Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Scrambles83]

Office chicken!!

 

[Scrambles83]

I know you probably don’t feel like it right now but I would get two more sooner rather than later. If you suddenly lose either Snow or Belle, the other will be on their own. Then you will have to scramble getting more and go through the whole quarantine process.

I was going to wait a couple of days before I suggested it but you are right. I don't like flocks of 2. I had them for a few years and had to scramble several times to find a replacement hen. I like the number 4 for a small flock. I thought my flock was at its best when it was Lilly, Hattie, Maleficent, and Aurora. When I lost Mal I did not have to scramble for another hen, rather I had time to decide what I wanted to do.

I understand this and the logic behind it.
I would if I could, but at the moment we only have the old prefab coop and to me having 3 in there (space wise) was pushing it, especially with the size Snow has gotten to! I don’t think it would be fair for that reason to shove 2 more in.
As far as scrambling to find new ladies if something happened to one of them, it seems there’s plenty of farmers that have all sorts of pullets available through the year.
Apologies, I know 2 isn’t the best number but I will have to make it work for now.

 

[micstrachan]

I understand this and the logic behind it.
I would if I could, but at the moment we only have the old prefab coop and to me having 3 in there (space wise) was pushing it, especially with the size Snow has gotten to! I don’t think it would be fair for that reason to shove 2 more in.
As far as scrambling to find new ladies if something happened to one of them, it seems there’s plenty of farmers that have all sorts of pullets available through the year.
Apologies, I know 2 isn’t the best number but I will have to make it work for now.

Please don’t feel the need to apologize. It’s your flock, and people on this thread will support you no matter what. They are just offering suggestions and advice. Hang in there; we’ve got you.

 

[micstrachan]

Cillin has taken to coming round for a visit at least once a day since he moved into his own coop. He doesn't seem to be after treats. If I'm sitting at the computer or at the kitchen table ne settles down right by my legs and sort of dozes for a while.
He's getting to mate with most of the hens at some point or another and I often see him with a small group as I check on every bodies whereabouts during the day.
Treacle still chases him away if he finds him with a group of hens but recently I've seen Treacle not bother if Cillin is away from the main tribe with just one hen.
Cillin seems happy enough with his coop. He goes to roost about the same time as the rest. He even escorts the hens to the tribe coop before going to roost in his if there are nay straggles.

View attachment 2615221

He’s pretty amazing, Shad.

 

[Scrambles83]

Please don’t feel the need to apologize. It’s your flock, and people on this thread will support you no matter what. They are just offering suggestions and advice. Hang in there; we’ve got you.

Thanks. I just wanted to give my reasons why I can’t, didn’t want you guys to think I was just dismissing the advice

 

[micstrachan]

She's getting the hang of it, she says

Hi arnty mish! Says t butters me likey her big feets plz!

Arnty mish! Thanks!

 

[micstrachan]

Maggie says it is Monday.
View attachment 2612188

Hi lovely Maggie!

 

[micstrachan]

It was a Dark and Stormy Night........

As @CrazyChookChookLady and Josh pointed out last night, it was dark and stormy. So I fired up the camera and recorded the inside of the coop on a stormy night.

Let's talk about starting positions. When I did roost check, this is where everybody was.
View attachment 2612094

Sansa was already on the ground. I did not think a lot of this because every once in a while she sleeps on the ground or in a nest box. I became more interested in this later.

As the storms approached, I decided to go make a check on the coop. I wanted to be certain everything was locked down. As I made my way back to the house with lightning flashing in the sky, I heard a thump from the coop. Hattie had gotten off of the roost.

In this first video you will see Hattie laying on the coop floor looking out the window. This is a great 3 minutes of rain and thunder. It's actually kind of peaceful in a way.

This was only a prelude to the storms which will continue for several hours.

This next clip shows the reaction when the storm steps up the intensity a lot. It happens about 35 seconds in. Watch for everyone's reaction.

Hattie did not sleep while the storms will still going. I kept the camera on the whole time just to see. It seem that like many of humans, Hattie does not enjoy thunderstorms. I myself love them.

Just look at what the storms did to my magnolia blossoms.
View attachment 2612170

I love them, too. Poor Hattie. But... ahem! She was blocking my view. LOL.

 

[drstratton]

I’m excited. We can share poop slides on this thread! My friend @Hen Pen Jem also does her own fecal floats. She shared her info with me, but I accidentally deleted the email and need to resend her my email address.

The pullets are all too pale in the comb for my liking. They are all laying, so shouldn’t they have big, fleshy combs like the older girls? I’d love to check their poop for coccidiosis and worms.

Ruby’s avian vet appointment was crazy expensive. I love her, but I can’t keep this up financially and she’s slowing down over time, even with treatment.

