Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

Ask Aurora
Today's question comes from @RebeccaBoyd Owly.

View attachment 3610648

And she asks.........

Dear Aurora,

Little Owly here.

I have a question about my hooman. Since I was adopted by my momma Raven I have worked very hard to become a favorite chicken. I heeded the words of wisdom from Butter to always sit in a available lap. I watched as Branch and Bubba strutted around and posed for the black box she calls a camera and followed suit. I may not be a rooster but I can strut and pose with the best of them now. Goose, Chiquita and Branch claimed she loves beards so I am eating everything spicy and growing a beard to rival their own. I want my human to be happy so everything my elders say makes her happy I try to do. Why then is my hooman sad? What is sad by the way, I do not know? My elders are the ones claiming she is sad. I know happy, I have always been happy, this sadness is new to me. I continue to jump on her lap or shoulder every chance I get. Instead of the smiles that once followed this now come hugs and her eyes start raining. Branch says I have to let her give me the tight hugs and never mind the rain it will pass. Will it? I strut and I pose but the black box never appears anymore why? Am I doing it wrong? Are pullets and ladies not supposed to strut, is it only a rooster thing? Momma Hen says give it time and one day it will appear again and I need to keep practicing. I am not sure I should listen to her, my Hooman has began to glare at her and telling her not to think about it. Of course, I do not know what she is thinking about, she is Momma Hen and everyone calls her crazy. Is my beard making her sad? I am young and loosing my baby fuzz and just starting to grow a beard. Did I get everything wrong and should I have instead grown feathers on my feet? The majority of my elders agree that beards mean nothing it is the feet and legs extra feathers must grow. I am so confused and just want things back to the way they were. We do not have a Queen now so that is why I am turning to you. I hear whispers of the Great Queen of all flocks Aurora who knows everything. The Marshmallows claim they once sought out your help and you kindly replied and solved their problem as teens. Will things go back to as before? Will my Hooman be happy again? I do not know of this sadness but I do not like it. Do other flocks experience sadness as well? If so how did you help to bring back the happiness? Can we tiny baby chickens bring back happiness or is it something only my elders can do?

Yours truly
A very lost and confused Owly



Dear Owly,
Oh dear little Owly. You have so many questions and no Queen to help you better understand. I am so sorry you find yourself in this difficult place. First, rest assured that you will soon have a new queen. The tribe requires one and soon, if not already you will have another.

Let me start with this question of yours.

What is sad?

You are so young and have so much life ahead of you that I almost hate to be the one to explain to you that there are times when the world is not a happy place. I truly wish it were not so, but bad things do happen and someday you will experience sadness. The best example I can provide is for you to think about your best friend. How would you feel if they were suddenly gone and you never saw them again?

That is sad.

As you can see, you will not like being sad. I’m sorry to have to tell you this but sadness is a fact of life. One cannot have happiness without sadness. One requires the other to exist. The greater the happiness the greater the sadness you risk. It is important to remember that a life without great happiness is not worth living.

Now please don’t worry. It is very unlikely that your best friend will disappear tomorrow. However, this sadness is what your human is feeling.

For human servants, there is no greater pleasure than tending to us chickens. Over time they form special bonds with some of us. We are darling animals. We entertain them. We provide them with great joy. They are clearly fascinated with us.

When a human forms a special bond with a chicken it makes them sad when something happens and we are no longer there for them to take care of. The stronger the bond, the sadder the human becomes. It is clear that your human had a very special bond with your previous queen Butters. Butters brought her great happiness and her no longer being there has thus made her very sad.

The good news is that sadness is not a forever state.

How can you help your human?

It is very important that our humans operate at top efficiency. This is never the case when they are sad. I have seen our human forget to do important things when sad. Therefore, it is our responsibility to help them through the sadness.

Branch and Momma Hen are right. You can help your human by doing exactly what you are doing. Keep jumping on her shoulder or lap every chance you get. Keep posing for the black box. Anyone can pose and strut for the black box whether they are chicks, pullets or fully grown. Phyllis is the master of posing here but all of us have taken turns being the one to pose.

