Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Good night fluffy butts friends

 

[featherhead007]

Yep six Plymouth Barred Rocks
Rocks-Anne
Shenandoah
Xzit
Coco
BoPeep
PITA

Some days, they are all a P.I.T.A (just saying)

 

[micstrachan]

None of the hawks or falcons would carry a chicken away. They all eat at the kill site or very close by on the ground.
Owls on the other hand will carry away their prey, or at least some species will.

Yes, I believe great horned owls can lift and carry several times their own weight! Of course, we have a local pair that lives right here, but we only hear them late at night.

 

[micstrachan]

It is a really good point. I tried doing it today but I think I got the wrong call. Or maybe my accent isn’t good enough. They paid heed but didn’t run for cover.
@micstrachan any chance you could do one of your lovely videos with you making the sound and the chickens responding?
I need to learn to do this right.

Oh, sure! That would be fun! I don’t like the idea of doing a false alarm, but could try it once!

 

[micstrachan]

Why do you think she has an impacted crop rather than a slow crop, or even sour crop?
I've rarely had to tube feed water to a hen with crop issues. I've found with some patience and a suitable attatchment to a syringe chickins will drink and this avoids any of the risks associated with tube feeding.
I watched quite carefully you massaging the hens crop. I can't be absoluutely sure but I don't think you are applying anything like enough pressure on the crop to break up any obstruction.
I'll leave it at that until I've seen your reply.
I will add this though. The one case of full impaction I dealt with (full impaction is pretty rare) there was no way that massage and water would ever have shifted the impaction.

Hmm… well, it was quite firm this morning and didn’t seem to move until I added fluid. Perhaps it’s just slow. The stuff in her crop did seem to break up a bit, so *I think* I’m applying enough pressure? I’m a bit concerned about applying too much, since her crop is so full and I’m not sure what she ate. I’m guessing feathers.
I can try taking her aside, having her drink on her own, then massage, then let her back with the flock. She seems a little perkier than this morning, so I hope I’m helping and figured fluid would be good regardless. I don’t think I could be hurting. Do you? Thanks!

 

[micstrachan]

It has taken me at least three days of encouraging a chicken to drink, getting at least 40ml of water down them every two to three hours plus feeding them frozen cocconut oil and vigerous massage for 5 mins each time to make any serious headway with just a slow crop.

Thanks for this. I have not yet done the frozen coconut oil, but will prepare some tonight in case she’s still clogged up in the morning. I suspect she will be.

 

[micstrachan]

It has taken me at least three days of encouraging a chicken to drink, getting at least 40ml of water down them every two to three hours plus feeding them frozen cocconut oil and vigerous massage for 5 mins each time to make any serious headway with just a slow crop.

I forgot to ask… what did you do with the one impaction?

 

[featherhead007]

Yes, I believe great horned owls can lift and carry several times their own weight! Of course, we have a local pair that lives right here, but we only hear them late at night.

All I know, is that an African swallow cannot carry a one lb coconut while she’s migrating! Thanks a lot Monty Python!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I feel terrible Coco was in the coop trying to hatch a golf ball. She sat for an hour in there, so I picked her up and brought her inside. As I was carrying her, she dropped her egg out onto the floor and broke. I thought that maybe she was sick, but nope. She was only taking her time laying an egg! I feel so bad for even bothering her

Sometimes an hour is only the previews to the main show. Peanut and Butters sometimes spend much longer in there. Sometimes Peanut goes in and stays forever, emerging without having laid an egg. Then she goes back later and lays it.

 

[micstrachan]

@micstrachan any chance you could do one of your lovely videos with you making the sound and the chickens responding?
I need to learn to do this right.

I feel so mean, but here you go!