Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Pastel the Rooster]

Well I could make a case that many people do not want to know where their food comes from. My sister and Aunt refuse to eat my eggs saying they know where those eggs come from and don't feel comfortable eating them. I counter that with the case that the eggs they purchase in the store are laid by young pullets that are shoved 4 to a cage, never set foot on soil, and are killed at a year and a half when they go through their first moult and stop laying eggs.

They are just machines to the farm, like a tractor. And I guess that is why they don't want to eat eggs from my hens. They feel like they are eating a part of them. Not seeing or being aware of those factory hens makes them 'feel better' for what ever reason.

Which bring me back to my point of people not wanting to know where their food comes from, and doing a necropsy of a dead animal is too close to actually harming the animal. Even though it is dead the act of cutting into the animal makes a person uncomfortable.

At any rate, maybe you can make a case to your Dad that you want to further your knowledge on poultry, who knows maybe you want to make a career in animal husbandry in the future. It's big business here big Ag, ensuring the proper housing, feeding and care for livestock - lots of jobs for animal husbandry specialists. Big dairy, egg and pork here.

Dad refuses to eat eggs too. He’s scared that they might be fertile, but I have made it very clear that there is no harm in eating cooked fertile eggs. I have also let him know that my Legbars, Marans, and EE’s have never been around a rooster, so the blue and dark brown eggs are safe to eat.
He sometimes eats eggs.

I have thought about going into animal husbandry, actually! If I cannot get into vet school, or some other unfortunate situation happens that prevents me from being a vet, my backup plan is to go into animal husbandry. I would also like to get a teaching degree and become an ag teacher, if all else fails.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Morning PtR

How are your chooks today? Have you been riding at all? I haven’t, my back and hips are very achy.


2 of Clyde’s absolutely favourite ladies Patches and Silver
View attachment 4215858

Good morning!
I’ve not been out to check on them today. I woke up about an hour ago (10:30) and have been feeling under the weather.

I’ve not ridden in a while. I honestly stopped riding in November, and haven’t really ridden since. It’s probably been two years since I’ve ACTUALLY ridden. Like, cantered and didn’t feel like the horse was going to end my life.
I will be quite honest, I am so grateful Mom and Dad bought me a horse, but Auggie was not a good fit for me. I am grateful we gave him back to his old owners, who sold him to a lesson program. Technically, both them and the lesson program own him.
Auggie was just never fun to ride. He was a good horse to hug and talk to if I was having a hard day, but certainly not ride.

I’ve asked Dad if I can go back to riding at my old barn, even just once a month, and he has said no every time. What I don’t understand though, is that he has his old salary back. I know he could afford it, especially one lesson a month, because he afforded four lessons and sometimes a show, every month for YEARS. It’s whatever though, I won’t be able to change his mind.

There was a day-long horse camp two weeks ago, and I really wanted to go. It was $95 and you got to ride twice as much as you did at a normal horse camp. So roughly for about two hours, two different times. I even offered to pay for the whole thing if they could just take me to the camp. Nope.
I’ve been saving money so that I can buy books that I really want, and I was willing to give up most of it just so I can ride for two hours and muck out stalls.
It really annoyed me.

I hope your aching gets better so you can get back in the saddle!

Tax: My little Athens last night. See how his comb is nowhere to be found?…

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Oh, I have eggcellent news!
I was just talking to Mom, and she said I can get back on here fully. I am setting some ground rules for myself though.
If I have homework, I will not be on here until it is done.

In fact, right now I have a ton of homework. What I will do on the weekends if I have homework is this: finish one assignment and come on here for just a few minutes and then finish another assignment.

She also said that if Dad ever find out I’m back on here, she will stand up for me, which is nice. I don’t like keeping secrets from him, but it was her idea.

Tax: Me and my friends new chicks at school!

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Oh, I have eggcellent news!
I was just talking to Mom, and she said I can get back on here fully. I am setting some ground rules for myself though.
If I have homework, I will not be on here until it is done.

In fact, right now I have a ton of homework. What I will do on the weekends if I have homework is this: finish one assignment and come on here for just a few minutes and then finish another assignment.

She also said that if Dad ever find out I’m back on here, she will stand up for me, which is nice. I don’t like keeping secrets from him, but it was her idea.

Tax: Me and my friends new chicks at school! View attachment 4215867

I’m back in school myself (I turn 71 next month), and note my signature here. Kudos to you for maintaining your self-discipline!

(For those on mobile devices, you have to turn them sideways to see signatures.)

 

[RoyalChick]

The sun is out and it is getting a bit warmer. Tassels and her gang are snoozing in the sun after gorging on fallen peaches.
I am still a bit anxious about Chippy’s gender. Much more comb than the others and now wattles. Also more red.

6 weeks old on Monday. WDYT?

 

[Sylvester017]

Today was rough. Part of it was my fault. Time got away from me this morning and I did not take my medicine until I got in the car to leave. Normally it's had about a hour and half to work, this morning only 20 minutes. Totally my fault and lesson learned.

They started me out with the stretches this morning. My therapist commented after about a minute my muscles were tight this morning. I was thinking to myself no kidding as it felt like everything was being ripped apart. I tried to relax and let her stretch me all the while having to hold my breath. 2/3rds of the way through them my shoulder popped, loudly. Instant relief there and my muscles loosened up tremendously after that. Once that was over the real work began.

Every exercise weight was added. Either with a 5lb weight in my hand or a 5lb weight strapped around my wrist. 8 new ones added as well and about halfway through them I was sweating and everything on fire.

