Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

Pony Sunday

The locals call these Prairie Chickens, but they are in reality Grouse.
View attachment 4266196View attachment 4266197

They can walk across snow on their heavily feathered feet.
View attachment 4266195

The Grouse are cute in your pics

These are the true PRAIRIE CHICKENS...so cute

 

[TOMTE]

Poor Mr P, I grabbed him to give his head a spray as the brats were picking his head, and I scared the poop out of him! This is why I don’t generally handle him during the day.

Sorry about laughing at you Mr. P... But that was a little dramatic for a little too long

 

[Sylvester017]

Update on my school Polish with coccidiosis.
She was doing great. I finished her dosage on Monday and she was better. Her poop was normal, she was acting normal. Yesterday I went out to school with my friend and we wanted to clean the coop and whatnot. Taffy was dead. No clue what happened, but there was mold under the feeder and waterer, so we think it might’ve been respiratory. Blueberry, GreenBean, and the two barred rocks got some VetRX on their beak and under their wings yesterday to hopefully get rid of respiratory issues.
I’m really upset. Taffy didn’t like being caught, but once I had her she was the sweetest. I had hope that I could work with her and get her to be more social. I just wanted a blue polish, and now she is gone. Ugh, owning chickens is the worst sometimes.
Here is a picture I took of Taffy when I found her. Also, to take the picture she was in a flower box, just so no one thinks there is potting soil with the white fertilizer stuff in the coop…

Spoiler: Dead Polish Pullet

View attachment 4266237

My friend and I moved the run to a new spot (where no chickens have been before), washed off the TSC coop and scrubbed it with soap to get the poop off, and put the coop back into the run. We put barn lime and shavings down in the coop and run to try to get rid of parasites and coccidiosis.
Well, GreanBean has yellow and foamy poop, so I bought some new Corid and am dosing the water. I just hope it isn’t too hard on them.

And here is the new run setup in the new spot, which is pretty far away from the old spot.View attachment 4266238

Now, my chickens I have at home… I think Bolt is sick. I just don’t know how or why or what is wrong with her. Two days ago, I noticed that her feathers were really puffed up, and when I picked her up, she weighed a lot more than normal. Also, she had poop sticking to her butt and something hanging out of her vent. It was flat, long, and kinda yellow. I went into panic mode because I thought it was her intestines or something, but Mom said it was poop (I do NOT think it was poop.) I didn’t get a picture of it though. If Bolt dies though, I am probably going to sell/give away all of my chickens (except for Athens and maybe a few special ones). I’ve had that hen for almost four and a half years, and she is easily my favorite hen. Like, no one else compares to her besides Athens, and he isn’t a hen.
Here was her two days ago. I told Mom to hold her so she could feel how heavy she is.View attachment 4266235

Yes, chickens do have a lot of issues... but we who love them will do & learn all we can about them cuz they are/can be as sweet as dogs/cats as pets. They are so much more than just an egg layer or table meat.

Our chickens are thought of by the general public as a joke in a movie or just a tasty takeout meal... but they are very sweet & trainable pets w/ short lifespans usually 8-10 yrs only. Their issues very often shorten that lifespan & often hard to diagnose or treat those issues... which probably is why avian-only vets charge more than dog/cat vets.

We were lucky to find a local vet who treats dogs/cats/birds/exotics & the mtn rangers bring him injured wild animals too. He was raised as a boy around chickens & loves our hens when we bring them in. He always makes sure we are supplementing our chickens w/ vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, probiotics, etc.

We also give Greek yogurt, fresh fruits/berries, mealworms, shelled sunflower seeds, & leafy greens to supplement their feed ~ even though our hens free-range in our small backyard, there's no grass for them so we supplement their diet as much as possible & give them objects to hop onto or hide under to decrease boredom ~ recycled stuff like doghouses, chairs, ladders, sandbox for dustbaths, etc.

 

[Ponypoor]

Update on my school Polish with coccidiosis.
She was doing great. I finished her dosage on Monday and she was better. Her poop was normal, she was acting normal. Yesterday I went out to school with my friend and we wanted to clean the coop and whatnot. Taffy was dead. No clue what happened, but there was mold under the feeder and waterer, so we think it might’ve been respiratory. Blueberry, GreenBean, and the two barred rocks got some VetRX on their beak and under their wings yesterday to hopefully get rid of respiratory issues.
I’m really upset. Taffy didn’t like being caught, but once I had her she was the sweetest. I had hope that I could work with her and get her to be more social. I just wanted a blue polish, and now she is gone. Ugh, owning chickens is the worst sometimes.
Here is a picture I took of Taffy when I found her. Also, to take the picture she was in a flower box, just so no one thinks there is potting soil with the white fertilizer stuff in the coop…

Spoiler: Dead Polish Pullet

View attachment 4266237

My friend and I moved the run to a new spot (where no chickens have been before), washed off the TSC coop and scrubbed it with soap to get the poop off, and put the coop back into the run. We put barn lime and shavings down in the coop and run to try to get rid of parasites and coccidiosis.
Well, GreanBean has yellow and foamy poop, so I bought some new Corid and am dosing the water. I just hope it isn’t too hard on them.

And here is the new run setup in the new spot, which is pretty far away from the old spot.View attachment 4266238

Now, my chickens I have at home… I think Bolt is sick. I just don’t know how or why or what is wrong with her. Two days ago, I noticed that her feathers were really puffed up, and when I picked her up, she weighed a lot more than normal. Also, she had poop sticking to her butt and something hanging out of her vent. It was flat, long, and kinda yellow. I went into panic mode because I thought it was her intestines or something, but Mom said it was poop (I do NOT think it was poop.) I didn’t get a picture of it though. If Bolt dies though, I am probably going to sell/give away all of my chickens (except for Athens and maybe a few special ones). I’ve had that hen for almost four and a half years, and she is easily my favorite hen. Like, no one else compares to her besides Athens, and he isn’t a hen.
Here was her two days ago. I told Mom to hold her so she could feel how heavy she is.View attachment 4266235

I am sorry to hear about about your chooks, it’s always sad to have one of our feathered friends pass away. I sure hope your hen Bolt is ok.

 

[Ponypoor]

Sorry about laughing at you Mr. P... But that was a little dramatic for a little too long

You should have heard him at first! It was even louder!

After I finished spraying him I want to put him down and Mr LC attacked me and Mr P. He tried to fly up onto me to get to him. What a brat!

 

[Ponypoor]

Anyone know who this is? Much too big to be a mouse. Tail not long enough to be a rat.
Some kind of vole?

Crazy hamster hahahaha who knows gymnastics!

 

[Ponypoor]

Do you think there is a blockage further down in her system?

I hate to say where my thoughts are going...I so hope I am wrong!

Could possibly be. I started her on Anti-Gaz (Ducosate sodium) today to see if there is anything that needs to be moved along.

This is what the fluid looks like that I have been draining from her crop.

 

[Ponypoor]

The Grouse are cute in your pics

These are the true PRAIRIE CHICKENS...so cute

And they are a threatened species, loss of prairie lands has had a terrible toll on them.

 

[Sylvester017]

Anyone know who this is? Much too big to be a mouse. Tail not long enough to be a rat.
Some kind of vole?

Cute little bugger... but not welcome anywhere!

 

[Sylvester017]

You should have heard him at first! It was even louder!

After I finished spraying him I want to put him down and Mr LC attacked me and Mr P. He tried to fly up onto me to get to him. What a brat!

Or jealous...