Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

BSL, my final answer

They just look too similar to Esme and Aliss
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Beautiful little ladies. Fab captures
.

 

[RoyalChick]

Request for input from my rooster-keeping coaches. I have some questions from recent observations.

First crowing: Mr. Chips never crows just once, or even twice or three times. He always crows at least 10 times one after the other and usually he goes for a round dozen. I don't think he is still practicing as he is pretty darn good at it now! Is that normal?

Now more importantly, you all told me the older hens would teach him manners. Thump him etc. No such thing is happening. When he jumps his mother she just ignores him and carries on eating. He jumped Sylvie and she squawked loudly and ran away, but she never pecked him. I haven't seen him try it on with either Pooh or Calypso, both of whom he has shown fear of in the past - so maybe it is all down to them. Or will he learn because he wants them to welcome his advances? Not seeing any violent lessons so far.

Now on to poor Piglet. He clearly has a massive crush on Piglet who in turn is massively crushed when he jumps her. She remains terrified, but is learning a few tricks to get out of the way - one of which almost had Mr. Chips fall on his nose off a branch! But she is still spending a lot of her day hiding in the nest box. I have taken her out and fed her on a high part of the step ladder. She ate, but kept her eye on his whereabouts the whole time. The trouble is he is quick so he got to her on her way back from the step ladder. Today I fed her in the servants quarters and locked him out and here is the question. He spent the whole time she was eating pacing up and down the wire door separating them and he kept picking up bits of straw and feather and calling to her. Not the same tidbitting sound Tassels made to the chicks, but somewhat similar. Is this him wooing her? He absolutely does not do that for food - he swallows that whole! What is going on here?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Sigh... I miss her a little more than usual today.

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Gone much, much too soon

Still confounded by her eye color change from dark brown to light green/almost bluish

I looked up about blue eyes and ocular Marek's came up as a possibility. Was not expecting that, but if her eye color wasn't blue to start with, it seems possible.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Request for input from my rooster-keeping coaches. I have some questions from recent observations.

First crowing: Mr. Chips never crows just once, or even twice or three times. He always crows at least 10 times one after the other and usually he goes for a round dozen. I don't think he is still practicing as he is pretty darn good at it now! Is that normal?

Now more importantly, you all told me the older hens would teach him manners. Thump him etc. No such thing is happening. When he jumps his mother she just ignores him and carries on eating. He jumped Sylvie and she squawked loudly and ran away, but she never pecked him. I haven't seen him try it on with either Pooh or Calypso, both of whom he has shown fear of in the past - so maybe it is all down to them. Or will he learn because he wants them to welcome his advances? Not seeing any violent lessons so far.

Now on to poor Piglet. He clearly has a massive crush on Piglet who in turn is massively crushed when he jumps her. She remains terrified, but is learning a few tricks to get out of the way - one of which almost had Mr. Chips fall on his nose off a branch! But she is still spending a lot of her day hiding in the nest box. I have taken her out and fed her on a high part of the step ladder. She ate, but kept her eye on his whereabouts the whole time. The trouble is he is quick so he got to her on her way back from the step ladder. Today I fed her in the servants quarters and locked him out and here is the question. He spent the whole time she was eating pacing up and down the wire door separating them and he kept picking up bits of straw and feather and calling to her. Not the same tidbitting sound Tassels made to the chicks, but somewhat similar. Is this him wooing her? He absolutely does not do that for food - he swallows that whole! What is going on here?

I'm no rooster coach but I very much enjoyed hearing about the going's on there.

Shehnai does similarly at the wire divider / door when the Orps come over to see what's up, as the Buckeye side is the way into the complex now for winter. His neck feathers are a bit flared but I think he's just excited, not hostile? However he also takes an oak leaf and whacks it around like he's trying to kill it. I can't tell with that last one if that's a welcoming motion, like "here's a grasshopper I found", or not! Maybe he doesn't know either!

He grew up as "one of the girls" and now he's being thrown into a whole other role, and he's alone in that way. I feel pretty sympathetic.

I did feed both Tedi and Shehnai pellets from my hand at the same time. In my palm for Tedi, and with fingers through the wire holding some for Shehnai. There was no growling or big hackles during that. Tedi remained calm.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

I am a bit late catching up. You got lots of good advice but I didn’t see anyone comment on what this bottle you got from the vet actually is.
It contains sulfadimethoxine.
It is absolutely indicated for treating coccidiosis and is a broad spectrum antibiotic.
As such, I think maybe once you start it you should complete a several day course of it rather than switch over to Corid. But I will defer to @BY Bob on whether it is OK to use sulfadimethoxine just once or better to complete a course.
The product info says 5 days and gives dosage. Screen shot here and link attached below.
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https://toltrazurilshop.com/albon-dosage-for-chickens-a-complete-guide/

Thank you! I’ll see what other people have to say, but reading what you’ve said, and most of the article, I will most likely finish the dosage. Should I put some in the water so that everyone else gets a little bit?

