Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Pony Sunday
I came out to pick up fallen peaches to give to the chickens and I heard this strange clicking noise. At first I thought it might be a new part of Tassels’ vocabulary but it sounded more mechanical.
I glanced up and realized it was these guys.
The clicking was their antlers crashing together. The two young ones have grown fast - I have seen them a number of times and they had tiny antlers and were much less bulky. This is the first fight I have seen.

 

[Ponypoor]

OK. Make that 4 enablers!
Tassels isn’t aggressive. I have only on occasion seen her peck Calypso for interfering. But she seems to have natural authority and strong views. Babies and adults (well and me) all respond to a look or whatever she says. She is very vocal.
When Cookie and Geronimo went astray in the bushes. She didn’t chase them. She went over there and told them to get down and come over to eat peaches ‘right now!’.
Same when Chippy wanted to roost.
So I don’t know how she would behave if she had a hormonal teenage son on her hands. She can certainly flare up and become very large and intimidating if needs be, but I think at heart she may be a big softy who just loves being a Mom. Here she is watching over the little ones while they sunbathe.
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A born mama I think you would be safe in the future giving her more babies (and maybe at a week old).

Have to say I am thrilled that Whiskers finally was able to actually be a mama, she is very good for a first time mum. I would give her chicks next time around, now that she knows what they are, and how to be a mum.

And Holly, even through she has started back laying, is sticking with her babies and Georgie. All 6 of them were clumped together last night when I went out for evening chores - wish I had my camera to take a photo of a head popping out of Holly's fluffy butt hahaha!

Now the next one would be Dorothy - she is very interested in her sister's babies, and I have even heard a soft 'bokking' when she is around them - earning her a glare from Whiskers. Is she trying to steal them away? who knows. I had a mare once who regularly stole other mare's foals. She was the mare I would put the foals with when I weaned them. At one point she had her foal and 2 others in with her - until I noticed she was letting them all nurse of her!

Some gals are just born to be mums!

 

[Ponypoor]

Pony Sunday
I came out to pick up fallen peaches to give to the chickens and I heard this strange clicking noise. At first I thought it might be a new part of Tassels’ vocabulary but it sounded more mechanical.
I glanced up and realized it was these guys.
The clicking was their antlers crashing together. The two young ones have grown fast - I have seen them a number of times and they had tiny antlers and were much less bulky. This is the first fight I have seen.
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Wow! amazing to see this. I hear them all the time this time of year in the bush, but they stay hidden in the bush and back forest meadow. You're so lucky!


(also I love the stone border on your drive - is it cemented in place? and do you mow all that grass?!)

 

[Ponypoor]

She still will not tolerate idiocy. How she handles it will be all her own. If Chippy is a roo, when idiocy strikes (and it will), she will address ot HER way. And the lesson will be repeated until it sticks. The challenge idiots face is they usually attempt idiot moments around more than one hen....which ever they find semi alone...and each hen has to address it. Some pummel the idiot, others simply say "ok", and others fall somewhere in the middle. Sometimes the sweet/gentle ladies turn out to be the best idiot educators. The idiot year is truly a lesson in patience.

And what I have found, is that the girls tend to all try to stick together so that if a roo does harass them, the others will all converge on him and beat the stuffing out of him.

As you said, it's the 'alone' ones that tend to be harassed. Of course then there are the ones that adore the boys (Silver and Patches love Clyde) and they hang out with him all the time. And surprisingly enough he is very gentle with them.

Mr LC doesn't really seem to have any real favourites, though the Buff Orps do hang with him all the time - and his attempts at breeding them may actually be successful - he is quite the acrobat in those attempts!

What I found with Sir Shirley and Henny Penny was that when he stepped out of line she ran over and pecked him on the back. But truthfully he was so docile and quiet that she rarely had to clobber him. I am thinking that it is the Marans that made him so docile, the Noirans I have right now are also very quiet and docile, they are very tolerant of being handled, and at 5 weeks hopping up on me is a surprise as I have not spent as much time with them as say, Sophia's kiddos. I would definitely get more Noirans (and Azure - lovely wee ladies), super quiet and docile.

 

[featherhead007]

Pony Sunday
I came out to pick up fallen peaches to give to the chickens and I heard this strange clicking noise. At first I thought it might be a new part of Tassels’ vocabulary but it sounded more mechanical.
I glanced up and realized it was these guys.
The clicking was their antlers crashing together. The two young ones have grown fast - I have seen them a number of times and they had tiny antlers and were much less bulky. This is the first fight I have seen.
View attachment 4216256View attachment 4216257View attachment 4216258View attachment 4216259View attachment 4216260View attachment 4216261View attachment 4216262

Raindeer games?

 

[TOMTE]

Ok. So. Let me preface this by saying Esme is 100% fine and normal now.

A couple evenings ago 3 girls came back to the run around 7ish, their normal time. Esme was nowhere to be seen though. I called around for her and shook some treats, nothing. Finally after 20 or so minutes I saw her slowly walking around in the woods, so I went to grab her. As I got closer I noticed she was walking a little funny (almost pigeon footed), seemed weak on her feet, kept stumbling and putting a wing out to steady herself. I went to pick her up and she freaked out a little, but once I had her she was kind of despondent.

I brought her up to the run where she promptly went for the food. Her tail was down, she was unsteady and stumbling as she pecked around but managed to eat as much as she wanted to. Gytha was picking on her though so I took her back out of the run to see her walk around. When I tell you I was so worried... I should have gotten video but it didn't even cross my mind! She almost seemed drunk.

