Once Upon a Farm Flock Adventures

[Ponypoor]

And for the final of the grown-up flock members, here is Kowalski! My fabulous barred rock rooster. I've posted photos of him in a few threads on here so forgive me if you've seen these photos before.
Kowalski is a great flock leader. He takes his ladies to bed every night and is always alert and keeping an eye on everyone and everything. He finds new laying spots and calls everyone for treats he finds (real or imagined). He is not aggressive with his hens or people, and with birds not in his flock he is very tolerant. None of the hens have bare backs but the eggs are fertile . I am a big fan of barred rocks.

Kowalski
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Wow he is a beauty as are all of your flock, esp love Skipper.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Floppy the ridiculous hen, may she rest in peace.

Floppy was a production red (known here as a brown shaver) hen I got with my first set of hens adopted from the lady down the road (also including Boss Lady and Opal, and another brown shaver who is also dead now).
This hen knew who she was. She had personality in spades and was partial to human company and the sneaky food treats that go with people. Floppy managed to win over my reluctant husband to chicken tolerance (he really likes them now, I swear!).
Floppy laid us a lot of eggs, and gave us a lot of laughs. She refused to sleep in the coop with the other hens, resolutely sleeping in a tree no matter the weather. Some nights I was out there in the rain, trying to wrangle her down and into the coop. She did not appreciate my efforts to keep her dry, and would waddle back to the tree at the first possible moment.

She got along with everyone but was a free spirit. I don't know how old she was but I guess she was about 2 years old when I got her. She laid for a few months (through the winter), had her moult, laid for a bit longer, then she got sick. The other brown shaver who came with her had also got sick and died at this point. Floppy got sick a couple of months later. I kept her warm and dry, kept her clean from the runny poop she had, gave her water and food to herself. She rallied for the final week before she passed away, coming out to sit in the sunshine and follow me around the yard.

One day I got home from work and she was laying in the sun. I didn't think too much of it but she was still there an hour later. She had entered the beginning of the end. She was dropping in and out of consciousness and losing control of her nervous system. I wrapped her up in a towel and sat with her. She was taking longer than I expected to die, so we moved her gently away from the run, said our goodbyes and my husband put her out of her misery with a quick point blank shot to the head with an air rifle. It was a hard day, she was a loved member of the flock.

I decided not to get production hybrids again. They are such funny and friendly birds, but their short lives and the suffering they go through at the end just gets me in the feels too hard. None of my other hens showed any sign of even a sniffle when the two brown shavers got sick and died (about 8 weeks apart). One chick did get sick, but he pulled through (and got turned into dinner). I suspect I had blackhead run through the flock.

Floppy a few days before she died, rallying to spend time in the sun.

Floppy not long after I got her, with the rest of the original girls (the OG's )

 

[Sara S]

Floppy the ridiculous hen, may she rest in peace.

View attachment 2988174

Floppy was a production red (known here as a brown shaver) hen I got with my first set of hens adopted from the lady down the road (also including Boss Lady and Opal, and another brown shaver who is also dead now).
This hen knew who she was. She had personality in spades and was partial to human company and the sneaky food treats that go with people. Floppy managed to win over my reluctant husband to chicken tolerance (he really likes them now, I swear!).
Floppy laid us a lot of eggs, and gave us a lot of laughs. She refused to sleep in the coop with the other hens, resolutely sleeping in a tree no matter the weather. Some nights I was out there in the rain, trying to wrangle her down and into the coop. She did not appreciate my efforts to keep her dry, and would waddle back to the tree at the first possible moment.

She got along with everyone but was a free spirit. I don't know how old she was but I guess she was about 2 years old when I got her. She laid for a few months (through the winter), had her moult, laid for a bit longer, then she got sick. The other brown shaver who came with her had also got sick and died at this point. Floppy got sick a couple of months later. I kept her warm and dry, kept her clean from the runny poop she had, gave her water and food to herself. She rallied for the final week before she passed away, coming out to sit in the sunshine and follow me around the yard.

One day I got home from work and she was laying in the sun. I didn't think too much of it but she was still there an hour later. She had entered the beginning of the end. She was dropping in and out of consciousness and losing control of her nervous system. I wrapped her up in a towel and sat with her. She was taking longer than I expected to die, so we moved her gently away from the run, said our goodbyes and my husband put her out of her misery with a quick point blank shot to the head with an air rifle. It was a hard day, she was a loved member of the flock.

I decided not to get production hybrids again. They are such funny and friendly birds, but their short lives and the suffering they go through at the end just gets me in the feels too hard. None of my other hens showed any sign of even a sniffle when the two brown shavers got sick and died (about 6 weeks apart). One chick did get sick, but he pulled through (and got turned into dinner). I suspect I had blackhead run through the flock.

Floppy a few days before she died, rallying to spend time in the sun.

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Floppy not long after I got her, with the rest of the original girls (the OG's )

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I’m so sorry for your loss! I have 2 RSL and I’m bummed about that but praying for long lives And maybe they’re not RSL but something else. theyre all so cute and Boss reminds me of my Rosie who got stolen❤

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I’m so sorry for your loss! I have 2 RSL and I’m bummed about that but praying for long lives And maybe they’re not RSL but something else. theyre all so cute and Boss reminds me of my Rosie who got stolen❤

Fingers crossed you have better luck with them than I did. We had some when I was a kid and while they didn't live as long as the other hens, they didn't get sick like Floppy did. All the ones I've met have been very friendly.

 

[Sara S]

Fingers crossed you have better luck with them than I did. We had some when I was a kid and while they didn't live as long as the other hens, they didn't get sick like Floppy did. All the ones I've met have been very friendly.

thanks so much One is so so social and the other is too but she’s a bit more skittish, they love the chin scratchies though

here’s butter and sweet potato

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

thanks so much One is so so social and the other is too but she’s a bit more skittish, they love the chin scratchies though

here’s butter and sweet potato View attachment 2988190View attachment 2988191View attachment 2988192View attachment 2988193View attachment 2988194View attachment 2988195

Love the names! What cuties.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

I've been pretty quiet on this thread for awhile, it's harvest time at work so busy busy busy. I have some exciting news!

Toes has been sitting on eggs for the past 20 days (longer actually but 20 days since I set the clutch) annnnd this evening as I was finalizing her setup, I heard peeping! I didn't want to say anything due to my last disaster hatch, but watch this space for chick news
I haven't got a visual on any babies yet but fingers crossed I'll see them tomorrow.

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

We have chicks! I have visual on 5 chicks, and she is still sitting. She tends to get up and leave pretty fast so I think there are more hatching (she had 8 eggs, so there's 3 left). I'm pretty darn happy with 5 out of 8 though.

 

[Iluveggers]

Congrats on the new members of your chicken family!

 

[TheFatBlueCat]

Well we have 5 chicks. They're out and about, strong and healthy. 2 eggs didn't hatch and one egg gooped out what my sister declared to be a 'blob'. I don't candle my broody hen eggs, maybe I should know future. They're barred rocks and easter eggers (barred rock cross auracana). I know I have at least 2 pure rocks there, I'll have to wait to see their combs develop before I know if I have 3 (based on which eggs hatched, there were 3 rock eggs but one may have been 'the blob').

I've got Widget broody as well, she's sitting on 6 barred rock and 6 partridge rock eggs from a local breeder. Fingers crossed!