Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

I did have my only ever 6 egg day this year. Lilly lays 1 or 2 a month at this point but she is always hanging around the boxes.

Aurora is tough. I was thinking about this the other day. Lilly used to be a mean cuss as well. Since she became alpha she just isn't mean anymore. Bossy but not chase you around mean. I truly wonder if the same would hold true for Aurora?

Do you have any theories why box 1 is the only best box they prefer to lay in? I am stumped by it.

It’s the only box with a TV I’m guessing?

 

[LozzyR]

When it rains it pours...

I have been in the hospital since Thursday afternoon. Not for myself, I'm fine, but for Rich.

For the past week he has not been feeling well. He had diarrhea, fatigue, chills and shakes. His family doctor ordered some blood work and sent us home. Thursday morning he started vomiting. Vomiting for him is usual from his GERD and once he startes he can't stop without fluids and meds from the hospital.

When Thursday afternoon came and he couldn't even keep a sip of water down, I finally said enough is enough and got him ready to go to the ER.

On the way down to the hospital he was almost unresponsive and extremely pale. That is not normal for him. Hospital security had to get him a wheelchair and get him out of the car to get into the hospital. Once inside a nurse came out, took one look at him, and took him straight back. He keep saying he was in so much pain and freezing cold.

He had about 6 or 8 people all over him. Every one thought he was having a heart attack. Thankfully that was not the case. What did happen is they found a disection of his mesenteric artery. We were quickly told that a surgeon would be in to talk with us soon. We were told that rich would need to be transferred to a different hospital because they don't do that surgery at our local hospital.

About a hour later the surgeon was back and said that they were going to treat him with blood thinners instead of surgery because the tare in the artery is on the inside and very small.

He's been on IV heparin since last night and now they are switching him to Coumadin. He'll be in the hospital another night at least until they can get his levels shorted out.

He was still pretty unstable an in a lot of pain so I refused to leave him. I spent the night "sleeping" in a very uncomfortable chair. We finally were moved into a room and I have a lovely recliner to sit in but I can't stay all night today. They are making me leave at 9pm and that's probably not a bad thing, I am exhausted.



Chicken tax
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I hope he is feeling better soon.

 

[LozzyR]

I kind of want to die. Queenie was killed today, we think by a hawk. Butters may have been the first target but she escaped with a couple of big tufts of hackle feathers out of her neck. A hawk, we think THE hawk, came back and flew down towards the body, while I was gone digging a grave for Queenie, DH saw it and chased it away.

Spoiler: What likely happened and why I can't deal

We were home, out and about, and they were out in their yard. There was no sound that we heard, and it happened around the corner of the house just out of sight while we were moving the big wire run over to their yard to set it up there. We suddenly noticed we didn't see any chickens around, I went looking, only finding Queenie's body and seeing no others. Whatever it was had eaten some of her. But she was warm still, and limp except for her legs. Eventually one Buckeye came out of the coop box. The four had run into the coop tractor and up into the roosting enclosure, Butters far into the nest box. I need to check her body again but I found no blood, and she let me handle all of her except her neck area was very tender.

I am so sorry. I feel I got Queenie killed. And she is particularly dear to me. I have tried to let them be chickeny and also have been putting into place safety measures to try to minimize risk, which I knew there was - I accept that to some degree but I feel particularly guilty about putting the electric fencing not up to the back house deck. Peanut had tried to run under there before and encountered the fence. I had thought about doing that, but it would be in the way of gas deliveries and DH didn't want them hanging out on the deck and pooping on it. I think Queenie, who had also run to the house when there was a previous attack in this same area - another reason to not have widened the fence area to include this spot! - and she had run that way when this hawk came I think, and of course couldn't get past the net. There were fluff feathers there. She fought back though and made it halfway back towards the coop where she either died because of her injuries sustained already, or was overtaken again. I think Butters was attacked first and then Queenie, which makes her inability to escape due to what I did with the fencing, denying her the house which she probably had time to run to, really hard.

There aren't enough emojiis in the world

I’m so sorry Chicory! That is so heartbreaking, especially as you went through so much to rescue her.

 

[BY Bob]

These same little ladies love to sit right on my laptop in the chickens room! I cover the keyboard just in case
View attachment 2671260

Good tip.

 

[BY Bob]

I'm doing alright, playing with the other chicks.

 

[featherhead007]

Good tip.

I’m a thinker.

 

[BY Bob]

Maybe they feel more secure and private next to the wall?

Maybe.

 

[featherhead007]

It’s the only box with a TV I’m guessing?

But I bet, if you put a mirror in one laying box, Phyllis would definitely use that box! Just saying.

 

[BY Bob]

I realized this afternoon that today is a special day. Butter turned 1. Was out with her for about 4 hours this evening letting her free range to her hearts content. I took this video to show how she's getting along. It will be 4 weeks Monday since her injury. I don't know if she will ever loose her limp, but she has came a long way in 4 short weeks. Happy Hatch day Butterball.
https://www.facebook.com/100003915274138/videos/pcb.2117731218367367/2117728611700961
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It is so good to see her up and about. She is getting around pretty well. Does she try to scratch?

 

[BY Bob]

It’s the only box with a TV I’m guessing?

If only. That I would understand!