Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

Cillin.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

It's rained all day so no outside grass time. But today Butter has shown she still has a will to live. She's trying to stand on her own, but can't raise herself more then 2 inches off the ground. Every time she's tried to do this I've supported her in a standing position but let her keep the weight on her leg. The minute I feel her leg start to give out I let her sit back down. She's also back to drinking and eating. I've gotten a whole can of tuna down her today. It is supposed to be pretty and warm again tomorrow so I'll take her back outside for some grass time and company. The diarrhea is also gone. She's only pooped once, but it was huge like a broody and solid so I'll take that. Right now she's resting on her blanket in the living room floor supervising geometry lessons and looking quite content. She's always took every opportunity to come inside if a door is left open, I'm afraid when she's better and healed she is going to protest living back outside. I'm crossing everything possible that the worst is over and she's making a turn around. Mom has bargained and promised her if she gets better she never has to lay another egg, and can be a fat lazy free loader for the next 10 years with daily house privilege's.

Wow, this is wonderful news so far! It doesn't sound as if her leg is broken, it could heal properly, and she is eating, drinking and pooing. I am hoping everything else is healing too!

 

[featherhead007]

Cillin.
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Yep, that’s the handsome big boy!

 

[Cynthia12]

They grow fast.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I’m so impressed by your electric fence abilities and need to get on this train!

Me too, some moveable poultry fencing just arrived from Premier 1 and I'm diving in.

Wellscroft is another leading supplier recommended to me, and they have an online "fence clinic" my free-ranging farmer friend sent me notice of (if anyone is interested) this Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday https://www.wellscroft.com//support-center/fence-clinic/spring-fence-clinic
I'm going to do the first one and maybe only part of the second, b/c I have a scheduling conflict. I'm not pitching this and I have no idea how helpful it will be but as a newbie I can't help but learn something probably.

Since hawks are my biggest threat I've ordered knotted 2" netting to hang and move in various places overhead but it has not arrived yet. I expect this will be the hardest to implement and I'm thinking how to do it. I also just got some smaller camouflage/leafy military-type netting pieces. I'm trying to balance the hawk threats with them having the opportunity to really be chickens and forage about. So I'll be limiting how far they can range from the tractor coop in a session and providing more aerial cover in that area.

I discovered they like chives. We have a lot growing in part of the front garden, and they stop and nibble a fair amount every time they pass by. They are welcome to it; I had no idea they would go for that. Interestingly there are a couple of stray daffodil bunches in there and they have not touched those leaves, I think those are bad for chickens and it's not a problem here. Another interesting thing is they are scratching through the parsley patch but don't touch the curly parsley itself at all.

Chicken tax tomorrow.

 

[BY Bob]

Have a feeling you smiled as your typed out "trouble."
Glad she isn't giving any cause for concern.

I was.

 

[BY Bob]

Definitely not a bad ear worm to be stuck with. If only I could rollerskate...somehow that seems appropriate to do whilst listening to that song.

I can picture that for sure. In fact I am pretty sure I did that.

 

[BY Bob]

A couple of Links.

I've got to stop these terrible puns.

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I love the pubs! I mean puns!

Well maybe both.

 

[BY Bob]

Sunday morning chicken cuddles... Sunny (Sunshine) and Cashew!
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What a wonderful happy picture.

 

[Kris5902]

It's rained all day so no outside grass time. But today Butter has shown she still has a will to live. She's trying to stand on her own, but can't raise herself more then 2 inches off the ground. Every time she's tried to do this I've supported her in a standing position but let her keep the weight on her leg. The minute I feel her leg start to give out I let her sit back down. She's also back to drinking and eating. I've gotten a whole can of tuna down her today. It is supposed to be pretty and warm again tomorrow so I'll take her back outside for some grass time and company. The diarrhea is also gone. She's only pooped once, but it was huge like a broody and solid so I'll take that. Right now she's resting on her blanket in the living room floor supervising geometry lessons and looking quite content. She's always took every opportunity to come inside if a door is left open, I'm afraid when she's better and healed she is going to protest living back outside. I'm crossing everything possible that the worst is over and she's making a turn around. Mom has bargained and promised her if she gets better she never has to lay another egg, and can be a fat lazy free loader for the next 10 years with daily house privilege's.

Oh my, I have missed so much more as well, I am sure... this sounds like what I went through with Hoppy. You could also consider rigging up a chicken sling/chair for her to take her weight off it for a bit. I used one during Hoppy’s rehab after she was initially “flew out of the other kids’s hands” aka was dropped and her leg badly injured




They can recover and lead happy full lives with some help. Hoppy lived and thrived for over a year after her injury, survived the initial owl assault, and learned to be a real outdoor chicken! (Not too bad for an older rescue hen with a rough start to life)