Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[notabitail]

I had a dream last night that my eggs were hatching, but the babies were popping out all dry and fluffy. And one of the ayam cemanis immediately crowed

If you need more dreams...

Spoiler: Mildly nightmarish...

 

[notabitail]

TERROR AND PANIC

That is the only way I can describe how I felt this morning.

Petunia is dead. She died in the Hen House on the roost ledge with the others in the wee hrs of this morning. Well before I got out there at 4:30am.

Why?! That’s what terrifies me and makes me panic. Was she not feeling well? Yes - she had been I’ll for about a week, had yellow poops, Sunday I started her on amoxicillin. Yet she died. Why? Did she have health issues? Yes - she was plagued with soft eggs last summer, and then an impacted crop, but once she moulted she blossomed. But she became ill again. And now has passed away rather suddenly.

Now I play the watching game with the rest of the flock, see if anyone else becomes ill. Meanwhile I think I will worm and treat for coccidia, just to cover all bases.

And then there is this in the News:

AI has now been detected here in Ontario, the Rouge is not far from me…

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7452738

Oh no! I hope all of your chooks will be alright.

 

[SimpleJenn]

If you need more dreams...

Spoiler: Mildly nightmarish...

Nah that's just going on in my head 24/7

 

[BY Bob]

The Wayback Machine!

It has been a long time but let's take a short trip back in time. Mr. Peabody let's set the wayback machine for 5 years ago, 2/11/20.

chumma chumma chumma, hufft hufft, falump, chumma chumma chumma, hufft hufft, falump, chumma chumma chumma, hufft hufft, falump

This would be the second night that our newcomers, Sydney, Sansa, and Phyllis needed to roost on their own. However, this night they decided to roost on top of the old coop instead of on the roosts in the coop. It was quite an event trying to get them off the roof and into the coop. Mrs BY Bob was there to help otherwise I could have never caught them.

I know this is short visit but we need to get back quickly. Perhaps we can look back in more detail again sometime soon.

Mr. Peabody, please take us back to the present.

chumma chumma chumma, hufft hufft, falump, chumma chumma chumma, hufft hufft, falump, chumma chumma chumma, hufft hufft, falump

Look, there is Sydney today!

 

[ValerieJ]

I have seen some very healthy leghorns on this thread. Makes me wonder where TSC got the ones they had two years ago. It was the first time I bought a chick from TSC; I got 4 leghorns. Two have already passed from ascites, and I have one that is very sick now. Chickens are healthy and generally live a long time here, my oldest are 8 years old. The leghorns are only two.

It's heartbreaking to watch these little leghorns suffer so much. I just asked DH this morning to cull this one. She has suffered long enough and I know the end will come soon one way or another.

We don't do necropsies, although I would if I thought there was a contagious thing going on. I'm not sure we would be able to diagnose anything if we did one. But these have been so obvious. I'm guessing they have some sort of heart failure. With one of them I tried draining the ascites every day to see if that helped. She died shortly anyway.

We have only had chickens for 9 years now, and have not dealt with illness much at all. This experience with the leghorns has really been difficult for me.

 

[TOMTE]

I always said if she keeled over dead in the summer I would haul her out to the back and let the vultures have at her. Dying on the ground and having the scavengers remove them is fine, but burying prevents the natural process of being eaten by scavengers and insects.

I should say it’s fine as long as the animal has no medication or drugs in them. Especially for scavengers like eagles and vultures.

This is the one reason I don’t give truly too much pain meds - if she were to die on her own, I would see if my neighbour could come and drag her out back for the coyotes, wolves, bobcats, fisher, etc to dine on.

Back to Mother Earth. But if she has meds in her system then that’s a no go situation.

Birds esp are prone to poisoning from various meds.

I was going to mention leaving the carcass out for the scavengers but I didn't want to risk upsetting you (or anyone else).

The thing about the meds makes total sense. I was just assuming a natural death situation.

I don't know about the laws here but I know my maternal grandparents helped their neighbors bury a couple horses in the woods over the years. But I think they did home euthanasia (ie with a rifle or handgun). So no chemicals leeching into the earth.

 

[BY Bob]

I remember that! I am old enough to remember that game show

Mr LC hanging out with Tippy trying to woe her.

View attachment 4047819

If he is not have much success he should consider wooing her. Causing her woe may be a bad strategy.

Just saying.....

 

[BY Bob]

TERROR AND PANIC

That is the only way I can describe how I felt this morning.

Petunia is dead. She died in the Hen House on the roost ledge with the others in the wee hrs of this morning. Well before I got out there at 4:30am.

Why?! That’s what terrifies me and makes me panic. Was she not feeling well? Yes - she had been I’ll for about a week, had yellow poops, Sunday I started her on amoxicillin. Yet she died. Why? Did she have health issues? Yes - she was plagued with soft eggs last summer, and then an impacted crop, but once she moulted she blossomed. But she became ill again. And now has passed away rather suddenly.

Now I play the watching game with the rest of the flock, see if anyone else becomes ill. Meanwhile I think I will worm and treat for coccidia, just to cover all bases.

And then there is this in the News:

AI has now been detected here in Ontario, the Rouge is not far from me…

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7452738

Oh gosh no! I'm so very very sorry. I truly understand that feeling. I wish this had not come your way.

 

[Ponypoor]

I'm so sorry for Petunia, and that it's all happening at once.
To me AI does not sound likely if she had been not well for a week, and with them locked up most of the time. At this stage, I would think that it is just a sad coincidence between an elder hen passing away from old age and Petunia whose reproductive issues may have caused her death, or be a symptom of something serious but individual like cancer.
But I also don't feel worms and coccidia are very likely at this time of year and locked up most time. Lots of other things can cause yellow poops - in facts anything that affects digestion, kidneys, and liver.... Have you seen other yellowish poops ?

Hang in there, you should know more in a few days .

Burying horses at home is also not allowed here. People still do it, but it's potentially a 4000 euro fine if you get caught. I do hope Trudy gets better - she might not yet be at the stage her mum was, and I hope she sees another spring. But you're so experienced with elderly horses you will do whatever is best for her.

Now she truly looks like some mystical magical creature. A bearded dragon ? Or a griffin ?

A sun visor that stays on when it rains ...leghorn Tuefer !
View attachment 4047828
The visor belongs to Nieva. Behind her is Alba, who has survived her dramatic soft egg issue and is slowly getting better, for the time being.

Another Tuefer : Mélisse and a slowly recovering Alba.
(followed by a floppy comb question )
View attachment 4047900
About this picture : Mélisse is a backyard mutt, (like her siblings Annette, Lulu and Laure). I think Annette and her have body shape rather similar to that of my leghorns, and slightly similar floppy combs.
Their mother was a mixed type layer. Are there other breeds that have this type of floppy comb and slim figure ? Or does this indicate they are likely part leghorns ?
Happily they don't lay at all like the leghorns - they make two or three big eggs a week (70g+).

Re: comb style, I think we had a conversation here last month on that.

I know some of my Hoover hatchery chicks have those floppy combs, so I am betting they have leghorn in them.

I wonder what the genetics is surrounding the expression of that feature in a bird. Is it dominant or recessive…

Of my three Azur, only one has a straight comb (Twister) the other two have floppy combs.

@rural mouse

Any input on how the genes work for these combs?

 

[Ponypoor]

If he is not have much success he should consider wooing her. Causing her woe may be a bad strategy.

Just saying.....

Crap


Darn autocorrect

Woe is me!