Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

More space = less stress! I tell that to my hoarding friends and myself at times.
(But someday I’ll probably need that!) View attachment 3633995

Yes, I am dreading the day I have to clean out my parent's house. A house, a barn, a garage, and 2 sheds. Plus, 16 acres of 'oh, I might need parts from that someday'

unfortunately, I got the Yankee 'Use it, wear it out, repurpose it, or keep it just in case' genes from BOTH parents!

Tax:

Don't yo just love a full figured Heritage BR

Not my BRs, but gorgeous just the same!

 

[notabitail]

Yes, I a dreading teh day I have to clean out my parent's house. A house, a barn, a garage, and 2 sheds. Plus, 16 acres of 'oh, I might need parts from that someday'

unfortunately, I got the Yankee 'Use it, wear it out, repurpose it, or keep it just in case' genes from BOTH parents!

Tax:

Don't yo just love a full figured Heritage BR
View attachment 3634202

Not my BRs, but gorgeous just the same!

View attachment 3634203

I keep most of my electronics. And use them until I get something better and keep the old one in case I need it.
Wait, am I hoarding?

 

[ManueB]

Supplements: I usually don't. However my hard moulter has been Nellie. This year she seems to be doing a gentler moult. I do have them on an all flock feed with 20% protein content. It's year round though, not a "feather fixer" moulting feed.

Roosting: I'm a fan of more is better when it comes to roosting options. Even a saw horse standing in the coop can be a good option. A tree stump. A tree branch stood in the ground and fastened to the ceiling so other roosts can be fastened to it....anything to provide places to get off the ground.

My understanding from the US is that anesthesia is tricky in chickens and that one tries to avoid it when possible. If I were in your position I would not be happy I wasn't given the opportunity to discuss this with the vet beforehand.

Roosting - yes, making more places for everyone to spread out and for her to find a spot not within pecking / throwing distance would probably be good, maybe dividers on a perch would help. She may find herself still trying everyone and still being rejected, but at least there's someplace to go, and you've done what you can. They do eventually have to work it out among themselves.

I am anticipating something similar with my little ones when I make them roost there, the Omlet coop is small. Trying to get integration going and settled now (hah!) and that will be the last hurdle, hopefully not too big a deal (in my dreams!).

Molting - increase the protein before molting starts so they have it before you notice it, and something close to daily in my opinion is much better than weekly. I think protein cannot be stored like a fat is. So they need a source every day. Either up the feed protein level or offer something every day. Just my opinion!

Not sure about the anesthesia - hope it works out.
In the roosts I would add something that you can remove easily. A chair, a saw-hotse as @rural mouse suggested, even a crate turned upside down. They will sort things out eventually but more space will mean less stress, and particularly as they start molting and may want more space around them.

Thanks for all the information, suggestions and tips!
Regarding feed, we don't have such thing as adult chicken food above 17% protein here ; but all my chickens have now access to starter mash at 19% on choice with layer feed and fermented grains, which wasn't the case last year. Hopefully the molting ones will continue to eat the mash-last year three of them were barely eating any commercial food for weeks.

For the coop, I did try adding a chair at one point and it was a fail - nobody used it, even though they do when it's outside. But I can always bring it back in, maybe at one point they will get it ! What I can also do easily is add a small platform or perch where the lone pullet roosts so there is place for more chickens. There are a lot of structures to get off the ground around the coop, it was a barn before and the hay racks are still there, but they are not confortable for roosting. Maybe I could try to modify those.

Anesthesia killed my hen Caramel (Her chances of survival were not good anyway). I had a horrible experience myself one of the time I had a general anesthesia that took a bit of time to send me to sleep, it felt comparable to anaphylactic shock. And finally, I am under the impression that the risk increases with repetition, so that it should be done only when absolutely necessary.
I think if I had realised that they would do this I would have decided not to take her. But it's done now so it's too late for regrets.

I don't really know the answer to your questions, but yes I would be very upset too if they did not make it clear to me upfront that she will be put under full anesthesia. Chickens don't do well with that!

Is the surgery done? How is Nieva?

Thanks for asking ! She came home after chicken bedtime, she was very hungry and thirsty after a very long day and went to roost right after having drank and eaten. The surgery went well. The vet said to keep doing what we do, that there is no major health risk, but that it's also possible she never completely recovers or stays prone to having bumblefoot again. She said it was a good point that she wasn't limping or showing any signs of pain and to watch that.
She told my partner that the anesthesia was for the chicken's pain as incision in the foot is very painful, and that she didn't recommend for us to do it again at home for that reason.

Grandma update.

