Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

If you can get them before they get to the limping stage it is better, as by then they are more severe like Roostie and Cillin’s. Best thing is to check the bottoms of the feet during routine handlings for a hard black lump. That’s how I’ve found and successfully treated a few prior cases, Mrs B and Dean, and a couple of other bumbles at an earlier stage. The treatment is essentially the same, soak, drain, remove the scab and core, keep clean and let it heal up.

I had to scroll back to summer of 2019, but here is Mrs B’s foot after her scab came off. He bumble was about 1/4 the size of Roostie’s, she wasn’t limping at all, I only noticed it because I was inspecting her for issues and determining what treatments were needed (mites and lice) after I removed her and Missy from the farm coop.
View attachment 2504370View attachment 2504373

Oh good. Our veiws seen to match on the regular inspection path.

 

[BY Bob]

There’s a lock on my barn/coop door, but that’s for nighttime. The chickens free range during the day. As they are doing right now.

They are hard to catch while free ranging, especially leghorns.

 

[BY Bob]

I don’t know that a video is possible, but I will take as many pictures as I can. When I have to do something like this I usually get so focused on what’s happening and am using both my hands so I’m not able to get much. I have already discussed with Andrew that I will be needing his help to restrain Roostie for it. I don’t want him moving around. DH doesn’t do well with these things. Mostly because of his own medical history. Current thoughts are vet wrapping his wings to his body chicken burrito style. Wrapping him well, and as for stopping the kicking? I’m not sure how we will accomplish that. I plan on using the extra hands to support and hold Roostie. Plus he sucks, with my phone camera.

Of course we understand. Doing it right is the most important thing.

 

[BY Bob]

Why? Why would someone steal a person’s chickens... they were nice birds from the looks of it, but a mixed flock and nothing too expensive. I just can’t wrap my head around this... unless the Urban Farmer has really pissed off his neighbors, or something. I mean let’s all be honest, we know buying eggs at the store is much cheaper than keeping your own chickens if you don’t care about the animals welfare at all. And those weren’t exactly “eating” chickens either.

It's just rotten. I can't figure out how this made any sense but apparently it has been happening. People stink sometimes.

 

[BY Bob]

Somewhere in BYC is a thread about game cameras and one of the posts was someone coming and stealing eggs. I thought that was bad enough.
Because the Chicken Palace doors are all salvaged people doors I actually do have locks (and probably keys) but it hadn't crossed my mind to use them. I guess I would have to take keys with me every time I went to visit the Princesses. Or maybe just at night.

I'm going to try and source a thumbprint lock if I can. There must be one. I have the appropriate latches to utilize a standard lock.

 

[Shadrach]

Nocturnal chicken.
The general view seems to be that chickens are blind in the dark, or much like us and other daytime operators they see but with reduced acuity and more in grey scale. The latter seems more probable to me.
Then we have Dotty. She was up at 5:25 this morning (for reference to my eyes it is just getting light now at 6:55am and sunrise is officially 7:12am). For sure at 5:25 it was pitch black and cloudy so not much in the way of moonlight. I think she went to lay an egg (I will check later when it is actually light ), but she also pecked around a bit and climbed up on a platform to more easily scoff her little face from the food container. Throughout this she didn't show any signs of impaired vision at all.
I am curious how she got down from the roost where she was sandwiched in by the other Princesses. Unfortunately I had the roost camera off so I didn't see what she did, but normally she flies down. I hope she wouldn't do that if she couldn't see at all.
Sorry no pics/video - I have plenty but they are of a gray and white chicken in gray and white night vision camera so kind of dull viewing.
@BY Bob, from memory you have a night-snacker (I think it must be Hattie?), does she seem to be able to see her way around? I am wondering if a rethink of chicken night vision is needed. Just because you sleep at night doesn't mean you are blind at night!

It's a myth that chickens can't see in the dark. As you wrote, they can see but not as well as they can in the daylight.

 

[Shadrach]

Here you go @Kris5902 I finally managed to get a picture. The one showing him with his head under my arm didn't come out unfortuantely. I'll try again. It's so sweet.

 

[Shadrach]

You may remember I was concerned about Mag. He has had his comb going purple at roost time and it's been pale and unhealthy looking during the day.
I don't believe it was something he ate. It's gone on way too long for that. A heart problem of some type was favourite.
I gave him one quarter of an asprin daily for seven days hoping to thin the blood if there was a blockage somewhere.
Over the past couple of days, something has changed. This is Mag. His comb looks almost normal now.

He's at the back. Not much difference between Mags comb and Punch's comb now.

 

[LozzyR]

Got a bit of vid yesterday of Belle doing her drinking peck.

Tegan did this the other day! I’ve never seen anyone do this either until then. There were things floating on top of the water, I wondered if she was pecking at those.

 

[LozzyR]

Somewhere in BYC is a thread about game cameras and one of the posts was someone coming and stealing eggs. I thought that was bad enough.
Because the Chicken Palace doors are all salvaged people doors I actually do have locks (and probably keys) but it hadn't crossed my mind to use them. I guess I would have to take keys with me every time I went to visit the Princesses. Or maybe just at night.

I would definitely lock them at night.