Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Kris5902]

Late replying on this. I did have one pullet with a crop issue that was from eating the “straw” I had in the nest boxes. It was actually old coastal hay that had dried out/sunburnt from the llamas being such messy eaters and leaving it all over their stall. She is the only one who ate it, and she may have been eating a few “fresher” strands that were mixed in. She is recovered and doing well after crop surgery. But no more straw in my nest boxes.


You have received excellent advice. Sending good thoughts your way that it is just a one-time issue.


Oooooo, I like that idea. Think I need to get some “thrift store” towels, both to have on hand for general chicken use and also to make a “legs free” chicken restraint device.


Not sure if it would help in this case, but I have seen posts in the medical section about taking a chicken with respiratory issues into a steamy bathroom. Maybe a nice hot relaxing shower for you while Jaffar hangs out in the bathroom?

Edit due to stupid autocorrect.

We get the extra towels mostly for lambing, which is why I don’t mind appropriating them at all. But it’s super handy to have a solid stack set aside that you don’t care about at all for your animals. I tend to keep one personal towel, but we used to have a full set of guest and hot tub towels in the city, so lambing/livestock towels isn’t really that different (depending on your social group! I know where mine landed…)

 

[rural mouse]

Sorry I am not keeping up, I’ve been busy working on the house and I swear I will post an update once I get some decent tax photos I just dropped in and realized I’m so far behind I don’t even know where to start catching up… so I’m sending positive thoughts to everyone and thank you all for bearing with me not being here enough. I promise I’m not dropping off… I’m working on our housing so intensively right now that I just can’t keep up here.

House comes first. we'll catch you up later.

 

[featherhead007]

We get the extra towels mostly for lambing, which is why I don’t mind appropriating them at all. But it’s super handy to have a solid stack set aside that you don’t care about at all for your animals. I tend to keep one personal towel, but we used to have a full set of guest and hot tub towels in the city, so lambing/livestock towels isn’t really that different (depending on your social group! I know where mine landed…)

 

[BY Bob]

Hi peeps. I hope everyone is doing well. I was in San Francisco for a girls’ weekend and Halloween happened, so I’ve been absent. It’s going to drop to 40°F tonight and Flo is still pretty bare in some large areas. If she had roosted in her usual spot, I’d put a microwavable heat disk beside her like I have a couple times lately. But she roosted upstairs and there isn’t a great place to put it. She’s in a pretty draft-free spot and has been taking this molt like a champ, but I’m wondering if I should do something for her. I haven’t measured the temp myself, but my weather app says it’s already down to 46° now. Sun doesn’t rise until 11 hours from now. Thoughts?

Aurora is having her molt right now and her bum is naked. I however will not be providing any supplemental warmth unless it gets down to freezing for extended periods of time. Even then it is hard for me to help her because of where she roosts. I would likely have to bring her in the house.

 

[BY Bob]

Sorry, about all the posts on this. I did go back out there and the little heat pad is working! Also, Minnie Minnie was back next to Flo, which is great. So Flo has Minnie on one side, her heat disk on the other and little heating pad beneath her feet. I took one of those pads that are used to lay dishes on and bungied that on top of the heating pad.

Very clever.

 

[BY Bob]

Sorry I am not keeping up, I’ve been busy working on the house and I swear I will post an update once I get some decent tax photos I just dropped in and realized I’m so far behind I don’t even know where to start catching up… so I’m sending positive thoughts to everyone and thank you all for bearing with me not being here enough. I promise I’m not dropping off… I’m working on our housing so intensively right now that I just can’t keep up here.

The house is more important.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Good morning everyone. Just reading and catching up while for once everyone is asleep here. It is blissful, all I hear is Branch crowing and the dogs beside me snoring as I drink my coffee. Well, that and Rosie coughing. We spent 3 hours at the doctor yesterday only to know for sure it is not strep. Sometime this afternoon they will have the results back from the respiratory panel. She has not been this sick in a long time, and I do not like that her chest hurts and it burns to breathe. Grandma is giving me grief to keep her in her room as she does not need to be sick yet she keeps trying to come in there to check on her. I hate to say it, but yesterday I thought to myself I hoped Rosie sneezed on her. I know, bad me, but she came out of her room to use the bathroom and she sprayed Lysol at her, almost in her face and it caused a coughing fit. I have since hidden all 3 cans of Lysol that we have outside on top of the feed. This afternoon per Rosie's request I'm making vegetable beef soup. For 3 hours I will have to guard the stove and pot to keep grandma away from it. Rosie only likes how I make it and grandma likes to go behind people when they are cooking and add things to it.

 

[Ponypoor]

I think that sounds like a female or juvenile Cooper's Hawk. But then, maybe I'm just 'seeing/hearing' Cooper's hawks every where due to them almost getting my sweet EE girl this spring

BTW: somehow, this exploration of potential Hawks led me to this...which ultimately distracted me from further sound comparisons with various hawks. These are the chickens' 'granddies'

a site with 16 common hawks of N. America

Sure it wasn't a catbird???

Hahaha
Nope it’s a YBS they are quite bold and don’t fly off when o go and check them out.

They drill these little round holes in the bark on trees in a row around the tree! I worry that it damages the tree but so far the trees they like to feed on

Duck No… no, no, no, no, NO! It’s the weather, dust, he’s going to Fing be fine. And you tell him that for me

You know Kris scares me sometimes hahahaha

I am hoping wee Jaffar is better today.

 

[Ponypoor]

Marie I am having an awful time keeping up here, could you please remind me who you have in your coop? Other than Princess, I don’t recall exactly, but I’m a little concerned by the lash egg. I also know you have some ex battery type girls, and you may need to add some extra companions (I would suggest heritage breeds if you can find some over rescues) but you don’t want to end up with a lone chicken if you can avoid that.

A nice Polish hen like Phyllis - just my suggestion if she gets another

 

[Ponypoor]

Good morning everyone. Just reading and catching up while for once everyone is asleep here. It is blissful, all I hear is Branch crowing and the dogs beside me snoring as I drink my coffee. Well, that and Rosie coughing. We spent 3 hours at the doctor yesterday only to know for sure it is not strep. Sometime this afternoon they will have the results back from the respiratory panel. She has not been this sick in a long time, and I do not like that her chest hurts and it burns to breathe. Grandma is giving me grief to keep her in her room as she does not need to be sick yet she keeps trying to come in there to check on her. I hate to say it, but yesterday I thought to myself I hoped Rosie sneezed on her. I know, bad me, but she came out of her room to use the bathroom and she sprayed Lysol at her, almost in her face and it caused a coughing fit. I have since hidden all 3 cans of Lysol that we have outside on top of the feed. This afternoon per Rosie's request I'm making vegetable beef soup. For 3 hours I will have to guard the stove and pot to keep grandma away from it. Rosie only likes how I make it and grandma likes to go behind people when they are cooking and add things to it.

Oh dear sorry to hear she is not feeling well, do they think it is RSV? We are having a surge in this infection this year. Sure hope she is ok, and I like that she has asked for the soup - glad she has an appetite (hopefully).

Sorry I had to chuckle at your gramma and the Lysol - what a character. You have your hands full there!

I meant to ask how the baby chick situation was, hope you haven't lost any further to whatever critter was responsible.