Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Shadrach]

I don't know if it was color or flavor but it was an unambiguous preference! The store only had fruit punch or lemon flavor so I got fruit punch. I am skeptical that she really needs it TBH because when I let her out she does go scratching around outside and eats stuff (not commercial food of course!).
I really need to learn this whole keel bone thing. I felt all of them this morning and they all feel the same degree of sharpness. Is it possible I am starving all my chickens? I don't even give them much in the way of treats so they mainly have commercial food and what they forage.
I do give kitchen scraps and I use sunflower seeds to bribe them to come in to be locked up if I am worried about hawks or am going to be away and once a week they get my left over Thai food rice.

I have written this before but it's worth repeating. The keel bone test will tell you nothing worthwhile.
You need to establish a chickens median weight over time and judge wieght loss and gain from that.

 

[Lexicon]

I notice that she still had a red comb. Isabella's face is ghostly pale. I have the day off from work tomorrow, so I am going to bundle up and hang out with the chickens to watch her behaviour.

I have spent a fair amount of time watching Isabella and so far she seems fine.

Her face and comb are pale, a light pink like a pullet who hasn't reached point of lay. She laid her last egg eleven days ago.

She has eaten her layers mash, wheatgrass fodder, and picked through table scraps from the compost. There isn't much scope for foraging now as most plants are dead or dormant and the ground is pretty frozen.

Her feathers are sparse all over with one visible bare patch of pin feathers on her neck/chest area. She is dropping lots of feathers.

My best guess is that this is just what a first heavy molt looks like. This is my first time navigating this with my hens. I have ten who are around 1.5 years old, four of whom are obviously mid-molt, dropping feathers steadily.

 

[Shadrach]

I just watched this to try and learn more about how to assess the chicken's keels. Everyone is going to be subjected to another keel exam later!

And yes, I did spot it is from the land of drop bears!

That's rather different than just feeling for the keel bone thouugh isn't it. It wasn't the amount the bone protruded that was being assessed, it was the amount and condition of the muscles either side of it.
That is a lot more like it imo.

 

[Marie2020]

Bob thinks he saw the hawk at the opticians a while later....

What a hawk spying on BobThis is serious you have to protect him

 

[Lady Red]

This is what I have. It has a lot of punch but I'm not sure it would deter a fox.

https://www.amazon.com/Nerf-Rival-Apollo-XV-700-Red/dp/B00VX9F4Q2/ref=sr_1_24?dchild=1&keywords=Nerf+rival&qid=1634744204&qsid=135-2865429-8763334&sr=8-24&sres=B01M7V3M3W,B083QZYBTP,B07M79LWXH,B07MFMG89J,B07ZDS4DC3,B0812GHR5Z,B01MG5QHC1,B00UD0UVMO,B07ZDS6FD5,B072K3GW3P,B00TDP75GA,B01IHFCZRA,B089QR5JWP,B01IK52R7K,B07Z11C8YV,B07RW81VDW,B08HSQVV3S,B07RWP44SH,B083QZPGX9,B076JQJJTQ

Fwiw, you can mod the nerf guns by removing the restrictor and it will shoot with greater velocity (and stings more).
My kids have about 20 modified about the house...I haven't done one myself, but have been shot with plenty of them

 

[RoyalChick]

That's rather different than just feeling for the keel bone thouugh isn't it. It wasn't the amount the bone protruded that was being assessed, it was the amount and condition of the muscles either side of it.
That is a lot more like it imo.

Yes. That is why I liked it. I still think I have to do it often to learn what normal feels like.

 

[Marie2020]

An update on my little patient Minnie (sorry a bit long - I just need to offload on folk who understand how I feel).
The plan was to let her roost each night and then haul her into the hospital for the night with food and electrolyte water so she could get electrolytes and an uninterrupted breakfast. The vet suggested Gatorade but I had some sachet's of chick electrolytes so I used those (vet said that was OK too).
The first night she chose to roost on her own so I executed the plan. Of course I have a camera in the hospital so I could keep an eye on her. I learned a lot from the first night's experience. From the camera I learned that she spent a lot of the night doing this. Every 10 to 15 minutes for most of the night.

To me it looked like she was trying to rearrange stuff in her crop. So, I got up at about 4:30am and hauled her out of her hospital bed and sure enough her crop felt like it had a big hard lump still in it. I gave her a couple of pellets of frozen coconut oil and I held her and massaged her crop. I didn't really know how to do that because @Shadrach had told us it needs to be quite strongly manipulated to break anything up, but on the other hand I was terrified of causing her to aspirate.
In the end she seemed to enjoy the cuddle and fell asleep tucked under my arm while I pummeled and squished her crop around. It definitely got smaller as a result of this manhandling, but also wasn't completely empty when I put her back to bed.
When it got light she informed me that she hates electrolyte water. She wouldn't touch it and just sat there head down and all hunched up. Naturally I thought my night-time intervention had killed her, but when I gave her plain water she drank and drank and drank and then perked right up and had some breakfast.

