Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Hilarious and well scribed Bob, I absolutely love these!

Thank you for saying so.

 

[BY Bob]

The tweens are finally roosting with the bigs at night. They have chosen to all line up between the wall and Brownie who still seems to be keeping tabs on them. She definitely isn’t treating them as babies but she also hasn’t completely let them go either its rather sweet. They are coming up on 9 weeks now.
I was watching them all yesterday and the boys seem be beginning to co-rooster, one stays with the girls the other is clearly on lookout duty both for threats and for the other big girls who might swing by for a peck or quick chase when they are out.

Avalon
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Lore
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Size comparison the “babies vs my two largest OG hens. They are getting so bigs and are definitely starting to get that bowling ball shape.
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They are adorable.

 

[BY Bob]

Oh Queen Aurora - Rebecca is in for it now hahahaha you have given such sage advice once again.

Enabling and encouraging! Way to go Queen Aurora , as a mere Hooman I am always amazed at the trouble you hooligans can get into!

Why just today a week old chick here slipped through a very small opening in their compound and was making for the hills exploring the big barn out with the big chooks! I am thinking it must be a leghorn of some sort.

As such I really feel I must protect this youngster from the advise you are giving to Peep and the Marshmallows.

As always I do respect you rule and ensuring that chooks follow the way of the chicken - just not when they are a week old.

Yours respectfully

Hooman Kelly

You are too funny.

 

[Ponypoor]

Thank you, read on and you'll see I managed to get to an avian vet today! And only 50 minutes away from me, plus I think I like her a lot so far, for multiple reasons. She sees all kinds of farm animals but also pet chickens, and keeps her own chickens for eggs only, and she is close to them as pets. She showed me how she did the draining and the strategy of it and talked about it as if I might do it one day, she also was great showing me Peanut's sad xrays and explaining what we were looking at, and she also later on with Butters mentioned tube feeding once or twice as a way to stimulate the appetite and that she could teach me if we got to that point.

River Valley Veterinary Services was recommended by a local vet's office as an outfit that "we've begun working with". Today online it seemed as if they might be at least regional, from the midwest eastward? Local vets who work out of trucks only, all networked through a booking system? I was too stressed to take it in and had to hurry to get things together to be ready to take the pair up there when they called (they were going to give me an hour's notice, because I was about an hour away, when the vet was about an hour from being done with seeing a previous appointment).

So glad you were able to get a Vet. And a mobile one at that what an awesome find.

My horse vet is like this, everything is in his truck. X-ray, meds, surgery. All done right here in my barn - so convenient. And he is only a few miles up the road so if I need special meds I just pop up and get it, or he drops it in my mailbox.

It’s wonderful she also has chickens and I think just amazing she is willing to teach you to do things. Now that is what an eggcellent vet is all about.

Tell me is your hen breathing any better? I only ask because I am dealing with my niece’s I’ll hen. I think she also has EYP or salpingitis. If so I want to get her to a vet to show me how to drain the fluid.

 

[Ponypoor]

The tweens are finally roosting with the bigs at night. They have chosen to all line up between the wall and Brownie who still seems to be keeping tabs on them. She definitely isn’t treating them as babies but she also hasn’t completely let them go either its rather sweet. They are coming up on 9 weeks now.
I was watching them all yesterday and the boys seem be beginning to co-rooster, one stays with the girls the other is clearly on lookout duty both for threats and for the other big girls who might swing by for a peck or quick chase when they are out.

Avalon
View attachment 3567469
Lore
View attachment 3567470
Size comparison the “babies vs my two largest OG hens. They are getting so bigs and are definitely starting to get that bowling ball shape.
View attachment 3567471

Oh they are so big! Much bigger than my lot!

 

[featherhead007]

The room is small only 4x10 feet so not that big, and it is one of those large box fans.

I put two fans there for night time the one on the wall and another on the floor blowing inside the wire door from outside, so no danger of birds knocking it over.

Let me tell you about the mouse and box fan incident, someday!

 

[Ponypoor]

You are too funny.

You should have seen me freaking out to see that one chick at large! I then realize that there is a chick sized opening at the bottom of the door which I will fix tomorrow! Big chickens were just ignoring the wee gal

 

[Ponypoor]

Let me tell you about the mouse and box fan incident, someday!

I do seem to recall you mentioning that once long ago - and I shall look forward to hearing it again

Poor mouse!

 

[rural mouse]

You should have seen me freaking out to see that one chick at large! I then realize that there is a chick sized opening at the bottom of the door which I will fix tomorrow! Big chickens were just ignoring the wee gal

Good to know that the bigs will leave the little alone. Maybe time to let mama out with the babies?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Scrambled eggs would be my go to but I would also give her all her favorites too see what she might eat. She will need nutrition if she is going to pick up and enjoy some life.

I will. I suspected the cancer the vet found, it wasn't a surprise, just a sad confirmation. At least there hopefully are some palliative tools available for her remaining life. But I won't drag out trying to keep her alive for it's own sake.