Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Happy 4th of July everyone. Learned something last night, my chickens do not handle fireworks well. I was watching tv about 10:30 and had my window ac on so I heard nothing but my dad ran in my room and said we had to go out and see what was after the chickens. As soon as I leave my bedroom I hear them, every single one was going off like they were being killed. Grab a flashlight and flip on barn lights and head out to find only 2 are still on their roosts and they were LOUD. Didn't see anything so looking up at the hill for something with a flashlight when one of my neighbors comes running into my yard saying "I'm sorry, I'm sorry". Once we got to a spot where I could hear him over the commotion it turns out he'd bought a few cheap fireworks for his daughter and they had shot off 2. Were not supposed to be loud, but apparently the noise and the lights "set the henhouse" off as he joked. He told me they had a few more but were not shooting them off. I told him since I knew something was not after them I could stay outside with the chickens if they wanted to finish but he said they would shoot them off at his mom's tonight. He then helped me get everyone back up on their roosts. Everyone may need to pray for me tonight, I have 3 other neighbors, one who is a jerk, planning on shooting off fireworks. The jerk neighbor gets the big ones, ones that really should not be shot off in a neighborhood, and ones that really should not be set off here as there is a dry hillside on each side of us. Last year he shot them off for almost 2 hours, and in which it took me and mom both sitting outside keeping the horses calm. Russ was fine, Dirt got a little worked up, but Louis was ready to break out of his stall. We ended up having to tie him up and when it was over he was a quivering sweating wreck. That was one time it was absolutely not safe to just be in there with him with a lead rope attached as he would try to run over you trying to find a way out. Talked to my vet already, he's on standby to swing by this evening if Louis starts freaking out to give a shot of sedative if need be. Which may help, but he also warned since Louis reacted so bad last year his adrenaline may counteract it and make it useless.

Awwww… poor babies! I’m glad your dad came to get you so you could help them calm down. Sweethearts!

 

[micstrachan]

Don't even know what to say to this... except thank you.

Ok, maybe I should clarify. I admire what a great job you are doing as a newbie. When I was new, I had a one-year-old start laying soft shells and a soft one broke inside. I had no idea about calcium supplements or antibiotics. I also didn’t know how to bathe a chicken and had her in a full-sized tub! Poor thing. She declined rapidly over the weekend and almost died. I took her to an avian vet who diagnosed egg yolk peritonitis, drained yolky fluid, rinsed (lavaged) her coelemic cavity, and prescribed antibiotics. I was a mess. With this care and a hormone implant, she got another six months, but I wonder if she would have fared better if I had done calcium right away. You’re doing great with Naenae!

 

[Scrambles83]

I just hand fed my ladies some feta cheese left over from a salad, I was lucky to survive with all fingers still intact

 

[MaryJanet]

SHRA. (But I hope she keeps improving)

Baby Alice and Baby Edwina
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Oh my goodness. Those two

 

[Scrambles83]

Belle is wondering what’s for dinner...

 

[RoyalChick]

Mugshot Monday.
Pretty sure this is Freya.
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Great picture! Captures the inquisitiveness of chickens perfectly.
You should submit it for picture of the week.

 

[RoyalChick]

Little stinker! She appears to be eating the shell. Does the calcium you’re using have D3? Perhaps the whole balance is off.

Yup. D3 as well. And I give them crushed egg shell as well as oyster shell.

 

[MaryJanet]

How about some pictures of those in your temporary care?

Sure! I'm in the midst of a long day at the office (not at home) but I'll get a few quick snaps when I let them out for a quick forage before roosting.

Here they are, getting ready to come out of their coop for a bit of foraging

I'm trying to recall their names. I know one is called Hermione and another is E. But I'm not sure who's who or what the other names are

 

[MaryJanet]

Monday mugshot!

 

[MaryJanet]

The truth is even stranger
I have mentioned that both Elizabeth and Diana have been having shell issues. Diana had an egg break inside her and has been laying eggs with very thin shells.
Elizabeth meanwhile I thought was laying eggs with no shells based on smears of yolk left in the nest box.
The truth seems to be however that her eggs do have a thin shell and this is what she is doing.

She isn't doing that to anyone else's eggs so I assume it broke in the nest.
I am trying calcium supplements but they don't seem to be making much of a difference.

Uh oh. Such a bad habit.

RC I hate to say this but I have heard hens learn this from each other. So I'm wondering if she and maybe one friend can be separated from the others so the learning is contained?

Failing that, this page seems to have some practical suggestions.