Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

I'm working my way through them slowly trying to work out what is moult, what is feather pecking and what is the result of their earlier life. They're a pretty scruffy lot.
I've given all the Ex Batts some vitamins and everyone got fish for supper.
I haven't found any with lice yet. I guess I've checked 7 now including Henry The Second.
I got soaked this afternoon weeding the nettles from inside their run and from under the tree just outside it. Pulled out bits of plastic, broken wooden fencing pales, wite netting, string, plastic pipe, nails and discovered a small apple tree in the weeds.

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Good finding an apple tree! Looks like you have a Roadrunner there (picture #5).

 

[RoyalChick]

Advice for Hazel?

I'm not horribly concerned as she's doing chickeny things with more energy, foraging well and she's fiercely pecking others away now, chasing Popcorn around, away from whatever she's digging, to take her place. She had been much less confrontational before during the heaviest part of the molt. Now I've seen her get a couple of worms and she's digging with gusto. She eats dandelion greens, sardines (need to get more), but won't eat sunflower seeds or walnuts too readily. She did eat some yogurt & crumbles mash balls yesterday and one or two today. I have not really seen her eat pellets when I've been with them. I have baby bird feed on order for the future. She just doesn't get in there and mix it up with everyone for food like she used to. She hangs back. Anything else special for her, or shall I just watch her and there's no need to try to get her to eat as this will take it's natural course?

This is her first real molt, hasn't eaten a lot, is still resting more than anyone else, and today I determined who's been having watery poops because I saw her jet one out today. And the wall of the coop had some poop on it, that's unusual). I thought if that keeps up I'll try my first fecal float (that's been a project going along and progressing, I had to get some of my mom's estate boxes gone though and cleared away to make room).

Anyway she is drinking well so I think -hope-she's keeping up. Yesterday I felt quite a keel, seemed to me she was skinnier than I remembered, and so I compared to the other three. I don't have the proper scale to know exactly what she weighs, should be a human scale but digital?

Anyway by comparison Popcorn and Peanut have a keel you can feel but there's much more meat on either side of it. Butters, who makes a beeline for the feeder in the morning, tops up a few times in the evening, and eats a few pellets whenever she can, has a keel line but it's there with the most plumpness on either side of any of them. She's also always been the largest-boned bird since she was a chick, she's a relatively big girl. Traditionally Butters is biggest, then Popcorn, Hazel, and then Peanut. But I'd say Peanut is bigger, firmer than Hazel right now.

Any thoughts?

Sounds like how Maggie behaved during her first molt - I mentioned it in my big long Maggie post a few pages back - but she would only eat bugs and worms. I didn't know to try sardines at that stage, but I doubt she would have eaten them.
She is molting again now and today I noticed she was very vigorous in her foraging but showed no interest in the regular food.

 

[Lady Red]

A Monday Chick Fix for Everyone

Wow! Their colors are so impressive!

 

[Lady Red]

I'm working my way through them slowly trying to work out what is moult, what is feather pecking and what is the result of their earlier life. They're a pretty scruffy lot.
I've given all the Ex Batts some vitamins and everyone got fish for supper.
I haven't found any with lice yet. I guess I've checked 7 now including Henry The Second.
I got soaked this afternoon weeding the nettles from inside their run and from under the tree just outside it. Pulled out bits of plastic, broken wooden fencing pales, wite netting, string, plastic pipe, nails and discovered a small apple tree in the weeds.

View attachment 2848628View attachment 2848629View attachment 2848630View attachment 2848631View attachment 2848632View attachment 2848627

I'm a broken record....but I'm so happy for you and the birds

 

[Lady Red]

Advice for Hazel?

I'm not horribly concerned as she's doing chickeny things with more energy, foraging well and she's fiercely pecking others away now, chasing Popcorn around, away from whatever she's digging, to take her place. She had been much less confrontational before during the heaviest part of the molt. Now I've seen her get a couple of worms and she's digging with gusto. She eats dandelion greens, sardines (need to get more), but won't eat sunflower seeds or walnuts too readily. She did eat some yogurt & crumbles mash balls yesterday and one or two today. I have not really seen her eat pellets when I've been with them. I have baby bird feed on order for the future. She just doesn't get in there and mix it up with everyone for food like she used to. She hangs back. Anything else special for her, or shall I just watch her and there's no need to try to get her to eat as this will take it's natural course?

This is her first real molt, hasn't eaten a lot, is still resting more than anyone else, and today I determined who's been having watery poops because I saw her jet one out today. And the wall of the coop had some poop on it, that's unusual). I thought if that keeps up I'll try my first fecal float (that's been a project going along and progressing, I had to get some of my mom's estate boxes gone though and cleared away to make room).

