Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

It's Our Turn Now

More H5N1 avian flu detections have been confirmed in poultry flocks in nine states over the past 2 days, including a massive layer farm in Pennsylvania that has nearly 2 million birds, according to the latest notifications from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Layer farms have been hard hit in multiple states, and the latest event in Pennsylvania’s Dauphin County will likely add to ongoing egg supply shortages. The virus also struck another commercial farm in Pennsylvania, a broiler facility in Cumberland County that has 30,000 birds.

I live in the same county as the 2 million layers and just across the river from the 30,000 layers. I am considering locking mine in the complex for a while.

Frightened Tax
Warmer days....
View attachment 4044842

Personally I'd say you are doing the right thing by keeping them contained.

I'm really sorry for the stress you are going through on this Bob.

Hopefully you will get through it all

 

[Marie2020]

It's settled. In two weeks my tonsils will be removed. The ENT took one look and went "yep those are bad tonsils let's get them out." The lady who was supposed to measure them focused on my thyroid instead and forgot to measure the tonsils.

It's in acusabl

The surgery scheduler kept talking about how bad recovery will be and how much it will hurt. Lady, I can hardly swallow and it's affecting my sleep. I will take two weeks of severe throat pain to be rid of my tonsils! I should have had them out as a child!!!
/rant

It's been over 24 hours, incubators have been reset and eggies are placed. I have two extras that were stacked (breeder says it's fine until first candling when I remove duds)
View attachment 4044643
Blue one's temp is off
View attachment 4044644
I may adjust it down another degree to tune it further.
I mixed the two batches in the incubators to even out my chances in case of failure. Wish us luck!!!

It's settled. In two weeks my tonsils will be removed. The ENT took one look and went "yep those are bad tonsils let's get them out." The lady who was supposed to measure them focused on my thyroid instead and forgot to measure the tonsils.

I find it inexcusable how these alleged medical professionals keeps forgetting or failing to deal with these medical issues time and time again.

Let's hope they get their act together really soon

The surgery scheduler kept talking about how bad recovery will be and how much it will hurt. Lady, I can hardly swallow and it's affecting my sleep. I will take two weeks of severe throat pain to be rid of my tonsils! I should have had them out as a child!!!
/rant

I hope you will gargle with sterilised water and salt, that what the good doctors recommend for me. I found a tiny drop of ACV vinegar in the mix helped the pain and swelling too

It's been over 24 hours, incubators have been reset and eggies are placed. I have two extras that were stacked (breeder says it's fine until first candling when I remove duds)
View attachment 4044643
Blue one's temp is off
View attachment 4044644
I may adjust it down another degree to tune it further.
I mixed the two batches in the incubators to even out my chances in case of failure. Wish us luck!!!

Sending you good luck!

 

[Marie2020]

Hi Sylvie ~ something I never thought about is how an older declining-in-health hen is going to struggle going up a ladder. When our over 11-yr-old Silkie Violet had slowed down she took a long time going up the cleated ramp. We lifted it to be less steep but eventually she couldn't walk up any more so we brought her into the house to spend her last night with us. We picked her up to the table, she was always good to stay still & not flutter, gave her treats, she responded sweetly talking to us, we bedded her down in a crate & we went to bed but within an hour we heard the thrashing & death rattle ~ her wee heart finally gave up.
View attachment 4044715

I'm so sorry. Bless her having treats and at least she wasn't alone at the end.
She lived a great life with you and lived a very good age

 

[Marie2020]

I had a few extra $bucks to spend this month, so I hired another yard man to do some work around my place. I do love Paul to death, but I don’t want to overwork him.
That lovely soul could live on the $ tips that he receives from me.

It restores my faith finding these lovely souls that are so helpful and don't have a greedy bone in their body.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

It's Our Turn Now

More H5N1 avian flu detections have been confirmed in poultry flocks in nine states over the past 2 days, including a massive layer farm in Pennsylvania that has nearly 2 million birds, according to the latest notifications from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

Layer farms have been hard hit in multiple states, and the latest event in Pennsylvania’s Dauphin County will likely add to ongoing egg supply shortages. The virus also struck another commercial farm in Pennsylvania, a broiler facility in Cumberland County that has 30,000 birds.

