Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Does that tree overhang the coop or is it behind it?

The coop is built around the tree. It overhangs all portions of the coop and run. Check out my coop page and you can see it more clearly. The shade it provides in the summer is essential.

 

[BY Bob]

We have had lots of rain here too the light Sussex bub decided to attempt a dust bath in between soakings but went to where the dirt was wet on the edge. She had fun, not so white on her tummy anymore

Good for her. Don't let a little rain ruin a good bath.

 

[Shadrach]

Not my picture. The picture belongs to dinosaw who posts on another forum.
This is an Ex Bat hen. No she's not moulting. She is having trouble standing due to leg weakness and muscle wastage.
He has just taken in four like this.

 

[Scrambles83]

Not my picture. The picture belongs to dinosaw who posts on another forum.
This is an Ex Bat hen. No she not moulting. She is having trouble standing due to leg weakness and muscle wastage.
He has just taken in four like this.
View attachment 2473485

Poor things good on him for giving them a much better home and life

 

[Louwin]

Not my picture. The picture belongs to dinosaw who posts on another forum.
This is an Ex Bat hen. No she's not moulting. She is having trouble standing due to leg weakness and muscle wastage.
He has just taken in four like this.
View attachment 2473485

It is absolutely criminal that they are allowed to get like this. It would be such a good feeling to take care of them and see them become healthy and happy. Sometimes i imagine it could feel overwhelming that we just cant save them all.

 

[RoyalChick]

Extra, extra! Queenie went in the coop tonight with just a little modeling! Sub-headline: A close call due to chicken-keeper stupidity, but all is well.

Overall, much more peace with Queenie today in the flock. This morning only Peanut and Popcorn pecked at her (that I saw). I also noted with interest this afternoon that Hazel seemed to only need to give Queenie a look when they both were going for a bowl of mash, and Queenie quickly changed course. It is only Peanut who pursuit pecks her as she is lowering her head and stepping away, with Peanut driving her head practically to the ground. No blood has been drawn yet. There might be a tiny speck on her comb or it could be dirt. Her previous scabs on comb and beak, there since she arrived, are gone.

And I noticed with pleasure that Queenie briefly considered slipping into the row of sewing machine heads when a spot opened up between them while feeding at a bowl of mash I was holding. I also spotted her halfway up the coop ladder this morning looking into the pop door. She is feeling much more confident!

I worked on the run some, took away that black pipe to remove it as a perch option. I tried to figure out a way to make a door awning and cleaned out the roosting poop tray, and then stood outside a bit and watched. It was nearing roosting time. Peanut was starting the roosting wail even while I did the poop tray and she was walking back toward the coop when I came back around to the door. I think she is usually the one who goes back there first. The rest of the Buckeyes went back there soon after and gathered at the ladder base and started jumping up. Through the plastic I couldn't see who went up first.

Queenie hung back though and didn't follow them at all into the low run, she was back in the tall run, doing a moaning call similar to Peanut's. She was looking at me and looking up and around.

I don't know if this was a good idea but it worked: it occurred to me that since she has had a big connection with me, evident with her desire to get up on me and to roost since the partial-quarantine brooder time, maybe I could indicate to Queenie that the coop is where everybody belongs at night. So I silently took my little chicken sitting stool and parked myself down in the low run, next to but about an arm's length away from the coop and perch. The base of the ladder was to my left. The Buckeyes just finished getting all in the coop and were doing the Roosting Shuffle.

Queenie followed me into the run and stopped at the base of the ladder, looking up into the pop door. It's dark in there, as there are only vents. Peanut came out on to the perch to see what was going on, then went back in. I didn't speak this whole time, just sat there quietly. Queenie tentatively put a foot on the ladder, then the other foot, and climbed up about halfway!

A couple of Buckeyes looked out from inside the pop doorway, then their heads disappeared again. Queenie went up a little more. Peanut came out and jumped down, and walked around under the coop and ladder. Queenie moved onto the perch in front of me. She faced me and made sounds and motions like she was thinking about jumping on to me. My hat was touching the run's ceiling, and I sat up a little taller to make that clearly unavailable, and raised my gloved hands in front of my face, which helped when it seemed she was thinking about my shoulders. I did pet her neck once. But I blocked my face each time I saw that look in her eyes. She moved back over and faced the pop door. I heard a little bit of the low growly/purring sound as she looked into the coop. Then Peanut jumped up.

Now Queenie was peering into the doorway from the end of the perch, and Peanut was to her right. Peanut turned this way and that a couple of times to try to get by Queenie. She very lightly pecked her side and butt feathers, and Queenie didn't move. Just stayed looking into the coop. Peanut appeared to get a little upset and earnestly started trying to get by her. She couldn't go over her, couldn't go around or under, but then desperately found a little hole under her neck and pushed pretty hard and wriggled through. Queenie didn't move much for her at all!