Anyway she is drinking well so I think -hope-she's keeping up. Yesterday I felt quite a keel, seemed to me she was skinnier than I remembered, and so I compared to the other three. I don't have the proper scale to know exactly what she weighs, should be a human scale but digital?

Anyway by comparison Popcorn and Peanut have a keel you can feel but there's much more meat on either side of it. Butters, who makes a beeline for the feeder in the morning, tops up a few times in the evening, and eats a few pellets whenever she can, has a keel line but it's there with the most plumpness on either side of any of them. She's also always been the largest-boned bird since she was a chick, she's a relatively big girl. Traditionally Butters is biggest, then Popcorn, Hazel, and then Peanut. But I'd say Peanut is bigger, firmer than Hazel right now.

Any thoughts?

No inputs from me, but I'm interested in your post and the responses....my girls are still under 1 year and haven't had full molts. Feel like they are so skinny (except Pingu, who has lovely heft), so I worry about weight loss. Molt, broody... not looking forward to these stages...

 

[featherhead007]

Advice for Hazel?

I'm not horribly concerned as she's doing chickeny things with more energy, foraging well and she's fiercely pecking others away now, chasing Popcorn around, away from whatever she's digging, to take her place. She had been much less confrontational before during the heaviest part of the molt. Now I've seen her get a couple of worms and she's digging with gusto. She eats dandelion greens, sardines (need to get more), but won't eat sunflower seeds or walnuts too readily. She did eat some yogurt & crumbles mash balls yesterday and one or two today. I have not really seen her eat pellets when I've been with them. I have baby bird feed on order for the future. She just doesn't get in there and mix it up with everyone for food like she used to. She hangs back. Anything else special for her, or shall I just watch her and there's no need to try to get her to eat as this will take it's natural course?

This is her first real molt, hasn't eaten a lot, is still resting more than anyone else, and today I determined who's been having watery poops because I saw her jet one out today. And the wall of the coop had some poop on it, that's unusual). I thought if that keeps up I'll try my first fecal float (that's been a project going along and progressing, I had to get some of my mom's estate boxes gone though and cleared away to make room).

Anyway she is drinking well so I think -hope-she's keeping up. Yesterday I felt quite a keel, seemed to me she was skinnier than I remembered, and so I compared to the other three. I don't have the proper scale to know exactly what she weighs, should be a human scale but digital?

Anyway by comparison Popcorn and Peanut have a keel you can feel but there's much more meat on either side of it. Butters, who makes a beeline for the feeder in the morning, tops up a few times in the evening, and eats a few pellets whenever she can, has a keel line but it's there with the most plumpness on either side of any of them. She's also always been the largest-boned bird since she was a chick, she's a relatively big girl. Traditionally Butters is biggest, then Popcorn, Hazel, and then Peanut. But I'd say Peanut is bigger, firmer than Hazel right now.

Any thoughts?

Buy an ear of corn and let her do her chicken thing with it. Works great for my chooks

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Buy an ear of corn and let her do her chicken thing with it. Works great for my chooks

I have corn in the freezer for them, some would be fine to give them I guess, it's not a great food but there's calories! PS Just came inside from putting the chickens to bed and DH has on a Clint Eastwood movie called Cry Macho, I'm watching because there's a rooster stealing every scene. I hope the rooster doesn't meet a bad end though. After all it's a western..

 

[rural mouse]

Is that big macs, raincoats, or apple macs?

All of the above

 

[Lady Red]

I have corn in the freezer for them, some would be fine to give them I guess, it's not a great food but there's calories! PS Just came inside from putting the chickens to bed and DH has on a Clint Eastwood movie called Cry Macho, I'm watching because there's a rooster stealing every scene. I hope the rooster doesn't meet a bad end though. After all it's a western..

I've heard the rooster is the scene stealer several times. The only Eastwood film I've any personal experience with is Gran Tarino, which was good despite horribly inaccurate about the neighborhood it was attempting to portray.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Was last year her first major moult?
The hens from the tribes made very heavy weather of their first moult; wouldn't eat the feed provided, wandered away from the tribe to forage, looked completely miserable and left me feeling very worried about them.
Come the second full moult most took it in their stride. They still kept away from the rest of the tribe by a few feet but stayed within hearing distance of their rooster. Some prefered to sleep in the nest boxes at the worst part of the moult but went back to normal roosting fairly quickly.

This is helpful. Hazel has been early to bed, and somebody's been in the nest box too at night, though not pooping in it, just leaving feathers, might have been her.