One day she will not squeeze you and her eyes will not rain. The first couple of times her eyes may seem to get wet but the rain will stop. A small smile might show up. This will be a sign that you are helping and she is starting to feel better. The next thing you know the black box will be back and she will be smiling at you poses as well.

You can also learn something important here. Your elders are your betters. They know what they are talking about. They have seen your human be sad before. Maybe not this sad but the cycle is really the same. The humans need to let their eyes rain and be sad but eventually because we are such amazing animals they recover and become their old selves again, perhaps even happier.

Your elders are clearly wrong on one thing. Your beard is giving her great happiness. While I am certain they believe that feathered feet make humans happy but I disagree. I happen to know of humans who are not crazy about feathered feet. However, every human loves a beard and sideburns. In fact, here is an international recording star leaning down just to take a picture of my amazing beard. You keep eating spicy food and working on yours. Your human loves it. (I must say that I believe it will be spectacular when you are fully grown)

View attachment 3610652
International recording star Anthony Snape takes photos of Aurora so he can show his friends a chicken with a beard!

What you are experiencing has happened here serval times, most recently about a year ago. Our human spent hours working with a young pullet named Gucci. She was real sweetheart but she had many problems. For example, it took them weeks working together for Gucci to learn how to use the ramp to her house. They grew very close. When she finally passed away from all the problems, she had our human servant was inconsolable. No matter how many times Glynda jumped into his lap or Phyllis did something really silly, nothing would cheer him up. He was truly sad.

The good news is that he did not remain this way. Slowly the sadness passed and he return to being his old self again. This was because we kept being the entertaining, fascinating, chickens we have always been.

You, young Owly, have it within your power to create great happiness. It does not matter if you are young or not. You must not shirk this responsibility for it is the “The Way of the Chicken”. Humans need us to bring meaning to their lives and along with that meaning we can and must bring great happiness. Do all you can to bring happiness to your human. Hop up in her lap or onto her shoulder. Pose for pictures whether she has the black box or not. In general, be the special young lady that you are and if you are patient your human will come around and you will both go back to the joyful life you had before.

Aurora

View attachment 3610647

Thank you Queen Aurora for replying. That question was difficult to write. Several events happened so close together I was questioning if I should just rehome the entire flock. I am back to taking pictures again. I did not touch the camera for a week. I could not, I knew it had the pictures I needed to take of Chiquita after the mauling. I made myself finally download them and then move them to a separate file and then delete the memory card. Things have finally almost returned to normal, or the new normal. We now have a Queen Raven and I am once again breaking a broody hen. Nothing will snap you out of it quicker then finding yet another broody. Thank you Karen. You left me with 2 options. Wallow in grief, forget about you and let you hatch off chicks. Option 2, snap out of it, pull myself together and tame the broody beast. August heat is no time to be setting so I had no choice but to snap out of it. I deeply miss Butter, Chiquita and tragically still unnamed black hen that I lost. I also miss and feel cheated out on tiny munchkin. But there is Branch and now little Owly, or Aunt Olive as mom has named her. Owly is no longer mine. Butter's passing hit mom hard as well, Butter was her hen. Mom has claimed Aunt Olive (she will forever be Owly to me) as her hen. She acts like Butter, and she feels Butter would want her to spoil her the way she spoiled Butter. I have taught them to roost in the coop now at night. Everyone that is except Owly. Owly still comes to the porch and waits for me to carry the spoiled princess to the coop and place her on the roost. You know who else used to do that? Butter and Drummie. Laps and shoulders are for sitting, Butter took every opportunity to sit in moms lap. She expects treats, but from your hand never the ground. Butter would never stoop to eating off the ground when treats were handed out. That pullet and Branch are honestly what kept me from getting rid of the entire flock. A move I know realize would have been hasty and one I would have came to regret.

 

[BY Bob]

Got this together yesterday. Hopefully this will hold them a few days until I figure out a top!
View attachment 3611228
View attachment 3611230
View attachment 3611231

Poor things look like they are in prison. I know they are not, but those photos do not paint it in a good light.

