Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

I have a sick hen. It's Volt, the black hen in the picture below.
Yesterday she looked a bit down and subdued. She is moulting but nothing very drastic.
Today I didn't like the look of her at all. I was a bit surprised when she was very easy to pick up and didn't complain at a very thorough inspection. She has lice and mites and coccidiosis. She may also have other internal problems; not unexpected n rescues and Ex Batts. She has a very messy bum which isn't helping.
With normal well cared for chickens such problems are if caught early enough relatively easy to put right. There is an added problem that many of the drugs I could get easily in Spain are very difficult to get in the UK. Effective mite treatment is particulalry difficult mainly because it is likely to contain permethrin. For chickens with the past history of these including they way they've been kept at the allotment, their immune system is weak and what a fit chicken would shake off can quickly kill chickens such as these.
Fortunately I have already sourced this which is meant for pigeons.

https://www.harkersonline.co.uk/product/treatments/new-2018-harkers-4-1-soluble/

Getting the dosage right per chicken is a bit of a performance especially given I have to dose in one hit; that is I can't just use it in the water as recommended.
Having checked Volt over I managed to catch seven more hens and check them over. None that I could see had the mite and lice problem Volt has.
Once the chickens are out it's very difficult to get them back in until dusk so I spent a while with Volt on my lap picking the lice off from around her ears and eyes and cleaning the worst of the runny poop that was spread from her vent down. When I put her back on the ground she just stood in one place looking miserable and sick.
I let her go to roost with the rest and when I had finished the cleaning up etc reached into the coop, lifted her out and took her home.
I got the first dose of Harkers down her tonight. She's in the shed in a large plastic box with a few towels under her. I cant bring her into the house because my daughter has a dog and it's a Husky.
I'm hoping the medication works fast enough to get her back with the others tomorrow. It's a five day course, the rest of which I can get down her at the allotment.
View attachment 2892256

Aww, poor Volt. I’m glad you’re on the case. Do you have any wood ash to dust her in?

 

[micstrachan]

I've posted a picture of the coop and run before but here it is again just to put what comes next into perspective. The coop itself is roughly 3ft x 5ft, say 15 square feet.
View attachment 2892338
This is what the inside of the coop looks like after being cleaned out and then used for one night.
View attachment 2892344
This is what it looks like cleaned out and using straw I bought rather than the shredded paper I've been supplied with for bedding.
An idio t designed the coop. I wont go into all the problems with the design; some should be apparent.
View attachment 2892347

There are 22 chickens that sleep in there. This is what that looks like. They have been living like this for over two years. The most recent additions the spring just gone increased the population from about 18 I believe.
View attachment 2892346
In case the person who asked me why I bothered trying to take care of someone elses chickens reads this, the answer should be obvious to anyone with even the slightest trace of compassion.

Poor, sweet babies. You are a good man, Shad.

 

[BY Bob]

That’s quite a day! Butt grass!!!

It's going to stick........like you know.........Butt Grass!

 

[BY Bob]

Elphie would have been my guess, too.

Add you to the Elphie category. That's 3 Elphies

 

[MaryJanet]

I have a sick hen. It's Volt, the black hen in the picture below.
Yesterday she looked a bit down and subdued. She is moulting but nothing very drastic.
Today I didn't like the look of her at all. I was a bit surprised when she was very easy to pick up and didn't complain at a very thorough inspection. She has lice and mites and coccidiosis. She may also have other internal problems; not unexpected n rescues and Ex Batts. She has a very messy bum which isn't helping.
With normal well cared for chickens such problems are if caught early enough relatively easy to put right. There is an added problem that many of the drugs I could get easily in Spain are very difficult to get in the UK. Effective mite treatment is particulalry difficult mainly because it is likely to contain permethrin. For chickens with the past history of these including they way they've been kept at the allotment, their immune system is weak and what a fit chicken would shake off can quickly kill chickens such as these.
Fortunately I have already sourced this which is meant for pigeons.

