Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[LozzyR]

Ok, so Belle was back in the box when I got home.
It’s raining pretty hard.
I went out and she made a few noises when I lifted the lid but nothing nasty. She had feathered the shavings a little and was sitting on the wooden egg.
I took it out from under her and lifted her out. She immediately ran back in and I watched her lay her egg right away (it looked like she was going to explode she puffed up that much, I’ve never been there at laying moment before!)
Oh good I thought, that was all it is, collected it and went inside.
Snow is calling out for her and had been at intervals when I realised she hadn’t exited still. I checked and she was fluffed out in the nest again. I took her out again and as she went to run back in the coop I shut the door so she couldn’t just for now. I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do?
She is eating in the plastic cubby atm with Snow out of the rain, I’ll open it back up in an hour or so and see what she does.
I’m assuming it is possibly the start of being broody?
Haven’t really ever dealt with broodiness so happy for opinions
I could be overreacting but it is just different behaviour for her…and it is Spring haha

That sounds like broody behaviour!

 

[Marie2020]

This is Lima. She's has a defomed throat and possibly trachea. I don't think she has gapeworm. I can feel the deformation. What this seems to mean in her case is she won't eat anything much larger than 2mm diameter. She's my favourite hen.
For such a frail little thing she's super fiesty and I have no idea why, but the others, bar two, do not bother her. She's mostly on her own, or with Henry who seems to look out for her. I've watched her fight one of the other hens that do try to bully her.
We made her some quinoa soup and she ate/drank this with great enthusiasm. If I mash rather than break walnuts she'll eat that as well. She desperately needs some high carb and protein food. She's a bag of bones and moulting and regrowing feather damage I assume she got when at the battery. She forages and eats grass tips, tiny bugs and I've seen her eat a few rather thin worms. I sat her on my lap this afternoon and had an exploratory feel along her throat, her crop and gizzard. Somehow she has filled her crop. I'm going to try her on a chick feed mash.
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That beautiful girl is a fighter.
Good on you shad, the both of you are doing great.

I found that my two battery babes just loved the wet foods best too begin with, fermented or just watered layers but the past couple of days they have been enjoying the layers and crushed oysters shells to.

Today they really dug into some chopped up kale and carrot tops. Plus mixed corn and dried fruits. I have to keep an eye on them or no one else would have anything left

Enjoy every moment with her

 

[Marie2020]

Good night fluffy friends.

Get home safe Alex then let me know when you are home safe

Night all

 

[LozzyR]

Gambling Chickens!

Mrs BY Bob loves the slots. I can't understand the fascination but it makes her happy. So every so often I take her to the nearby casino. They removed her favorite machines, The Wizard of Oz and so she had been trying to find other favorite, wandering the casino floor everytime we go.

I took her again on Wednesday night. I think she may have finally found a new favorite.
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I don’t see the appeal either, but that’s a good one if you like that sort of thing.

Tax

 

[LozzyR]

As Queen Elizabeth said “I am not amused “ !View attachment 2866592

I believe it was Queen Victoria who said “We are not amused!”?

Tax

 

[MaryJanet]

Routine

It seems the littles have entered into a routine that does not align with leaving their coop and run complex to hang out with the big ladies.

Once again yesterday, I opened the big run to provide them some access to the outside world to free range. And again they stayed in their coop. The big girls wandered through the run but no one stayed long. The Phyllistines did make use of their porch several times but they never descended to the run to come out. I also opened the doors much earlier yesterday. Their was just no interest in their part.

Equally interesting to me is that none of the big girls has shown interest in the coop since I caught Aurora trying to fly in the side door one day. Before the littles were in The Hut both Hattie and Sydney had been in it with Sydney even laying eggs in the nest box a couple of times.

By opening things up in the evening I also thought that Phyllis might go into the coop to roost but that is not happening as she has used the Main Coop to sleep the last two nights.

I am not going to force anything. They can be friends with who they want and live where they want. I am interested to see how things progress from here.

I'm interested too and I'd do the same and just leave the little ones and the hens to do whatever comes naturally.

When they're ready the littles will go further afield.

 

[micstrachan]

This is Lima. She's has a defomed throat and possibly trachea. I don't think she has gapeworm. I can feel the deformation. What this seems to mean in her case is she won't eat anything much larger than 2mm diameter. She's my favourite hen.
For such a frail little thing she's super fiesty and I have no idea why, but the others, bar two, do not bother her. She's mostly on her own, or with Henry who seems to look out for her. I've watched her fight one of the other hens that do try to bully her.
We made her some quinoa soup and she ate/drank this with great enthusiasm. If I mash rather than break walnuts she'll eat that as well. She desperately needs some high carb and protein food. She's a bag of bones and moulting and regrowing feather damage I assume she got when at the battery. She forages and eats grass tips, tiny bugs and I've seen her eat a few rather thin worms. I sat her on my lap this afternoon and had an exploratory feel along her throat, her crop and gizzard. Somehow she has filled her crop. I'm going to try her on a chick feed mash.
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Awww, Lima. If anyone can help her, you can. Do you have a blender? You could put some meat through it, or try some meat baby food. Buttermilk (or yogurt or kefir) can have good calories, too, for mixing into mash. I know dairy isn’t great, but the fermented ones seem to be ok. What about an unsalted nut or seed butter? And spiking mash with just a little coconut oil and honey for more calories?

 

[BY Bob]

Whew! I thought after I pressed post I might have been a bit bombastic. It's very early here. In what ways can you make the new coop more attractive for Phyllis? Special treats that only happen in there @ a certain time? What does she really like? I think I would be tring to manipulate rather than coerce ~ says someone who's a very experienced Vacillator!

You could never offend me worry not. I need to puzzle this out. Typically I would lock them all in for 5 days but the other coop and chickens are still there. I have to think on what the best thing to do might be in this instance.

 

[MaryJanet]

This is what I struggle with right now. Do I at some point lock them in together for a week? Do I try to force Phyllis to reset her coop?

I'd really prefer that she roosted in The Hut, where she can be boss hen. The only way I know to try and make that happen would be to force the issue. I did not want to force anything. I thought after 3 or 4 nights of waking up together a new home base might be set but it did not happen.

I could go back to moving her in every night regardless of where Phyllis roosts........

That's why my neighbour would do but I'd rather let the chickens work it all out for themselves.

 

[BY Bob]

Do you think they dust bathe and preen even more than usual when they molt? Mine have spent all day seeing to their feathers which seems quite a palaver given they are all falling out.

I've really never paid attention but I will try now. Everyone is dustbathing daily right now.