She took it pretty well this morning. I gave her 1ml.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Yes, good info here @Pastel the Rooster
I agree with RC, so my approach then would be to do the full course of the banana paste if you do start it. Corid and this act in completely different ways, one is an antibiotic and the other if I remember right denies the uptake of B vitamins by the cocci so it starves them.

If you do start it, evaluate as it goes along, she should improve within a few days, and try to finish the course. If she gets worse though, consider taking her to a vet. If she stays the same without getting worse, finish and re-evaluate then.

Watch the other chooks. Maybe she is particularly vulnerable, but generally if one has Coccidiosis, the others will show soon too.

By the way, you can get Corid powder to have on hand which will keep, generally three years or so from the manufacture date, even when the bag is opened.

Alright, I’ll finish the course.
Does she need to get it around the same time every day? I gave it to her at 7am today, and I’ll do the same tomorrow, but I won’t be able to Saturday and Sunday. I’ll be able to give it to her if I tell my parents she needs it, but it won’t be early.

 

[TOMTE]

I looked up about blue eyes and ocular Marek's came up as a possibility. Was not expecting that, but if her eye color wasn't blue to start with, it seems possible.

I read about that too, but she didn't have any other symptoms at all. Nothing with her pupils or weird spots in her eyes, nothing neurological or otherwise physically wrong with her (other than her chronic cough). I know it's still a possibility, but I think it's more likely it was a natural change. I've seen threads on here of chickens' eyes changing color, and usually it happens during adolescence...or molt? Both?

But Aliss' eyes were green, so light green that in certain lights they looked bluish, but they were green.

Green eyes

First picture of her eyes transitioning from dark brown to green (~4 months old)

But they definitely looked bluish/silverish in direct light

 

[rural mouse]

Request for input from my rooster-keeping coaches. I have some questions from recent observations.

First crowing: Mr. Chips never crows just once, or even twice or three times. He always crows at least 10 times one after the other and usually he goes for a round dozen. I don't think he is still practicing as he is pretty darn good at it now! Is that normal?

Now more importantly, you all told me the older hens would teach him manners. Thump him etc. No such thing is happening. When he jumps his mother she just ignores him and carries on eating. He jumped Sylvie and she squawked loudly and ran away, but she never pecked him. I haven't seen him try it on with either Pooh or Calypso, both of whom he has shown fear of in the past - so maybe it is all down to them. Or will he learn because he wants them to welcome his advances? Not seeing any violent lessons so far.

Now on to poor Piglet. He clearly has a massive crush on Piglet who in turn is massively crushed when he jumps her. She remains terrified, but is learning a few tricks to get out of the way - one of which almost had Mr. Chips fall on his nose off a branch! But she is still spending a lot of her day hiding in the nest box. I have taken her out and fed her on a high part of the step ladder. She ate, but kept her eye on his whereabouts the whole time. The trouble is he is quick so he got to her on her way back from the step ladder. Today I fed her in the servants quarters and locked him out and here is the question. He spent the whole time she was eating pacing up and down the wire door separating them and he kept picking up bits of straw and feather and calling to her. Not the same tidbitting sound Tassels made to the chicks, but somewhat similar. Is this him wooing her? He absolutely does not do that for food - he swallows that whole! What is going on here?

1. Crowing. He will settle down eventually. Sounds like he's currently going through the obsession with his own voice or uncertain of his status with the ladies so constantly reminding them that he exists.

2. He's been a "mama's boy". Mama is usually either the 1st to accept or the last to accept the attentions of her male offspring. If mama flips the switch and drives the babies away, then the last is likely. If she goes gradually/babies leave her, then she's likely first to accept and unlikely to thump unless he gets egregious.

3. Sylvie. Squawk loud and run is one option hens can use. The squawk is a call for help from another rooster (her own or any other male willing to run interference). Some hens aren't as willing to physically thump. Hens willing to thump may respond to the call, they may not, and it frequently depends upon the call itself. If she will dodge around one of the intimidating ladies, they should take advantage of him being oblivious to them and thump him on the way by. As he fills out, he's going to find it more difficult to catch her. Her agility will help and he's going to find courtship will go a long way toward keeping her from bolting. Most of the violent stuff is already past. It's why he's afraid of them. They should be able to give him a hard look and get results at this point.

4. Piglet. She's learning where is safe and will learn to navigate. He will catch her sometimes too. The feather and straw is his attempts to help her nest build. The rooster tidbit call is similar to but not identical to mama calling babies. Once she's more accepting of him, you should see him in nest boxes...or tucked into unlikely locations (not on his feet) making similar sounds. He's suggesting places to lay to her.

Your ladies are having to learn how to respond to a rooster just as he's having to learn how to behave with them. Instincts are helping and hormones are hindering.