Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

It's great that Lilly's looking out for Aurora.

With the rain we've been having, I'm thinking that the girls don't have enough shelter for when it gets really wet.

Here are Tsuki, Edwina and Pepper sheltering under the new coop

View attachment 2021148
As you can see, it's not very roomy and they are getting wet from splash back.


Deana and Alice took refuge in the old coop. As it is flooded, they are on the roosts inside, so no portraits I'm afraid!

View attachment 2021149

Still better than being IN the rain.

 

[micstrachan]

Hi Bob and fellow chook-friends

I’ve got a question about chooks that nap a lot. Bob, was it Patsy who was sleeping a lot during the day not long before she passed away? Has anyone noticed any of their chooks who really dig a good nanna-nap without being unwell? Chickie still seems to nap a fair bit, even standing up! I’m wondering if it’s cause for concern, or it’s just how she’s passing the time when there isn’t much free-ranging to be done.

Buttercup, my Light Brahma, has always seemed a little more “lazy” than the others, but she seems well, so I thought perhaps it might be a breed characteristic?

 

[Shadrach]

Buttercup, my Light Brahma, has always seemed a little more “lazy” than the others, but she seems well, so I thought perhaps it might be a breed characteristic?

You are all probably right and a bit of napping is just that.
But, for me here a fecal float is a bit of chicken watching with a pot in my hand, a phonecall, three quarters of an hours driving and about $14; that's not a lot in order to rule out coccidiosis and worms.

 

[micstrachan]

Who wants to see my quail hatchlings?

I do!

 

[micstrachan]

Heres the first 60!

View attachment 2021256

Here are the first 50 at one time in my transfer box first thing in the morning

View attachment 2021257

And after they all made it and started getn their feet under em

View attachment 2021258

This brooder is 4' x 2' and ima have to set up the second one very soon

Were gonna have a nice breeding flock and some good meals out of these things, im totally thrilled. Did run into some problems though. I think id mentioned i let a friend take 50 and one of my bators to her house? She thinks she accidently fried em shes got 21 hatchlings to add to my 68.

Also my incubator is in my bedroom which is off limits to the chiltrens? Theyre still toddlers who dont listen they got in there under dd's watch and tipped the whole thing, cracked and killed 7 eggs at least. They very seldom All hatch to begin with, so idk exactly how many deaths i can attribute to them.

View attachment 2021268

Still though, very pleased and already looking forward to the next ones :

Super cute!

 

[micstrachan]

Gardener’s Affliction=Chicken Bounty
Warning: graphic photos of revolting insect larva
So I have two raised beds and I’m just a beginning gardener so while I’m adding compost and amendments and turning the soil I’m finding these moth larva —cabbage moth, maybe? Like three or four to every.single.spadeful of soil. I’m not terribly squeamish and I knew the chickens I tend would love them, so I threw them on top of my fermented feed, alfalfa pellets along with some greens and boy you would have thought I was the Guy Fieri of the farmyard set. The chickens loved it. But like I said, it gives some people the creeps...
And if anyone knows how to get rid of the grubs, I’d be interested! Although now maybe I should treat it as a chicken treat crop!

View attachment 2021405

Lucky girls! Around here, the crows will destroy a lawn to get at these. I’d keep ‘em for your flock!

 

[LozzyR]

Hello. So this is happening today.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/ruby-possible-unwell-again.1348047/

That’s no good if she’s feeling unwell again. I’d go and have another chat to your vet.

 

[LozzyR]

You are all probably right and a bit of napping is just that.
But, for me here a fecal float is a bit of chicken watching with a pot in my hand, a phonecall, three quarters of an hours driving and about $14; that's not a lot in order to rule out coccidiosis and worms.

It’s been pouring the last few days and this morning is no exception. I know coccidiosis thrives in damp conditions. I was going to put Piperazine in the water this morning but because it’s so wet, they’ll probably ignore it and drink the water off the grass, out of puddles etc. I think I’ll get a specimen jar tomorrow for a fecal float.

 

[Shadrach]

In case someone isn't aware of this if you click on the image it will enlarge.
Cillin and his son Treacle have been scrapping. I've had roosters here for ten years and one thing I've leaned is if you have more than one they'll fight here. There is absolutely nothing one can do about it unless one is prepared to imprison one, or more. I'm not willing to do that. It doesn't resolve the problem, just postpones it. The majority of the scraps are over in seconds. They are more face saving than anything.
There is a rooster scrap here every day, sometimes more than one.
I get in between many of those I see and, in general, that's enough to put a stop to it. You get to know the regular scrappers, where and when, who most likely started it, and if you're there, the cause of it. The problems that cause the fights are pretty constant.
You also get to understand a bit about how each rooster fights. I'm interested in everything chicken and while it can be very upsetting and hard to watch at times, it's part of free range chicken life.
So, not wishing to be gratuitous, but illustrate a point these are just two pictures I took.

So, this is the fight start posture. Notice the position of their feet. They can take a step to defense or attack. Notice each has a different foot preference. I've watched them swap foot opposite foot so their foot will meet their opponents.
There are lots of fighting styles, some peck, some turn side on for an attack like karate, some stay on the ground more than others.
What I want to make clear is this is rooster fighting rooster. They often don't do any of this when attacking a human.

Looking at the rather blurry picture above You can see why the foot placement is important. While in the air, both roosters will try and rake his opponent with the other foot after he has pushed himself off the ground. So it's block your opponent with one foot and if you can, gain lift off him so the other foot is high enough to strike at the comb and wattles.
Both this comedians have ripped ears now. Fortunately not all the way down.
I cleaned them up and used a cyanoacylate based skin repair (super glue basically) on both of them.
I checked them both over today. This is Cillin allowing an inspection. Both are fine btw.

 

[Shadrach]

It’s been pouring the last few days and this morning is no exception. I know coccidiosis thrives in damp conditions. I was going to put Piperazine in the water this morning but because it’s so wet, they’ll probably ignore it and drink the water off the grass, out of puddles etc. I think I’ll get a specimen jar tomorrow for a fecal float.

I dose individually. I usually mix the Amprolium with a few drops of liquid vitamin supplement and soak it up with two or three pieces of bread and feed the bread to the patient.