Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

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?

It’s common for my birds to drop weight during molt. I’d just keep a close watch and make sure she’s eating SOMETHING.

What are your nighttime temps like? Last year my Ester had her first molt, which was quite a hard molt, and got weak and hypothermic. Does Hazel still have a decent amount of feathers?

 

[micstrachan]

A Monday Chick Fix for Everyone

Oh my gosh, Bob. Cuteness overload!!! They are really getting gorgeous, too!

 

[micstrachan]

Oh thank you - I needed that!
They seem to be looking more similar to each other now - or do I detect a slight difference in color?
They are beyond adorable - though I did notice a bit of feather pulling going on!

I need to go back out now and do more on my drainage ditch. Maggie and Diana have figured out that they can jump down into the ditch and follow it out under the fence to the big wide world.
The first time they did that (about an hour ago) they very sensibly took a look around, jumped back in the ditch and reversed direction and ran back to safety. But this means I need to finish my drainage project ASAP. I have some down time between calls so I have to get digging!

Oh, yikes! That’s a scary security breach!

 

[AfiafiAfi]

Thank you. It just came to me one day.

Here are some previous ones

Goodness they’re cuties!!!!

 

[Blazinga]

No more Babyface

 

[Marie2020]

Shad, I can’t wait to watch their progress. This reminds me of an old thread I go back to from time to time when I need a refresher on focusing on flock wellness instead of illness (now would be a good time, actually, since there has been a lot of illness lately.)

I am not in the cull-all-sick-birds camp, but other than that, I find her husbandry fantastic to learn from… so wise and effective!

Oh, and I’d say photo #5 is definitely a Cream Legbar!

That thread is brilliant. I really want too keep a hold on it

My phone confuses me, I've been trying to bookmark this thread and can't for the life of me get it onto my desktop .

 

[Scrambles83]

No more Babyface
View attachment 2848933View attachment 2848934

Muffs and beard in

 

[AfiafiAfi]

Lilly ft Era’s a Monday mugshots arriving SOON….
P.s I’m sending some of their pics on Thursday….this day awaits……probably…

 

[MaryJanet]

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?

I've noticed first adult moults are hard work for the hen or rooster. All of my hens felt unwell and cut back on their food. Once they were through moulting, they flourished again.

 

[featherhead007]

You know Alex, have you considered building a second coop for Arizona and Dakota sort of like the current Phyllis situation?

I thought about it. But that’s as far as I got