Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

Her and Phyllis are on the roost together again tonight. They did it mostly without my help. Sylvie kept going in and out of the coop, up and down on the roost but I simply told her to go back in and she would.

The end result....
View attachment 2905027

This makes me even more certain that Sylvie's going to cope just fine. I don't think you need to be worried about her Bob.

 

[MaryJanet]

And you know what? I'm proud of her and I'm proud of Phyllis.

 

[micstrachan]

And you know what? I'm proud of her and I'm proud of Phyllis.

Me, too! I’m proud of them and think they will become friends.

 

[Shadrach]

This is sweet. Is almond oil a good thing to put on their combs and wattles? Since it's edible I'm thinking yes, better than Vaseline? I have not done either, but if this is something chickens might enjoy I would try it and see if the Buckeyes like it. I know I would like it. They aren't lap chickens and I don't handle them much unless I need to see something close up on them, and now they're molting I haven't at all. They do like to be very close, will forage and hang out underfoot, and groom my clothes when next to me (or explore folds and eat pilled fiber, more likely!)

I've never lived anywhere cold enough to warrent winter comb care so I don't know if it works or what's best to use.

 

[RoyalChick]

I've never lived anywhere cold enough to warrent winter comb care so I don't know if it works or what's best to use.

The whole oiling for winter thing has a lot of conflicting ‘evidence’ and no real studies.
Some experts swear by it and some say it makes it worse.
The only scientific study I found was a study done on conscripts in Finland. That found a statistically significant increase in frostbite where Vaseline and other equivalent thick greasy treatments were used.
The authors were not sure of the mechanism but have the hypothesis that by occluding the outer layer of skin, water is trapped in the next layer and is more likely to freeze.
Of course this is human skin which is probably different, and also in dry cold conditions not the moist cold that can happen in a poorly ventilated chicken coop.
I was amused by the design of the study - they treated half the face of each conscript and compared the two halves. Poor souls got frostbite on one cheek or ear!

http://jultika.oulu.fi/files/isbn9514259882.pdf

 

[Shadrach]

Can the shock of a near-miss kill them? The physical functions stop working well, need for warmth and water increased. She may have been a long time without either. Heart attack?

Another thought is blunt trauma, hit from a hawk without talons reaching their mark, and she was able to scramble into the brush, but was internally injured.

Yes shock can kill them luckily. That may read a bit strange but better if the shock kills them than living through having bits torn off.

 

[Shadrach]

Playing in the Leaves
View attachment 2904877View attachment 2904879View attachment 2904880
Look carefully and you can see a third eyelid.

Lovely pictures again.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Her and Phyllis are on the roost together again tonight. They did it mostly without my help. Sylvie kept going in and out of the coop, up and down on the roost but I simply told her to go back in and she would.

The end result....
View attachment 2905027

How close together were they? Any chance you might reposition the camera so you (us, too, really!) can see that when you check in and get a picture? I'm curious if she is slowly shuffling closer to Phyllis. A view like how it is in the big coop? The same height as here to get the floor view, but in the right-hand corner?

 

[rural mouse]

Cheering pic from around a week ago. Thing NEVER eats with someone else at the feeder except for Blanche (who has been known to look out for Thing. Cuckoo was at the feeder and Thing came up to join her!

They both stayed amicably.

 

[bgmathteach]

Gratuitous chick pic: (the early days) View attachment 2904963

@featherhead007 , you seem to have a lot of rocks laying around on your property...maybe you should consider picking them up?