Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

Not always, personally speaking I'm doing everything possible too keep my girls cool. I have four shady covers for them and another being built.
I can't arrange electricity in position of my garden which is daunting. But I go about all day taking out cool water and various cold fruit. In the winter I add warmed pads underneath their straw.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I beleive you live in the UK.
Excessive temperatures are not something we (I'm in the UK now) suffer from.


I'm begining forget what the sun looks like!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

It is terrible especially when one considers that 108 degrees is just over 42 centigrade which is only one degree above a chickens core body temperature.
If one lives in a region that reaches such temperatures, then if your chickens are dying from the heat I would suggest that not enough care has been taken to ensure they have suitable adequate shade.
It's no good blaming the weather; it's the fault of the keeper.

Just saying.

Agreed. The description of the coop that @featherhead007 gave sounds a lot like a solar oven. That's pretty short sighted to begin with.

There is a lot one can do to help alleviate the heat, like providing frozen fruit like Marie does, cold water paddle pools and putting the sprinkler on or having a misting system like MJ. It just takes a bit of empathy and time.

That chicken care taker didn't take any "care" at all.

 

[BY Bob]

Chickens in freshly cut grass. (The grape vine isn’t quite ripe yet) but the chickens love the grapes! View attachment 2728101

And I love to see chickens out in the grass being chickens.

 

[BY Bob]

Good morning everyone. I'm so sorry to hear of some of your troubles with your hens, especially since they are so young. I really feel for the production breeds and those that own them. I do not have production breeds but still some of my girls will give me 5 to 6 eggs a week. Henrietta lays about 8 eggs before she takes her break. Old momma hen, when she is not broody and laying lays 6 days in a row before skipping and she is close to 7 at least. Only 1 of my girls has produced a soft shelled egg, and that was Butter, and it was her 2nd ever egg. I've been thinking, my chickens have access to layer feed, for the most part they ignore it, prefer grass, bugs, whatever they find in the manure pile and for some of them snakes and minnows from the creek. What I do different them most is if I have a broody hen, I do not break her, she either hides, or I intentionally let her set. I know being broody can be hard on the hen, but if I know where she is I see to it that she has fresh water available and food. On average after the chicks hatch *not counting momma hen* they care for them 5 to 6 weeks before they are done. That is a 8 or 9 week break their body gets naturally from egg laying. I wonder if where most of us chicken keepers for many reasons break up that broody we are doing more harm then good to her body. I know many of us can't have roosters, or are at our limits so we have no choice but to break them. I feel though that the broody break, plus the normal break they take through winter and molting helps the hens in the long run in preventing reproduction problems. Now I may be completely wrong on this, but its just my train of thought.

It is a good thought. Do believe that breaks in laying are good and natural for them.

 

[BY Bob]

My plan whenever I encounter broodiness is to let them set on some duck eggs from my friends since their duck flock has a drake. After the hen is done raising them, I'll let my friends decide whether to sell the ducklings or not.

Another clever solution. I can't wait for the day I can see those photos.

 

[BY Bob]

Pretty soon I'm going to have to go get pictures and do a formal introduction to Squirrels hatch mate Basil. I've been watching this little guy very closely now ever since momma hen weaned him and his sister. Basil is wicked smart and very respectful. He shadows his daddy imitating everything he does. In doing so he's learned that if his daddy doesn't have to get on the roost himself and waits for me to put him up, why should he? He and Squirrel sleep beside him and while Squirrel hops up by herself, Basil waits. He sits right beside Drummie looking at me expectantly every night for his turn to be placed up. He also has just started in the last few days trying his hand at nest building. When a new nest spot is made or a old one has the hay messed up Drummie is the one to build or fix it. While Drummie does this Basil has been right there sometimes with his head in the way watching everything he does. Now he's trying his hand at it, all the while making the same noises and calls that Drummie does. Right now, Squirrel and Remi are the only 2 that pay attention to him but he's learning. I will consider myself very fortunate if he ends up being half the boy Drummie is, but so far he has been the only one who when I observe them its like watching a baby Drumstick all over again in behavior.

That is so amazing! What Treat to be able to watch him learn from his Dad. The best roosters are raised by roosters.

 

[BY Bob]

That seems like a normal time to me. It has depended a lot on the hens personailty in my experience. Some like Ruffles for example went straight to the nest box without nay checking, but she usually laid in coops and that probably maked a difference.
Donk and Knock (mother and daughter) are both avid nest and coop checkers. Donk will walk around the coop before roosting at least once and when going to lay in an outside nest, gets close to the nest site, has a check, wanders off for a bit and comes back to do it all again.

Thanks. I was very curious. She was also quiet while doing the check. She used to carry on so before she used the coop.

 

[BY Bob]

Naenae update

She laid (edited to say laid...originally said "passed" and don't want to scare anyone!) a soft shell egg last night. Full sized, just soft. We thought she would be ready to rejoin the others this morning.
Unfortunately, Naenae was still off this morning. Hubby put her outside before checking with me. I brought her back in bc she hadn't pooped in the "hospital" overnight. Good thing I did too - the other birds were curious about her backside and wanted to peck her
So bath time again.
Gave her fresh yogurt and feed mix and she ate a little. Had to get to my day job (yeah, the one that pays the chicken bills). Checked in on her about 90 minutes later and still no poo.
I wore gloves and lubricated a finger to determine what was going on with this poor girl. I could feel the egg. She expressed some watery poo.
I had adjusted the hospital to be darker in hopes it would prevent her internal clock from producing more eggs and to also feel more like a nesting box.
She used the bedding mat I put in, made a nest and sat.
About an hour later she had a hard shell egg under her. Wrinkly, but a full shell.

She still wasn't pooping, so I gave her an Epsom salt bath and wrapped her in a towel and held her while I wrote up contracts.
She was getting fidgety and crying for her sisters.
Took her outside and let her explore in front of the chicken yard. Her sisters were VERY jealous.
Naenae was feeling much better and scratched at the ground and ate at least FOUR worms.
She pooped 2x too!
So I put her back with the others and her tail is high and she is happy and running around and took a long dust bath too.

I'm telling you...I don't know if my heart can take all this! I've been crying off and on for these past 36 hours with literal tears because I'm trying my best to make sure she is healthy. And I didn't know if she would be past a 24 hour mark of feeling poorly.

And she did make it. I'm so glad to hear that she is back with the others and delivered a hard shelled egg. Excellent news. Hopefully she on her way back to regularity.

 

[BY Bob]

A large round metal covered coop and run. He was worried about predators. Worry no more you stupid jerk!

An oven then.

 

[featherhead007]

My night flight was perfect! Navigation system was right on! Air quality and down draft was minimal. I felt like I was driving a Rolls Royce (no sound, no turbulence) so..... without further adooooo good morning friends. It’s two for Tuesday here in the USA.