Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ChicoryBlue]

A walker. A WALKER!!!

Now I know what to do with my mom’s original walker!

And here’s the commode frame in action. I tried to take off the seat and couldn’t. I’ve actually found it handy to place things on and sat on it too.
Tonight

Here’s everybody inside. I took out the nest box divider for more air circulation in this heat, better exhaust fan efficiency (two little fans are pointed out the back vents, and the tray under the roost bars is hardware cloth) and they can use the space for more of the flat neck-out sleeping they were used to in the brooder. Only Shanai, the largest of them, seems to prefer the roost bars at present, and usually tucks her head under her wing.

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

Tony decided to come inside the house. I gave her some coconut flakes, which she tried but I don't know if she likes them.

Tony's own selfies. Consider this a late Mugshot.
Perplexed.

The camera would rather focus on the background than Tony...

 

[Ponypoor]

She isn’t a screaming banshee at all. She didn’t even flare up at Pooh who was mingling with the chicks and sharing the food.
She did manage to get them all to come back to bed so I guess they do listen to her!

That’s awesome! Soooooo glad this is working for you. It’s always such a worry with the wee ones.

I think holding them back A few days before putting under the broody worked great. I was tempted to do that with these pullets but Georgie was looking like she wanted to get off the nest, and I was not about to raise those by hand, I was worried Holly wouldn’t be able to fit 4 under her.

 

[Ponypoor]

Which feeders do you mean? The little red one in the first post and your little blue one don't hang, there's no loop to attach to, unless you rig up something.

The little ones with round holes that sit and don't hang - the one I got the very bottom separates from the holes by way of sliding tabs, it's easy to clean because of that. Yours does not come apart?

Yes mine can be disassembled to clean it, but shavings get clogged in the holes when it’s full of fees so I can’t really take it apart - I have to physically pick out the shavings from the holes.

 

[Ponypoor]

Basically an allotment, yes. I'm the only one keeping chickens there at the moment but other people have in the past. I've taken over someone else's setup after it sat unused for a few years - some bits were still more or less usable and I'm rebuilding the rest.

The site rules say chickens are the only "livestock" that can be kept there but a few of us have been thinking bees probably don't count as livestock. It's not a very easy place to keep bees though, so I'd want to spend a couple of years planning and planting first to ensure they had enough food and shelter from the weather.

That’s great! Here there are areas like that even Toronto - which is our largest city. And they even allow people to have hens in certain parts of the city. They can have up to 5 if I am not mistaken.

 

[rural mouse]

She isn’t a screaming banshee at all. She didn’t even flare up at Pooh who was mingling with the chicks and sharing the food.
She did manage to get them all to come back to bed so I guess they do listen to her!

She may let all of them mingle. She may decide that ONE (and only one) is NOT ALLOWED NEAR MY BABIES!!!!! How that will play out may take several days to reveal, and can change later.

 

[rural mouse]

Had a difficult task tonight. Hector had turned back into a hormonal idiot.....age 3..... ladies lingering out to avoid him....trouble staying on due to his feet (never fully straightened out from the vitamin deficiency when he was a chick). Shad's thread has had some discussion about when to remove a rooster and what truly constitutes a good rooster. Post hormonal idiocy phase he's one the ladies hang out with, tidbits the treat the them, they crouch without being chased and grabbed by him.

Doing some chick observation, I realized he's mostly off on the fringes, chasing the ladies, and a couple of them have stayed out to almost dark only to get grabbed with a ruckus the instant they poked their beaks into the coop. Last night, I was able to grab him and move him into the garage. One of the ladies not only didn't come back to the coop, but wasn't loitering around the door this morning. He spent the day in the garage. She turned up this evening. The only kerfuffle I heard this evening involved the chicks being told they had to move.

Due to the condition of Hector's feet, rehoming him to a rooster less flock isn't really feasible either. A friend gave me some daylilies to add to my garden today. They're now planted on his grave.

 

[RoyalChick]

Had a difficult task tonight. Hector had turned back into a hormonal idiot.....age 3..... ladies lingering out to avoid him....trouble staying on due to his feet (never fully straightened out from the vitamin deficiency when he was a chick). Shad's thread has had some discussion about when to remove a rooster and what truly constitutes a good rooster. Post hormonal idiocy phase he's one the ladies hang out with, tidbits the treat the them, they crouch without being chased and grabbed by him.

Doing some chick observation, I realized he's mostly off on the fringes, chasing the ladies, and a couple of them have stayed out to almost dark only to get grabbed with a ruckus the instant they poked their beaks into the coop. Last night, I was able to grab him and move him into the garage. One of the ladies not only didn't come back to the coop, but wasn't loitering around the door this morning. He spent the day in the garage. She turned up this evening. The only kerfuffle I heard this evening involved the chicks being told they had to move.

Due to the condition of Hector's feet, rehoming him to a rooster less flock isn't really feasible either. A friend gave me some daylilies to add to my garden today. They're now planted on his grave.

 

[drstratton]

They both look like they are Splash also. I wonder what cross they use - I almost got more Azure chicks for the broodies, but as I am not keeping the pullets I didn’t want to be tempted hahaha. Bad enough with those Guinea!

Oh I can’t wait to see what colour eggs your girls lay! I bet blue.

Thank you! That gives me a little more insight into what they might be.

I can't wait to see their eggs too. Blue would be lovely. But I wouldn't mind green, a pink cast would also be beautiful. I should get beautiful blue eggs from my Cream Legbar's. And my Ameraucana should give green or blue.

Tax: Willow

 

[drstratton]

Very lovely.

I have a few Azure Blue which are a leghorn x Auracana. They lot lovely blue eggs.

One has a topknot and they all three are Splash, this year they are getting even more black spots.

Two have floppy combs, and one has a straight comb.

Topsy has the topknot and floppy comb
View attachment 4196142

Twister has a straight comb
View attachment 4196138

Flopsy has a floppy comb also
View attachment 4196143

They're gorgeous! Very similar to mine. I really am excited to see how my girls finish out!