Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Overweight is one of the concerns. Plain rice is unlikely to to make them fat.
It's the accumulation of fat on the internal organs that is the problem and we don't see this until they die and a necropsy is done.
The problem with treats isn't so much that it makes the chicken fat, it's they don't eat as much of the food that provides the correct amino acids, vitamins and minerals. Diet health is about variety and balance and a little knowledge of the nutrient content of the foodstuff.
There are certain foods that give the required range of amino acids to make a complete protein.as well as the enzymes needed for digestion. Meat, fish eggs and milk are obvious ones. Dairy produce isn't something that a chicken would normally eat, so that leaves meat and fish. You could remove all the grain feeds and assuming the chicken free ranges just supply meat and they would be fine. The vegetable content they need would be acquired in forage.
Meal worms for example provide a complete protein but are very high in fat. In normal feeding for a chicken be it feral of or one of the breeds of game fowl large quantiles of any individual foodstuff are rare. Chickens are foragers and as such tend to find small amounts of whatever they eat, not a dinner plate full in one sitting.
Their digestive system is different from ours in that it is constantly on; it's designed to cope with constant input during the day and while they are resting the food in the crop drips into the digestive tract overnight.
It's about supplying a balanced food even as treats. A chicken with a crop full of rice will feel full but rice doesn't have all the essential amino acids to make a complete protein. The same applies to pasta and most other foods. They need to be mixed with something else.
I believe @micstrachan could tell you some sad stories about giving too many of the wrong kind of treats.
A little of just about anything is fine; platefuls of food that doesn't have the correct nutritional content isn't.
Unfortunately this isn't a message many want to hear. People like giving their chickens treats but the truth is they are often shortening the chickens lifespan.

Yes, my flock carries too much fat, and one died of fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome. I have never been big on treats, or so I thought. However, I threw several pounds of seed to make chicken pasture and sadly, I’m pretty sure that’s what made them fat. That combined with access to high protein feed at all times (except while roosting... no feed in the coop.)

So now they are on a diet in hopes I can prevent last year’s chicks from getting fat and can slim down the older ones. I’ve been rationing feed and recently switched them back to layer only, since even my oldest bird will lay on occasion. She had stopped laying almost two years ago, but started back up after dieting.

So, yes, letting your chickens get fat can be deadly and heartbreaking when you understand it was your fault. I don’t recommend it. My girl who has health problems is “insulated like a seal” according to my favorite avian vet. She’s a bit of a glutton, but I’m hoping the diet changes aren’t too late for her.

 

[BY Bob]

I just had to post this. My elder sister is a chicken keeper. what's more she a backyard free range chicken keeper and has been for at least 20 years. She sent me this picture today of her nutters out and about.
View attachment 2107747

I have to say those walkways are surprisingly poo free. How does she manage that?

 

[Shadrach]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

I have spoken of the pecking order here before and noted that when Maleficent started laying before Aurora she moved ahead of her in the pecking order. Someone asked if Sydney had passed Sansa by laying before her.

I am now convinced that she did. Two things brought me to that conclusion.

1. Sansa was pretty "pecky" towards Sydney and Phyllis before egg laying began. That went away after egg laying started. While I never really saw Sydney enforce the pecking order, I believe that by her passing Sansa, that made Sansa calmer.
2. Sydney became Aurora's number 1 victim. Consider that if Sydney was number 4 she was the next direct threat to Aurora's position. Aurora singled her out for extra special treatment.

I believe that Sydney's personality is such that she felt no need to enforce her position and frankly I don't think she cares what position she is in.

View attachment 2106875

Well after observations last weekend and last night I am also convinced that the order has switched back. Sansa has returned to her "pecky" ways. She is bullying both Phyllis and Sydney again, especially at treat time. It is clear that she is asserti5 herself and has reclaimed position #4. Here is the current pecking order. I just think Sydney was too go-along-get-along to hold the spot.

1. Lilly, the Queen herself, acting rooster
2. Hattie, Lady Mellow, patience of a Saint
3. Aurora, Princess, the crazy one, hyper, I pray she never becomes Queen. It would become a reign of terror
4. Sansa, the future Queen, at some point she is going to rule this roost because she wants it bad
5. Sydney, Lady Mellow's protege, future #2 hen
6. Phyllis, the Court Jester

The future Queen herself.
View attachment 2106889

Lovely pictures.

 

[Shadrach]

Now she is mad that she wasted a week or so feeling sorry for herself.

I think it can be very hard for some people to cope with because often their social contacts are through work.

 

[Shadrach]

I have to say those walkways are surprisingly poo free. How does she manage that?

