Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

I too am perplexed by the calcium loss. She is not laying eggs so why is she losing calcium?

Even though I just bought all flock, I need to move everyone to layer. I just used up the layer I bought for Sansa. I mean she has been on layer food! This is weird.

Given your background, my last post might make more sense to you. Seems a poorly functioning liver can negatively affect blood calcium levels. (I'm guessing if that happens, the body pulls calcium from the bone to compensate? Calcium is one of the signaling ions, in the nervous system, no??)

So, maybe if you can get the liver on a better path, a lot of other things will fall into place? I am completely at a loss to help in how to do that other than addressing the low level infection....which you are doing. I so hope you can get to the bottom of this for yours & Lilly's sake!

I'm so sorry @BY Bob I wish I knew more biology & could provide helpful suggestions. (I'm not good at 'watching from a distance' and feeling helpless. ) Lilly is such a good girl - beautiful, stern but fair (in the chicken world), and very much a leader. I am always impressed at how composed she is when 'out & about'. And how loyal and defensive/protective of her 'girls'. (I remember her reaction to Sansa's protests at the vet, and also recall you saying she was comforting Hattie at the vets!)

 

[Scrambles83]

Poppy is gone. I went out to let everyone loose this morning and while opening the door to the coop Poppy flew off the roost and crashed into the door. Thankfully it was quick and she was gone almost instantly although I'm shattered and been in tears all day.

Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry!!

 

[Scrambles83]

She's Out!

Really fast update as i an on Hawk patrol. Look who is out standing in the middle of the yard today!View attachment 2988797View attachment 2988798

Yay Hattie

 

[Ponypoor]

I am supplementing with oyster shell. You will kill your roster with too much calcium. Stay with the all flock.

There is something else going on here. She has been on layer feed since Sansa saw the vet in November. She is not laying eggs. She should not need much calcium at all to stay in equilibrium. For some reason she is either losing calcium or cannot absorb it. An infection could cause that but that would be a long term infection.

Your wife will know, elderly means all sorts of things can go wrong, why do they call it golden years? Don't they mean fools Gold?

 

[Ponypoor]

I'm sorry I have caused you to worry.

I seem to put these things onto myself - mum told me I seems to attract worry and trouble ... Even tho I hate drama! Tonight I had to control the bedtime drama haha, the little roosterlet Dixie Chixie Drumstick is gonna be toast!

He was being such a brat, I locked him out of the hen house when I did horse chores, he wouldn't settle so i figured it would teach him a lesson to be away from eveeyone. Not so!

He bopped around with me, picking up feed Reenie dropped onto the ground, exploring, visiting Truly to see if she had any dropped feed .. he had a grand old time! I was almost tempted to leave him in the main barn but it's so mild tonight I have both doors open at the ends of the barn and who knows what critters can walk through, so I finally had to forcibly catch him and put him to bed! He is a cute little character (you can exchange character with the f word ha!) when there are no other chickens around.

 

[Ponypoor]

The calcium and bones issue is insanely complicated in humans, re osteoporosis, I would expect it to be similar in chickens. Intake, metabolism, the use by the body of the calcium in the bones and the replenishment back into the bones, the blood calcium needs and whatnot (scientific term there) - the endocrine system's role, etc and the effects of load on the bones. All these things play a part. I probably left something out!

....the role calcium, potassium, and phosphorus and sodium play in nerve function, cardiac function, muscle functioning yep living creatures are amazing. And very complicated as you say.

 

[Ponypoor]

I wish I knew. I'm not sure exactly what the liver does other than metabolize some things and helps in regulating blood glucose levels.

I just found this basic article, which has more information than I knew...but is pretty vague on the aspect you mentioned:
10 functions of the liver
This article seems more to your point....about calcium levels and liver function. It sounds like poor liver function affects calcium levels. However, this is far more complicated than I can discern with my non-existant background in bio/medicine. Maybe someone else knows better.
https://www.livestrong.com/article/548167-the-effect-of-calcium-on-the-liver/

Yes diseases like hemochromatosis in humans can interfere with calcium absorption, this runs in my family (if you are of Celtic decent it is quite common, yet for some reason often overlooked by drs), I am sure im other animals similar disease process and aging could have that problem.

I am interested to see what the blood work shows.

 

[Ponypoor]

Wanted 6, currently have about 30 adults and 9 fresh hatched chicks. Lol.

Baby pics are needed

 

[Ponypoor]

I flipped a coin. (Best 2 out of 3) and Jaffar won. He’s staying inside with me tonight. (I needed an alarm cluck for tomorrow anyways!)

If any of you had a roo, then wouldn’t you? (I thought so too)!

Read my rant if you can find it about my Dixie Chixie Drumstick tonight, he is a naughty boy! But cute

 

[micstrachan]

I used to worry quite a bit about the high levels of calcium in the layer feed, now I don’t. I just feed the layer, and offer calcium as a side too. My roosters seem to enjoy it too, or at least using it as girlfriend bait! Birds are in many ways similar to reptiles. This has me thinking about metabolic bone disease in animals like bearded dragons, which require adequate UVB light to metabolize the calcium. I know D3 is often needed to be supplemented as well for them to maintain bone density… just spitballing ideas

D3 is definitely one of the things on my brain.