Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

I think, but it is only a theory, that when I move them they get moved to somewhere they are already used to. The maternity units are open all year long. Many hens lay their eggs in them.
I think, where some people go wrong is they move their sitting hens into a stange environment.
I would suggest that if one plans to let any hens sit, then having something like the maternity units I have, open all the time and in use, makes sense. Just being able to let the mum take her chicks onto natural ground as quickly as possible has to be worth the effort imo. The quicker a mum can do this, the faster the chicks learn, again imo.

I saw that with Sydney taking them out of the coop immediately despite the complexity of my run and coop and their ability to find their way back. She took them out within days of hatching.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Whoops!! Wrong video.

I actually enjoyed that, so thanks anyway!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Well I just had 10 minutes of fun. While catching up on this thread been hearing the cats running back and forth through the house, assumed they were playing. Walk into the kitchen to refill coffee and a bird streaks by my head with one of my cats in hot pursuit. Got the cats and the dogs locked in a bedroom and with the help of my brother it was safely caught and returned outside. And all my windows are now shut, do not want a repeat performance today.
This little guy is very lucky, my big orange cat Jack is a known bird killer.
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Carolina Wren?

 

[RoyalChick]

Everyone, there's someone I want you all to meet. Pickles has made her "crosses everything possible" way into the world. If she is indeed a she, she will be a permanent resident of my flock. And to think, I was worried I wouldn't be able to tell her apart from the pure Marans when they hatched, nope, got some of Momma's color to her after all. During my quick check I think she is clean legged.
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Awwww. Hi Pickles, welcome to the world.

 

[RoyalChick]

Fat Bird is a very wise old hen.
Shortly after her balance problems I believe I mentioned her crop started acting up. I've dealt with quite a few crop problems now and Fat Bird's seemed to me to be very grim. She has a large crop compared and when I first became seriously concerend about it, it was the size of a tennis ball that had been slightly squashed. This was when I took her to see Gloria (vet).
Gloria did get a thin tube past Fat Bird's crop and into thhe digestive tract that leads to the gizzard. I could feel, as could Gloria, when the tube had gone past the exit of the crop and into the tract. I could also feel the tube come to an abrupt halt. This is where Gloria took a chance and pushed against whaever the end of the tube had lodged against. The tube, when Gloria pulled it out was coated in gunk. We, Fat Bird, me and Gloria did this three times, the tube going a little bit further each time. Gloria didn't want to push further because apprently the entrance to the gizzard is very hard to locate.
Tbh, I didn't hold out much hope for this procedure.
Once back home, I've been getting some coconut oil into Fat Bird and massaging her crop intermittantly throughout the days. I've been concerend because I keep finding Fat Bird eating grass and dirt.
It seems she may know what she is doing. Each day now her crop has reduced in size and she is pooping more. The poop isn't quite what one would hope to see in a healthy hen, but it's poop so stuff is going through her system.
Fat Bird still eats some commercial feed, but nothing like her usual amount.
Each day now the content in Fat Bird's crop has reduced in size. This afternoon when I gave her a massage there was just a small ball about the size of a large grape left.
Unfortunately, her balance problem has not improved but take a look at her pictures. She looks wonderfull. Her comb is a good colour and firm. Her plumage has that spring sheen to it. Her wattles are fleshy and healthy looking and her eyes alert.
She manages to keep up with the rest of the tribe. It's really only at supper time when their treat food gets distributed on the ground that one really notices that she has great trouble stepping backwards and making sudden turns. She fell over twice this evening.
The only other thing that gives her away is she sits awkwardly and more than she would normally. However, at ten going on eleven years old one might expect a lot less energy than the younger hens.
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Fat Bird is a venerable old lady. Those of us who are approaching the same status can fully understand the desire to have a bit of a sit-down.

 

[featherhead007]

Emergency averted. Rocks-Anne was in the barn/coop screaming as if in real pain. I brought her inside and rubbed her abdomen. She quieted down, and finally laid her egg, right in my lap. (Wow, let me tell you, This man was worried!)

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Fat Bird is a very wise old hen.
Shortly after her balance problems I believe I mentioned her crop started acting up. I've dealt with quite a few crop problems now and Fat Bird's seemed to me to be very grim. She has a large crop compared and when I first became seriously concerend about it, it was the size of a tennis ball that had been slightly squashed. This was when I took her to see Gloria (vet).
Gloria did get a thin tube past Fat Bird's crop and into thhe digestive tract that leads to the gizzard. I could feel, as could Gloria, when the tube had gone past the exit of the crop and into the tract. I could also feel the tube come to an abrupt halt. This is where Gloria took a chance and pushed against whaever the end of the tube had lodged against. The tube, when Gloria pulled it out was coated in gunk. We, Fat Bird, me and Gloria did this three times, the tube going a little bit further each time. Gloria didn't want to push further because apprently the entrance to the gizzard is very hard to locate.
Tbh, I didn't hold out much hope for this procedure.
Once back home, I've been getting some coconut oil into Fat Bird and massaging her crop intermittantly throughout the days. I've been concerend because I keep finding Fat Bird eating grass and dirt.
It seems she may know what she is doing. Each day now her crop has reduced in size and she is pooping more. The poop isn't quite what one would hope to see in a healthy hen, but it's poop so stuff is going through her system.
Fat Bird still eats some commercial feed, but nothing like her usual amount.
Each day now the content in Fat Bird's crop has reduced in size. This afternoon when I gave her a massage there was just a small ball about the size of a large grape left.
Unfortunately, her balance problem has not improved but take a look at her pictures. She looks wonderfull. Her comb is a good colour and firm. Her plumage has that spring sheen to it. Her wattles are fleshy and healthy looking and her eyes alert.
She manages to keep up with the rest of the tribe. It's really only at supper time when their treat food gets distributed on the ground that one really notices that she has great trouble stepping backwards and making sudden turns. She fell over twice this evening.
The only other thing that gives her away is she sits awkwardly and more than she would normally. However, at ten going on eleven years old one might expect a lot less energy than the younger hens.
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Encouraging news about Fat Bird, thank you for the update! She is still enjoying her life and keeping herself up too.

 

[featherhead007]

Emergency averted. Rocks-Anne was in the barn/coop screaming as if in real pain. I brought her inside and rubbed her abdomen. She quieted down, and finally laid her egg, right in my lap. (Wow, let me tell you, This man was worried!)

Chicken tax:

 

[featherhead007]

Blue Spot lived to a bit over eleven years.
My eldest sister had a hen live to fifteen years old and ehr second oldest was twelve and some months when she died.
Bantams should live to ten to twelve years old.
Chickens like Marans and Catalans should live to eight to ten years old.
These are average life spans, or at least were when Victoria Roberts in the UK did her breed survey.

I'm hoping, my Bantam rooster Jaffar, lives forever. (He's such a good rooster)

 

[drstratton]

Everyone, there's someone I want you all to meet. Pickles has made her "crosses everything possible" way into the world. If she is indeed a she, she will be a permanent resident of my flock. And to think, I was worried I wouldn't be able to tell her apart from the pure Marans when they hatched, nope, got some of Momma's color to her after all. During my quick check I think she is clean legged.
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Welcome to the world Pickles! I love her color!