 

[featherhead007]

Poor things look like they are in prison. I know they are not, but those photos do not paint it in a good light.

I’ve seen worse prisons than that.

 

[BY Bob]

I want to break free…
I want to break freeeeeee
I want to break free, and fly around, is it just me,
Don’t you seeee-e-e
I want to break free-e-e.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[featherhead007]

Another trying but successful re-entry into the coop tonight. All but Dakota were in their places. I told her that I would be out of town tomorrow (possibly) and she better get in that coop pronto! She did.

 

[RoyalChick]

Got this together yesterday. Hopefully this will hold them a few days until I figure out a top!
View attachment 3611228
View attachment 3611230
View attachment 3611231

Sorry to laugh but I can just see them using that netting as a ladder!

 

[Ponypoor]

Saw one video....she said Janet is growing to act just like her mother. She wishes she'd act like Stanley, but.....

Wonder if it’s a female thing, protecting babies etc… ? I know nothing about Emu.

 

[Ponypoor]

Poor things look like they are in prison. I know they are not, but those photos do not paint it in a good light.

Chickatraz, dreaded inescapable playpen!

 

[Lilion]

Tonight's roosting relocation worked a little better. I managed to get Eenie to the platform with very little problem. Then I got Uno over there. Sadly, Tres was not as cooperative and his/her outraged peeps got Manny going. But in the end I think mom and kids found each other and settled in again on the platform.

I must admit, I'm starting to wonder if Sheba, Meanie and Manny actually do roost! They are always in their pile when we go out. I know my husband sees them on the roosts in the morning, but who knows when they go up?

Such strange birds.

 

[LozzyR]

Ask Aurora
Today's question comes from @RebeccaBoyd Owly.

View attachment 3610648

And she asks.........

Dear Aurora,

Little Owly here.

I have a question about my hooman. Since I was adopted by my momma Raven I have worked very hard to become a favorite chicken. I heeded the words of wisdom from Butter to always sit in a available lap. I watched as Branch and Bubba strutted around and posed for the black box she calls a camera and followed suit. I may not be a rooster but I can strut and pose with the best of them now. Goose, Chiquita and Branch claimed she loves beards so I am eating everything spicy and growing a beard to rival their own. I want my human to be happy so everything my elders say makes her happy I try to do. Why then is my hooman sad? What is sad by the way, I do not know? My elders are the ones claiming she is sad. I know happy, I have always been happy, this sadness is new to me. I continue to jump on her lap or shoulder every chance I get. Instead of the smiles that once followed this now come hugs and her eyes start raining. Branch says I have to let her give me the tight hugs and never mind the rain it will pass. Will it? I strut and I pose but the black box never appears anymore why? Am I doing it wrong? Are pullets and ladies not supposed to strut, is it only a rooster thing? Momma Hen says give it time and one day it will appear again and I need to keep practicing. I am not sure I should listen to her, my Hooman has began to glare at her and telling her not to think about it. Of course, I do not know what she is thinking about, she is Momma Hen and everyone calls her crazy. Is my beard making her sad? I am young and loosing my baby fuzz and just starting to grow a beard. Did I get everything wrong and should I have instead grown feathers on my feet? The majority of my elders agree that beards mean nothing it is the feet and legs extra feathers must grow. I am so confused and just want things back to the way they were. We do not have a Queen now so that is why I am turning to you. I hear whispers of the Great Queen of all flocks Aurora who knows everything. The Marshmallows claim they once sought out your help and you kindly replied and solved their problem as teens. Will things go back to as before? Will my Hooman be happy again? I do not know of this sadness but I do not like it. Do other flocks experience sadness as well? If so how did you help to bring back the happiness? Can we tiny baby chickens bring back happiness or is it something only my elders can do?

Yours truly
A very lost and confused Owly



Dear Owly,
Oh dear little Owly. You have so many questions and no Queen to help you better understand. I am so sorry you find yourself in this difficult place. First, rest assured that you will soon have a new queen. The tribe requires one and soon, if not already you will have another.

