Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

Thanks for your response. I will wait a bit more before telling my husband!

Should I do anything differently regarding my interactions with Viola? He (seems weird to type that) is not my friendliest chick, but does hop up on my lap on occasion. I don't generally pick up my chicks, but do let them climb on me if they want. Should I discourage this with Viola?

Lap climbing: yes and no. Sometimes it's attempts at dominating (like the higher ranked hen standing on/over a lower ranked and pecking her. Sometimes it's hanging out together. I do try to "peck" when babies are getting overly enthusiastic around me. Just like mama pecks a naughty baby, one firm finger tap, usually to shoulders. Baby squawks (just like when mama does it) and moves off. You see the same thing in adults when a lower bird isn't giving way to a higher bird. You're using their "language" to communicate they're messing up and you're higher in the pecking order. (Just like dog behavior: one walking in front is in charge, so dog needs to be next to/slightly behind you)

 

[rural mouse]

@Lexicon

I keep sharing this article by Shadrach re: rooster behavior. I learned soooooo much.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/understanding-your-rooster.75056/

 

[LhickenChicken]

She does sometimes, but not always. She does a lot of sparring with the others and of course then is upright and raises her hackles and gives this little yell. My husband says that it's her battle cry!

Well, I think that I will know before too long either way.

Yeah. I never had time to reply but I think Viola is a cock. I'm sorry. It's a bummer to name the chick a hen's name to find out it's a boy. I know you're thinking, Gah why does it happen to meeeeee?! Well it happens to everyone. I bought four BPR's that were supposed to be pullets and I ended up with a cock, El Morya II. The other three are Amethyst, Cosmos, and Noix.

 

[LhickenChicken]

(Just like dog behavior: one walking in front is in charge, so dog needs to be next to/slightly behind you)

Okay. Is this the same for cats? My friend walks his cats, and he just lets them go wherever they want and just follows them. I keep telling, hey your cats are walking you. Just says oh its okay, the cats just go where they'd like, so they're happy.

Just a thought.

Tax for cat slave runner rant

 

[knoturavggrl]

Ok all - I am still at the barn, I am doing a final check on my niece’s hen I gave her antibiotics and an aspirin (low dose) about an hr ago - just going to make sure she is ok.

Then bed for me as my RLS meds are making me terribly dizzy….

Here is a photo of the chicks I took tonight, they have to wait till I put mama and babies to bed before they can get into the summer house - so they have taken to roosting o the stall door, only 9 of them can fit though hahaha silly birds!
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Please submit this for POW! Lovely photo of these beauties.

 

[ManueB]

Yup, it's hospice care for Peanut. If she doesn't get relief from the draining (doesn't appear so yet, but she could be exhausted from not really sleeping last night, she went to roost really early), and the Meloxicam, then I will end her suffering, the vet said they put them to sleep before euthanizing them, sounds like what mammal vets do.

The vet didn't want to give her a Meloxicam while there, not on an empty stomach. She didn't eat but a few pellets when we got home (like truly, maybe three - she did drink a lot while at the vet's) and she slowly wandered off to roost after foraging only a little bit, getting a couple tiny strawberries from me. So I didn't give it to her tonight. Is this really important, to give it with food? I will try to tempt her with scrambled eggs tomorrow if she doesn't want pellets.

Yes, and the difference in the x-rays between Peanut and Butters was eye-opening. I could see the tissue that is tumor in Peanut, whereas Butters' was so clear.
This is why I'm not sure that the ascites draining has helped her pain level a whole lot, plus that the vet said the chickens often get the zoomies after draining because they are so much lighter and feel so much better, and Peanut did not. She behaved only a little better. She was moving quite awkwardly in fact. I think the tumors are really uncomfortable. Maybe the ascites actually helped keep things apart and fluid and comfortable, to a point. If the Meloxicam doesn't give her relief then that's too bad. We'll see. Poor Peanut! She hid this situation very well up to now.

I hope she feels better tomorrow. She is sleeping now, really conked out in the nest box with Hazel. That's her at the bottom of the picture. She looks much better than last night, her breathing is much better.
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Thank you, Light.

