Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[drstratton]

Castor has a friend.View attachment 4196924this is Bijou. She's 3 months old, mama wandered into a friend's place and turned out to be pregnant. Also, mama looks to be at least part Maine Coon.

When she came homeView attachment 4196928

What a beauty!

 

[Sylvester017]

Im home!

fluffy butt
View attachment 4192807

BonusView attachment 4192808

Those dog pics crack me up

 

[Ponypoor]

She washes those socks once a month whether they need it or not!

I have 10 identical pairs - love those socks! Used to have 2 dozen but alas the heals wear out.

 

[Ponypoor]

I don’t go barefoot outside. This morning, I was putting on my socks, and there was a 1/2 in staple stuck in my big toe. I never even felt it!

Good heavens! Be careful.

I live in eternal fear the chooks will eat nails, bolts, fence staples…. Hardware disease we call it to n cattle

 

[Ponypoor]

Those dog pics crack me up

Hey! I was wondering where you were…?

 

[Ponypoor]

Then I will buy you a pair of tweezers! You can pick out the wood from the dung. Gezz do I have to think of everything

Or…..

You can drop by and put up 300 bales of straw for me

 

[featherhead007]

Oh that is where they are going wrong - no tail feathers!

Gonna need more pics of the no tail feathers, and pics of their legs. I ask this, because Cochins don’t need to fly. They are considered pampered pets and should be treated as such.

 

[Sylvester017]

@ChicoryBlue
As promised a little Bucky photo shoot. Probably more than you wanted but I was trying to get a clear view of the dark stripe on the top of her head and there was a lot of photobombing going on!
Sorry - lots of pics!
View attachment 4193183View attachment 4193184View attachment 4193185View attachment 4193186View attachment 4193187View attachment 4193188View attachment 4193189View attachment 4193190View attachment 4193191

Is there a possibility Bucky is a specialty hybrid layer breed if Buckeye breed gets ruled out?

 

[Ponypoor]

This morning I brought out some sunflower seeds and walnuts for everyone and the Bigs went crazy, it’s their favorite treat. They followed me around the rest of the time. Mistake maybe, but it amplified something I’ve noticed. When I’m around, the Nomads don’t really get a chance to eat much.

Sometimes I’ve kept one group out of the big run and the other in it so both can get some treat or even just so Isabel can feed. Isabel usually holds back when the other Nomads are gobbling anything, and then starts eating once they’ve thinned out. My presence is a detriment to that routine when the Spuds can move freely. They periodically come around to check for anything good or for attention (lap available?) and it makes the Nomads disperse.

If Isabel were like the other Nomads this wouldn’t be a problem, the others eat quickly and then run. But she also has the dozing to contend with, where if she does not take advantage of a chance to eat because of dozing, that’s it, her chance is gone. She tends to doze while waiting on the others, and wakes late. She is also more wary than the other Nomads, maybe because of her condition. She doesn’t try for that one last bite before running to be with the others. So she ends up just running a lot and not eating. My “helping” her doesn’t help. If Isabel is eating out of my hand the Spuds see that and come over.

So this morning during chores the Nomads eventually got herded and hustled over into their little coop run and I closed both ends temporarily hoping Isabel would eat in there undisturbed. Tedi kept circling to try to go in and through it like the Bigs’ve been able to do, but then she gave up and left.

Isabel first had a drink, then stuck her head in the trough feeder and stayed there for a long time. I was cleaning their sleeping coop and kept checking - yep, she’s still eating. Everybody else was already up on the run’s day perch after their snack, but she was having a main meal. She then had a very long drink, and finally joined her sisters.

Isabel is very light and thin. Her frame is the same size or maybe even bigger than the smallest Nomad but her keel is prominent and I’d say she is under-conditioned and doesn’t have a lot of muscle. She can and does eat, obviously when I don’t see it. A few days ago I felt a reasonably good crop in the afternoon. This morning she had almost nothing in there by 10am until she ate that meal. I really don’t like seeing this competition and running and her not eating.

