Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Ewwww. Just EWWW!

I was doing some tidying up and found that a mouse had managed to wriggle into one of my storage totes and had babies.
There were 6 little ones in there and Mom was out for the day. I managed to scoop 3 of them up and pop them in a coffee mug with another mug on top so they couldn't get out.
The other 3 ran up my arm and leapt into the bag where I was collecting the rubbish from all the mess they made.
So then I had to empty out the rubbish bag so I could reach in and grab the other 3.
Anyway, I called the chickens over and tipped the mug full of baby mice into their field. Tassels figured it out first and grabbed one and ran. The other silly chickens ran after Tassels rather than getting the other baby mice.
Bernie came back and grabbed one.
One baby disappeared into a hole in the ground.
And two babies ran in my direction and amazingly I managed to catch them again and feed them one by one to the chickens.
So 4 eaten, one escaped, and one I am not sure.
The stink those critters make. They are DISGUSTING.
I feel like I want to bathe in bleach!
I still need to scrub out the tote and the cupboard it was in and everything in a 5 mile radius!
Ewwwwww.

 

[Lilion]

A few things.
Medicating only when there is an issue is best practice. So you have not done anything wrong by not medicating. My current flock has never been dewormed nor treated for coccidia.
I will probably persuade the vet to do a 'flock fecal' test for me at some point to check there aren't any issues.

Poop can be very liquid just because it is hot and they drink a lot. So she may be just fine.

Finally, 'too much protein' is not grower feed level. It is not even game bird level. It is like 30% protein or something. I don't have a source for that - but ping U_Stormcrow who is the real expert on that and where I learned that.

Well that makes me feel better. She's only 2, like I said, but she also has, for several months now, pretty much all this year, taken to laying these super long, skinny torpedo-shaped eggs. Cracked, they look like any other egg. But they are so long they have to be placed at an angle to close a carton! She's also never taken a break from laying really. Slowed a bit in winter, but never totally stopped like the other girls.

 

[Lilion]

The other 3 ran up my arm

You'd have heard me scream wherever you live.

 

[featherhead007]

Ewwww. Just EWWW!

I was doing some tidying up and found that a mouse had managed to wriggle into one of my storage totes and had babies.
There were 6 little ones in there and Mom was out for the day. I managed to scoop 3 of them up and pop them in a coffee mug with another mug on top so they couldn't get out.
The other 3 ran up my arm and leapt into the bag where I was collecting the rubbish from all the mess they made.
So then I had to empty out the rubbish bag so I could reach in and grab the other 3.
Anyway, I called the chickens over and tipped the mug full of baby mice into their field. Tassels figured it out first and grabbed one and ran. The other silly chickens ran after Tassels rather than getting the other baby mice.
Bernie came back and grabbed one.
One baby disappeared into a hole in the ground.
And two babies ran in my direction and amazingly I managed to catch them again and feed them one by one to the chickens.
So 4 eaten, one escaped, and one I am not sure.
The stink those critters make. They are DISGUSTING.
I feel like I want to bathe in bleach!
I still need to scrub out the tote and the cupboard it was in and everything in a 5 mile radius!
Ewwwwww.

Ewww is right! According to general synopsis, baby mice don’t make for a good cup of coffee. I wouldn’t suggest drinking micewater, even on a very hot day!

 

[RoyalChick]

Ewww is right! According to general synopsis, baby mice don’t make for a good cup of coffee. I wouldn’t suggest drinking micewater, even on a very hot day!

The tote they broke into was full of coffee mugs, so it was already disgusting. In good news, I can soak all the mugs in bleach.

 

[Sylvester017]

Well darnit. I'm worried Sheba might be ill. I noticed a couple weeks ago her butt looked poopy...white stuff on the feathers. I checked her out as best I could, given you can only catch her at night. She seemed to be okay. She doesn't act ill. Today I finally saw her poop and it was just water. Now, it's darn near 100° and I'm sure she's drinking lots, but... It's not yellow or orange or red. More greenish/brownish. Kinda muddy pond water color. I havent noticed anyone else's poo looking unusual, but it's not like I know who's pooed what pile.

My hens, and the red squadron too I'm sure, haven been medicated at all. I feel like a bad person admitting that... should you routinely do anything like worm them? I've always been a "if it ain't broke don't fix it" person. They've always been healthy and acted fine...again, except for Sheba, who is 2 now and still hasn't moulted and runs around with her naked back. Since they all came from the same place, I wasn't concerned about other chickens carrying in a disease...and the reds came from literally the other side of the fence, so I figured they were okay.

I read too much protein could be the culprit and my hens have pretty much abandoned layer feed for the grower and this did start after we switched. Or heat. Or ... Shoot...everything.

We need that new, clean coop darnit! But it's just too hot to work on it. It'll be this weekend that they move, at the earliest.

That's so weird that your area is in a heat wave while ours has been cooling down?

Do these articles help at all?

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-poop-all-there-is-to-know.77547/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-droppings-what-is-normal.78090/

 

[ILoveDaffy]

Ewwww. Just EWWW!

I was doing some tidying up and found that a mouse had managed to wriggle into one of my storage totes and had babies.
There were 6 little ones in there and Mom was out for the day. I managed to scoop 3 of them up and pop them in a coffee mug with another mug on top so they couldn't get out.
The other 3 ran up my arm and leapt into the bag where I was collecting the rubbish from all the mess they made.
So then I had to empty out the rubbish bag so I could reach in and grab the other 3.
Anyway, I called the chickens over and tipped the mug full of baby mice into their field. Tassels figured it out first and grabbed one and ran. The other silly chickens ran after Tassels rather than getting the other baby mice.
Bernie came back and grabbed one.
One baby disappeared into a hole in the ground.
And two babies ran in my direction and amazingly I managed to catch them again and feed them one by one to the chickens.
So 4 eaten, one escaped, and one I am not sure.
The stink those critters make. They are DISGUSTING.
I feel like I want to bathe in bleach!
I still need to scrub out the tote and the cupboard it was in and everything in a 5 mile radius!
Ewwwwww.

Ew ew ew! Now you still have to worry about mom coming back! Where are the cats? I thought you had some?

 

[featherhead007]

The tote they broke into was full of coffee mugs, so it was already disgusting. In good news, I can soak all the mugs in bleach.

Wouldn’t it have been more beneficial for the mice to break into a feed bin? Not a box of coffee mugs. (Unless those little rascals were in need of a caffeine boost)?

 

[featherhead007]

Wouldn’t it have been more beneficial for the mice to break into a feed bin? Not a box of coffee mugs. (Unless those little rascals were in need of a caffeine boost)?

I can see it now! Starbucks for mice, the only breakfast that anyone ever needs. Well, maybe some cheese to go with it

 

[ILoveDaffy]

Ew ew ew! Now you still have to worry about mom coming back! Where are the cats? I thought you had some?

Would you like to borrow a fantastic huntress and maybe the hunters in training?Lola brought home a live mouse last night for the kittens to practice on. Who would've thought that the chubby kitten named Puddin' would be vicious? Not me, but that was most definitely  his mouse. He made that abundantly clear to the bloodthirsty little furballs waiting to join in the food. Kind of horrifying, but weirdly fascinating watching him play with it. They are definitely worth the premium cat food though. There's one less mouse able to get into the cherry tomatoes and peppers.