Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Am I allowed to change a chickens name? The name Arizona sure fits the one little, but the other one doesn’t. I want to change her name from Leann, to Dakota (I usually just call her “you redheaded little squirt “ anyways)

I think that is fine. I went from "hey chicken" to "Sansa" so that's similar.

Right?

 

[BY Bob]

Yes, yes you are. In fact, my little parrot wannabe Remi, as she's gotten older Remi does not suit her, in either looks or personality. She's underwent a name change in the past couple days, allow me to introduce Raven *formerly Remi*.
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Here is Creamy and her sister Pumpkin
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And all 3 sister, from left to right, Raven, Creamy and Pumpkin
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I love the name Raven! Good choice!

 

[BY Bob]

You BYC peeps remember these little ones? They are laying eggs for me now! Just FYI.View attachment 2748365

They grow up so fast.

 

[featherhead007]

I’m back. Everything works fine. I received my certificates and am ready for the Hawaii trip. I returned before dark, and dismissed my chicken sitters for the evening. I’m going to go spend some time with my feathered family now. (I will catch up with FBA later

 

[goldenfingers]

Great to see you around again. I'd love to see pictures of the ladies?

This is the best I could do for my Monday mugs today.

Ginger

Maryanne

Mrs. Howell

 

[micstrachan]

It would seem so. Poor girl. Well at least it is summer so there is that.

Yes! Better now while we’re having mild summer vs. during a heatwave or worse yet, mid-winter like Ester!

 

[micstrachan]

I'm not certain. Perhaps @micstrachan can help. She has used them before.

We’ve had Suprelorin implants in my flock.

 

[goldenfingers]

Well I am a bit of an obsessive researcher. It is all about calcium, phosphorus & Vitamin D. Milk is a good source of Calcium and Phosphorus, I am supplementing calcium and Vitamin D and giving them a fair amount of sunshine each day so they can make their own Vitamin D. Organ meats have phosphorus so I got some beef liver and fatty fish or cod liver oil has Vitamin D and I have that too.
I suspect though that the real problem is not their diet but that these production hens get malfunctions in their reproductive system - I suspect they just have a malfunctioning shell gland and none of this will help.
I will ask the vet about the implant, but it is off-label and I suspect I won't get the vet to agree to that.
I think I need to prepare myself and just be a bit fatalistic about the whole thing. Meanwhile, they are both very happy and enjoying their chicken life (including all the food supplements).

I'm sorry to say, but my experience here leads me to the same conclusion. Their reproductive systems are messed up and I've had to come to accept it. We now just try to make the best of the situation.

 

[micstrachan]

View attachment 2748545

Beautiful!!!

 

[Kris5902]

Note I started this post early Monday, but my internet connection is bad at the moment so:

Well, I have found a downside to the Chicken Trailer. Northern Fowl Mites… I candled some eggs under my broody bully girl on Sunday, and she, and I’m assuming the whole free range flock, have them. Going to make a “late night run” into the Barn as soon as Haying is done and just dose everyone with Ivomec. The eggs, from Little Red and my late “favorite” Girl of Roostie were all infertile. I have replaced them with eggs from my Friends flock, “BarnAucanas” from his not quite up to breed standards Barnvelder Rooster who looks amazing for 6+ years old, and some Ameraucana girls get took in from the person who has the farm I brooded at, where I’ve been gardening, and where we get our water from.

Saturday we had a great market day, our first real market since summer 2019. We netted $200 in about 4 hours, our friend cross marketed their amazing Sauerkraut and grossed $136.

And unfortunately I have some more really sad news. Today we lost Roostie. Early afternoon while we were moving the meat birds in preparation for tomorrow’s road trip to freezer camp, he squared off with Cass. No apparent physical damage was done, their hackles were raised and there were a few brief bits of sparring before I ran around the fence and broke them up. Not a drop of blood was spilled but Roostie was clearly strained he was droopy and listless. I worry about his heart as he’s well over 13lbs again (as a two and a bit year old Meat bird Rooster that’s not as overweight as it seems) I moved him and his ladies back to the proper side of the fence, fed him some egg yolk by hand and made sure he drank water. They were doing fine when I left for dinner at 6. Everything seemed back to normal. When we got home at 9:40 (some chickens were still even outside, as it was mostly light out!) he was gone. Very purple comb and wattles, so I am thinking this heat wave and the stress combined just pushed him past his limits. He had put all his ladies up for the night, so I tucked them in… and now I just don’t know what to do. Roostie my “free” Rooster with his adorable waddle, gentle Nature, and ability to parent the younglings is irreplaceable. I am quite heartbroken, he has two babies. One cockerel and one of unknown gender.