Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Coffee time!View attachment 2628193

Love that mug! Nice to see yours as well.

 

[Lady Red]

Much like cats
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Pretty "little" kitty! She has really made herself at home quickly!

 

[Cynthia12]

I am myself. Here’s me with the littles in the coop, just taken 5 minutes ago. I don’t need to give treats. They just love me and that’s it. (No meally worms in my pocket either)View attachment 2625871View attachment 2625875

That first photo!!!! She's doing a darling selfie with you!

 

[Cynthia12]

I would totally get it tested. If they threw poisoned bread that has to be against the law.
When I was a young teenager I came home to find someone had battered our new kittens against the wall and beat their brains out - it was truly awful - the police took it very seriously though they never caught whoever was responsible.
I just don't understand some people and their attitude to other animals.

They aren't right in the head! They're scary bad!

 

[Cynthia12]

I had to fish Violet out of the pine tree again tonight. I made sure to take advantage of the situation first...

View attachment 2625592

Love this! Like someone said, card worthy or, calender. Some of you guys should enter your photos into the calender forum. I know that so many pixels are needed, so if your using a camera, yours could work. I only use my phone now.

 

[Cynthia12]

I was watching Diana from across the yard this afternoon.
She is rather a streamlined little hen and has a skinny butt. Not fluffy at all.
I think she is healthy - it is just the way she is.

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I think she has a cute fluffy butt! She looks like a link.. getting a lot of eggs?

 

[Cynthia12]

Emma died tonight at 7:54 pst USA She wasn’t even two years old

Oh..just seeing this. So sorry.

 

[Cynthia12]

Sorry. I misspoke here. The vet and I were discussing eggs without shells when she said this. She said if they are on a layer ration, a calcium metabolism issue is unlikely and that it’s almost always from E.Coli ascending from the vent. She also said it’s almost always cancer or a reproductive infection that “gets them” (hens) , but I think that’s pretty common knowledge for chicken keepers.

Is this..if..it happens often? I know my hens will throw a shelless egg every now and again. Was told they just do this every now and again.

 

[Cynthia12]

What a day. It was beautiful out. I sunburned my shoulder a bit.

So poor Dorothy has declined. I have her her on enrofloxacin and calcium, as she keeps dropping soft eggs off the roost and doesn’t feel well. I’m very concerned. I might try her on an implant, too, but I cannot afford to keep two hens going on hormone implants indefinitely. This is hard.

Ruby had a relatively good day. She was almost as active as everyone else. It was warm, so the whole group was a bit subdued. In the cooler part of the day, she was just as active as her friends.

Minnie, not so much. She had a droopy tail most of the day. I’m worried about her, too.

With Minnie’s symptoms, the pullets having very pale combs and several having watery, slimy urates, I think something is going around the flock. Today I wormed them all with albendazole, except the two on enrofloxacin, who will get it later. I had never wormed my flock before, but something is going on, as I have too many birds who are not right. Tomorrow they’ll start on Corid (Amprolium) water, too. I had gotten away from throwing meds at everything, but I’m feeling a bit desperate.

The worming was quite the production. I decided to dose the liquid into little bits of bread, roll the bread into little balls, and pop them in. For some, it was easy. Others struggled. It took TWO bread bites for each chicken, so I would have to hold one somewhere while I dosed the first. I’d get a chicken between my criss-cross-apple-sauce legs, lean over her, grab her head and pry the beak open with the other hand. I’d hold the second bread ball between my lips. But my little thief, Flo, kept trying to steal them! One time, she jumped OVER a patient and grabbed a bread ball right out of my mouth! Despite the challenges, I eventually finished the task. A few of them even ate it readily.

I have been doing the bread method with Dorothy and Ruby, too. When I went to dose Ruby, we were swarmed. I wasn’t too worried, as the antibiotics are smaller volume and only require one piece of bread... no need to hold one in my lips. Well, Ruby fought me hard, and the next thing you know, her head and neck were gyrating in the strangest fashion! For a moment, I feared she had broken her neck and was dying. I was quite scared! I stroked the back of her neck and she snapped out of it. So strange! I will be sure she is away from the others for the remainder of her treatment doses. I’ll keep a close watch for wry neck, too.

So please think positive thoughts for Dorothy, Minnie and Ruby this week. If worms and/or coccidiosis are at play, I’m not sure when I can expect (hope) to see some improvement. Ester also isn’t laying. Dorothy, Minnie and Ester were raised together (by Cashew) as chicks, and I find it suspicious this age group seems to be struggling the most right now.

Sorry about the rambling and thanks for reading our woes! The good news is they got lots of free range time this weekend.

Just seeing this. Is this hen older? I hope she comes out of it. I cannot for the life of me remember what I used to use! It's like a miracle drug. You would think I would remember! My brain is somewhere else lately.. husband...but I will keep trying to find it. You can go ahead and treat all if the flock to be on the safe side, but can't eat the eggs for a while. Shucks...need to remember.

 

[BY Bob]

Pretty "little" kitty! She has really made herself at home quickly!

She is fitting right in. I'm very pleased with all of them.