Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

I spend a lot of time with him, making sure that his crop is full and that he drinks plenty of water.

He’s always amazed me. Dog attack, rooster attack twice. He’s even been shoos away with a stick several times by the ex tenant in the front house. (Notice I said Ex-tenant) he was feisty back then!

 

[rural mouse]

He’s always amazed me. Dog attack, rooster attack twice. He’s even been shoos away with a stick several times by the ex tenant in the front house. (Notice I said Ex-tenant) he was feisty back then!

Jaffar is an amazing treasure!

 

[featherhead007]

Jaffar is an amazing treasure!

Jaffar is a sleeping giant! He fell asleep during his movie tonight.
He was wet earlier because he was out in the rain with his girls. But I gave him the salon treatment using his hairdryer. I also rubbed in a little aloe on his comb, and checked him for any stickers he had picked up in the yard.

 

[BeastBaby]

Begs the question, and I have wondered this for awhile, especially as I think about modifying my coop, or arranging for external nestboxes somewhere. What is the ideal size for a nest box, do you think?

Hens want a cozy, hidden-feeling place it seems? So what are those dimensions?

Hmm. Well, like Abitail I also have chickens that opt for coop corners over nest boxes (12” squares) until they are “trained”. So it seems that just two walls and a distant roof suits them fine. But I would only make them longer communal nest box in theory- in reality, I feel that having dividers helps lower status hens have access to a box when otherwise the queen bees would bok them away.

 

[featherhead007]

I wonder if fuentemoon has ever slid down stairs in a cardboard box

 

[BeastBaby]

While I wait for them to reveal their genders, I think I might name the two BCM Jasper and Horace. After Cruella deVil’s henchmen.

But if Mina ends up looking like a dalmatian, perhaps she should have a Disney name as well

 

[Ponypoor]

I tried to get a ton of chick pics for you all, but man it is mayhem in the brooder! They’re two weeks old and fluttering all over the place.

It’s all “We’re scared of that sound so huddle, dash for a drink of water, hop on the perch, quick there’s oats, oh man new shavings -dig! Scared of a shadow, hop on the perch, dash for mama heat pad, run I see treats! Ooh shavings to dig in!”
It’s very ADHD.

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Many blurry photos like this.

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Three olive eggers coming over to see what’s on offer. My attentions have been paying off- Mina the ermine OE has become braver and loves to check out my hand now. I do feel bad handling them though, they look like pin cushions with all the feathers coming in.

The two marans want very little to do with me. They go into full distress calls when I try to pick them up, which then becomes contagious and upsets the OE. Oie.

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They were ready for more room so I brought the mini coop down from the big girl’s run and set it up alongside the chick’s crate. Mama heater moved into the coop, so they sleep in there now.
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Awwww I remember that age I had three escape artists, so I just relented and let them put. Then try catching them!!!

 

[fuentemoon]

I wonder if fuentemoon has ever slid down stairs in a cardboard box

I have definitely done some stair sliding, can't remember if cardboard was involved or not, sheets once for sure. We didn't have stairs in most places we lived.

 

[micstrachan]

Hi Michelle! How is Roxy doing on the new feed?

Hi! Sorry I’ve been absent. So far, so good! The girls seem to be preferentially selecting the new feed pellets when they are mixed. I did see one or two blackish poops, so I’m keeping a close watch. Thanks for asking!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Haha totally! My flock watches my every move. They can see into the kitchen and bathroom, and if I make moves for the side door which leads to the yard, they sound an alarm and all line up to watch me. No sneaking up on them!


Oof, I do appreciate an explicit warning like this.

I’m down to two marans chicks now- a tall lanky one with a spiky comb and no tail, and a petite little thing with no tail and nearly no wing feathers either. All information online says they’re both probably Roos.

They are 2 weeks old now right? From your description I bet you have a pair on your hands. The bigger chick, look at its face nightly. A spikey comb is a sign of a boy, but what you are looking for is wattle development. A good 90% of my pure Marans boys pop those wattles between 2 to 3 weeks. If you can grab clear pictures of their faces. Lets see them front on to look at combs and a side profile to look for those wattles. For me tail and wing feathering have never been reliable to sex the Marans. It is those combs and wattles.