Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

I have not deployed the heated water dish yet. They have thawed pretty quickly in the morning.

Yes - and of course Gatorade didn't freeze at all!
Looks like at least another couple of weeks before I need the new waterer.

 

[BY Bob]

A Little Something for MJ

A treat for when she wakes up Monday morning.

 

[BY Bob]

I just wish I could get her to eat commercial feed.

I'll agree with that. Have you tried chick feed? Mine got crazy for it when it spills. Especially my molters. You can get a small bag and see.

 

[Shadrach]

Michelle,
You can put her on your lap without 'handling' her. slip your hand/finger behind her legs...just above her feet an gently press...and she may 'step back' onto your hand...and you can lift her to your leg. @Shadrach explained this waaaayyyy back (Cat.P days). I'll see if I can find that post and edit with quote/link.

EDIT:
Okay, ?help in effective searches? I can't easily find it, and @Shadrach's post I mentioned is somewhere in the first 1100 pages of this thread! (probably not the first couple hundred...but beyond that I can't narrow the pages to search) and searching for @Shadrach on this thread, it won't go back far enough

I don't find the search facility much use when looking for something specific.
For me the easiest way is to go to a posters prifile page, click on postings, then click on show more, and go through the posts using the most likely date range.
In this innstance the stuff about chickens stepping back is in this article.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/getting-chickens-out-of-trees-and-into-their-coops.75511/

 

[RoyalChick]

I'll agree with that. Have you tried chick feed? Mine got crazy for it when it spills. Especially my molters. You can get a small bag and see.

Oh that is a good idea. Will try.

 

[Shadrach]

Didn’t we work out that saline isn’t good for chicken eyes, but rather boiled and cooled plain water? I might have to pay SHRA tax I realise.

The whole saline business is so deeply embedded in peoples heads that it's almost impossible to get people to realise that chickens do not use the water in their bodies the same way as humans.
The first thing that needs to be understood is chickens do not sweat; they don't have sweat glands.
What chickens do do is secrete oil. They have a preen gland at the base of their back and oil is also secreted at the points of feather growth.
While chickens do secrete some water in the glands that provide the fluiid thhat cleans their eyes it is not saline like in humans.
Once this is understood it then makes washing chickens a bit of a nonsense. Yes, a light soaking of some rear end encrusted poop can help in cleaning but it should be clear that trying to clean an oil based system with water is never going to work and in many cases does more harm than good.
As lozzyR writes, plain water is best for eye cleaning.

 

[bgmathteach]

It's funny because I think Sansa is spectacular. But visitors to fluffy butt acres prefer Sydney. I love Aurora's beard and muffs and Hattie's coloring is amazing right now. Then there is Lilly iridescent in the sunshine. All amazing but Sydney always wins.

You are correct, @BY Bob, all of your ladies are gorgeous! I am partial to BRs, but I have my own...so I happen to take a fancy to your Hattie - the lovely Lavender O, and such a lady to boot!, Sansa, such absolutely wonderful coloring,and of course, Phyllis with her unique personality and Jackie O headress. And, of course Aurora, with her 'subtle' (tongue in cheek) personality that is larger than life, and those beautiful muffs & beard. But Lilly has such irridescence and state of presence..who can actually pick?? (can't yet include the littles in this comparison, as cute littles always win against the adults!)
i get to live vicariously through everyone else's breeds! It does help me be a bit more content with the breeds I have, being able to 'experience' other breeds through everyone on this thread!

 

[Shadrach]

Saline is fine as a rinse for eyes.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323842#_noHeaderPrefixedContent

http://www.poultrydvm.com/condition/conjunctivitis

I can't agree and even if you trust poultry dvm the addition of salt is unnecessary when ph neutral water would be the recommendation by any reputable source for any eye wash.

 

[bgmathteach]

The whole saline business is so deeply embedded in peoples heads that it's almost impossible to get people to realise that chickens do not use the water in their bodies the same way as humans.
The first thing that needs to be understood is chickens do not sweat; they don't have sweat glands.
What chickens do do is secrete oil. They have a preen gland at the base of their back and oil is also secreted at the points of feather growth.
While chickens do secrete some water in the glands that provide the fluiid thhat cleans their eyes it is not saline like in humans.
Once this is understood it then makes washing chickens a bit of a nonsense. Yes, a light soaking of some rear end encrusted poop can help in cleaning but it should be clear that trying to clean an oil based system with water is never going to work and in many cases does more harm than good.
As lozzyR writes, plain water is best for eye cleaning.

Informative!
Unfortunately, my tap water is not suitable (well water) it is extremely hard water, so it is distilled (only able to be gotten by the gallon), or sterile saline that are my real options.

Why would a poultry vet site say it is okay if it isn't? Like @BY Bob and others, I have no access to avian vets here. My dog/cat vet has given general advise (like when I had to amputate a leg...she confirmed that my dressings and topical applications were suitable to prevent infection and allow wound to heal...but only because I happened to have a dog annual visit that coincided with this need. She won't address things otherwise.

 

[rural mouse]

Early roosters are not fun. This time change works for us somehow but the animals do not understand at all.

The number of states who have passed bills petitioning Congress/Department of (Interior? Transportation?) To stay on daylight savings boggles the mind. Mostly northern states, but Tennessee and Florida are on that list too. Correction, they're all over: Louisianna, Arkansas, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, Montana, Maine, Washington, Georgia, Delaware, Utah. Looks like the time change isn't working so well for us either.

Had the kitty staring in the window at me asking for his breakfast, which is late from yesterday's time. Missed the pic.