Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Yes I think that is all true. And if you think about it, must be true or she wouldn't be alive.
Her crop is very weird. It isn't blocked - it is like her whole GI system just isn't working (which is why I am obsessed with poop). I can more-or-less empty her crop with some massage and lifting it up. But then if she moves or I stop pressing it, all the corn comes rushing back in. I actually (of course) looked into this and it turns out chickens are known to have food move the wrong way back into the crop!
And on the subject of poop - last night she had two modest but nice looking poops and another one when she was outside with me and her Hooligan friends this afternoon.

The poops are encouraging.

 

[BY Bob]

What a lovely flock and a superb introduction. So sorry to hear you had to rehome your sweet Roo, I hope you get updates on him and he is a happy boy. It is great that you have a few chicks by him before you had to rehome him.

I also love that you (and hubby) were able to spend so much time with them as chicks, so they are real 'people chickens' now.

Like you, I was amazed at how smart and personable chickens are once I got some. I hope these girls continue to bring you joy for a long time!! (P.S. I see chicken math is already working it's magic with you)

Can I ask about your fence? I was thinking of using something similar (black wrought-iron/aluminum fence) along a small strip of trees & shrubs near the road, to 'encourage' them to stay away from the road. Do you know the name of the fencing (brand/style) and how tall is it? That would be perfect for my application, and what I am finding locally doesn't have that added piece at the bottom, so they could squeeze through what I am finding here. Thank you in advance!

My garden fence is similar. I got it at lowes. It is a very simple installation too and keeps my hens out of the garden.

 

[RoyalChick]

Chickens do not perspire like we do so the majority of their water loss comes from eggs and poo.

I have to take issue with this sentence.
Ladylike chickens such as Phyllis and Lulu definitely do not 'perspire'.
Chickens like Maggie and Aurora just don't sweat.


Sorry - in a silly mood for some reason.

 

[Ponypoor]

Yes I think that is all true. And if you think about it, must be true or she wouldn't be alive.
Her crop is very weird. It isn't blocked - it is like her whole GI system just isn't working (which is why I am obsessed with poop). I can more-or-less empty her crop with some massage and lifting it up. But then if she moves or I stop pressing it, all the corn comes rushing back in. I actually (of course) looked into this and it turns out chickens are known to have food move the wrong way back into the crop!
And on the subject of poop - last night she had two modest but nice looking poops and another one when she was outside with me and her Hooligan friends this afternoon.

Maybe her little adventure got her system moving, I wonder if you could get her into a harness or sling to get her into a more upright position with legs hanging down touching the ground. Like a person using one of those harnesses when they have mobility issues and are getting physio....

Or a jolly jumper which hangs from a tree branch so she isn't laying down, she can push off the ground with her legs get them moving.

Just a thought...

 

[lightm]

Ok, for 100,000 posts, are we supposed to post ALL the birds we’ve cared for?

I’ll give it a go!

The Original Four
Margo, Bridge, Rusty and Bagheera
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Bridge - current alpha and an incredibly awesome chicken. I still tell her she’s my girl and my main squeeze when she gets jealous of the other chickens She is wonderful and I love her so much! She also has excellent eye contact and loves for me to sing to her.
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Margo - the first alpha and amazingly cuddly chicken. Yep, a cuddly Leghorn! She and I were very close! She was full of spunk and sounded like a trumpet. She also had a magnificent comb.

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Bagheera - another sweetheart, and also a great cuddler. She was an amazing forager! She was also the first chicken I saw sunbathe… in my lap! Freaked me right out. She never really molted, so her tail was often a mess.
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Rusty - My least affectionate of the original four, but we got really close when she had egg yolk peritonitis. She was not a lap sitter, but did drag herself into my lap on the bathroom floor when she was gravely ill. Rusty was my first loss and it was very difficult. She had the sweetest little “lets go to bed/roost” call every night and would be first to turn in. She also had a special relationship with the puppy.
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The Second Six

Ruby - most if you know Ruby’s story. She was originally Adventure Girl, but fought a hard 3-year battle with cancer. For a period of time, she was getting daily, private free range time before I went to work in the morning. You can see her up on the hill by herself when she was Adventure Girl.
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Little Mill - Ruby’s best friend and a sweetheart. Her feathers are oh so soft, and she has a tendency to go broody (but then wants to kill the real, live chicks that are interfering with the imaginary ones). She has had a limp since she was a pullet and has an adorable hobble run. Here she is in broody stance. The second and third photos are just her being fabulous.
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Cashew - an amazing mother! I also think she has the most beautiful face of all my chickens. It cracks me up, because also has a deep, growly voice and crows! Outweighed by at least three pounds, maybe closer to four, she beat up Buttercup who pecked at a chick. Buttercup steered clear after that.
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Buttercup - what’s not to love about this fluff ball? She gets very jealous of the other chickens and will attack them if she thinks I’m giving them too much attention (except for Bridge). She makes the sweetest sounds when she is picked up or stroked.
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Lucky - another top lap sitter. Loves to squat for me and has a distinctive voice (they all do). She is forgiven for giving me a corneal abrasion when I handled her during molt.
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Roxy - such a sweet disposition and she has just a faint cluck she does all the time. She’s pretty tiny for a Wyandotte. Once she got very anemic due to bleeding intestines. We never figured out what it was, but thanks to Roxy, the flock now gets the occasional beef liver treat.
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Cashew’s Four

