Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ValarieF]

And dottie was a love bug this morning

 

[ValarieF]

Chooks

 

[rural mouse]

It's snowing again, 9F this morning. As I'm home today, went out to the coop with food and water (scratch and meal worms got added to the food), collected 7 eggs this morning, saw indications a few more will show up today, and left the door hatch closed. Shoveling is on my to do list today, so will work on a path for them too. Not expecting them to want out as feathers are still coming in. The moonlit pics were a lucky break in the clouds before the snow rolled in again. Much needed moisture, but brrrrrrrr.

Have a solid foot (30cm) of snow. Clearing part of the deck and path to the garage. Warming up, repeat, expanding cleared areas. Crowing calls in the coop, otherwise nothing is stirring.

 

[rural mouse]

Earlier progress

Just cleared more

To the north

To the south

Breeze is light, but ice knifed. Only things moving besides vehicles are a couple of tiny sparrows. Even the magpies are still.

 

[bgmathteach]

Earlier progressView attachment 3317477Just cleared more

View attachment 3317478To the north

View attachment 3317479To the south

Breeze is light, but ice knifed. Only things moving besides vehicles are a couple of tiny sparrows. Even the magpies are still.

Too early for all that 'acid stuff', as my chickens think. They will walk in/though small amoutns, but if their feet sink and snow touches their legs, too deep! I have to shovel part (most) of their run, and I also shovel part of the yard for 'free range time' Ducks, as long as they don't sink so deep that can't 'waddle through' it, don't seem to care....except when their feet/legs get cold they waddle back to deep bedding/no snow area and stand with one foot hidden, like the chooks!

fortunately, we usually don't get snow that lasts for another month around here...and if we do now get some in Nov., it usually is only a small amount. (Hopefully I didn't jinx us now!)

I know you need the moisture...but I certainly don't envy you having to shovel and have temps close to 0 F already!

Edited: The pictures are beautiful, though!

?Hopefully? It is a relatively dry powdery snow, so not heavy like the wet/slush we frequently get here!

 

[featherhead007]

Earlier progressView attachment 3317477Just cleared more

View attachment 3317478To the north

View attachment 3317479To the south

Breeze is light, but ice knifed. Only things moving besides vehicles are a couple of tiny sparrows. Even the magpies are still.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Peanut doing okay so far

Peanut has not been heaving and straining like she was yesterday evening. There seemed to be a little of it but it was hard to discern. Still diarrhea. I am at PT but will observe again when we get home. She appeared to be happily foraging just before we left

If she's better, then: she passed an egg, but there's no trace of egg anywhere. They ate it, leaving no trace? Or the egg broke in her and she feels better for the time being? Or it's something else altogether?

I got half a calcium pill into her, eventually using a long towel to do a chicken burrito so I had both hands free. It was as easy as you said @RoyalChick ! She trusts me enough that after feeling around her beak for awhile she was not clamping it shut and I got it open easily, held it there briefly with my finger in it so with the other hand I popped the pill in. Then she ate more yogurt so I don't think she was traumatized.

Got her inside for an Epsom soak, and first I dampened her bum slightly without splashing water up there and cleaned off the poo with a bit of baby shampoo, and trimmed more feathers. Then drained that, and began filling the sink with warm water and Epsom salts. She was fairly talkative but calm, and stood in one place, looking around. I had warmed the KY jelly and gently, slowly, put a gloved finger in her vent, no objections from her. It all felt soft and squishy with nothing in there. I went in to just the full first knuckle, an inch or inch and a quarter.

She stands tall and the sink was almost as full as it can be before it reached her belly. She seemed to enjoy it, and even ate more yogurt. 20 mins in the soak.

Drained the sink, toweled her off, applied coconut oil to her vent area & feather stubs. Also the sores, from picking at mites and poo there, and where mites had been gathering (feeding?) were scabbed over and healing and everything looked nice and pink. Blow dried and fluffed, and then put her back out in the yard. It was only then she walked about 20 feet and stopped to poop, it sounded like diarrhea. She didn't have it poop at all while inside.