She did develop a touch of pneumonia from covid. It is not terrible and according to her doctors it was caught early and is mild as far a pneumonia goes. They tried to be reassuring but the big picture is she is 81 years old with many more health problems who signed a DNR again the minute she got to the emergency room. It is very hard to be reassured knowing she has both covid and pneumonia.
Thankfully she did not break anything from the fall, they did discover a blood clot in her left leg. We were told this could have been there for a year or it could have developed in the last few days before being admitted since her mobility has drastically decreased in the last year. She has been on a heparin drip that started Sunday afternoon. Yesterday we were told they were having difficulty adjusting the levels. Once they get it stabilized then depending on her insurance she will have to be on either warfarin or cumadin the rest of her life.
For the last 4 months we have been dealing with excessive swelling of her legs and constant fluid leaking from them. She has been in very real danger of loosing them. Her heart doctor told us and her that this was the result of venous insufficiency. There is no cure and no medication she can take for it. She was told there was only 3 things she could do to help relieve the problem. She was told to eliminate or reduce salt intake, keep her legs elevated as much as possible and the big one is compression wraps or bandages. We tried and me and mom ended up feeling like banging our heads against a brick wall. No matter what type of wrap or bandage we used she would leave it on for less then a hour and remove it herself claiming it hurt and she could not wear them. She was not comfortable sitting with her legs elevated and salt became the new sugar. At this point salt and sugar pretty much had to be hidden and locked away where she can not find or reach them as she would eat handfuls if given a chance. Her legs are bad, the amount of fluid that leaks from them is crazy and there is water blisters that form and she finds a way to pop or rip them open to leave open wounds.
She officially went on a very restrictive diet yesterday at the hospital. They are restricting fluids and is on a no salt cardiac/diabetic diet. They are wrapping her legs and addressing the wounds. She managed to get the wraps off within a hour the first time they did it. Well, the nurses are not me and mom. She has not beat them down emotionally and verbally and to her surprise they were immediately rewrapped, and in a manner in which she cannot remove them herself.
Mom has not been back to the hospital since she left early Sunday morning. We have called and spoke to her only for her to get furious and hang up on us. She is wanting and expecting us to bring her outside food. Remind her we cannot and she starts berating and hangs up the phone. She left to go for a bit this afternoon. The nurses charted and informed mom that she was more agreeable to complying with things when mom is not there which is one reason she has stayed away these first few days. My sister works as a x-ray tech at the hospital on the night shift. She has managed to pop in her room several times throughout the night since she has been in to check up on her for mom. For the most part she has been sleeping and resting comfortably but she does wake her up in the mornings to talk to her a bit after she is off work. She is getting mad at her as well. She is expecting and demanding her to sneak in and hide food or non diet pop which sis tells her she cannot and will not do.
Lab work has also revealed that her kidney function is borderline. Back in February they had to change her fluid pill to lasix because of the terrible leg swelling. We were told by her family doctor he had put off for years putting her on lasix because it would be hard on her kidneys and it was his last resort.
We have had some long hard discussions between our family and the 2 of her siblings that have kept in contact with her since the stroke a year and a half ago now. Her brother and sister and my brother are of the opinion and believe this is the end and she will not come out of the hospital. Everyone agrees if she does she needs to be in a nursing home as hard as it is for mom to face. I have made a hard decision myself, especially right now where she is on the isolation covid unit. I will not visit that hospital. Thankfully I managed to not catch it while I was tending to everyone 2 weeks ago when they were all very ill. As a type 1 diabetic I also do not need to be visiting that hospital and picking up any other virus or infection. Rosie also will not be visiting. She would not be allowed in the room anyway as she is only 15 and with her recent history she too would probably pick up another bug.
The house feels like we are in limbo right now. Me and mom have spent 2 days essentially spring cleaning and wiping down walls trying to disinfect everything. The living room is still a wreck. Everything is cleaned and wiped down. There is also still the hospital bed and 2 wheelchairs in it. We arranged it like we have been doing to make things easy for her for when she "comes home". That phrase keeps being said by mom who just looks at us when we question it and tells us to leave her alone she is processing. Grandma's sewing table and the 7 large totes of material and supplies are neatly stacked under it like she left it. A stash of candy bars was found hidden under one of the couch cushions and a bag of gummy worms found hidden between some of her folded clothes. They were left alone. CeeCee and Gracie now sleep beside the hospital bed or the recliner she stayed in and look for her whining. Jack has taken up sleeping curled up on her pillow. They too sense something is up.

How difficult a time for you all, and maybe especially for your mum. Sending good thoughts.

 

[bgmathteach]

To be clear that is an old photo of Hattie. She is running around and standing more but she is in full molt and super rumpled right now. She is now quick enough that I cannot catch her easily. So some mornings she is not getting a dose.

Good for her!

All I can say is, she will self regulate her doses. She gets them in the evening - and the mornings she is feeling fine, she'll outrun you. Mornings she is achy, you will be able to catch her and dose her. Probably a win-win, as doesn't that give some intestinal issues (for humans, stomach) issues when on long term? I thought someone once ? @Ponypoor maybe? said something to that effect.

 

[notabitail]

Two-fer Tuesday.
Two Butt Orpingtons.

 

[notabitail]

Mugs Monday.
A day late is not a problem.

 

[bgmathteach]

I put a new feeder inside the run, and filled it with layer feed, but the chooks won’t dip their beaks into it. They wait until I put some in a bowl for them! I obviously know nothing about chickens

It is new - give them a chance to evaluate it, decide it will not kill them, then investigate when curiosity gets the best of them. Next thing you know, they will be playing with the food in it - flicking it about like Lionel Massi with his soccer balls! Then you will be ''ing because they won't leave it alone!

 

[featherhead007]

Yes, I am dreading the day I have to clean out my parent's house. A house, a barn, a garage, and 2 sheds. Plus, 16 acres of 'oh, I might need parts from that someday'

unfortunately, I got the Yankee 'Use it, wear it out, repurpose it, or keep it just in case' genes from BOTH parents!

Tax:

Don't yo just love a full figured Heritage BR
View attachment 3634202

Not my BRs, but gorgeous just the same!

View attachment 3634203

I don’t know, I think I like my fake Barred Rocks better!

 

[featherhead007]

I keep most of my electronics. And use them until I get something better and keep the old one in case I need it.
Wait, am I hoarding?

Unless you’re building a rocket ship, yah that’s hoarding!

 

[featherhead007]

“I’m still not speaking to you! “
“Get over it already!”