I live in the same county as the 2 million layers and just across the river from the 30,000 layers. I am considering locking mine in the complex for a while.

Frightened Tax
Warmer days....
View attachment 4044842

Oh dear. Though they won't like it, I do agree that it'd be much safer. Personally, because of the amount of migratory birds in my area , and an outbreak having occurred not too far away, when I get them, I will be keeping mine in. It won't be half so much fun for anyone, but safety is top priority! (Don't worry, I am making sure that the square footage minimums are met. I may even have less birds than I could in the space, and will add any enrichment possible.)

 

[rural mouse]

Would anyone care to explain to me the "tax" reference?

Thread about chickens. Off topics require tax payments: pics of at least 1 chicken, preferably YOUR birds. SHRA (should have read ahead) requires pics of 2+ (more than 1 bird in a pic). And as it's likely that this has been answered, I'm adding a SHRA pic as an example and just in case.

(from last summer)

Edit: glad I put the pic in

 

[lightm]

Been lovin' this video for yrs!
Garden eye candy ~ aren't they the cutest....

Yes, me too. I kept rewatching this video for a while!

 

[Ponypoor]

Good morning all

For Fluffy Butt Friday I give you these two brats.

Buttercup has reclaimed her chosen spot roosting on top of the Hen House door, now that she has finished moulting and can fly again. The youngsters are in a right Royal snot about it, as Buttercup will not let them up with her. But Mr LC is allowed up there with her hahaha. Brats!

 

[RoyalChick]

Would anyone care to explain to me the "tax" reference?

Others have given you answers, but a few additional things.

The intention behind the tax system is to keep the thread focused on our chickens and limit the random chat.
If someone posts on a random topic unrelated to chickens they need to post a chicken picture as tax (ideally in the same post). That way, those of us not interested in chat can at least enjoy a chicken picture without wading through endless random chit chat posts.

You can read all about it (and other fun stuff) about this thread in the primer that is linked to in Bob's signature.
I am cc the link here too (I think): https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/fluffy-butt-acres-a-primer.77796/

Tax: BFTF. Lovely Maggie and her gorgeous chestnut fluffy butt. Happy Friday!

 

[ManueB]

I might like the Jam. It's the rind flavor that puts me off marmalade.

Tax from warmer days
View attachment 4044646

To make it right and not taste too bitter one needs to completely remove the white inside the peel to leave only the orange part. That's what makes it times consuming when you don't have special appliances but just kitchen knives ! Other say to boil the rinds in water before but that's considered criminal where I live .

I'm sorry you may have to keep the FBA residents in lockdown for a while. I suppose it's the safe thing to do, and better now that they are relatively accustomed to it and the weather unpleasant, than in spring or summer.

You use honey to make curd? No granulated sugar needed? I'm all for honey in place of sugar!

Oh, no I use sugar although I always use less than the recipe. The honey our bees make is too strong and dark to be used as a replacement for sugar in most cases.
(I think I made a shortcut. Jam is a major breakfast food in France, we never eat it at an other time of day, and the same can be said for honey. Only children would eventually eat it for their four'o clock "goûter". I just eat honey for breakfast instead of jam.)

1 or 40 it’s all the same, I fill up water bowls and feed bowls same as I would for 1. It’s just the bowls are bigger

The huge issue is the fact that they are time thieves! I have been leaving them in the Hen House now until I finish doing the horses’ stalls and feeding them. Otherwise I get distracted - as it is this morning I got distracted putting out hay for the horses. And it’s pitch dark at 4:30am hahahaha but I was shining my headlamp around the paddock checking fences, eyeing the snow and wondering how fast it will take to melt…. Checked the horses. They are also time thieves!

‘Up north’ - yes I am up north to someone in Toronto, but my cousin is in Wawa which is a mining town about an 8hr drive away. Now granted it’s not as far north (latitude wise) as many of the places I have worked, but we still say up north

Personally I want to live down south - like the Turks and Caicos

Weather whining tax
Tonight Shirley is with the young pullets.
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Yes, I always forget that we live on the same latitude as Toronto. The weather is so different! But NY is on the same latitude as Rome and I'm sure you'd like the climate there .

Now, I need to request a tax payment for the marmalade talk.

Gaston and Léa.