Dear Peanut in her soak:

 

[RoyalChick]

Peanut doing okay so far

Peanut has not been heaving and straining like she was yesterday evening. There seemed to be a little of it but it was hard to discern. Still diarrhea. I am at PT but will observe again when we get home. She appeared to be happily foraging just before we left

If she's better, then: she passed an egg, but there's no trace of egg anywhere. They ate it, leaving no trace? Or the egg broke in her and she feels better for the time being? Or it's something else altogether?

I got half a calcium pill into her, eventually using a long towel to do a chicken burrito so I had both hands free. It was as easy as you said @RoyalChick ! She trusts me enough that after feeling around her beak for awhile she was not clamping it shut and I got it open easily, held it there briefly with my finger in it so with the other hand I popped the pill in. Then she ate more yogurt so I don't think she was traumatized.

Got her inside for an Epsom soak, and first I dampened her bum slightly without splashing water up there and cleaned off the poo with a bit of baby shampoo, and trimmed more feathers. Then drained that, and began filling the sink with warm water and Epsom salts. She was fairly talkative but calm, and stood in one place, looking around. I had warmed the KY jelly and gently, slowly, put a gloved finger in her vent, no objections from her. It all felt soft and squishy with nothing in there. I went in to just the full first knuckle, an inch or inch and a quarter.

She stands tall and the sink was almost as full as it can be before it reached her belly. She seemed to enjoy it, and even ate more yogurt. 20 mins in the soak.

Drained the sink, toweled her off, applied coconut oil to her vent area & feather stubs. Also the sores, from picking at mites and poo there, and where mites had been gathering (feeding?) were scabbed over and healing and everything looked nice and pink. Blow dried and fluffed, and then put her back out in the yard. It was only then she walked about 20 feet and stopped to poop, it sounded like diarrhea. She didn't have it poop at all while inside.

Dear Peanut in her soak:

View attachment 3317416

View attachment 3317414
View attachment 3317415

Sounds like you did a great job. Well done!
If you didn’t feel an egg then probably it isn’t that.
I somehow missed she had mites. Could it all just be discomfort from mites around her vent?
So glad she is doing better. You too I hope?

 

[rural mouse]

Too early for all that 'acid stuff', as my chickens think. They will walk in/though small amoutns, but if their feet sink and snow touches their legs, too deep! I have to shovel part (most) of their run, and I also shovel part of the yard for 'free range time' Ducks, as long as they don't sink so deep that can't 'waddle through' it, don't seem to care....except when their feet/legs get cold they waddle back to deep bedding/no snow area and stand with one foot hidden, like the chooks!

fortunately, we usually don't get snow that lasts for another month around here...and if we do now get some in Nov., it usually is only a small amount. (Hopefully I didn't jinx us now!)

I know you need the moisture...but I certainly don't envy you having to shovel and have temps close to 0 F already!

Edited: The pictures are beautiful, though!

?Hopefully? It is a relatively dry powdery snow, so not heavy like the wet/slush we frequently get here!

It's powder. Great for skiing, like getting sand blasted when the wind kicks in. Another 40 min or so of shoveling, upper deck mostly cleared, paver patio mostly cleared (Castor trying to rub against me, the snow shovel and follow EVERYWHERE was "helpful"). Path down the stone steps partially cleared to the 3rd(?). Between the wind and Castor meowing, time to come warm up. More food to Castor, check the fire, collapse for a bit, then go for lunch.


Snow tax

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I did not need a attack rooster after all. All it took was a ultra-sound followed by a oh my god and surgery is scheduled. Thanks to 2 cysts on one ovary, 1 6cm and 1 8cm I have to have a total hysterectomy December 13. This is on top of at least 7 fibroid tumors.