After a few minutes of watching her, I gave her some treats which she eagerly wolfed down and put her straight into the coop. I doubted she'd be able to get in by herself, that's how uncoordinated she was acting.

The next morning I braced myself for the worst, but she was acting 100% back to normal. Only difference was she was still inside the run with the rest of them instead of escaping.

Which brings me to my question: what the heck could have happened? Could she have run/flew into something and stunned herself? Got into some fermented fruit? Jumped by a predator and escaped (no injuries though)?

 

[drstratton]

OK. Make that 4 enablers!
Tassels isn’t aggressive. I have only on occasion seen her peck Calypso for interfering. But she seems to have natural authority and strong views. Babies and adults (well and me) all respond to a look or whatever she says. She is very vocal.
When Cookie and Geronimo went astray in the bushes. She didn’t chase them. She went over there and told them to get down and come over to eat peaches ‘right now!’.
Same when Chippy wanted to roost.
So I don’t know how she would behave if she had a hormonal teenage son on her hands. She can certainly flare up and become very large and intimidating if needs be, but I think at heart she may be a big softy who just loves being a Mom. Here she is watching over the little ones while they sunbathe.
View attachment 4216254

I love that you were able to give her those baby's. This girl is living her best life!

As to your little...I enjoyed our roosters (but not the 2am crowing)...lol, I do miss them and we've always had one. Like @BY Bob said they will definitely change the dynamics in your flock. Right now, in a sense, you are their rooster. We're enjoying our flock on a different level. I think our 2 older girls have taught the pullets to be aware of their surroundings, including the sky. There is a different peace in the flock and the girls are not losing their back feathers from the roos. I think the only way I would purposely get another roo, would be if I wanted to hatch my own chicks again.

 

[RoyalChick]

Wow! amazing to see this. I hear them all the time this time of year in the bush, but they stay hidden in the bush and back forest meadow. You're so lucky!


(also I love the stone border on your drive - is it cemented in place? and do you mow all that grass?!)

It really was super cool to watch - I have loads of deer and have a collection of found antlers but have never seen them using them before. It was like chicks chest bumping - nobody was in danger of getting hurt, but they were super serious about it!
Thank you, yes, I like the stone border. I can take no credit for it as it came with the property which means it has been there at least 25 years, and knowing the history of the place I would guess it was installed in the early 1970s. Apparently it is called Belgian Block and I have a few spare ones behind the barn just in case.
The big area of grass gets mown now and then. I confess I have a guy come do it with a sit-on mower. I would like to let it go wild (I have another area that gets mown only once a year and is let go wild in between) but I have a neighbor over that side who thinks I am a tad slovenly - so I do get that area mown when it gets out of hand just to keep the peace.

Tax: another angle on Chippy and what now seems to me his/her massive comb!

 

[drstratton]

Ok. So. Let me preface this by saying Esme is 100% fine and normal now.

A couple evenings ago 3 girls came back to the run around 7ish, their normal time. Esme was nowhere to be seen though. I called around for her and shook some treats, nothing. Finally after 20 or so minutes I saw her slowly walking around in the woods, so I went to grab her. As I got closer I noticed she was walking a little funny (almost pigeon footed), seemed weak on her feet, kept stumbling and putting a wing out to steady herself. I went to pick her up and she freaked out a little, but once I had her she was kind of despondent.

I brought her up to the run where she promptly went for the food. Her tail was down, she was unsteady and stumbling as she pecked around but managed to eat as much as she wanted to. Gytha was picking on her though so I took her back out of the run to see her walk around. When I tell you I was so worried... I should have gotten video but it didn't even cross my mind! She almost seemed drunk.

After a few minutes of watching her, I gave her some treats which she eagerly wolfed down and put her straight into the coop. I doubted she'd be able to get in by herself, that's how uncoordinated she was acting.

The next morning I braced myself for the worst, but she was acting 100% back to normal. Only difference was she was still inside the run with the rest of them instead of escaping.

Which brings me to my question: what the heck could have happened? Could she have run/flew into something and stunned herself? Got into some fermented fruit? Jumped by a predator and escaped (no injuries though)?

I'm glad to hear she is better this morning. It really is hard to say what was going on with her. Without watching them all day long, when oddities like this happen, you will probably never know what it was.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Read Shad's article on Understanding Your Rooster. Bookmark it and return to it periodically. Don't sweat what you don't have to. When in doubt, more observation, ask questions, ponder, ask more questions, do more observation. Unless blood is flowing, there's usually time to think.

I already have a "blood is flowing" situation with the hen Diane. She is somewhat manageable though changeable. I imagine an aggressive rooster presents greater danger.

I have big doubts about Shanai being a pullet when s/he holds her long curly tail up, it looks soooo like a rooster then! It isn't in that posture all the time though. So I am waiting to see.

As someone who has had a rooster, let me say they are not for everyone. Your relationship with your chickens will change dramatically. The hens will be one step removed from you. Everything needs to go through the rooster.

You need to consider this as you think about keeping a rooster. Even the good ones change things.

My B.O. lap chickens Tedi and Annie come around and ask for lap time very often, and Diane comes around to hang nearby, either to hang out nicely or do damage to me, depending on her mood. That actually limits my interactions with the new Buckeyes significantly.

To just hang out with them without them scattering with the approach of a B.O. I have to block access first, or interact with them only after the Bigs have retired for the evening (that was that nice evening sit-around at the coop the other day).

@featherhead007 how do you do it - how do you bring a hen or two and sometimes rooster inside for food and snuggles. Do you get permission from the lead rooster first? And how do you make that ask?