Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Three pretty ladies!
Aren't morning cuddles the best??

Hahaha!!! You are too kind. I look hideous and the phone camera sort of distorted my face, but it’s about the chickens!

 

[micstrachan]

Not sure what it is you would like me to comment on. Sorry, I'm probably being very dense.

No, not dense. I was being cryptic as if you can read my mind!

I think Bridge got alpha status simply by default, since she’s most senior. However, maybe she has MAINTAINED the top hen position because of her good health.

Maybe this is completely off subject, since we’re talking about sitting and hatching, and Bridge doesn’t lay. She does occasionally squat, along with occasionally talking about eggs and sitting in the nest box. In my train of thought inside my own head, they’re related. LOL.

 

[micstrachan]

You could split that and call one Orp and the other Han.

OMG, I like this idea!

 

[micstrachan]

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Aawww!!!

 

[micstrachan]

Hi... wow there is not going to be any catching up here for me I think; I have a lot of respect for those who are reading through from the beginning, I have to say! I just wanted to pop in and say Hi... we are still slugging away at things. Roostie is doing ok so far, I have a red rock that’s also got a bumble, and have been dealing with worms (roundworms) for the first time... probably due to dipping chicken water from the “perfectly safe” pond when desperate for water and stranded due to vehicle issues (so glad I made that deal for our drinking water because yes, we were told that we should be pulling our water from there too).

Great news, we mostly have two running trucks now, so if I can clear up the worms, the contaminated water shouldn’t be too much of an issue going forward, as we got a set of used tires for our flatbed, and the brakes are fixed on my Chevy (radiator replacement coming soon!) this is what happens to your tire when you get stuck in mud and are spinning it on a pointy rock without realizing it! No, we weren’t driving on this,
it went straight to the garage and lived there until we found tires...

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Arduinna is growing like a weed, and I had a Friend visit for some camping and a little fire

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I also discovered Goats don’t really swim, and had to rescue her from the pond after she lept in while I was pulling water. She was trying to jump to a floating log and splashed in about 5’ out and halfway between the bank and floating vegetation! My incubation was a complete bust 0/41 eggs hatched due to crazy temperature swings where I had the incubator, and the fighting over my Broody mamas eggs did spoil that hatch as well. The soiled eggs started exploding under her, so when my meat chicks arrived on April 16th, three little ones made a trip home at night with DH and she became an adoptive parent with great success!
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she is super happy, very defensive of them with the other chickens and Arduinna, but will allow me to handle them without complaint (yep,I guess I really am her true Rooster, sorry Sammy!)

Spoiler: Covid Stuff

On April 19th I received my first Covid Vaccination, (the Moderna one) at a mass community vaccination clinic. Exactly one day after my 67 year old father qualified for his, lol. They are rolling it out in age brackets in BC, but decided to add our island to the list of “remote locations with limited health care access” and a very high percentage of vulnerable elderly residents in our population. This, of course, caused a huge population spike for that particular weekend, and it was three days of fully loaded ferries following the clinic to offload all the “residents”. 368 doses administered, on an island with less than that in full time residents, about 60 “no way I’m getting that vaccine, it’s dangerous, experimental, and not properly tested” people, and with over 100 people who had already received the vaccine being 70+ and having gotten it in town as soon as they were eligible. Cheaters! Hint, if you need directions to find the rec center, then you probably shouldn’t be getting the shot as a “resident”.

The day of the shot I was fine. On day two, my left arm was practically useless, and by the end of the day I was a little itchy on both my forearms, but thought maybe I had gotten bit by something. Day three I had hives on both forearms and halfway up my biceps, as well as from below both my ankles to about 8” up my legs. They lasted for two days. Only one case of severe side effects on island and that was fever/chills/aches, and there was one “big, tough guy” who fainted while getting the shot.

Sadly, one (or more) of those 60 “Nope” people decided to let the air out of our volunteer community health person’s car tires the night before the clinic. All four tires. This sweet little old lady in her mid to late 70’s, who arranges our pharmacy drop bag service, (we have an exception to standard pharmacy protocols for pickup because of our location) and helps coordinate things like our annual flu shot clinics, and yes, she helped to arrange that scary Covid Vaccine clinic. People suck. It wasn’t going to stop the clinic, all it did was inconvenience a very nice person greatly by having to pull out her air compressor and re-inflate all her tires early in the morning.

Also, our case numbers are spiking again, despite mass vaccinations, and we are going into another (kinda, not really) lockdown. But schools are still operating as usual, because children can only catch the Covid, they don’t transmit it rolleyes. Travel restrictions are being reinstated, and now RV’s and campers are being banned from our ferry service.

No house updates as of yet, the tractor with the forks is broken yet again. Camper work is also slightly stalled as DH hasn’t had a single day off now since the 10th, and his next might be the 30th (fingers crossed).

Hi, Kris!!! So great of you to pop in. Here’s a recap from my front: No deaths, no new birds, a few health issues, but mostly all seems well. Tada!

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

It's rained all day so no outside grass time. But today Butter has shown she still has a will to live. She's trying to stand on her own, but can't raise herself more then 2 inches off the ground. Every time she's tried to do this I've supported her in a standing position but let her keep the weight on her leg. The minute I feel her leg start to give out I let her sit back down. She's also back to drinking and eating. I've gotten a whole can of tuna down her today. It is supposed to be pretty and warm again tomorrow so I'll take her back outside for some grass time and company. The diarrhea is also gone. She's only pooped once, but it was huge like a broody and solid so I'll take that. Right now she's resting on her blanket in the living room floor supervising geometry lessons and looking quite content. She's always took every opportunity to come inside if a door is left open, I'm afraid when she's better and healed she is going to protest living back outside. I'm crossing everything possible that the worst is over and she's making a turn around. Mom has bargained and promised her if she gets better she never has to lay another egg, and can be a fat lazy free loader for the next 10 years with daily house privilege's.

That sounds really promising!!!

 

[LozzyR]

Not sure if I have a soft spot for her simply due to her name or what...
Anyway, so glad she has you to tend her. And very glad she is becoming more steady.

I think everyone here has a soft spot for Fat Bird.

 

[LozzyR]

A couple of Links.

I've got to stop these terrible puns.

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He’s beautiful!

 

[LozzyR]

Sunday morning chicken cuddles... Sunny (Sunshine) and Cashew!
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Aww, lovely cuddle-chickens!

 

[Kris5902]

Hey Kris. Shame about the hatching.

It was sad to lose so many eggs, but I’ve decided that if I do go for another Broody hatch, I will set up a better maternity type coop (the hospital tractor would actually be a perfect one!) I’m just glad I had some babies coming in around the right time for her to adopt, she was quite determined about becoming a mother.