Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Elsa never returned. She had promise at being a good laying hen. And she was beautiful.

I'm so sorry.

 

[rural mouse]

Moulty butt

poor Indigo. Lark is mostly finished. Meanwhile, Indigo is making a run at beating Nellie for worst moult here ever.

and a crowing cockerel butt. Mortimer went for the higher register voice.

 

[BY Bob]

My first fluffy butt post. This is one of my Easter Eggers, Emily. I wanted to show her pretty feathering.

Those really are gorgeous. Spectacular feathers. Thanks for sharing.

 

[BY Bob]

I present you a perfect Fluffy butt!
View attachment 4254948

That really is just perfect!

 

[BY Bob]

That was what I was going to do.

Then I came home tonight and her crop was down! Sheesh!

These chickens are stressing me so. But at least I don’t have to worry about them kicking me in the head!

I'm so glad to hear she is doing better!

 

[Sylvester017]

I bought a scale that measures for grams.

Clyde regularly get Tylosin when his whatever he has flairs up. 0.1g measures into a pill bottle, 2 cc of warm water put the lid on the bottle and shake the crap out of it.

Give the 1cc, and then in the morning give the other 1cc. Should give .05g twice a day with that dosing.

Our Tylosin pack has measurements for a gallon for hens. Of course a gallon is more than one needs daily for one hen... so the vet & I came up w/ 1/8 tsp in 1/2 quart plus he likes us to add electrolytes too. We feed organic plain Greek yogurt to a Tylosin-treated bird to control loose poops that antibiotics tend to cause & it really helps. I'll eat plain Greek yogurt whenever antibiotics are prescribed for me as well .

 

[BY Bob]

I got home today and her crop was empty I gave her some Ducosate before I left for work this morning.

When I got home tonight I fed her and she gobbled up all sorts of goodies - horse feed, oats, scratch grain, layer pellets.

By the time I put her and Betty to bed her crop was full again. We shall see what happens in the morning.

I did purchase some digestive enzymes and may give her some of that.

As for the gizzard being the issue, I am treating for gizzard worms just in case.

That is great news!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

But for example is crowing ever a summons, or an alert, or a sign of aggression?

He's sounding better. Early on, they practice. Generally speaking it's an all is well call, used after warning alerts as part of releasing the flock to go on about their day. it's also used to communicate general area to other flocks. Alerts and warnings aren't the loud "I'm here" sort of think that a crow is.

Shehnai does a special grunting bok when he alerts, not a crow. Everybody freezes or they run under the coop. He also has a long deep growly wheezy call he was doing before he started crowing that I thought were early crowing attempts. But he is still doing it now on occasion when he can very well crow, so the two are different.

Some weeks ago Shehnai was sort of randomly "feeling the urge" and looked a bit possessed and started practicing. At that time he crowed now and then during the day, he had the rhythm in a faint way and sort of just did this descending call. Now he's in a routine and crows several times in the morning soon after leaving the coop, and he's got the rhythm down much better. Generally he's quiet until evening, but these days he does not crow even then, don't know why.

It makes sense to do an "all clear" crow. Shehnai'll crow when there's something "notable" during the day, or some event, or disturbance. They've gotten used to the usual delivery trucks but the very intermittent big gas truck warrants a crow after it's gone. A stranger recently pulled in one day to ask us something, and after we were talking with them in the driveway (right next to their run) a while, Shehnai suddenly let out a crow.

DH and I started installing winter wind-barrier soffit boards on the west side of the run this morning. Shehnai crowed near us at one point. Two possible reasons, if the reason was related to us - the shadowy board was getting swung about above their heads and partially into their run, so I figure a little bit scary, but maybe more so DH is someone they are sort of familiar with but do not see up close that much. Sometimes I remind him to talk to them when he approaches or walks by their run. When I've been there working alone on the roofing and supports from inside and outside their run, and sometimes making all kinds of startling noises, though everybody would jump (and I would apologize) Shehnai never has crowed an "all clear".
Hmm I don't have any recent photos of him, will try tomorrow.
I do have these ladies who came by to inspect work on their little coop run floor yesterday. I was laying pavers on most of it, the dirt on the far end is too wet, and putting in side boards to hold the litter in. Annie on the left, she is a very skinny hard-molting lady right now, but she is eating, if less. Tedi standing on my boot, second picture, also molting but not as badly. Diane's feathers (middle) are still fairly intact but she is beginning to lose inner fluff feathers.

And these gals, having tried out both ways, it's clear they definitely prefer the lid up! Really, they like to stand on the seat better than the lid, because they can curl their toes around it for grip (I think).

It also offers more possibilities for play.