Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[fuentemoon]

I think it is the actual tomato plants, as in the leaves that are not healthy for chickens. The tomato fruit is fine. My Rosa absolutely loves tomatoes and she is going strong!

We must have been typing at the same time

 

[bgmathteach]

Any thoughts on the tomato plants?

Tomatoes themselves are fine, tomato PLANTS, no.

" The leaves and stems of the tomato plant should never be fed to chickens, they are a member of the nightshade family and the green parts contain solanine which is toxic to most animals."

Most of the time, they don't eat enough to cause serious damage (to themselves), but I would err on the side of caution and try to limit their access to the plants. (Note, tomato, pepper, potato, and egg plants are all in the same family.)

 

[rural mouse]

Tomatoes themselves are fine, tomato PLANTS, no.

" The leaves and stems of the tomato plant should never be fed to chickens, they are a member of the nightshade family and the green parts contain solanine which is toxic to most animals."

Most of the time, they don't eat enough to cause serious damage (to themselves), but I would err on the side of caution and try to limit their access to the plants. (Note, tomato, pepper, potato, and egg plants are all in the same family.)

"Toxic to most animals"
Wonder why the deer keep eating my plants off an inch or 2 above the ground? (Why am I asking this? They ate my rhubarb leaves too)

 

[MaryJanet]

We are on an upward trajectory. Which I can't say has happened that often with any of my sick hens.

While it is costly I am thrilled to have the support of a vet that will have extended consultations with me and is unafraid to ask other experts. I can see why you love yours so much. It is a game changer.

Isn't it a comfort! We can hand all the worry over to them and they come back with the correctest answer possible given the evidence. Of course, sometimes more evidence is needed, and then the answers become even more accurate.

 

[RoyalChick]

All you folk who are knowledgeable about wild birds, what are these? They come every year in their hundreds, maybe thousands. The sky goes dark with them and if you are standing in an area that they have their eye on, the noise is deafening. The huge flock ‘acts as one’ meaning they swarm in and all leave at the same moment. It is an impressive sight.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

You probably won't like this but have you considered getting a smaller one that is lighter/less cumbersome to flip?
Like this

Or a fill from the top one? (i.e. nipple waterer)
Like this one

I have the second one, the Premier 1 nipple waterer. It is heavy when filled to the top, so I would fill it about half-way usually. The handle is great, and definitely less water spills in dealing with it than the upside-down waterers. It works well, though I had one of the three nipples freeze last year from a tiny leak or something, and only occasionally, and not hard to just knock off the ice, and it functioned but I could never figure out why it would freeze, it didn't visibly ever leak. If I went away for a couple of days I would use it summer or winter, as it holds 3 gallons.

This year for space in the small run (which they're closed in until I open it up to the big run each morning) I use the heated kitty/dog bowl. I was using that along with a regular waterer all summer in two locations. Nothing against the nipple waterer, just entropy, last winter that was all they used. BUT I now enjoy watching them drink from the flat surface of the dog bowl. It's a more "natural" action and a really beautiful sight. So I fill it and clean it each day as part of what I do with them, sometimes topping it off each night, in the cold it evaporates off the surface somewhat quickly.

OH RIGHT - They love to drink from the pouring water bottle as I fill the bowl. I don't want to ice up their run in winter with any overflow, so I fill it very, very slowly. Peanut especially will wait by it while it's getting cleaned and rinsed just so she can drink that way. (I bring a plastic container - how kitty litter is sold - with the front of it sawed off to dump it into, so no unplugging needed or carrying back and forth. The kitty litter container has a nice handle on one end.)

In the summertime I bring two water bottles out, one just for the human water fount. I am a happy slave!

 

[RoyalChick]

I have the second one, the Premier 1 nipple waterer. It is heavy when filled to the top, so I would fill it about half-way usually. The handle is great, and definitely less water spills in dealing with it than the upside-down waterers. It works well, though I had one of the three nipples freeze last year from a tiny leak or something, and only occasionally, and not hard to just knock off the ice, and it functioned but I could never figure out why it would freeze, it didn't visibly ever leak. If I went away for a couple of days I would use it summer or winter, as it holds 3 gallons.

This year for space in the small run (which they're closed in until I open it up to the big run each morning) I use the heated kitty/dog bowl. I was using that along with a regular waterer all summer in two locations. Nothing against the nipple waterer, just entropy, last winter that was all they used. BUT I now enjoy watching them drink from the flat surface of the dog bowl. It's a more "natural" action and a really beautiful sight. So I fill it and clean it each day as part of what I do with them, sometimes topping it off each night, in the cold it evaporates off the surface somewhat quickly.

OH RIGHT - They love to drink from the pouring water bottle as I fill the bowl. I don't want to ice up their run in winter with any overflow, so I fill it very, very slowly. Peanut especially will wait by it while it's getting cleaned and rinsed just so she can drink that way. (I bring a plastic container - how kitty litter is sold - with the front of it sawed off to dump it into, so no unplugging needed or carrying back and forth. The kitty litter container has a nice handle on one end.)

In the summertime I bring two water bottles out, one just for the human water fount. I am a happy slave!

The PremierOne waterer is the red and blue one right? Can you tell when it needs refilling? I like the look of that one but that issue put me off so I went with a more transparent bucket for the nipple waterer.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Lilly Update

Sydney went with Lilly today for her second dose of doxycycline. Lilly is also on Metacam now. Once a day.

The culture results from her stool came back and were normal flora essentially. No salmonella which always surprises me. But my tribe has never had salmonella when cultured.

The entire tribe is now on probiotics as well. We will reevaluate her condition on next Wednesday. Hopefully she continues to improve.

Sydney and Lilly on their trip.
View attachment 3003323View attachment 3003324View attachment 3003325

So what was Sidney like as a traveling companion for Lilly?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

All you folk who are knowledgeable about wild birds, what are these? They come every year in their hundreds, maybe thousands. The sky goes dark with them and if you are standing in an area that they have their eye on, the noise is deafening. The huge flock ‘acts as one’ meaning they swarm in and all leave at the same moment. It is an impressive sight.
View attachment 3003999View attachment 3004000

Grackles?

 

[RoyalChick]

Grackles?

Thank you - I will go look them up.