Happy Cheeks - This sweet angel only lived two weeks. Watching her interact with Cashew was precious.
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Dorothy - such an assertive and goofy little girl! She loved to climb under my lap towel when I sat down with them. Precious. And another impressive comb.
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Ester - the most nervous chicken I ever had, but I gained her trust during a severe winter molt. Nothing super noteworthy about her personality, but I still loved her! I’m grateful to her for being such a good patient when I learned how to tube feed.
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Minnie - she’s a bit nervous, but I believe she was attacked by a fox her first year. She is very curious, and always has her head right in the middle of whatever I am doing.
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The Babies

Sunshine - such a bundle of love. The most affectionate chicken I’ve known who loved to sit in my lap with her head in my armpit. I hate myself for the fact that she died of a fatty liver hemorrhage at such a young age. I miss her, along with the others who have left us.
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Flo - another assertive girl, likely to be alpha if she outlives Bridge. She likes to walk up to me and demand to be picked up. Her first night home, she got out of the brooder and was screaming her head off on the kitchen floor. I was not set up properly, as a broody was supposed to raise them. So I laid on the kitchen floor and she warmed up on my belly under my shirt. For hours.
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Flash - a nervous, gentle soul. I think she misses Sunshine. She usually comes running to me in hopes I have a treat. The only way she likes to be handled is if I hunch over and curl my body around her. She was named for her quickness as a chick and is still fast like a flash! She is the lowest ranked, and likes to lay in hidden places. I think there must be a couple blue eggs out in the yard somewhere.
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Bob, this post took forever on my phone and I wasn’t able to find all the photos I wanted, but I hope you like it. I’m also not sure how to get all those attachments off the bottom. I think we’re stuck with them. Congratulations on 100,000 posts!

Lovely post! My husband talks about their eye contacts too like Tina is really the sweetie that would look at him. He would also tell me which chicken has the prettiest face and then claim he's right because he has the same taste as our rooster. Then he tells his favorite hen (Light) that "you are always going to be my favorite chicken" when Light gets jealous...

 

[Ponypoor]

I have to take issue with this sentence.
Ladylike chickens such as Phyllis and Lulu definitely do not 'perspire'.
Chickens like Maggie and Aurora just don't sweat.


Sorry - in a silly mood for some reason.

I bet my ladies wish they could sweat!!!

 

[RoyalChick]

Maybe her little adventure got her system moving, I wonder if you could get her into a harness or sling to get her into a more upright position with legs hanging down touching the ground. Like a person using one of those harnesses when they have mobility issues and are getting physio....

Or a jolly jumper which hangs from a tree branch so she isn't laying down, she can push off the ground with her legs get them moving.

Just a thought...

The jolly jumper idea has been on my mind but I am cautious because I don't want to do damage.
She can and does stand. She can walk (sort of). But what I believe is her ankle seems to be flexing in the wrong direction.

I need to rig up something where she is safer outside - off to look at the big dog crate that is somewhere in the barn to see if that could help her be with the others but not subject to attack. If that works I could think of hanging a sling from the bars at the top, but I am still not sure it is the right approach.

 

[Ponypoor]

The jolly jumper idea has been on my mind but I am cautious because I don't want to do damage.
She can and does stand. She can walk (sort of). But what I believe is her ankle seems to be flexing in the wrong direction.

I need to rig up something where she is safer outside - off to look at the big dog crate that is somewhere in the barn to see if that could help her be with the others but not subject to attack. If that works I could think of hanging a sling from the bars at the top, but I am still not sure it is the right approach.

If you do use a sling I would limit it tow maybe 10 min a few times a day.

It's good she stands that's good. The dog crate would awesome! Its great to place on the grass so she can pick at the dirt .

Ok well I better get cracking and do chores, I will check in later - hopefully see pics of Bella and her friends enjoying the day

 

[rural mouse]

I bet my ladies wish they could sweat!!!

Eeeeewwwwww! STICKY wet feathers!

 

[Ponypoor]

Eeeeewwwwww! STICKY wet feathers!

Hahaha ewwwww ya right?