Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Aussie-Chookmum]

And then there's the losses. We have to be tough (physically, mentally, emotionally), persistent, stubborn, determined, occassionally broken (encouraged by friends like here)....the list foes on (autocorrect didn't fix that one? It is kinda appropriate).

I read that as:
"We have to be tough (physically, mentally, emotionally), persistent, stubborn, demented...."

I thought,
"Yes, that sounds about right"

 

[Marie2020]

Probiotics is another way to go. However you should not give probiotics with ACV.

I'm learning something new every day here. Thanks Bob

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Dont like them either...something about the sauce, lack of tomatoes and dill pickles... by preference, I like elk burgers with mushrooms, bacon and Swiss cheese.

Creativity tax (from my solidly Android, almost 6 year old phone)
View attachment 2845905Yes, these are SOAP.

Happy as a pig in mud. So clever. I love them!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

And tell @BY Bob … stop slapping your forehead! It’s me Alex, could you expect anything less from me!

Because i know you, I expect to have to slap my forehead at least once a day.

With @featherhead007 around you are risking concussion BYBob.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

A year for Maggie (and RC)
Warning: long post.

The last couple of weeks has been an important milestone for Maggie and @BY Bob said it was OK for me to mark the occasion here.

On September 18, 2020 I found this in the nest box.

Spoiler: Warning - not for the squeamish

View attachment 2846580View attachment 2846581

I had no idea what it was and no idea who laid it. Everyone was acting normal and all cameras were deployed monitoring rodents and other, scarier, visitors.

I did research and learned that it was a lash egg – a sign of serious and long standing infection in the reproductive tract. I also learned that it is invariably fatal with the maximum life expectancy of less than 6 months.

I confirmed it was Maggie who laid it. She had stopped laying real eggs and laid one more lash egg a few days later.

Off she went to the vet.

View attachment 2846585

Because of Covid I wasn’t allowed in with her but she apparently wandered around the vet’s office investigating everything while she waited for him. The vet-tech was rather taken with her and fed her the blueberries I had brought.

The vet was very kind but confirmed what everyone else had told me which was that she would not live long. He offered to euthanize her but agreed with my view that it was a bit premature as she still had quality of life. I felt reassured that he would be able to put her out of her misery when the time came.

He also educated me about production breeds who are not really expected to live past 2 years. I spent quite a while really upset and furious about that and I still am.

Everyone on this thread was very kind and supportive. @BY Bob encouraged me not to give up on Maggie and at the same time helped me be prepared for the worst.

And I resolved to spend as much time as possible with Maggie and make sure her remaining time was as wonderful as possible.

Maggie visibly declined. She started molting and wouldn’t eat anything that wasn’t alive. I dug for worms, I trapped beetles, and I bought live mealy worms to tempt her to eat. I provided heaps of leaves so she could pick through them for bugs.

Slowly she started to develop new feathers
View attachment 2846587

And to share in some treats
View attachment 2846588

And then much to my surprise, on January 23rd – 4 months after the lash egg - she laid a normal egg. I think nobody was more surprised than @BY Bob who posted:
“She successfully laid an egg today!?!”
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-of-our-flock.1286630/page-3059#post-23891234

So, I am marking this week as one year since Maggie got her death sentence.

I feel she has had a good chicken year.

She dug some deep holes.
View attachment 2846595

She explored snow.
View attachment 2846598

She shouted at me.
View attachment 2846601

She spent time with chicken friends.
View attachment 2846602

She sunbathed (a lot).
View attachment 2846606

She helped with construction projects.
View attachment 2846609

She shouted at me some more.
View attachment 2846611

She got in my face.
View attachment 2846613

She posed with her left side
View attachment 2846618

She posed with her right side
View attachment 2846621

She ate ice cream

She sunbathed some more
View attachment 2846623

And she cooled off by dunking her wattles.

Today, a full year later, she is still shouting at me, she is still in my face, and she is the undisputed queen of the long grass.

View attachment 2846625

* * *
Thank you all for indulging me in this post and joining me to celebrate Maggie's gift and mine - a whole year of chicken fun together.

What a wonderful visual journal of Maggie's year.

Thank you for sharing RC.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I am genuinely interested in the viscosity of the egg whites of older hens.

Can anyone comment?

Sorry MJ. I have no idea.

I'm afraid I haven't been very observant of my eggs either @MaryJanet.
It will be interesting to see what others may have observed.

 

[Blazinga]

Well, that’s a bummer. How old is she? That sounds like the classic Mareks pose. Mareks symptoms can manifest under stress. I hope she feels better soon. Are you providing poultry vitamins?

Vitamin water provided. She's 15 weeks and was vaccinated for the main kind. It's really annoying trying to make a proper diagnosis when literally every symptom points to Marek's. Besides the walking issue she's perfectly fine.

 

[MaryJanet]

Vitamin water provided. She's 15 weeks and was vaccinated for the main kind. It's really annoying trying to make a proper diagnosis when literally every symptom points to Marek's. Besides the walking issue she's perfectly fine.

I'm sorry she's struggling.

 

[AfiafiAfi]

Vitamin water provided. She's 15 weeks and was vaccinated for the main kind. It's really annoying trying to make a proper diagnosis when literally every symptom points to Marek's. Besides the walking issue she's perfectly fine.

I’m so sorry

 

[AfiafiAfi]

Puff-puff had walking issues.The vet recommendations and hydration helped him get better