Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

Yo

You may know this but an easy way to check for the Red Mite at night is to take a clean white tissues and rub it firmly along the underside of the roost bar. If the tissue has red spots and smears on it you, or rather they, have a red mite problem.

Thanks chum! My neighbour told me about that trick too, but as it'd been months since I last sprayed, I just went for it. I used something called coopex. It's safe for the chooks and while it wipes out bugs on the roosts, there will still be plenty in the bedding and in the yard for then hens to dig and eat.

 

[MaryJanet]

In case someone isn't aware of this if you click on the image it will enlarge.
Cillin and his son Treacle have been scrapping. I've had roosters here for ten years and one thing I've leaned is if you have more than one they'll fight here. There is absolutely nothing one can do about it unless one is prepared to imprison one, or more. I'm not willing to do that. It doesn't resolve the problem, just postpones it. The majority of the scraps are over in seconds. They are more face saving than anything.
There is a rooster scrap here every day, sometimes more than one.
I get in between many of those I see and, in general, that's enough to put a stop to it. You get to know the regular scrappers, where and when, who most likely started it, and if you're there, the cause of it. The problems that cause the fights are pretty constant.
You also get to understand a bit about how each rooster fights. I'm interested in everything chicken and while it can be very upsetting and hard to watch at times, it's part of free range chicken life.
So, not wishing to be gratuitous, but illustrate a point these are just two pictures I took.
View attachment 2021506
So, this is the fight start posture. Notice the position of their feet. They can take a step to defense or attack. Notice each has a different foot preference. I've watched them swap foot opposite foot so their foot will meet their opponents.
There are lots of fighting styles, some peck, some turn side on for an attack like karate, some stay on the ground more than others.
What I want to make clear is this is rooster fighting rooster. They often don't do any of this when attacking a human.
View attachment 2021510
Looking at the rather blurry picture above You can see why the foot placement is important. While in the air, both roosters will try and rake his opponent with the other foot after he has pushed himself off the ground. So it's block your opponent with one foot and if you can, gain lift off him so the other foot is high enough to strike at the comb and wattles.
Both this comedians have ripped ears now. Fortunately not all the way down.
I cleaned them up and used a cyanoacylate based skin repair (super glue basically) on both of them.
I checked them both over today. This is Cillin allowing an inspection. Both are fine btw.View attachment 2021517

That's fantastic. Treacle has really pushed his claws into the ground before launching!

 

[MaryJanet]

Heres the first 60!

View attachment 2021256

Here are the first 50 at one time in my transfer box first thing in the morning

View attachment 2021257

And after they all made it and started getn their feet under em

View attachment 2021258

This brooder is 4' x 2' and ima have to set up the second one very soon

Were gonna have a nice breeding flock and some good meals out of these things, im totally thrilled. Did run into some problems though. I think id mentioned i let a friend take 50 and one of my bators to her house? She thinks she accidently fried em shes got 21 hatchlings to add to my 68.

Also my incubator is in my bedroom which is off limits to the chiltrens? Theyre still toddlers who dont listen they got in there under dd's watch and tipped the whole thing, cracked and killed 7 eggs at least. They very seldom All hatch to begin with, so idk exactly how many deaths i can attribute to them.

View attachment 2021268

Still though, very pleased and already looking forward to the next ones :

Very cute!

 

[dirkandlorie]

In case someone isn't aware of this if you click on the image it will enlarge.
Cillin and his son Treacle have been scrapping. I've had roosters here for ten years and one thing I've leaned is if you have more than one they'll fight here. There is absolutely nothing one can do about it unless one is prepared to imprison one, or more. I'm not willing to do that. It doesn't resolve the problem, just postpones it. The majority of the scraps are over in seconds. They are more face saving than anything.
There is a rooster scrap here every day, sometimes more than one.
I get in between many of those I see and, in general, that's enough to put a stop to it. You get to know the regular scrappers, where and when, who most likely started it, and if you're there, the cause of it. The problems that cause the fights are pretty constant.
You also get to understand a bit about how each rooster fights. I'm interested in everything chicken and while it can be very upsetting and hard to watch at times, it's part of free range chicken life.
So, not wishing to be gratuitous, but illustrate a point these are just two pictures I took.
View attachment 2021506
So, this is the fight start posture. Notice the position of their feet. They can take a step to defense or attack. Notice each has a different foot preference. I've watched them swap foot opposite foot so their foot will meet their opponents.
There are lots of fighting styles, some peck, some turn side on for an attack like karate, some stay on the ground more than others.
What I want to make clear is this is rooster fighting rooster. They often don't do any of this when attacking a human.
View attachment 2021510
Looking at the rather blurry picture above You can see why the foot placement is important. While in the air, both roosters will try and rake his opponent with the other foot after he has pushed himself off the ground. So it's block your opponent with one foot and if you can, gain lift off him so the other foot is high enough to strike at the comb and wattles.
Both this comedians have ripped ears now. Fortunately not all the way down.
I cleaned them up and used a cyanoacylate based skin repair (super glue basically) on both of them.
I checked them both over today. This is Cillin allowing an inspection. Both are fine btw.View attachment 2021517

Thank you Shad, for sharing your knowledge. I swear you've taught me so many new things!

 

[mixedUPturk]

 

[micstrachan]

She's a lovely looking hen.

Thanks. I think she’s adorable. She’s big and fluffy, though. Not your favorite, but a sweetheart!

 

[LCG Chicken Coop]

I love the hand for scale! And the cheeping. So precious.

 

[RoyalChick]

Maggie bleeding - need advice
Dear chicken-ey friends I could use your advice. Tonight Maggie had blood dripping from her wattles.
I don't think it is a life threatening injury but it is dripping. I noticed it when locking them up for the night. Nobody is pecking her so for now I have decided to leave her be and will check on her later in the night.
I noticed that she seems to be itchy around the wattles and she has been scratching herself (her toes are blood stained as a result). I wonder if the injury is actually self inflicted by scratching (I had a cat do that once).
Any ideas on what I should do? Both tonight/in the morning in a first aid sense and to figure why she is itching? Otherwise she has been fine all day scratching in the leaf pile with everyone else. And nobody else is itchy.
Courtesy of the new camera (thank you @BY Bob for the inspiration!) you can see them settled for the night and Maggie scratching her face.
Help!

 

[ValerieJ]

I think she is injured, either by pecking or getting it caught on something. I would clean it with saline or betadine and put some baking soda on it to stop the bleeding. (Don't use peroxide) Once the bleeding is stopped it will probably just heal on it's own. But if you have it on hand you can put a triple antibiotic ointment (w/o pain killer), Blue Kote or Veterycin on it.

 

[RoyalChick]

I think she is injured, either by pecking or getting it caught on something. I would clean it with saline or betadine and put some baking soda on it to stop the bleeding. (Don't use peroxide) Once the bleeding is stopped it will probably just heal on it's own. But if you have it on hand you can put a triple antibiotic ointment (w/o pain killer), Blue Kote or Veterycin on it.

Thanks ValierieJ, I think maybe I will go out and try and clean it up while she is settled and roosting.