She has her back yard quite well organized from what I can gather. There is the usual free range section which is fenced off from the bit in the picture. Her hens only get to go in the posh bit when she's there.
The garden at their last house was considerably larger so I was curious having not been to their new house as she's rather house and garden proud.

 

[Shadrach]

That pot that Tackle is in has proven very popular. It's going to go off limits shortly because I'm planting tomatoes in it.
I've been weeding down the bank on the right and trimming some of the lower branches off the Blackthorn bush to give the chickens a bit more headroom.

 

[RoyalChick]

Yes, my flock carries too much fat, and one died of fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome. I have never been big on treats, or so I thought. However, I threw several pounds of seed to make chicken pasture and sadly, I’m pretty sure that’s what made them fat. That combined with access to high protein feed at all times (except while roosting... no feed in the coop.)

So now they are on a diet in hopes I can prevent last year’s chicks from getting fat and can slim down the older ones. I’ve been rationing feed and recently switched them back to layer only, since even my oldest bird will lay on occasion. She had stopped laying almost two years ago, but started back up after dieting.

So, yes, letting your chickens get fat can be deadly and heartbreaking when you understand it was your fault. I don’t recommend it. My girl who has health problems is “insulated like a seal” according to my favorite avian vet. She’s a bit of a glutton, but I’m hoping the diet changes aren’t too late for her.

Oh dear, sorry to hear that. I am definitely going to watch out but I don't generally give treats. I do give free access to commercial food and of course they eat all the bugs they can find!

 

[LozzyR]

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

I have spoken of the pecking order here before and noted that when Maleficent started laying before Aurora she moved ahead of her in the pecking order. Someone asked if Sydney had passed Sansa by laying before her.

I am now convinced that she did. Two things brought me to that conclusion.

1. Sansa was pretty "pecky" towards Sydney and Phyllis before egg laying began. That went away after egg laying started. While I never really saw Sydney enforce the pecking order, I believe that by her passing Sansa, that made Sansa calmer.
2. Sydney became Aurora's number 1 victim. Consider that if Sydney was number 4 she was the next direct threat to Aurora's position. Aurora singled her out for extra special treatment.

I believe that Sydney's personality is such that she felt no need to enforce her position and frankly I don't think she cares what position she is in.

View attachment 2106875

Well after observations last weekend and last night I am also convinced that the order has switched back. Sansa has returned to her "pecky" ways. She is bullying both Phyllis and Sydney again, especially at treat time. It is clear that she is asserti5 herself and has reclaimed position #4. Here is the current pecking order. I just think Sydney was too go-along-get-along to hold the spot.

1. Lilly, the Queen herself, acting rooster
2. Hattie, Lady Mellow, patience of a Saint
3. Aurora, Princess, the crazy one, hyper, I pray she never becomes Queen. It would become a reign of terror
4. Sansa, the future Queen, at some point she is going to rule this roost because she wants it bad
5. Sydney, Lady Mellow's protege, future #2 hen
6. Phyllis, the Court Jester

The future Queen herself.
View attachment 2106889

I love both these pictures!

 

[LozzyR]

I just had to post this. My elder sister is a chicken keeper. what's more she a backyard free range chicken keeper and has been for at least 20 years. She sent me this picture today of her nutters out and about.
View attachment 2107747

They are so gorgeous! The back-yard looks great too. I hate the state of our back-yard but I’m finding it overwhelming and no-one else gives two hoots about it, so it’s just a mess.

 

[LozzyR]

Yes, my flock carries too much fat, and one died of fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome. I have never been big on treats, or so I thought. However, I threw several pounds of seed to make chicken pasture and sadly, I’m pretty sure that’s what made them fat. That combined with access to high protein feed at all times (except while roosting... no feed in the coop.)

So now they are on a diet in hopes I can prevent last year’s chicks from getting fat and can slim down the older ones. I’ve been rationing feed and recently switched them back to layer only, since even my oldest bird will lay on occasion. She had stopped laying almost two years ago, but started back up after dieting.

So, yes, letting your chickens get fat can be deadly and heartbreaking when you understand it was your fault. I don’t recommend it. My girl who has health problems is “insulated like a seal” according to my favorite avian vet. She’s a bit of a glutton, but I’m hoping the diet changes aren’t too late for her.

I’m keeping an eye on Lucy to make sure she isn’t “insulated like a seal”. She’s pretty solid so I’ve cut down the grain they get for breakfast, and they just have layer feed and grass (although hubby keeps giving them rolled oats for some reason). They had some sardines the other day, but they’ve been getting it a lot less, since Lucy and Chickie stopped laying.