Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ikslo]

Enough puns for this evening. I’m going to take a jacuzzi bath.

Braggart

 

[rural mouse]

Castor and Sherlock chased off the marmalade

poor guy accidentally got shut in the garage Wednesday night...and turned up again on Friday.....hadn't seen him in a while. Still not quite sure where he lives.

after the chase

Bijou is learning....

 

[SimpleJenn]

Delft has 5 eggs now. Unfortunately one of the Ethel eggs had stopped developing and looked really gross when candled.
Excited to see the chicks.

I live in a pine forest. We grew up climbing the pine trees and getting scrubbed down with LAVA brand soap when we were done, so scratchy. The free pine straw is nice for nest boxes though...

 

[The Sniper]

Sir loin of beef!

Bugs Bunny is that you

 

[notabitail]

Beaky, our one-eyed cross beak cockerel, wandered off yesterday and unfortunately did not find his way back (per the one-eyed and probably deaf on that side thing). We are assuming at this point he was predated by a coyote. Does kind of redo our male to female ratio in a positive direction, but damn. He was boyfriend’s favorite and if we didn’t keep him, well he was quite thick and would have made a wonderful dinner. RIP Beaky

(I guess there is a chance he could come wandering back, but not likely.)
View attachment 4219928

 

[drstratton]

Beaky, our one-eyed cross beak cockerel, wandered off yesterday and unfortunately did not find his way back (per the one-eyed and probably deaf on that side thing). We are assuming at this point he was predated by a coyote. Does kind of redo our male to female ratio in a positive direction, but damn. He was boyfriend’s favorite and if we didn’t keep him, well he was quite thick and would have made a wonderful dinner. RIP Beaky

(I guess there is a chance he could come wandering back, but not likely.)
View attachment 4219928

I hope he wanders back in. It's so hard to lose a favorite.

 

[Sylvester017]

Warm and hot weather is when the sap runs. Winter is when all trees here go dormant.

When a branch is damaged it leaks sap, esp in Spring when the tree awakens and floods it’s system with sap. It’s sticky and hard to get rid of.

All trees will leak sap but pine trees are just really bad!

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THE SAP RUNS EVERY 2 YRS!!!

 

[Sylvester017]

Ptarmigan have feathers on feet - they need them to stay warm but the feathers also enable them to walk on top of the snow! Snowshoes for birds.

In the summer they dig around like chickens do, and seem to have no issues.


Oh I wish I could find the picture I have of Henny in the snow, she reminds me of a ptarmigan!

If/when you find it... post it... I'll remember why

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

@RoyalChick

After some reading yesterday and today I get the sense that the likely hood of Chippy being a male has sent you into a mild panic. Being that you have never had a rooster before, and seeing how everyone has horror stories about the bad boys it is understandable.

Please my friend, take a step back and breathe.

Now that's out of the way, let's asses the situation calmly. While it is highly suspected and a good chance that Chippy is a boy, it is not yet confirmed. At any rate, at 6 weeks old he should be receiving the very same treatment as any other chick. You stated he was curious with you and came up to say hi and have a blueberry. Boy or girl, well done that is a start with taming the broody reared gang. As far as Chippy goes Blueberries are going to be your friend, invest in them. You could also try other sorts of treats to tempt him and the others. All chickens are different. Some enjoy fresh fruit or tomatoes, mine prefer dried fruit such as raisins and craisins. I'm proud to say dried mango's may be the key to my little Juice's heart, he ate out of my hand today.

I saw that you are worried about the potential size Chippy will become. In my experience with hatchery stock they will not reach the upper end of the size range. He may be taller which will give the illusion that he is larger then he actually is. Let's just say he ends up being in the 5 to 6lb range. That is really not too large for 3lb piglet.

I will say it is good that you are reading up on Shad's article on roosters. Many of us on here also have roosters and will be available if and when you have questions.

I honestly feel if you can go into the next year with a open mind about Chippy you and your flock will be rewarded in the long run. After that first year he will bring a stability in your flock that you very well may not even realize is missing.

For now to quote our dear bob who has told many of us during this chick phase, "Enjoy this time with them".

As for names for Chippy, he could become Chip. He may be a Sir Lancelot or Arthur or Merlin or Zeus for that matter. No need for a name change just yet while he is still questionable. If a name change is indeed in order take your time and watch him. Try a few options out, he will reveal to you who he truly is.

 

[kattabelly]

I once did that to weigh a cat, and I weighed less holding him than I did before, guessing I was not standing properly because he was wriggly

The laws of physics work differently for cats.