I'm both sad for Peanut and for you, and relieved you got an answer.
The vet and the structure sound amazing.
I've used Meloxicam on three different chickens and they did not all respond to it in the same way. I hope it helps Peanut. As to the need for the hen to eat when she takes it, as far as I know, the only risk of long term use is for the liver, but for palliative care I don't think you need to worry about that.

Your Buckeyes are a very endearing and special lot, and Peanut even more since you already had a few worries for her. I will be keeping you and her in my thoughts.

 

[ManueB]

Ask Aurora
Today's Question comes from @RebeccaBoyd Peep and the Marshmallows.

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And they ask..........

Dear Aurora,

Hi, it is Peep and my fellow Marshmallow crew here. We caught our hooman mom busy tending to the new chicks and I made a break for it and snuck in her window. We want to know what is "Hooligans" and why is she saying it around us like it is a bad thing? We were not doing anything wrong, just testing out our wings. Yes we were using the neighbors chain link fence like it was a tight rope. Yes we also launched ourselves off it into the top of the tree when she spotted us and came to shoo us down. It was fun! We would have stayed in it longer except dad came around the corner and we did not want to get into trouble with him. Momma Chiquita has given up and now just threatens to tell our father when we have fun. Did you know we can now fly up to the top of the main big roost between the stalls from the ground? Half the other flock cannot do that, they have to use the stall boards. I think we can fly higher, I've been eyeing the roof. Our Hooman mom see this and dares us to do it saying we will get in trouble if she has to climb a ladder and chase us down. Uncle Dirt says do it, we are only young once. Also do you have any advice on how to catch a squirrel? We terrorize the birds and cats that come into the yard but the sneaky squirrel is smart. He jumps as good as we can fly. He stole some of our corn yesterday before we spotted him, the nerve. Our queen Butter says we are growing up and it is time to act like ladies. Acting like respectable ladies sounds boring, do we really have to? If you were our Queen you would not make us act like boring chickens would you? We all agree you would come up with fun games to play. How many Squirrels live at your house? Maybe if we had more then one to chase we could figure out how to catch them. Ooh gotta go, I hear our Hooman coming around the house, do not want to get caught on the computer and be called a hooligan again, I think.

Respectfully yours
Peep and the Marshmallows.


Dear Peep and the Marshmallows,

I have been delayed somewhat in replying to your inquiry. I apologize for that, but a Queen’s life is not easy and there are always things that need to be done. You know, Phyllis needs pecked, I need to steal food from Hattie, Sydney needs reprimanded for something, Glynda needs instruction on what it takes to be a great leader, etc. etc. The demands on my time are endless.

First off, your name, I love it. I swear I heard a song once by a band with that name. I wonder what it was………

Maybe it will come to me later.

My hooman servant tells me you are leghorns. From the way he talks about leghorns you would think they are the best chickens to ever roam the earth. We all know that is not true as you do not have beards and muffs so there is no way you could be the best. He did explain that you have big wings and look much like Glynda. I very much like Glynda. She is willing to take on our cat which is more than 4 times her size. I like a chicken that is not afraid of big challenges and who can punch way above their weight. It kind of sounds like you lot might be much like her. If so, then you are OK in my book.

You are blessed with large wings and can fly well then fly. Fly for all you are worth. Don’t limit yourself to the ground like the rest of us. It is the nature of chickens to explore and be curious. Go flying and have adventures. That way you have stories to tell on the roost at night. This will make you very popular with many other chickens who can’t fly and explore like you. Frankly who wants to hear one more time about the giant nightcrawler that Hattie caught that one time which was so big she could not swallow it all in one bite. She had to pull it back out and break it up so it would fit in her craw. If I have to hear that story one more time……….Well let’s just say we could use a little adventure around here. If you can reach the roof, you go up on the roof and come back and tell everyone else what you saw.

Now squirrel hunting is a serious business. The queen here before me, Lilly, was a great squirrel hunter. She would put on her squirrel hunting hat and she would encourage us all to join in.

