Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

You are so aware of your flocks health, I’m sure she will be doing better in no time. You will keep us all updated, yes? Sometimes I find someone will just have an off day. Hopefully that is all it is

And as an aside, if you have any styrofoam in your yard anywhere, of any sort, remove it. They love to eat it, and pearlite! From potted plants... I swear they will get into everything, but they LOVE styrofoam. Coolers, rigid pink insulation boards, packing from appliances...

Is pearlite dangerous for chickens?

 

[micstrachan]

Do chickens take naps? Canna doesn't seem to want to keep her eyes open???

Oh no, Alex. I’m sorry this is happening. I’m reading as quickly as I can on my phone to catch up.

 

[BY Bob]

Oh, thank you so much, Bob! And you all who "liked" it, means agree for the most part? That's a relief....everybody seems good this morning, no dripping noses or other parts yet, and no honking. Thanks!

I don't often have the answers but this one i see a lot.

 

[micstrachan]

Could toe-nail polish work?

Love this idea!

 

[BY Bob]

The burrow could be in your neighbor's yard. Anywhere you see loose dirt and a small hole.
The only idea I have is to double up the trap - get a small Have-A-Heart cage trap (I saw an idea for an upside-down milk crate which looks like it would work) and put the actual rat-killing trap inside it. You could even cover the cage sides (or all of the milk crate holes except one, and place the killing trap far from it), to keep any nosy beaks away. Or cover it all and make a long tunnel to the entranceway (we do this for woodchucks when they start bothering our plants). The cage trap would have to be tall enough to accommodate the action of the rat-killing trap. This cage is either 4.5" or 5" tall:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mavis-La...mC_AmHlnyj1LtcoNqMsJmRTZO79P5QhkaAvixEALw_wcB

Hmmmmm. I bought a small have a heart to catch what I thought was a weasel. I could deploy that. I need to check the swing radius. I could also just put bait in it and tap the rat in with the poison bait. I would just need to empty it then. Interesting. I'm heading to Tractor Supply.

Very ingenious. Thanks!

 

[micstrachan]

Christmas Lights are Up
View attachment 2427612

OMG, Bob! I love, love, love this! I absolutely MUST find that light up chicken for my yard. Do you remember where you got it? Or did you make it?

 

[Shadrach]

Sorry to hear this, Shad. I know you prefer not to medicate unless you are pretty sure what you are treating for, but I have had great success with clotrimazole (antifungal) with slow/doughy crop. I have also administered lemon juice with a mix of spices (cinnamon, cayenne pepper and I forget what else), which seemed to help, along with offering some non-starchy foods (chopped kale and meat). Does she eat feathers when others are molting? A couple of mine have done this and it slows the crop way down). I have also mixed baby bird formula with hot water and coconut oil to make sure the bird is getting nutrients while also lubricating the GI tract. I know you are an excellent chickeneer, but just throwing out some ideas that have helped in my flock. By the time I catch up, I may learn that you have already resolved this!

I'm on it.
The problem atm is I'm giving her coccivex and Flubenvet. I have to wait for the course to finish before I pour anything else down her.
I've got ducolax stool softner on it's way. and I have another anti fungal treatment coming.
I may try the cayenne pepper, ginger powder cinnamon and lemon juice, or even a day or two on garlic water. But, not until the current meds are finished.
The main thing now is to have her eating. Today was much better. Two days of live yogurt at 10cl dose have helped.
This was a poop sample from this morning. Compared to what she has been pooping this is almost normal.

This morning when I did her crop check her crop was almost empty; just this one squidgy ball about half the size it was still there but moving so not obstructing the crop drain all the time.
However, underlying the crop problem is bound to be another problem. The favorite is egg yolk peritonitis. If this is the case, then she is goinng to die, probably by my hand when the time comes.
Meanwhile I will go through one treatment after another in the hope that it is a less serious problem.
She looked and acted more like herself today and doesn't seem to be in pain. Her demeanor is no worse than it was when she was moulting.

She ate well this evening and has gone to roost with her tribe with a full crop.
Four more days to go and then, if her crop is still not draining I'll move on to the anti yeast/ anti fungal and maybe a molasses treatment.
I can't feel anything abnormal in her lower abdomen but I have no way of knowing if she can lay eggs because hse, like the others, has stopped for their winter break.

 

[micstrachan]

Hey CCCL. This linked me to a video of Scooby purring which is adorable, but didn't make me laugh.

x2

 

[LozzyR]

Oh, thank you so much, Bob! And you all who "liked" it, means agree for the most part? That's a relief....everybody seems good this morning, no dripping noses or other parts yet, and no honking. Thanks!

I had a fair bit of honking over the last two days, I wondered if it was something caught in a dry throat.

 

[LozzyR]

My friends, I do need you all to know, that I feel emotionally bankrupt. Yesterday’s shock made me rethink my priorities. As you all know, I love my animals more than my own life itself. Losing Canna took me way further away from caring, than I have felt since my active dutiful career in law enforcement.
what I’m trying to say is this: I really have lost the feeling, that I am a good chicken keeper, and having only four left, leads me to believe that I am losing the faith (so to speak) your friend, Alexander

I know it feels so hard and emotionally draining. Allow yourself to grieve and then reassess how you feel. You need to do what’s best for you. I know I’ve felt that way before, every death hits hard and they seem all too frequent. You have our support, no matter what you decide.