Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[notabitail]

Complete and Utter Tragedy

I have terrible news. We lost Nimue today.

It had to be a hawk attack but the hawk did not kill her. She must have fallen in the pool when trying to get away and drowned.

I came out of the house to hear Lady Featherington bawking at the top of her lungs and no one was answering her. She had been in the coop laying her egg when the attack occurred.


No one was answering her.


I could find no other chickens anywhere.


I called and called and finally they started to emerge for an old main bird house I had stashed in a corner of the yard. 5 of them were in there.

It was like a clown car. First Aurora, then Aster, Niamh, and Hattie. Sydney would not come out. Here she is hidden inside the martin house.

View attachment 4217962

I could not find Nimue. Then I noticed the feathers in the pool. She was gone.

I fished her out and laid her on the cement. When Aurora saw her, I can't explain the sound. She ran back and forth wailing for a few minutes until she settled down.

Niamh came over to the body and prodded it. Trying to get her to wake up.

I buried her next to Glynda.

Niamh came and said goodbye.

View attachment 4217963

Once again my heart is broken by these chickens. The ones I am most close to seem to have the shortest lives. It's almost unbearable this time.

Niamh slept alone in the nest box tonight. She started on the roost but got down and went into nest box. I think it felt safer to be covered on all sides.
View attachment 4217964

I'm so very worried for her. I have no idea if the other chickens will adopt her now. The two of them were their own unit in s lot of ways. If she is always alone from now on I don't think I will be able to bear it.

I don't know if I will posting again here for a while. I just don't know. My heart is broken and I don't know if I can bear talking about it for a while.

It was very hard to write this but you need to know where I've gone.

 

[kattabelly]

Awful news, I'm so sorry @BY Bob

 

[knoturavggrl]

Yes I think she is as well. She also erases any doubts there were to the question was George really "Splash". George's splash markings were subtle and I missed them for a while. Georgina, she wears her splash spots loud and proud. Her momma is my blue cochin Flurry so that makes her a Cochin x Polish x Frizzled silkie. I think she is the perfect mix of the 3.

Flurry is the smaller of my 2 big cochin girls so I think she is going to be on the smaller side. She is sitting squarely in the midst of another teenage molt, but she does have heavy leg feathering. She's drawing that from Flurry. Her body shape is also cochin-esqe. She is pulling the dark skin color from her silkie side. She also has developed a beard and muffs in this current molt. It is not huge but it is definitely there. That comes from Grandma Betty and Great Grandma Curly's side of the family tree. I swear every 2 weeks she has a new spot. When she hatched she was solid white. By 3 days old when those first pin feathers started popping there was a single tiny spot on her first tail feathers. Look at her now, a dalmation. Her tiny little head floof, I love it.

Juice's momma is my buff orp Siri. If it were not for his bit of head poof, which is trying to go wild at the moment he is her spitting image. I will say until this current molt Juice has a much smaller crest. This current one the crest feathers are getting longer. I know he will never have the full flowing crest of his father but there is now hopes of maybe inch to a inch and a half crest feathers. Just enough to give him some flair.

Homer who I did not take pictures of today but I will this week. George is also his dad but he is not expressing any outward physical traits from his Polish x Silkie side. That boy, that boy is genetically pulling everything from the marans side of his parentage. His momma is Squirrel and his grandpa is Bubba and his Grandma is Butter and boy does he show it. Huge, this guy is going to be huge!

Beautiful birds and I happy you have them and that George’s legacy will continue on.

How many blueberries can one chicken eat?
This is an important question in poultry science that Pooh is currently attempting to answer.
Her beak is covered in blueberry juice!
View attachment 4217668

Ha! What a great capture. The answer of course is all of them!

Complete and Utter Tragedy

I have terrible news. We lost Nimue today.

It had to be a hawk attack but the hawk did not kill her. She must have fallen in the pool when trying to get away and drowned.

I came out of the house to hear Lady Featherington bawking at the top of her lungs and no one was answering her. She had been in the coop laying her egg when the attack occurred.


No one was answering her.


I could find no other chickens anywhere.


I called and called and finally they started to emerge for an old main bird house I had stashed in a corner of the yard. 5 of them were in there.

It was like a clown car. First Aurora, then Aster, Niamh, and Hattie. Sydney would not come out. Here she is hidden inside the martin house.

View attachment 4217962

I could not find Nimue. Then I noticed the feathers in the pool. She was gone.