So on to the second night (last night) and of course the best laid plans.. .. .. she roosted with her buddies. I mean look at them. Can any of you say you honestly blame me for deciding to let her stay there? From left to right that is Dotty, Minnie, Diana, Maggie.

View attachment 2872164

I had a camera on her and she did do this, but only once the whole night.

I got up at about 5am (still dark) and picked her off the roost. Her crop was not empty but way less full than the day before. She got more coconut oil and a crop pummeling and then when put in the hospital bed where she consented to having a pretty long drink of Gatorade so now at least I know she got some electrolytes and some calories.

Onwards to another day - you can do this Minnie. Get better my baby!

I'm so relieved to read your update on Minnie, it is sounding like she is on the mend.

I didn't say anything but just as well because I would have been wrong, but was thinking back too a clip I saw on emptying the crop.

 

[Shadrach]

Abject Fear

I got my coffee this morning and headed out to supervise and visit with everyone this morning. It is a spectacular day. Not a cloud to be found, brilliant blue sky, warm sun, it just couldn't be nicer in the fall. I expected to find the littles cheeping away scratching around and the big ladies scratching away under the magnolia tree.

What greeted me was dead silence and nothing moving.

No song birds,no chickens, nothing. My heart sank.

I found the 6 big girls huddled under the apple trees, not moving. Stark still.

My heart sank. The littles!

I ran to The Hut, hoping they had stayed inside like they normally do in the morning.

They were not there. Still not a sound at all in the yard. Where will the littles.

A frantic search started. I could not find them anywhere. I searched for the tell tale white of the poofy heads as they blended in so well with the leaves, etc.

Nothing.

Then I saw floofy head. Thank God! But it was only 1. I had found Legertha but no Sylvie to be seen.

Legertha was hunched down in this corner alone, quiet, and unmoving.

View attachment 2872229

I figured that if Sylvie was still around, she would be nearby. I searched frantically but could find no sign of her.

As there was no predator around that I could see, I peeped at Legertha. Hoping that I could get a reaction that might spark a reaction from Sylvie. In my heart I was already certain that she was gone. Or else she would have been with Legertha. After a couple of peeps from me, Legertha peeped back and got up. I must of said the right thing?

Legertha got up and started peeping frantically and went under the grapevines like she was looking for Sylvie.

I followed. Here is what I found.

Spoiler: Sylvie

Sylvie was hidden in the corner of the big run under my chair.

View attachment 2872223
She was not responding to Legertha. So I zipped into the run and gathered her up. She was fine. I brought her out to Legertha and now they are sitting in the run extension making this purring sound. Can you hear it?

It is pretty clear that the hawk returned this morning. The song birds just alarmed argain and everyone dove for cover although this time I don't see the hawk. I'm going to have to stay out with them all day at this point or lock them up for a while.

Interesting. I've had terrible problems finding chicks after a predator strike successful or not. Mum sends them to cover and somehow they get told to stay exactly where she sent them and not make a sound. They will not show themselves until mum calls for them.
It was one of the problems with Barking Bracket. She would make the go hide and be quiet call okay but seemed to completely forget she even had any chicks and wander off with the tribe minus the chicks. I had to go and find them on a few occasions. In the end it was easier to catch Bracket and place her somewhere near where I though the chicks were and hope the chicks came out.

 

[Marie2020]

This is what I have. It has a lot of punch but I'm not sure it would deter a fox.

https://www.amazon.com/Nerf-Rival-Apollo-XV-700-Red/dp/B00VX9F4Q2/ref=sr_1_24?dchild=1&keywords=Nerf+rival&qid=1634744204&qsid=135-2865429-8763334&sr=8-24&sres=B01M7V3M3W,B083QZYBTP,B07M79LWXH,B07MFMG89J,B07ZDS4DC3,B0812GHR5Z,B01MG5QHC1,B00UD0UVMO,B07ZDS6FD5,B072K3GW3P,B00TDP75GA,B01IHFCZRA,B089QR5JWP,B01IK52R7K,B07Z11C8YV,B07RW81VDW,B08HSQVV3S,B07RWP44SH,B083QZPGX9,B076JQJJTQ

That's an interesting thought

 

[Shadrach]

Back for More

Well, I know exactly what it was. It was a hawk and it is after the littles. Just as I posted the other post, it attack again. This time it was foiled because I surprised it. I was on the deck and saw it coming in. I jumped up and started after it causing it to alter its flight and land on the fence. It did not wait for me to reach out before flying away.

It is a juvenile hawk smaller than my full grown hens. The red tailed hawks which we have here are larger than a normal hen. Here is where the hawk landed.
View attachment 2872269

There must have been an alarm because the littles had time to hide. I did not hear it but I was bent on intercepting the attack.

The littles are hidden in this photo. Can you find them?
View attachment 2872275

Spoiler: Here is where they are

View attachment 2872280

The littles are now locked into the big run. I just can't risk them free ranging. I will try opening it up right before dusk. Mostly so Phyllis could roost there if she wanted. I guess I will be outside a lot for the foreseeable future.

I really don't know how to get rid of it aside from shooting with the nerf gun.

I can only see the one in the centre bottom of the wood pile..