz. I Luv all the roo stories too

Well Curiosity managed to mount Einstein today (our only remaining hen from the last group). She didn’t seem too disturbed by it, although she did shake him off after about 5 seconds. He wasn’t properly aligned, isn’t old enough (I don’t think), and Einstein seemed like she didn’t have the patience for this inexperienced cockerel, but boy he sure looked proud of himself for managing to do more than grab a neck for a few seconds!

 

[BY Bob]

Happy Hatch Day Hattie!
Nothing is more cute than baby Hattie and nothing more elegant than adult Hattie.

Truer words were never spoken.

 

[BY Bob]

I love how they all came running out of the brush there at the beginning!!! It was like it was never ending!

So many chicks!