Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

I've always enjoyed fish tanks. I always specialized in the boring to some livebearer tanks. My favorite fish are swordtails, followed closely by black mollies. Give me a 30 gallon, and about 6 months and it will be stunning. I had ghost shrimp in the past and like them. I also had them breeding but it was by accident. This was about 20 years ago. Before Rosie and before having access to petco and only relying on wal-mart as my fish and fishkeeping source. This is my first attempt with plants and it is a experiment. Lighting is tricky with them and key. I went with a "easy" plant that is very beginner friendly. It has doubled in size. I really need to trim it up and replant it. It's rooted everywhere and I could easily turn that one plant into about 5 smaller ones. I think I will attempt that next month. I'm eyeing my future tank at petco. A 30 gallon cube. That and it's stand are pricey. One of the employee's told me that tanks go on sale in November as part of their Black Friday deals. I have it's home picked out as well. The key with aquariums is patience. You have to resist setting one up and then the next day or even week for that matter adding fish. The tank needs to cycle which can take about a month. Now, I can add filter media from Rosie's tank to kick start the process.

When I get my new tank, the first month it will remain empty. I will add cuttings off my current plant and get a couple more. 2 weeks in I could add a snail or two and maybe a few shrimp as they do not produce enough waste to crash it. After a month I can slowly add fish, just a few at a time. First round of fish would be either 3 swords or 3 mollies. 1 male and 2 females of each. I could get away with 3 females of each as any female livebearer you buy is pretty much a given to be pregnant. I will go 2 weeks in between groups of fish. Then I need to decide if I want to add cory cats again they would be next, followed by I think more Ember tetras. I love those little guys. After that stop and wait. The fish will breed and at 6 months be glorious.

Becky, maybe you should get some exotic plants? Meat eating Venus fly trap? I’d love to see a terrarium full of those things.

 

[featherhead007]

Was it a worthy trip? Got things done? How you feelin'?

Tx
Ruby red jewels of pomegranates for the girls
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& dwarf strawberry guavas too
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Then there's bumper crops of tomatoes
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We probably never would've got the gardening bug if we never had chickens!?

I’ll be honest, it was a change of pace for me, to get out of bed and jump in my airplane and fly to Colorado. I felt great Rocky Mountain Fresh air. Was able to practice my Russian. Hannah and her family are originally from Moscow. She’s better, but doesn’t know what to do with her life. I can’t have her back. She’s not too enthusiastic about chickens.

 

[Sylvester017]

I’ll be honest, it was a change of pace for me, to get out of bed and jump in my airplane and fly to Colorado. I felt great Rocky Mountain Fresh air. Was able to practice my Russian. Hannah and her family are originally from Moscow. She’s better, but doesn’t know what to do with her life. I can’t have her back. She’s not too enthusiastic about chickens.

& how did YOU happen to get into chickens to discover their charm? BTW there's a program my DH uses daily on his phone for his Russian lessons. I think it's free? He's not home for a couple weeks but I'll ask him when he returns.

 

[Sylvester017]

Her age is a big factor in my sadness. She just turned a year old, she was in her prime. And she was so healthy and spry. She easily could have been here forever as far as I was concerned.

Bird mortality over the yrs has caused me to go over my zoned limit cuz of fragility in chickens' lifespans. Also made me acquire a minimum of 3 new birds in case one doesn't survive there's at least 2 left that know each other when integrating to an established flock. Nothing is ever for certain w/ chickens but that's what worked for our situation in the suburbs.

The most recent of our 3 Musketeer additions ~ 2024 ~ & most likely the last birds we'll add due to our advancing age

Our current flock of 6

 

[Sylvester017]

I like this red colour, have never seen one :

Haven't seen one here either.

Now there are Red Partridge Silkies to also add to the partridge variations:

 

[Ponypoor]

It’s true. In the last week they have transformed from being big chicks into being miniature chickens.
Cookie has both boots (white) and pantaloons (black). I am surprised she can get around with all those feathers on her legs!

Yes they are quite impressive! She is a real cutie pie

 

[ChicoryBlue]

My dad has the owner's number. We'll let her know about it. But even now I couldn't ask her to pay for Aliss' death. I'm heartbroken but not angry and I can't blame the dog, and I can hardly blame the owner either. I know most everybody here has a different opinion than me on this, but I love dogs deeply, I know how and why they act the way they do, and I know accidents happen. And huskies are furry Houdinis. The dog was out, saw one of my free roaming chickens as a toy and played with her like a toy because she had easy access to her. I know and accept the risks of free ranging. The dog shouldn't have been on my property or have access to my chickens in the first place, but she was and did, and dogs don't have a concept of invisible boundaries/property lines. It's just unfortunate. I can't bring myself to feel any sort of resentment or anything like that.

I accept this is how you want to handle it now. Please add in this fact wrinkle into your thinking about it though: you’ve spent some very precious money to care for Aliss. What about that?

Do you think there would be a reason to ask compensation when a loose dog bites a person instead of an animal? Circumstances are the same: loose dog, person taking risk.

When I was bitten by a dog that left its yard and went into the street at me on my bike, I ended up with three deep puncture wounds and a painful crush injury. It was bad enough I went to the hospital, and that was a small dog. The ER bill was $600. This was the 80’s or early 90’s, what would it be now? I had high-deductible insurance and my work amounted to me being just above poverty level. Plus I didn’t know if the owners had given the dog its rabies shot. You bet I went after them for the bill, and to prove vaccination.

I’m so sorry for your loss, and you taking it on the nose too for your expense is too bad.

 

[SimpleJenn]

11 eggs today. Another of the leghorns is laying.

Navy and her babies. 3 are satin and 1 is silkie feathered. That gives me 3 total silkie feathered in my massive group of silkies.

Sittin on mama

My buff silkie mix. One that will be in the run crew. I believe kiddo and I have chosen 8 to go in the run and the other 10 will be rangers? My math may be off, I have been feeling gradually sicker these past few days.


Chocolate was laying her egg and chatting with little Dream. I think she was talking her through the egg laying process. They laid there and chatted around the divider until Chocolate was finished laying. How sweet.

 

[Sylvester017]

For me orange is any light brownish colour

Like Mrs LC - I would call her yellow/orange.
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And Marty is black with gold highlights - how much would we pay at a hairdresser for that?!
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And of course white don’t ask how she stays so clean…?
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She’s just finishing up moulting and her shackle feathers came in yellow/cream coloured!

They are a varied bunch, for sure

Mrs LC reminds me of partridge colorings in other chicken breeds too
Chantecler partridge

Plymouth Rock partridge

English Orpington partridge

If Marty has a gold collar & gold speckled wing tips then she's a "Dark" Partridge... but if she has faded goldish-reddsh edges on black feathers it may just be sun/dirt-faded Black Silkie feathers. That's what happened to our all black Mini whose feathers turned dingy from harsh sun & dust baths but her moulted feathers grew back all glistened black again. It was like having two different Silkies in one.

 

[RoyalChick]

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11 eggs today. Another of the leghorns is laying.
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Navy and her babies. 3 are satin and 1 is silkie feathered. That gives me 3 total silkie feathered in my massive group of silkies.
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Sittin on mama
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My buff silkie mix. One that will be in the run crew. I believe kiddo and I have chosen 8 to go in the run and the other 10 will be rangers? My math may be off, I have been feeling gradually sicker these past few days.
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Chocolate was laying her egg and chatting with little Dream. I think she was talking her through the egg laying process. They laid there and chatted around the divider until Chocolate was finished laying. How sweet.

Wait, what is satin?