Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

I have a quick question. I have no idea how to keep mosquitoes out of my chickens waterers. They have 3 5 gallon ones. Every time I open them up to clean and add fresh water in I get a face full of blood thirsty mosquitoes.

Let me ponder this. There should be something. How long is it in between water changes?

 

[BY Bob]

I always have apple cider vinegar on hand but have never used it - my ladies love the mosquito larvae in the water and fish for them in the drinking area.
Luckily so far at least I have never faced them actually growing up into mosquitos!

I do not have this problem. Interesting.

 

[Devils Flower]

Here is a short video about my turkeys being put outside. This was 3 months ago. There are some chickens in the background. It's amazing how much they have changed.

 

[Ribh]

Cluckle Hut Update

It is essentially done. I need to sand the bottom hinged board as I installed it upside down and there is glue on it that is preventing the top door and the hinged board from meeting smoothly. Aside from that it is ready for chickens!

Here is the completed nest box. View attachment 2783579

Here is the opened door and hinged board.
View attachment 2783580

Here is the front porch and door. This door is temporary until the new automated door arrives. I have the hinged board up in this one.
View attachment 2783581

The view past the porch all the way to the nest box.

View attachment 2783586


Inside the coop looking into the nest box. Check out the window sill!

View attachment 2783587

Looking back towards the front porch.

View attachment 2783588

I could not help myself. I put fresh straw into the nest box for Phyllis and the babies.

When does Phyllis move in?

 

[Devils Flower]

Let me ponder this. There should be something. How long is it in between water changes?

3-4 days. They hold 6 gallons when filled to the top more or less.
Well it depends on if my son takes care of it before I get home. I drive a semi truck with my husband. It can be up to 8 days before these type of water containers are cleaned and refilled
I must be honest..

 

[Devils Flower]

Let me ponder this. There should be something. How long is it in between water changes?

I thought about putting olive oil in the water containers. Growing up we would put old motor oil in standing water to control mosquitoes.
Not sure if olive oil is safe.

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

Yay @BY Bob I'm so glad the babies are on their way!

I checked in just so I know where to start tomorrow!

 

[Lady Red]

Cluckle Hut Update

It is essentially done. I need to sand the bottom hinged board as I installed it upside down and there is glue on it that is preventing the top door and the hinged board from meeting smoothly. Aside from that it is ready for chickens!

Here is the completed nest box. View attachment 2783579

Here is the opened door and hinged board.
View attachment 2783580

Here is the front porch and door. This door is temporary until the new automated door arrives. I have the hinged board up in this one.
View attachment 2783581

The view past the porch all the way to the nest box.

View attachment 2783586


Inside the coop looking into the nest box. Check out the window sill!

View attachment 2783587

Looking back towards the front porch.

View attachment 2783588

I could not help myself. I put fresh straw into the nest box for Phyllis and the babies.

Ahhhh-mazing! Such a great and crafty and clever build!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I spoke too soon

Popped outside to refresh water bowls and observed Naenae. She was walking slow and looked uncomfortable. So I put her in the dining room infirmary. It is darker than outside and she has privacy and in the past it relaxes her so she rests passes her egg issue without naughty sisters bothering her.

Not more than 2 minutes in the infirmary, she passed a whole yolk with no shell and a soft shell egg.

View attachment 2783104
I looked a little more at what she did and look....I've never seen a "mini" shell attached to a whole eggView attachment 2783105

This is interesting as observation, but I wish my little girl wasn't suffering through it.

I am worried about Naenae too. Peanut here is laying a bit like that. But not the doubles, or the rate of Naenae.

Peanut laid this last Monday evening. Many months ago there were a couple with a more filled-out tail end too.

Soft, flexible, see I am squishing it with my finger

I know Peanut laid this because she was feeling very poorly for some hours before, and I kept an eye on her and eventually saw her lay it. After awhile she knew it was coming and slowly went to the coop, but decided to not climb or jump up, she waddled slowly under it, then was in the penguin pose for a couple of minutes before finally laying it on the moss under there. I was with her and was so sorry to see her so! She didn't look right the rest of the day either. Next day she was good and back to talking and holding her tail high.

Earlier in the day her tail was down and I swear her expression was terrible, she didn't feel good at all and she wasn't vocalizing her usual tuneful toots. She mostly sat down next to the wire run wall with everyone else foraging in the vicinity and looked bad. I talked to her and stayed close. Nobody bothered her. Maybe because she was totally quiet? Recently Popcorn was coughing after getting something in her airway during a dustbath and Hazel thought that needed all kinds of correction with every honk.

I had backed off of the calcium supplements after transitioning to feather fixer. Not long after there were a couple thin shelled broken eggs, and a flexible broken one. Not 100% sure but but I think probably Butters is also laying these.

So they're back to getting a daily scoop of all-flock crumbles moistened with Greek yogurt, made into little balls, for whoever wants it. I make sure Peanut gets some, and so far she is into eating them every day. Eggs are good so far, it's been a week, no evidence of broken and eaten eggs, and no tails down that I've observed. Someone is laying eggs with weird calcium layers designs and the end is not finished off well but they're not thin, and that's been a regular occurrence. Don't know if that's Butters but I suspect so.

Peanut is a year old. Maybe the supplementation is all she needs, or maybe not. I saw her looking poorly once before this last time, but now I'm making sure she eats the supplement so that may do the trick. If not, is hormone implants an option for someone so young?

 

[featherhead007]

Cluckle Hut Update

It is essentially done. I need to sand the bottom hinged board as I installed it upside down and there is glue on it that is preventing the top door and the hinged board from meeting smoothly. Aside from that it is ready for chickens!

Here is the completed nest box. View attachment 2783579

Here is the opened door and hinged board.
View attachment 2783580

Here is the front porch and door. This door is temporary until the new automated door arrives. I have the hinged board up in this one.
View attachment 2783581

The view past the porch all the way to the nest box.

View attachment 2783586


Inside the coop looking into the nest box. Check out the window sill!

View attachment 2783587

Looking back towards the front porch.

View attachment 2783588

I could not help myself. I put fresh straw into the nest box for Phyllis and the babies.

@BY Bob , aren’t you forgetting something?….