Maybe I’m worrying too much on this? She is managing to hang on and I try not to hope too much. I know there’s something wrong inside her. But since she’s made it this far I’d like to help her if I can. She grooms and preens and might be growing, but more slowly now than the others as far as general beefiness.

I can load pictures again! It was a BYC back-end service "Cloudfare" systems setting that was the issue, affecting several users.

There are five Buckeye pullets in here, can you find them?
First pic I took this morning. Two pullets are on the ground, one is Isabel, the other behind her. Hint - they aren't far from the group, as usual.
View attachment 4197067
Second pic. Isabel is looking up now, and her friend moved on to a branch!
View attachment 4197069

Another pic, zoomed in on the four tree dwellers.
View attachment 4197068

The Spuds and Hazel hanging out too.
View attachment 4197077
View attachment 4197078

I generally always feed my more timid chooks (and horses when I had lots) by themselves. They get an hr at least twice a day by themselves to eat, drink and be merry, without the other bolder/bullies.

In our domesticated environment, we are the ones mainly controlling their destiny, so I make sure that they have every advantage. What you are doing is what I would do.

In the wild the weakest would not live, with us they can and do live. And in most cases a good full life.

 

[Ponypoor]

This morning I brought out some sunflower seeds and walnuts for everyone and the Bigs went crazy, it’s their favorite treat. They followed me around the rest of the time. Mistake maybe, but it amplified something I’ve noticed. When I’m around, the Nomads don’t really get a chance to eat much.

Sometimes I’ve kept one group out of the big run and the other in it so both can get some treat or even just so Isabel can feed. Isabel usually holds back when the other Nomads are gobbling anything, and then starts eating once they’ve thinned out. My presence is a detriment to that routine when the Spuds can move freely. They periodically come around to check for anything good or for attention (lap available?) and it makes the Nomads disperse.

If Isabel were like the other Nomads this wouldn’t be a problem, the others eat quickly and then run. But she also has the dozing to contend with, where if she does not take advantage of a chance to eat because of dozing, that’s it, her chance is gone. She tends to doze while waiting on the others, and wakes late. She is also more wary than the other Nomads, maybe because of her condition. She doesn’t try for that one last bite before running to be with the others. So she ends up just running a lot and not eating. My “helping” her doesn’t help. If Isabel is eating out of my hand the Spuds see that and come over.

So this morning during chores the Nomads eventually got herded and hustled over into their little coop run and I closed both ends temporarily hoping Isabel would eat in there undisturbed. Tedi kept circling to try to go in and through it like the Bigs’ve been able to do, but then she gave up and left.

Isabel first had a drink, then stuck her head in the trough feeder and stayed there for a long time. I was cleaning their sleeping coop and kept checking - yep, she’s still eating. Everybody else was already up on the run’s day perch after their snack, but she was having a main meal. She then had a very long drink, and finally joined her sisters.

Isabel is very light and thin. Her frame is the same size or maybe even bigger than the smallest Nomad but her keel is prominent and I’d say she is under-conditioned and doesn’t have a lot of muscle. She can and does eat, obviously when I don’t see it. A few days ago I felt a reasonably good crop in the afternoon. This morning she had almost nothing in there by 10am until she ate that meal. I really don’t like seeing this competition and running and her not eating.

Maybe I’m worrying too much on this? She is managing to hang on and I try not to hope too much. I know there’s something wrong inside her. But since she’s made it this far I’d like to help her if I can. She grooms and preens and might be growing, but more slowly now than the others as far as general beefiness.

I can load pictures again! It was a BYC back-end service "Cloudfare" systems setting that was the issue, affecting several users.

There are five Buckeye pullets in here, can you find them?
First pic I took this morning. Two pullets are on the ground, one is Isabel, the other behind her. Hint - they aren't far from the group, as usual.
View attachment 4197067
Second pic. Isabel is looking up now, and her friend moved on to a branch!
View attachment 4197069

Another pic, zoomed in on the four tree dwellers.
View attachment 4197068

The Spuds and Hazel hanging out too.
View attachment 4197077
View attachment 4197078

Great photos! Real jungle fowl