The auto-door light came on. Uh-oh, five minutes to close. I had just been wondering what time it was, and for how long the chicken maneuvers might go on, and whether it would have been better to use the manual door, disabling the auto-door before I made this move. Of course it would have been better! Well, I didn't want to disturb things by getting up to disable it now. There's time still for Queenie to get in there. I decided to use the safety sensor if it began to close her out, and then put her in the coop after total darkness.

I got nervous that this would be the time for bloodshed, now that everybody could see everybody else. But nobody pecked her. And Queenie really brightened up now that she had a well-lit view in there, moving her head a lot more. The light seemed to attract her, she was now on the top ladder step, leaning in, and her head was almost in the coop. I could see there was a nice space for her in that doorway quadrant. I knew the prime spots seem to be at the back and back side, furthest from the door (when I've been able to see in there), but I wasn't sure how much room there'd be left. Then Popcorn - I could see her blue ziptie - came over from the right to see what was going on, or maybe she wanted to make some point to Queenie, and she actually stood half-blocking the doorway. But no pecks, and after about ten seconds she moved away.

Queenie decided to step on to the threshold. Yay! Great! Go on in! Then she decided to settle down and perch on the threshold. Uh-oh. Is she roosting half in and half out? I could understand this, the respectful distance from everyone while still being part of the flock. But she had to go in or go out. Even if I was going to use the manual door. Which again would have been the better idea if I had thought far enough ahead.

So I silently and gently pushed a little on the back of her feet. It made her shift a step or two inward. She settled down again, but now her butt and tail feathers were sticking out. I did it a little again, but some tail feathers were still sticking out. She didn't want to go in much further.

I pushed the end of her feathers to the left side, up into the corner of the coop. They fit nicely there, but she tried to settle them and she was too close, they were too angled up, feathers don't bend, it wasn't good, so she fixed it by getting her tail feathers sticking comfortably out the door again. Then the light went out and the auto-door began to close!

I threw caution away and pushed those feathers up and in and held my hand there, keeping them away. Probably startled by the door sounds and the sudden feather push, she moved in and rotated enough that no feathers were caught. I heard feet moving around for about 15 seconds, some low bokking, then it got quiet. I took my stool and went out and around to the back vents and said goodnight like I usually do. A few boks, and then a high whistle. All is well so far. What a great step forward Queenie took today!

I'm going to open the door early tomorrow before it's scheduled to (I've been doing that this week) as the same thing happens before opening - the light comes on for a full five minutes first, not good. Tomorrow night I probably should do the same routine and see how it goes? But of course disable the auto-door and use the outer manual door!

Wonderful! I read this with heart in mouth - would she go in? Would she stay out? I think you are close to being done!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

You are so encouraging. I want to teach Phyllis something. Maybe a swing is it. Let me think on this.

You could teach her to jump through a hoop! Or to play the xylophone.

https://www.thepioneerchicks.com/7-things-to-train-chickens-to-do/

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Hi folks. Sorry for being so absent today, but I really had to prioritize Ester. Her longest wing feathers are just starting to stick out in weird directions, so I think they're coming out, too. There is a tiny bit of feathering on her back, but it is hiding a full set of pin feathers, just like everywhere else. Only her neck and head are feathered at this point. And one little cuff of feathers where her "drumstick" meets her foot.

The good news is, we've gotten really good at tubing. She is an excellent little patient, and I'm so proud of her! I just open her crate, gently put my hands behind her to coax her toward me, and then she steps out of the crate and stands in front of me. She allows me to drape the towel over her and gently wrap it around her. I put her onto my criss-cross-apple-sauce lap as quickly as possible, speak to her soothingly, and then do the tubing as efficiently as possible. Then she gets a live meal worm reward. Today she has been tubed fluids four times and feed twice. She pooped after her last bit of fluid, and while it was still watery, it was less kelly green and had a little more substance to it. I shudder to think what would have happened if I hadn't gotten past my fear of tubing today.

Here is the cutest part. Ester likes to sit on my legs for a few minutes right after the tubing. She sort of stands there in a trance and I allow her to stay as long as she likes. Keep in mind, this is my most nervous hen who does NOT like to be handled and does NOT normally lap sit. Clearly she understands I am helping her. I hope we will be friends after all of this!

I'll try to catch up now.

I am glad to hear that the tubing is going so well!
So cute that she likes to linger for a bit on your lap. That shows that the tubing process isn’t so awful for her. And she is grateful for the mealworm!

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Not my picture. The picture belongs to dinosaw who posts on another forum.
This is an Ex Bat hen. No she's not moulting. She is having trouble standing due to leg weakness and muscle wastage.
He has just taken in four like this.
View attachment 2473485

That is so sad.

 

[RoyalChick]

You could teach her to jump through a hoop! Or to play the xylophone.

https://www.thepioneerchicks.com/7-things-to-train-chickens-to-do/

I think lounging provocatively on a swing is more Phyllis's style than playing the xylophone! I actually have a xlyophone for my Princesses - I haven't fixed it up to the Chicken Palace wall yet.