Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

I’m not sure where you’d get it, but my Frizzle breeder friend lost a teenage rooster to what she thought was botulism, and she thought he might have drunk some dodgy water somewhere.

Welcome to BY Bob's wheelhouse. Todays microbiology lesson is Botulism.

Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic bacteria. That means oxygen is poisonous to it. It excretes a toxin that kills the tissue around where it is growing in order to stop oxygen from being present there. It is this toxin that causes "botulism" in animals.

The bacteria only grows in a nutrient-rich substrate, such as areas with large amounts of decaying plant growth, which are free of oxygen. Fish that die for any reason and that contain the bacterial spores in their tissues are also suitable substrates for growth and toxin production by the bacteria.

There were some reports of birds in Lake Michigan dying of it a while back but it is extremely unlikely this would occur in your backyard. I believe they got it from eating dead fish, not drinking the water. Almost all water contains oxygen. The nastiest water I can think of would be swamp water and it is full of oxygen based life. For the record, I do NOT reccomend drinking swamp water.

Botulism is primarily caused by eating tainted food. It is possible for chickens to get botulism in this manner just as we would. That is one of the reasons why you should not give spoilt leftovers to chickens.

The same toxin is the Botox that people inject their faces with. It is a neurotoxin that attacks the nerves. In your face that stops messages from reaching the small muscles which causes them to relax and the wrinkles to go away. Side effects from improper injection can be quite severe especially if they inject into a blood vessel.

Forget makeup folks, this is the one beauty treatment I do not understand at all. Please inject me with a deadly toxin so my face cannot move. It seems insane to me.

 

[BY Bob]

Warning! Savage rooster picture!

You may want to look away and spread the hysteria.
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He's a vicious one. What a savage! How do you keep him from ripping your arm off?


What gorgeous friendly boy. You are blessed to have him.

 

[BY Bob]

Canned foods if not properly sterilized is where you get botulism. Sometimes (rarely) in certain kinds of wounds. Exposure to air prevents the toxin being produced. And from memory canned tomatoes may be slightly safer because if the acid.

Well done.

 

[BY Bob]

It is.
I'm thinking about getting some pictures holding the others.

I would love to see that.

 

[Shadrach]

Welcome to BY Bob's wheelhouse. Todays microbiology lesson is Botulism.

Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic bacteria. That means oxygen is poisonous to it. It excretes a toxin that kills the tissue around where it is growing in order to stop oxygen from being present there. It is this toxin that causes "botulism" in animals.

The bacteria only grows in a nutrient-rich substrate, such as areas with large amounts of decaying plant growth, which are free of oxygen. Fish that die for any reason and that contain the bacterial spores in their tissues are also suitable substrates for growth and toxin production by the bacteria.

There were some reports of birds in Lake Michigan dying of it a while back but it is extremely unlikely this would occur in your backyard. I believe they got it from eating dead fish, not drinking the water. Almost all water contains oxygen. The nastiest water I can think of would be swamp water and it is full of oxygen based life. For the record, I do NOT reccomend drinking swamp water.

Botulism is primarily caused by eating tainted food. It is possible for chickens to get botulism in this manner just as we would. That is one of the reasons why you should not give spoilt leftovers to chickens.

The same toxin is the Botox that people inject their faces with. It is a neurotoxin that attacks the nerves. In your face that stops messages from reaching the small muscles which causes them to relax and the wrinkles to go away. Side effects from improper injection can be quite severe especially if they inject into a blood vessel.

Forget makeup folks, this is the one beauty treatment I do not understand at all. Please inject me with a deadly toxin so my face cannot move. It seems insane to me.

Good job Bob.

 

[BY Bob]

Good job Bob.

Thank you.

 

[WhoDatChick]

Welcome to BY Bob's wheelhouse. Todays microbiology lesson is Botulism.

Clostridium botulinum is an anaerobic bacteria. That means oxygen is poisonous to it. It excretes a toxin that kills the tissue around where it is growing in order to stop oxygen from being present there. It is this toxin that causes "botulism" in animals.

The bacteria only grows in a nutrient-rich substrate, such as areas with large amounts of decaying plant growth, which are free of oxygen. Fish that die for any reason and that contain the bacterial spores in their tissues are also suitable substrates for growth and toxin production by the bacteria.

There were some reports of birds in Lake Michigan dying of it a while back but it is extremely unlikely this would occur in your backyard. I believe they got it from eating dead fish, not drinking the water. Almost all water contains oxygen. The nastiest water I can think of would be swamp water and it is full of oxygen based life. For the record, I do NOT reccomend drinking swamp water.

Botulism is primarily caused by eating tainted food. It is possible for chickens to get botulism in this manner just as we would. That is one of the reasons why you should not give spoilt leftovers to chickens.

The same toxin is the Botox that people inject their faces with. It is a neurotoxin that attacks the nerves. In your face that stops messages from reaching the small muscles which causes them to relax and the wrinkles to go away. Side effects from improper injection can be quite severe especially if they inject into a blood vessel.

Forget makeup folks, this is the one beauty treatment I do not understand at all. Please inject me with a deadly toxin so my face cannot move. It seems insane to me.

Oh ma ga!! Botox.. I agree .... and that you could possibly get ALS and other horrible side affects.. just for vanity sake...
I always LOVE your lessons Bob ... thank you!!

 

[micstrachan]

Oh dear, you have a bit of catching up to do. Thank you anyway.

Oh no!!! I will catch up today.

 

[micstrachan]

Dear friends, I’m very sad to have to tell you I had Chickie euthanised this morning. Sunday to Tuesday she seemed to be having really good days but this morning, she was lethargic, reluctant to leave the run and would stand hunched with her eyes closed. I decided that this was not the behaviour of a chicken that is healthy and I didn’t think she was going to get any better. So I made the (very) hard decision and called the vet. Dr Nikki isn’t working today so Dr Kevin did the deed. I decided I would bring her back home and bury her next to Emily and we had a good cuddle first. I followed Shad’s example and buried her with a bit of cheese so she could pay the ferryman.

When it gets less crazy, I might buy a couple of shrubs to plant over Emily and Chickie, for now they have rocks so I know where they are. If it’s ok with Bob, I will post some of my favourite photos of her as a tribute.

Oh no, Lozzy. I am so deeply sorry for your loss (I was one page away from this post last night.) You did a great job with her and she was so loved. Rest in peace, sweet Chickie.

 

[micstrachan]

Vale Chickie, my sweet, cruisy little thing. Than you for giving us eggs and so much joy. I’m glad you got to double your lifetime with us. ❤❤❤

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Aww... wonderful tribute photos.