Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Broody Piglet.
I think she has stopped laying now, I will wait until tomorrow to be sure.
She is much better than Tassels or Sylvie at getting up to eat and drink.
Although I hauled her out for this picture so I could gather eggs. And yes, I forgot gloves. And yes, I got beaten up!
She also just produced the most unbelievably smelly poop in quantities that are hard to comprehend. She is only small! An elephant could be proud of her poop.
I think I will put her in broody jail when she hasn’t laid for 2 days (which never normally happens with her). I don’t want to leave her sitting for too long. But I do want to force a bit of a break in her laying schedule.
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Wrong. She laid an egg today. Either that or I cannot count. Definitely not putting her in jail just yet.

 

[Ponypoor]

If she's getting off the nest on her own daily, you could easily let her sit for a couple of weeks to the full 21 days before breaking her. As long as she's feeding and such on her own, she'll come through that in good condition. And get a longer break on eggs. If you wait the 21 days, she may wait a couple of months longer (as if raising chicks) before starting up again.

This is true, I had hoped that one of the Azurs would go broody, and take a break.

 

[RoyalChick]

This is true, I had hoped that one of the Azurs would go broody, and take a break.

Then there is the go broody but keep on laying version.
I keep trying to work out who laid what.
I am confused!

 

[Ponypoor]

Then there is the go broody but keep on laying version.
I keep trying to work out who laid what.
I am confused!

Yep I know what you mean, I have been trying to keep track of those silkie eggs, I know Marty’s as it’s speckled and I figured out Curly’s which is light pink, but Fluffy and Henny have similar eggs! So tonight I got an egg and figured it was Henny’s, as she didn’t lay an egg yesterday.

Now I come up to the house and noted Henny was in the nestbox!

Guess it was Fluffy’s egg, will need to cross out Henny’s name on that egg!

Or it could be Henny going broody… bite my tongue!

 

[Ponypoor]

Yep I know what you mean, I have been trying to keep track of those silkie eggs, I know Marty’s as it’s speckled and I figured out Curly’s which is light pink, but Fluffy and Henny have similar eggs! So tonight I got an egg and figured it was Henny’s, as she didn’t lay an egg yesterday.

Now I come up to the house and noted Henny was in the nestbox!

Guess it was Fluffy’s egg, will need to cross out Henny’s name on that egg!

Or it could be Henny going broody… bite my tongue!

Well no egg and Henny was back up on the ledge for the night.

 

[LhickenChicken]

Well no egg and Henny was back up on the ledge for the night.

Phew. Lumina went broody, but still laying eggs. She pulls the broody stance and yells when someone goes close to her. Also the characteristic buk-buk-buk.

 

[featherhead007]

Time to train up one of the chickies to ride shotgun with you

I would have to bring the whole entourage of the six. For now, they are inseparable.

 

[featherhead007]

I’m embarrassed to say that I haven’t spent enough time with the big girls. They have been fighting each other. Dakota has been trying to get that rooster from next door to show her attention.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Shep has a wobbly puffy butt? Is this water belly? It's very soft and jiggly.View attachment 3822288
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The girls got some pineapple today since they ate all the layer feed I put out (in a fancy bowl to entice them to eat it!)

What jumps out at me is the skin visible, due to the puffiness you describe, which would you say is not so visible normally? The fluffiness can’t cover it as well because it’s stretched out? And you describe jiggling which is not usual (in my limited experience). Soft, yes, but not jiggly.

 

[featherhead007]

When I take the littles out of the brooder box, they kick and scream, but less than five minutes, they are all completely comfortable on my lap and watching tv. Then when it’s time for bed, same thing. Kicking and screaming. I don’t know what to do, they need space to stretch their muscles.