Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

I'm trying to catch up but I'd like to ask do your hens use the differently placed ones? Like a couple or few favorites that are quite separate from each other? This is interesting.

All of the nests have been used by different hens at different times. Recently Mary was broody in one nest while everyone else used a different one a few metres away.

The only time the hens at my place fight over nests is when one is broody and her friends need her to move. The scattered nests fixed that problem, for the time being at least.

They also like it when I refresh the straw in a nest. It seems to remind them of that particular nest, which then becomes someone's new favourite, while the others continue on.

Lately they've been laying in the one nest, but I think that's because the other two nests need fresh straw. No fighting though.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

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

It does rule out trauma? No one could know this situation was brewing. So is this also an inevitably fatal condition? It seems it causes problems that come on quickly, maybe there is some mercy in that. She looked fine in the videos. But as others have said, she did live a great life. You and Mrs Bob gave her the best one could hope for.

 

[micstrachan]

Can I talk about my hen “BoPeeps” for a moment?.. her color is all wrong, to be a Barred Rock. She’s been picked on by the others, and bites me (until I show her personal attention) she lays healthy brown eggs. I’m not convinced that she’s a Rock though, and I wouldn’t have a clue as to the difference. What other breeds resemble Barred Rocks? ??

Cuckoo Marans. Ester also does not resemble a Barred Rock so well.

 

[micstrachan]

Cuckoo marans?....and their eggs are a nice brown, but not nearly as dark as the copper marans lay. Their barring is less defined and tend to have more black (versus white) than the Barred Rocks in their barring. I have 1 cuckoo marans and a bunch of Rocks, so I could show you a picture comparison....except she is in full on molt, so right now it wouldn't help much. (Also, marans have white legs, rocks have yellow legs)
cuckoo marans hen (from internet)
View attachment 2908231
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://www.cacklehatchery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_7102_1_.jpg&imgrefurl=https://www.cacklehatchery.com/product/cuckoo-marans/&tbnid=x37S9mpnkMnuJM&vet=12ahUKEwjF2aKNibL0AhUBbK0KHYcrBDMQMygDegUIARDbAQ..i&docid=HfAsDVJNY6gBGM&w=846&h=768&q=cuckoo marans&ved=2ahUKEwjF2aKNibL0AhUBbK0KHYcrBDMQMygDegUIARDbAQ
Barred rock hen pic (from internet)
View attachment 2908232

If she isn't a cuckoo marans, I don't have any other ideas

I SHRA. I said Cuckoo Marans, too. Went through this same thing with Ester. Alex, don’t all yours have yellow legs?

 

[micstrachan]

BoPeeps definitely has a straight red comb, whiter legs than the others orange legs. She has a calm wonderful temperament (when she’s not biting me) and her eggs look exactly like the others.but somehow, she’s totally different from the others.

Whiter legs? Maybe she is a Cuckoo after all! Are her eggs darker than the others?

 

[BY Bob]

I am grateful to my hen, Ruth because she always is the first to try out a new nest box.
I think she gets irritated with all the nest box drama and switches to the new box, but unfortunately for her this means that the others eventually start using the box she pioneered and then she is embroiled in drama again!
Ruth:
View attachment 2907984

Poor Ruth.

 

[BY Bob]

Has it seemed to help? I know only 2 nights (or days, if giving in the morning -you said before but I forgot) I'm hoping it does help the poor girl. No fun aging and feeling old/rickety & in pain!!!! And they can't even really tell us when it hurts or is an exceptionally bad day, either

The vet said it could take a week to see improvement. I haven't noticed any change yet.

 

[micstrachan]

Here’s my oddly marked Rock (Ester, on the right) along with a more “normal” looking Barred Rock (Bridge, on the left). It was more dramatic last year. I’ll look for a pic.

 

[micstrachan]

Found one! It’s kind of a funky picture, as Bridge is dust bathing, but the difference in their feathers is huge! I even posted about it on BYC asking for opinions.

 

[BY Bob]

Bob, I have been thinking about what Marie said, and she is absolutely right. You should be proud for providing Legertha a wonderful life, even though it was short. That part was completely out of your hands. She was always loved and cared for.

Thanks. I realize this now. I will always be a little sad because I lost a friend but I realize there was nothing we could have done.

So sad.