Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

I'm sorry Alex. Tough break.

Yep!

 

[Kris5902]

Wow poor baby. Not only is she going through a bad molt at the worst possible time, but tonight you are going to bring her inside and insult her and tell bad jokes about her and she is supposed to be honored by it.

Ah, the joys of autocorrect... I miss the good old days when it was just my awful typos changing my sentences into an incomprehensible mess. At least she isn’t being invited to dinner! Roasting time!

 

[micstrachan]

Wow poor baby. Not only is she going through a bad molt at the worst possible time, but tonight you are going to bring her inside and insult her and tell bad jokes about her and she is supposed to be honored by it.

OMG!!!! That is too funny! Poor Ester!!!

 

[BY Bob]

Ah, the joys of autocorrect... I miss the good old days when it was just my awful typos changing my sentences into an incomprehensible mess. At least she isn’t being invited to dinner! Roasting time!

I tried to use the best possible interpretation of the word.

 

[BY Bob]

OMG!!!! That is too funny! Poor Ester!!!

Better bad jokes than the other use of the word!

 

[Shadrach]

Well it'll be two weeks on Wednesday and there's no word from anyone in the family who has part of her old flock, or the person who told me she would pass my numbers on to them. I twice texted the fellow where she came from, asking if there were any more lost chickens there, and no word back (pretty sure she was the only one because of the tracks in the snow, but not entirely). I am really attached to this hen now, and am not anxious to pressure the lady who said she'd pass on my numbers. But should I?

Now I'm not sure I want her to go! She is very friendly, even let's me cuddle her while she's standing on the edge of her brooder, one arm over her and gently holding, and the other petting her. Stroking her little wattles. Fixing her breast feathers. Today she was fixing my hair while I did that. I've been spending lot of time with her, scratching around with her in the brooder. She is digging a hole to China but gets to the bottom fast, she's a very vigorous scratcher (I've got about 6-10 inches of stuff in there).

I've been reading quarantine should be like 30, and 60 days even. That's a long time for her to not be with other chickens.

You need to be rational about the quarantine setup you have. It sounds like you have a sort of partial quarantine going. If for example you don't change your clothes, shoes to, after handling the newcomer, before you visit your current flock most of the quarantine precautions are wasted.
Quarantine is one of those annoying things you have to do properly for it to work at all.
So, if you were to do it properly then 30 days in the minimum.
Given what I've read about your setup I don't think it will make any difference when she joins the others.

 

[Shadrach]

14 days is what I thought the standard is. @Shadrach would you not agree that 14 days is long enough?

It sounds like you have a good friend there and limited options to rehome or even pair up. Do you have room to keep her and integrate her?

See below.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm having trouble getting a picture that illustrates the problem well.
Mag is the rooster on the far left of this picture. You can just see that his comb is dull compared to the other two.

This is a bit better; Mag in the middle. You can see that his comb and wattles are paler and more purple than red.

Mag in the middle. By roost time his comb and wattles wil be even more purple if the past is anything to go by.

As you can see, Mag is behaving normally and his tribe don't see a problem apparently. Odd to note that Lock, left hand lower corner doesn't lay eggs but has the brightest comb of the group.

 

[micstrachan]

I've got to write this at the risk of incuring the others wrath, but you take some great pictures.

Doesn’t she???

 

[CrazyChookChookLady]

That would explain it. Ned knew his place. Smart little man.

@CrazyChookChookLady any chance of getting a video of my friend's crow? I do miss the little guy.

I'll do my best, but it won't be until at least the weekend. It's dark when I leave and dark when I get home. I only get to hear my boys as I'm leaving.