Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

I've seen pics of plastic totes, lid on, with a side/end cut out . They get lined with something for traction, can be stacked, and set anywhere. the clay pot nests haven't been used, but i buried the bottom half in the dirt floor, thinking of the dirt box idea. I've got banana boxes too. They've never used those as nests, but the make great obstacles for littles to hide behind. I may have to make a roof for the clay pots...
Run with the tote idea and take out the bottom too....

I have one of those zinc-lined trough planters that has seen better days. I was thinking about how to fix it up and maybe have a planter for herbs. But a better idea might be to partially fill it with dirt and top up with bedding and let them decide whether to bathe in it or lay in it.
I still have the roof issue but I have some ideas taking shape somewhere in the back of my head. When it is a little less arctic I will go out and measure.

 

[featherhead007]

Oh no. I hope I read ahead to learn you found her. Are you up yet?

I’m up. But the sun is not shining yet. No sign of my little Arizona

 

[featherhead007]

You peeps are killing me!

Here’s one more song you can have stuck in your head::: It’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all, it’s a small world after all, it’s a small, small world!

 

[BY Bob]

Initial Necropsy Results are Back

It seems to have been a congenital defect. There was an abnormality in her brain/skull.

It does rule out trauma as the cause. The hemorrhage in the skin at the base of the skull is likely from her falling off the roost that night.

Here is the text of the initial report.

The most significant macroscopic findings in this chicken involved a suspect meningoencephalocele with adjacent subcutaneous hemorrhage, subcutaneous masses within the neck, and subjective thickening of the right sacral plexus. A meningoencephalocele is a congenital abnormality that occurs when there is improper formation/fusing of the bones of the calvarium and portions of the meninges and/or neuroparenchyma are external to the remaining bones. In this case, there was hemorrhage within the overlying subcutaneous tissue and at the base of the skull which may suggest trauma. While there was evidence of trauma in the head region, there were no obvious fractures of the bones indicating the brain exposure was a pre-existing condition and not secondary to trauma. In addition to this finding, there were masses within the subcutaneous tissue along the neck and subjective thickening of the right sacral plexus which may suggest this chicken had Marek’s disease.

My poor baby......

 

[featherhead007]

They’re all out now, but no sign of Arizona. Jaffar is looking everywhere too.

 

[RoyalChick]

They’re all out now, but no sign of Arizona. Jaffar is looking everywhere too.

Oh no!
I really hope she comes home.

 

[featherhead007]

Oh no!
I really hope she comes home.

So do I. I wanted to share the first Christmas with her.

 

[featherhead007]

So do I. I wanted to share the first Christmas with her.

I hope she doesn’t do what my hen Canna did, (come back with several chicks following behind her)

 

[micstrachan]

Initial Necropsy Results are Back

It seems to have been a congenital defect. There was an abnormality in her brain/skull.

It does rule out trauma as the cause. The hemorrhage in the skin at the base of the skull is likely from her falling off the roost that night.

Here is the text of the initial report.

The most significant macroscopic findings in this chicken involved a suspect meningoencephalocele with adjacent subcutaneous hemorrhage, subcutaneous masses within the neck, and subjective thickening of the right sacral plexus. A meningoencephalocele is a congenital abnormality that occurs when there is improper formation/fusing of the bones of the calvarium and portions of the meninges and/or neuroparenchyma are external to the remaining bones. In this case, there was hemorrhage within the overlying subcutaneous tissue and at the base of the skull which may suggest trauma. While there was evidence of trauma in the head region, there were no obvious fractures of the bones indicating the brain exposure was a pre-existing condition and not secondary to trauma. In addition to this finding, there were masses within the subcutaneous tissue along the neck and subjective thickening of the right sacral plexus which may suggest this chicken had Marek’s disease.

My poor baby......
View attachment 2907775

Awww… I’m sorry. So it was bound to happen at some point. I think if there was trauma, that may be irrelevant. Even if trauma pushed her toward hemorrhage, sounds like it would have happened eventually. I hope you and Rose can stop feeling guilty now. And I’m so sorry that now you share with me the uncertainty that a necropsy indicated possible Marek’s, but you’re not totally sure. This chicken keeping business sure is hard. Extremely rewarding, but difficult, too.

 

[micstrachan]

They’re all out now, but no sign of Arizona. Jaffar is looking everywhere too.

Awww… Jaffar. Please keep us updated.