View attachment 3567433

Her and Phyllis, if you can believe it, once cornered a squirrel and would have killed it but for the squirrel’s ability to climb. She actually got several whacks on its head before it escaped. My best friend Maleficent was an excellent hunter. She worked with Lilly and the queen before her, Patsy, to organize a chipmunk hunt one time. I participated in this hunt, and we nearly had it when it wiggled under the fence and got away.

What makes a good hunt? Communication and Coordination.

You must talk to each other and work together. You want to spread the marshmallows out and coordinate movements. The idea is to herd the squirrel into an area from where it cannot climb out or run away. You need to identify a fence corner or something similar. Then you need to slowly drive the squirrel towards that location. It is important to tell your teammates when the squirrel is headed their way. Slowly keep driving the squirrel towards the corner. When you finally have the squirrel cornered you will need to take turns attacking its head until you land the knockout blow. Whenever one attacks, the others keep the squirrel cornered. This is the only way to beat the squirrel. They are wily opponents. They are cheeky and will steal your food whenever they can. Lilly was never able to kill one, but she truly believed it possible.

A famous hooman servant named Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once said “Well-behaved women seldom make history”. The same holds true for hens as well. Butter truly sounds like an old bitty. I bet she is an Orpington. Old bitties like to say behave yourself, follow the rules, do things the right way and they will never change anything. They want things to stay as they are. I bet they would love Hattie’s stupid worm story. I bet Butter looks something like this.

View attachment 3567423

You be you. If you want to play in the mud, play in the mud. You white chickens repel mud like water off a duck’s back. You want to chase cats, Glynda likes to chase cats and she kinda looks like a leghorn, you chase cats. You think up a great new game, you play it and encourage others to do so. You want to eat pepper plants in the garden, well you should be careful there. Hooman servants are touchy about their plants. You show everyone how much fun it is to be adventuresome and maybe you can offset the Old Bitties a little bit. Who knows maybe you can change chicken life where you are for the better. Besides, I’m willing to gamble that Butter is unable to catch you to peck you anyway.

I do feel a little reminder is in order. Butter is your better. In most things she will be right. Don’t let her control your fun but you MUST listen to her in all other things. It is “The Way of the Chicken”. Despite everything you are still chickens and need to follow “The Way”.

By the way, I think Hooligan is a compliment. My Hooman servant called me one the other day when I stole Hattie’s tomato............I mean when I replaced Hattie’s overripe tomato with a fresh green one.

Queen Aurora

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Aurora is spot on as always .

I have to say that I did expect good flyers, not high wire walkers able to land, cling and fly from a piece of string or the top of a flimsy plastic pole.

But I see better now why you find endearing what I've found irritating. "Hooligan is a compliment" .

And if their lives is to be so short because of having being turned by us into laying machines, I guess we can allow them a few pepper plants or strawberries in my case.

 

[Lexicon]

Lap climbing: yes and no. Sometimes it's attempts at dominating (like the higher ranked hen standing on/over a lower ranked and pecking her. Sometimes it's hanging out together. I do try to "peck" when babies are getting overly enthusiastic around me. Just like mama pecks a naughty baby, one firm finger tap, usually to shoulders. Baby squawks (just like when mama does it) and moves off. You see the same thing in adults when a lower bird isn't giving way to a higher bird. You're using their "language" to communicate they're messing up and you're higher in the pecking order. (Just like dog behavior: one walking in front is in charge, so dog needs to be next to/slightly behind you)

Thanks for all the information. I really appreciate you taking the time to write it down.

I have used the finger flick with my sassy Orpingtons, so will keep that in mind.

All but two of my hens squat, often so that I almost trip over them! The lowest in the pecking order frequently squats at the sound of my voice. I assume that will all change as Viola comes of age.

 

[Ponypoor]

This is her early on.
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So adorable I love how their wing feathers. One in first and they fly like crazy

 

[Ponypoor]

Wish I could see Tuff (funny how there are a few Tuffs herr), on my camera. But short of walking out there I can assume she is ok.

But with the temp at 70F and the humidity at 88% and that means hoards of mosquitoes! Only a few more hours till chores.