Let me start with this question of yours.

What is sad?

You are so young and have so much life ahead of you that I almost hate to be the one to explain to you that there are times when the world is not a happy place. I truly wish it were not so, but bad things do happen and someday you will experience sadness. The best example I can provide is for you to think about your best friend. How would you feel if they were suddenly gone and you never saw them again?

That is sad.

As you can see, you will not like being sad. I’m sorry to have to tell you this but sadness is a fact of life. One cannot have happiness without sadness. One requires the other to exist. The greater the happiness the greater the sadness you risk. It is important to remember that a life without great happiness is not worth living.

Now please don’t worry. It is very unlikely that your best friend will disappear tomorrow. However, this sadness is what your human is feeling.

For human servants, there is no greater pleasure than tending to us chickens. Over time they form special bonds with some of us. We are darling animals. We entertain them. We provide them with great joy. They are clearly fascinated with us.

When a human forms a special bond with a chicken it makes them sad when something happens and we are no longer there for them to take care of. The stronger the bond, the sadder the human becomes. It is clear that your human had a very special bond with your previous queen Butters. Butters brought her great happiness and her no longer being there has thus made her very sad.

The good news is that sadness is not a forever state.

How can you help your human?

It is very important that our humans operate at top efficiency. This is never the case when they are sad. I have seen our human forget to do important things when sad. Therefore, it is our responsibility to help them through the sadness.

Branch and Momma Hen are right. You can help your human by doing exactly what you are doing. Keep jumping on her shoulder or lap every chance you get. Keep posing for the black box. Anyone can pose and strut for the black box whether they are chicks, pullets or fully grown. Phyllis is the master of posing here but all of us have taken turns being the one to pose.

One day she will not squeeze you and her eyes will not rain. The first couple of times her eyes may seem to get wet but the rain will stop. A small smile might show up. This will be a sign that you are helping and she is starting to feel better. The next thing you know the black box will be back and she will be smiling at you poses as well.

You can also learn something important here. Your elders are your betters. They know what they are talking about. They have seen your human be sad before. Maybe not this sad but the cycle is really the same. The humans need to let their eyes rain and be sad but eventually because we are such amazing animals they recover and become their old selves again, perhaps even happier.

Your elders are clearly wrong on one thing. Your beard is giving her great happiness. While I am certain they believe that feathered feet make humans happy but I disagree. I happen to know of humans who are not crazy about feathered feet. However, every human loves a beard and sideburns. In fact, here is an international recording star leaning down just to take a picture of my amazing beard. You keep eating spicy food and working on yours. Your human loves it. (I must say that I believe it will be spectacular when you are fully grown)

View attachment 3610652
International recording star Anthony Snape takes photos of Aurora so he can show his friends a chicken with a beard!

What you are experiencing has happened here serval times, most recently about a year ago. Our human spent hours working with a young pullet named Gucci. She was real sweetheart but she had many problems. For example, it took them weeks working together for Gucci to learn how to use the ramp to her house. They grew very close. When she finally passed away from all the problems, she had our human servant was inconsolable. No matter how many times Glynda jumped into his lap or Phyllis did something really silly, nothing would cheer him up. He was truly sad.

The good news is that he did not remain this way. Slowly the sadness passed and he return to being his old self again. This was because we kept being the entertaining, fascinating, chickens we have always been.

You, young Owly, have it within your power to create great happiness. It does not matter if you are young or not. You must not shirk this responsibility for it is the “The Way of the Chicken”. Humans need us to bring meaning to their lives and along with that meaning we can and must bring great happiness. Do all you can to bring happiness to your human. Hop up in her lap or onto her shoulder. Pose for pictures whether she has the black box or not. In general, be the special young lady that you are and if you are patient your human will come around and you will both go back to the joyful life you had before.

Aurora

View attachment 3610647

Aww Aurora and Owly, this week’s column wants to make my eyes rain! So awesome you featured Anthony Snape, he will help your magnificent beard become famous!