Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

We are quite the whipping boys aren't we.

I'm afraid you are Bob. Mind you, Spain is just as bad if that makes you feel any better.
Really stupid considering Kris's situation given I can usually get whatever antibiotic I want here. I don't. I'm very good about making sure Gloria prescribes them but even so, the disparity is pretty strange.

 

[BY Bob]

I didn't realise you were that sick Bob. I thought you just had a bit of a cold.

I really was not trying to share that much. It wasn't that I'm trying to keep secrets but it wasn't life threatening or anything close to that, just stuck to the bed for a couple of days. I'm surprised nobody noticed all the unusual times at which I was posting as well.

Thank you for your concern. I am recovering nicely now.

 

[BY Bob]

I'm afraid you are Bob. Mind you, Spain is just as bad if that makes you feel any better.
Really stupid considering Kris's situation given I can usually get whatever antibiotic I want here. I don't. I'm very good about making sure Gloria prescribes them but even so, the disparity is pretty strange.

It is actually frightening the difficulties she is having. I am quite afraid of where we may be heading. Marry the unavailability of vets that will treat chickens as they would a dog or cat with super tight restrictions on antibiotics and you get what Kris is experiencing. All because of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics by factory farming.

Maybe Kris should maybe make an appointment with a vet and show up with a sick chicken. Ethically I'm not sure they could then turn her away without trying to help, not to mention the law that demands they provide the antibiotic.

It just makes you want to force the people to do the right thing.

 

[BY Bob]

I'm afraid you are Bob. Mind you, Spain is just as bad if that makes you feel any better.
Really stupid considering Kris's situation given I can usually get whatever antibiotic I want here. I don't. I'm very good about making sure Gloria prescribes them but even so, the disparity is pretty strange.

It won't be the last time we are the world's whipping boy.

 

[Shadrach]

It is actually frightening the difficulties she is having. I am quite afraid of where we may be heading. Marry the unavailability of vets that will treat chickens as they would a dog or cat with super tight restrictions on antibiotics and you get what Kris is experiencing. All because of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics by factory farming.

Maybe Kris should maybe make an appointment with a vet and show up with a sick chicken. Ethically I'm not sure they could then turn her away without trying to help, not to mention the law that demands they provide the antibiotic.

It just makes you want to force the people to do the right thing.

It's one of those things I find completely unacceptable about how animals are viewed and it's worldwide.
If it's considered livestock then neglect, cruelty and disposability come as standard.
If it's a pet then things are slightly better.
Better not to have thhe distinction in my opinion.

 

[RoyalChick]

It is actually frightening the difficulties she is having. I am quite afraid of where we may be heading. Marry the unavailability of vets that will treat chickens as they would a dog or cat with super tight restrictions on antibiotics and you get what Kris is experiencing. All because of the indiscriminate use of antibiotics by factory farming.

Maybe Kris should maybe make an appointment with a vet and show up with a sick chicken. Ethically I'm not sure they could then turn her away without trying to help, not to mention the law that demands they provide the antibiotic.

It just makes you want to force the people to do the right thing.

That is why I think she should show up with her Cockatoo and insist on being seen. I agree, I don't see how ethically a vet can deny life-saving medication to a pet animal sitting in their clinic.

 

[Shadrach]

It won't be the last time we are the world's whipping boy.

The country I am still a subject of (notice I don't say citizen because we are still subjects of the Queen if you can beleive that) has become the laughing stock of Europe and much of the rest of the world. It's not just about leaving the EU, it's about the type of government the British keep electing.
I think in all these National surveys they should do what Bhutan does and survey how happy their population is and how mentally healthy the population is.
One thing I can say about Spain for all it's political and social problems is that from what I've seen the Spanish are a much healthier population physically and mmentally than the British.

Chicken Tax.

 

[featherhead007]

I really was not trying to share that much. It wasn't that I'm trying to keep secrets but it wasn't life threatening or anything close to that, just stuck to the bed for a couple of days. I'm surprised nobody noticed all the unusual times at which I was posting as well.

Thank you for your concern. I am recovering nicely now.