I got both Ruby and Dorothy started on antibiotics. Dorothy is still laying lots of eggs without shells and few eggs with shells. I fear all the calcium therapy has likely been pretty hard on her organs. Ester is also not laying and the back of her comb has been tinged blue on and off for a bit. Not my favorite, as that’s what Margo had two summers in a row and ended up with a septic infection from chronic egg yolk peritonitis.

But here is something AWESOME... despite being first to roost (only by a few minutes), Ruby was standing up and preening on the roost! Usually she’s tail tucked (like they all do when they sleep), heavy breathing and tail slightly pumping. She DEFINITELY feels better than before her avian vet visit.

Someday... someday.... I will have well-bred chickens who live full, healthy lives. In the meantime, I will continue to love a and enjoy my little rascals.

Thanks for letting me ramble!

So funny, we're excited to share poop slides! It will be great to know if there is a parasite issue with them, instead of having to guess and blindly treat them when they're sick! I don't have an avian vet, so I do what I can for them. I've successfully treated for a couple of cases that I'm pretty certain was coccidiosis. I've lost two hens, one to a hawk and one to a wound that I missed, by the time I discovered it, it was too late...

I'm so glad to hear that Ruby is doing better. I hope Dorothy starts to show some improvement also!

I really am excited to learn how to do a fecal float!

 

[Scrambles83]

Hey all.
Bob said I could share this on here. Thanks again for that @BY Bob
Although my short story didn’t win, it sounds like it was well received which is nice.

So here it is, be kind
The topic was ‘the gift’.
Sorry it makes for a VERY long post!


FAR FROM PALTRY; THE POULTRY GIFT.

A new adventure for us. A new life for sisters that knew nothing but cramped conditions and sadness.
The gift of my feathered ladies.

When we first brought you two girls home we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, of how you would become part of our inner circle. Our toddler gave you the names Henny Penny and Bok Bok; Penny and Bok for short.
The gift of family.

You were hesitant at first when you were let out of your coop and into our yard to free range. Soon enough you were Queens of the lands you surveyed, never worrying if it was a plant, weed or a new garden bed you happened to be scratching up.
The gift of freedom.

I loved to sit in the sun and watch the two of you dust bath. I would read my book and listen to your bawks, clucks and trills as you relished in the chicken-y things that made your life joyful. The squeaks when you found a particularly tasty bug and wanted the other one to know about it, or when you would get corn and you couldn’t contain your passion for the golden kernels you were swiftly devouring.
The gift of pure happiness.

Of course then there were the beautiful big, brown eggs, so delicious that eating store bought ones now makes me melancholy. They will never be as lovely as what you gave us, my sweet girls.
The gift of perfect sustenance.

When you first free ranged with our terrier you were so unsure, but he was gentle and eventually you found peace with him. You did challenge him on more than one occasion where food was concerned. It was lucky he’s a goof and just barked in response.
The gift of diversity.

I remember it hailing really hard one day in July of ‘19. Our very young daughter and I went out to see you girls exploring in the little ice spheres, deep against the fence of your run. She starting saying ‘Happy Christmas, chickens!’ to you and it made my heart warm even though we were quite chilled.
The gift of nature.

When you tried awkwardly to sit on my lap while I was reading on the outside couch on a warm summer evening;clambering along the edge of the patio furniture, swaying this way and that with your destination always at the forefront of your minds.
The gift of adventure.

I clearly recall when you fell ill, Penny. I did what I could, as much as my narrow knowledge allowed. I soaked you in warm baths, I felt for eggs that may have been stuck, I trimmed your messy feathers so you would still have your fluffy butt hence your dignity. I sobbed when I knew there was no saving you. This impending loss of a companion I never expected to love so much weighed heavily on my heart. You spent your last night back out in the coop with Bok, together until the end.
The gift of sisterly bonds.

Bok became lonely without you. My heart broke when she would call out for you, thinking you had just been separated by backyard obstacles. After a time or two, when you never answered, she stopped trying. She lost her zest for life and began to give a growly crow when coming out to greet each day. I knew I had to do something, Bok.
The gift of compassion.

I was unsure I was taking the right path when I brought home two pullets. You then proceeded to boss them around; letting them know who the top bird was. I saw your enthusiasm return and my heart grew lighter.
The gift of friendship anew.

Now, old friend, your time is fast running out. Each day that passes I see it looming to greet us. I thought I would be more prepared when your chapter closed. I was fooling myself. You sit on my knee, letting me stroke your soft feathers in the sunshine, falling asleep like the old lady that you are. Your body is giving up, maybe I should not be so selfish and hear what you are trying to tell me. Truth be told, I’m just not ready yet.
The gift of contrition.

You began as providers of eggs but became so much more.
At the end of the day, the gift of love is one we gave each other in spades.