Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[AfiafiAfi]

I've never treated a broken leg. I want sir if you were being serious or not. Please post on the emergency thread and tag those of us here and I will try and get your post to people I think can help.

Oh um I’m sorry my one is really bad

 

[AfiafiAfi]

Excuse me Afi, I know you're going through a stressful situation now, but might I ask you keep your posts more concise if they're in a similar vein of topic or idea? I don't think you need to make a new post for every new sentence. For instance if you make a post and think "oh shoot I wanted to add something" you can edit it later as long as you choose to not long after. This is just something I believe makes the thread a bit cleaner.

Oh ur right.I’m sorry I’m really freaking out!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Tight Rope Walking

I have started trying to get the littles to eat from my hand. They are of course terrified of the hand. Yesterday in order to get away Legertha decided to fly. Watch as they right tight rope walk their way around the brooder. They perched for quite some time and then flew back into the brooder.

Maybe if you lay your arm down, with food in your closed hand, stay motionless & let them get used to you some, jump & explore all over your arm, then slowly open your hand, exposing the treats? That worked for me. But I had a chair next to the waist-high brooder (for me!).

 

[BY Bob]

Maybe if you lay your arm down, with food in your closed hand, stay motionless & let them get used to you some, jump & explore all over your arm, then slowly open your hand, exposing the treats? That worked for me. But I had a chair next to the waist-high brooder (for me!).

Excellent idea. I need more meal worms. I will try this.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I won't even post a rooster problem. I'll just send a message (after reading Shad's rooster behavior articles) detailing what I've seen and ask what I'm missing. Haven't had to do that yet, but with young Cheetah not having Rusty to learn from...and Rusty not having Buster to learn from... I may need to. most behavior I've seen, I have re-read the articles to confirm what I thought I was seeing.

It might be helpful to others to post your problem and solution though!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Excellent idea. I need more meal worms. I will try this.

It does occur to me that our hands are kind of scary, like a giant octopus, a lot of appendages for little chicks to see and track and figure out what's happening. So maybe also keep fingers together at first?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Happy Friday!
View attachment 2836142

Compliments if Minnie. Molt had started, but she still looked OK in the back!

Her fluff looks like starbursts, fireworks bursting! Really pretty!

 

[Cynthia12]

Fair warning: temp report (don't know how to do spoilers on my phone)



Crossing the divide this morning: a mile before to a mile after....



20 degrees Fahrenheit. yes that is Two-Zero, freezing temps.

DEATH TO THE FIRES!!!

Our rain has passed, flood rain.. now we are on alert from 2:00 to 8:00 for high winds. Up to 50 miles per hour! When we get these alerts, we know we're in for microbursts. If I can, I'll snap a photo when the trees, are bent. We usually have trees down here and there throughout town. We're grateful for rain in our state. We've been in drought for a couple of years. But lately, we're getting answered prayers, by the torrents! Now the wind.

 

[Cynthia12]

Miss my girls.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Hi folks. Why do we have to have drama and illness in our flocks of lovelies? Ruby is as good as can be expected. Still eating, drinking and pooping, but is VERY bloated. She keeps jumping out the coop door off an upper roost, which is chest height on me. I might have to take those down, as I fear she’s going to hurt herself.

Minnie’s clogged crop has cleared, but she’s starving herself. I’m helping along with tubing.

Sunshine is not laying properly. I suspect she has an issue like Dorothy, so I’m giving calcium periodically and started her on doxycycline yesterday. She has very few shelled eggs. I found a weird, wrinkly egg only to discover the egg was fine and had a smooth, firm shell, but was encased in some sort of membrane. Something is seriously wrong with her reproductive system and I might put her on hormones, which reminds me, how is Naenae? (I tried to tag Lady Red, but it tagged someone else).

Roxy was moving very slowly last night. I am strongly hoping it’s just that her molt is about to start, but if course fear something else.

I had hoped since we seem to be past the peak of summer heat, I wouldn’t have to worry about more losses right now, but these girls are giving keeping me busy!

I liked this post with a "love," meaning sending you love and strength, not that I loved what angst you're going through! Also Love for the update on your flock, and that you reached out.

I wonder if because chickens are so good at hiding their problems, they appear "easy" to take care of to many people. Then they inexplicably die. I think this is distance flock-raising. Those people throw out some feed and water, collect eggs, and walk away.
But the more one learns, and learns what to look for, or even notices because one is paying attention and spending time with them, the more complex the picture becomes. They are each our children to a lot of us here. This isn't an original thought of course.
My farmer friends - she is really attached to her goats, knows them all as individuals, and thinks the chickens are easy, comparatively. But the chickens are not her thing, nor are they under her care primarily, so she doesn't engage with them at the level her partner does.