I was originally told these sessions would be a hour long, HAH! They have always been a hour and a half. Today, today my appointment was at 9:30. I did not walk out of that building until 11:30. The first 15 minute's was the stretching and the last 15 minutes was with the tense unit on my shoulder and Ice.

Some of those exercises look so simple and easy when they demonstrate them to you, yet they can make me want to break down and cry 2 or 3 repetitions in and everything is at least 20 repetitions now. I've cursed like a sailor in my head during the sessions, and out loud here at the house while doing the "homework". I have not cried during the sessions either. Tears have been shed in the car on the way home though after just about every session. I will not give my terrorists the pleasure of letting them see me cry.

The first month was the worst as they were 4 visits per wk. The therapist explores how much movement I have & when it hurts I tell them... cuz my guy says there should not be real real real pain. So if it really hurts bad he'll stop to work on the muscle or the joint that needs work to relax before he proceeds. Don't be afraid to yelp when it hurts cuz then they're supposed to massage or work whatever joint needs attention. & yes, the sessions can go longer sometimes. We have intern assts that take over excess exercises when the main therapist has to go to his next patient. The assts are very qualified & I see them longer than the main guys.

After 8 months of therapy I have strength now for pulling or pushing but still having problems lifting the arm higher than my shoulder & keeping it suspended there! The shoulder & pec muscles are too tight but at least the arm is not too hindered by the plate & pins. I may not ever get the same full operation/movement as the good arm but better than no arm at all!

Tx ~ my 5th grade Massachusetts pen pal w/ her bunny c.1954

 

[Sylvester017]

Oh my!
Hang in there.

Your writing style is very evocative - I was almost there in the car home with you and I swear I heard your shoulder pop!

PT torture tax: Tassels standing on the treadle so the kids can eat from the rat proof feeder. As they have grown she has become more tolerant of them having commercial feed in the afternoons.
View attachment 4215766

I think you made a great decision to give a hard broody those chicksseeing that she was too hard to break!

 

[Ponypoor]

Good morning!
I’ve not been out to check on them today. I woke up about an hour ago (10:30) and have been feeling under the weather.

I’ve not ridden in a while. I honestly stopped riding in November, and haven’t really ridden since. It’s probably been two years since I’ve ACTUALLY ridden. Like, cantered and didn’t feel like the horse was going to end my life.
I will be quite honest, I am so grateful Mom and Dad bought me a horse, but Auggie was not a good fit for me. I am grateful we gave him back to his old owners, who sold him to a lesson program. Technically, both them and the lesson program own him.
Auggie was just never fun to ride. He was a good horse to hug and talk to if I was having a hard day, but certainly not ride.

I’ve asked Dad if I can go back to riding at my old barn, even just once a month, and he has said no every time. What I don’t understand though, is that he has his old salary back. I know he could afford it, especially one lesson a month, because he afforded four lessons and sometimes a show, every month for YEARS. It’s whatever though, I won’t be able to change his mind.

There was a day-long horse camp two weeks ago, and I really wanted to go. It was $95 and you got to ride twice as much as you did at a normal horse camp. So roughly for about two hours, two different times. I even offered to pay for the whole thing if they could just take me to the camp. Nope.
I’ve been saving money so that I can buy books that I really want, and I was willing to give up most of it just so I can ride for two hours and muck out stalls.
It really annoyed me.

I hope your aching gets better so you can get back in the saddle!

Tax: My little Athens last night. See how his comb is nowhere to be found?…View attachment 4215862

Hmmmm I think @rural mouse can answer the comb question. Mr P has the split comb and it’s really funky! It’s part of why I really like the Polish - they are just such characters. I really like the daughters of Mr P - they have been wonderful crosses. I was toying with the idea of crossing him on my Azure Blues and getting a Polish x Leghorn type bird laying blue eggs.

Wonder what type of comb I would get?! And I bet they would fly everywhere - more escape artists hahaha! The only thing preventing me is the risk of getting cockerels

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Hmmmm I think @rural mouse can answer the comb question. Mr P has the split comb and it’s really funky! It’s part of why I really like the Polish - they are just such characters. I really like the daughters of Mr P - they have been wonderful crosses. I was toying with the idea of crossing him on my Azure Blues and getting a Polish x Leghorn type bird laying blue eggs.

Wonder what type of comb I would get?! And I bet they would fly everywhere - more escape artists hahaha! The only thing preventing me is the risk of getting cockerels

How are your Azure Blues doing? You rescued three of them a few years back, didn’t you? Or am I thinking of different birds?…
I bet they would be gorgeous. I have two of BBQ’s offspring and both are roosters, sadly. One is Red (who is the sweetest boy ever so far) and the other is Brisket, who I don’t love but I don’t hate him. He’s still young, so we’ll see how he turns out.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Hmmmm I think @rural mouse can answer the comb question. Mr P has the split comb and it’s really funky! It’s part of why I really like the Polish - they are just such characters. I really like the daughters of Mr P - they have been wonderful crosses. I was toying with the idea of crossing him on my Azure Blues and getting a Polish x Leghorn type bird laying blue eggs.

Wonder what type of comb I would get?! And I bet they would fly everywhere - more escape artists hahaha! The only thing preventing me is the risk of getting cockerels

Here is Red. He’s a RIR x Polish, and that’s his comb.

In this photo you can see all/most of my free rangers. I have added and removed some since then.
There are six roosters, and if you zoom in you should be able to see their combs pretty well, I hope.
Two are gone now (it was supposed to be three, but one escaped) but I can’t point out which two are gone. They are both all black though. All of them except the Wyandottes are part Polish. And, of course, there is the pure Polish.