I did. But chose not to comment

 

[Shadrach]

Another change in going in to roost - Queenie first! Then Hazel, Butters, Peanut & Popcorn. Not without objection though. If you want the blow-by-blow:

Butters made the roosting wail, and she and Hazel wandered over to under the coop and perch there, followed by Queenie. From what I've seen lately, Butters and Hazel have had a certain pace to it, doing a little pecking around once they get over there, and usually some more roosting wails. But almost as soon as she got there Queenie seemed to just decide "It's time to roost, I'm going up now" and without any dithering, just calmly and deliberately walked up the ladder.

Hazel was by the bucket and saw her midway up. She sped around like a rocket and jumped up onto the perch, meeting her at the top. She immediately pecked her head kind of hard. Queenie crouched and took it, but immediately it seemed she might have said "Okay, Hazel, yes, but I'm still going in now, thank you. 'Bye!". She rose up and proceeded over the threshold, no hesitation. She took a spot on the left side, middle back, turned and faced the door this time, and sat down, unperturbed - no fast head motions, just very steady and deliberate, very satisfied-looking. It's interesting to me that she chose to face forward and meet any chicken coming in, but she was not blocking the door, she was a good 8-10" from the doorway, pretty close to where she had been the night before. She didn't choose the farthest corner from the door or anywhere next to the back, which has seemed to be the prime locations. With my anthropomorphic eye it looked like she was leaving everyone's roosting area pretty close to the way it had been. Fine, except she went in first!

Hazel walked in after her, stood next to her and pecked her comb, but this time her heart wasn't in it. Queenie lowered her head a little but didn't move. After a few light pecks Hazel went looking for her own spot in the right back area.

Earlier yesterday I noticed Queenie was respecting Hazel's space, they were all investigating the new pile of chips and leaves dumped from the brooder, and as Hazel worked her way around it, she twice kept Queenie moving out of her way in front of her, and Queenie didn't object, she just moved forward and around. No squabbling, Hazel was just "I want to look there now, so here's a peck to move." There wasn't much bullying of Queenie yesterday that I saw at all.

So meanwhile, Butters, who had been further under the coop, was definitely perturbed. She came barreling around the bucket (it was like I pictured Hattie!) bokking and looking up. I didn't video and how much of it she saw I'm not clear on, but I think she at least saw Hazel going in. She was very upset and jumped up to the perch and looked in the door, bokking all the while, and then went in. There was a lot of commotion and boks and sounds of feet shuffling. After a bit Butters came out again, and jumped down. Poor Butters!

Peanut and Popcorn had been foraging together back by the log all the while. Then they had come back to the coop, and Butters joined Popcorn drumming on the bucket. Looks like there's some feed crumbs frozen on the bottom Popcorn keeps working on. Then Butters jumped back up and went in. Sounds of commotion and lots of boks again, and eventually I made out that Queenie was in the far right back corner, with somebody to her left and right. Peanut and Popcorn decided it was okay to go in, and again there was lots more commotion and bokking. Now I could see Queenie's yellow feathers were more forward, to the right middle, with dark bodies on either side and in front of her. The front left quadrant near the pop door was totally unoccupied. Nobody wants there. I closed the door and wished them goodnight.

When I let them out this morning, Queenie came out third again but I couldn't see who was who with the Buckeyes. I am observing light pecking and bullying now among the Buckeyes after their breakfast and will keep an eye on it, in the dim morning light I think I definitely identified Hazel on Peanut, and Peanut on someone else that wasn't Popcorn, must be either Butters or Hazel. I hope it settles down. I'm going to throw in more distraction piles for them to investigate, and fix up one of the perching bars.

Another note - Queenie has no problem going out onto the snow, and was first to come out and see what was going on today as I went back and forth from the coop to the garage/barn, refilling the water, grit & oyster shell, dry feed, etc. The Buckeyes also came tentatively out, following her lead in that way today.

Sounds like Queenie is the only steady hen there.

 

[featherhead007]

The country I am still a subject of (notice I don't say citizen because we are still subjects of the Queen if you can beleive that) has become the laughing stock of Europe and much of the rest of the world. It's not just about leaving the EU, it's about the type of government the British keep electing.
I think in all these National surveys they should do what Bhutan does and survey how happy their population is and how mentally healthy the population is.
One thing I can say about Spain for all it's political and social problems is that from what I've seen the Spanish are a much healthier population physically and mmentally than the British.

Chicken Tax.
View attachment 2476974

I’m very much “Subject to the Queen” here as well. Queen Beethoven-Hen!