I fished her out and laid her on the cement. When Aurora saw her, I can't explain the sound. She ran back and forth wailing for a few minutes until she settled down.

Niamh came over to the body and prodded it. Trying to get her to wake up.

I buried her next to Glynda.

Niamh came and said goodbye.

View attachment 4217963

Once again my heart is broken by these chickens. The ones I am most close to seem to have the shortest lives. It's almost unbearable this time.

Niamh slept alone in the nest box tonight. She started on the roost but got down and went into nest box. I think it felt safer to be covered on all sides.
View attachment 4217964

I'm so very worried for her. I have no idea if the other chickens will adopt her now. The two of them were their own unit in s lot of ways. If she is always alone from now on I don't think I will be able to bear it.

I don't know if I will posting again here for a while. I just don't know. My heart is broken and I don't know if I can bear talking about it for a while.

It was very hard to write this but you need to know where I've gone.

Taking time is necessary, completely expected, and understood. Thank you for taking a moment in your grief to let us know what happened. I wish there were words that could make this easier but they just do not exist. Please know my heart is grieving with you, your wife, and your flock. We will all be here when you’re ready to come back.

 

[featherhead007]

I need to chipper up, maybe splash some battery acid on my face (kidding) I have a lunch appointment with the mayor today, to discuss the possibility of my northern property to be sold to for re-zoning “benefiting the whole county” I’m not using it anyways.

 

[knoturavggrl]

Some twofers I took yesterday but ran out of time to post them.
Gemma and Gia

Oakley and Elma

 

[knoturavggrl]

A brief flock update:

Pebble has decided that attacking people may not be working for him and has calmed down thankfully. He now only does it when herded which he still really objects to. I can work with that.

The SFH’s are all grown up. I think all the girls are laying now. Thyme is a fantastic rooster and is looking after them. He has zero aggression with humans kids or adults and still hops up to sit with me on occasion even. He leaves Nyx and the babies alone unless they pester him and then it’s just a back off peck. He does harass Pebble but only when he bothers his girls and tbf Pebble needs some manners management. Pebble remains unharmed except perhaps his pride so I have no real concerns about them being capable of co-existing.

 

[featherhead007]

Sometimes Mr Wyandottey acts like he might be aggressive at me, but stops dead in his tracks when I turn and face him.
I will have NO human aggression from any of me roos on my ranch,
PERIOD!!!
I love Mr Wyandottey, we have a connection of trust . He just might be confused sometimes.
Remember, Roos need love too!

 

[featherhead007]

I need to chipper up, maybe splash some battery acid on my face (kidding) I have a lunch appointment with the mayor today, to discuss the possibility of my northern property to be sold to for re-zoning “benefiting the whole county” I’m not using it anyways.

Ps: my love Chaco, rest in peace
I miss you

 

[Ikslo]

Complete and Utter Tragedy

I have terrible news. We lost Nimue today.

It had to be a hawk attack but the hawk did not kill her. She must have fallen in the pool when trying to get away and drowned.

I came out of the house to hear Lady Featherington bawking at the top of her lungs and no one was answering her. She had been in the coop laying her egg when the attack occurred.


No one was answering her.


I could find no other chickens anywhere.


I called and called and finally they started to emerge for an old main bird house I had stashed in a corner of the yard. 5 of them were in there.

It was like a clown car. First Aurora, then Aster, Niamh, and Hattie. Sydney would not come out. Here she is hidden inside the martin house.

View attachment 4217962

I could not find Nimue. Then I noticed the feathers in the pool. She was gone.

I fished her out and laid her on the cement. When Aurora saw her, I can't explain the sound. She ran back and forth wailing for a few minutes until she settled down.

Niamh came over to the body and prodded it. Trying to get her to wake up.

I buried her next to Glynda.

Niamh came and said goodbye.

View attachment 4217963

Once again my heart is broken by these chickens. The ones I am most close to seem to have the shortest lives. It's almost unbearable this time.

Niamh slept alone in the nest box tonight. She started on the roost but got down and went into nest box. I think it felt safer to be covered on all sides.
View attachment 4217964

I'm so very worried for her. I have no idea if the other chickens will adopt her now. The two of them were their own unit in s lot of ways. If she is always alone from now on I don't think I will be able to bear it.

I don't know if I will posting again here for a while. I just don't know. My heart is broken and I don't know if I can bear talking about it for a while.

It was very hard to write this but you need to know where I've gone.

Devastating. I’m so sorry for your loss

 

[Ikslo]