https://www.harkersonline.co.uk/product/treatments/new-2018-harkers-4-1-soluble/

Getting the dosage right per chicken is a bit of a performance especially given I have to dose in one hit; that is I can't just use it in the water as recommended.
Having checked Volt over I managed to catch seven more hens and check them over. None that I could see had the mite and lice problem Volt has.
Once the chickens are out it's very difficult to get them back in until dusk so I spent a while with Volt on my lap picking the lice off from around her ears and eyes and cleaning the worst of the runny poop that was spread from her vent down. When I put her back on the ground she just stood in one place looking miserable and sick.
I let her go to roost with the rest and when I had finished the cleaning up etc reached into the coop, lifted her out and took her home.
I got the first dose of Harkers down her tonight. She's in the shed in a large plastic box with a few towels under her. I cant bring her into the house because my daughter has a dog and it's a Husky.
I'm hoping the medication works fast enough to get her back with the others tomorrow. It's a five day course, the rest of which I can get down her at the allotment.
View attachment 2892256

Poor Volt. She does look uncomfortable in the photo.

 

[LozzyR]

I am feeling a bit more optimistic about Minnie because of this.

View attachment 2890953

I really hope I did the spoiler correctly. I suspect only @MaryJanet will really understand my joy!

That you did the spoiler correctly, or for the healthy- looking poo?

 

[fuentemoon]

Guessing update:

@rural mouse and @bgmathteach have both guessed Elphie. Does anyone else have a guess?

I am going to guess one of the originals, Dolly or Trisha.

 

[MaryJanet]

Well they could have done better - you already have! I don't imagine this was a poverty issue. It may have been an ignorance issue. I hope it wasn't an uncaring issue.

Good point.

 

[RoyalChick]

Guessing update:

@rural mouse and @bgmathteach have both guessed Elphie. Does anyone else have a guess?

I thought Elphie as well but imagine now we may be wrong.

 

[Marie2020]

I have a sick hen. It's Volt, the black hen in the picture below.
Yesterday she looked a bit down and subdued. She is moulting but nothing very drastic.
Today I didn't like the look of her at all. I was a bit surprised when she was very easy to pick up and didn't complain at a very thorough inspection. She has lice and mites and coccidiosis. She may also have other internal problems; not unexpected n rescues and Ex Batts. She has a very messy bum which isn't helping.
With normal well cared for chickens such problems are if caught early enough relatively easy to put right. There is an added problem that many of the drugs I could get easily in Spain are very difficult to get in the UK. Effective mite treatment is particulalry difficult mainly because it is likely to contain permethrin. For chickens with the past history of these including they way they've been kept at the allotment, their immune system is weak and what a fit chicken would shake off can quickly kill chickens such as these.
Fortunately I have already sourced this which is meant for pigeons.

https://www.harkersonline.co.uk/product/treatments/new-2018-harkers-4-1-soluble/

Getting the dosage right per chicken is a bit of a performance especially given I have to dose in one hit; that is I can't just use it in the water as recommended.
Having checked Volt over I managed to catch seven more hens and check them over. None that I could see had the mite and lice problem Volt has.
Once the chickens are out it's very difficult to get them back in until dusk so I spent a while with Volt on my lap picking the lice off from around her ears and eyes and cleaning the worst of the runny poop that was spread from her vent down. When I put her back on the ground she just stood in one place looking miserable and sick.
I let her go to roost with the rest and when I had finished the cleaning up etc reached into the coop, lifted her out and took her home.
I got the first dose of Harkers down her tonight. She's in the shed in a large plastic box with a few towels under her. I cant bring her into the house because my daughter has a dog and it's a Husky.
I'm hoping the medication works fast enough to get her back with the others tomorrow. It's a five day course, the rest of which I can get down her at the allotment.
View attachment 2892256

I use benonite clay for mites

It's a swing between that and oil