Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Now in attempting to gather twofer pictures I was hanging out and getting some good videos of dust bathing, watching the flock, the different Tribes, and Roosters interacting… and it occurred to me that poor Trouble hasn’t had the chance to really get a good dust bath in over a month now. So I went to fetch her and had her in my arms when I spotted a certain goat (Jimmy) trying to eat the plastic cover from the greenhouse poles in the bathtub in the yard (yeah I’m slowly getting the house together, it’s just a little tossed all over my yard, it’s fine) so I rush over, put Trouble down in the yard in front of my trailer and go to move the mischievous Goatling. I was mid move when the jerks spotted her. Turns out she can’t walk but she can run just fine. She sprinted all the way to the garbage cans, hormonal jerk in hot pursuit, being chased by the funny rooster screaming threats of punting at him.

She took shelter between the feed cans, he hopped on, and a second or two later got swatted off of her, none too softly. I carried her over to the far waterer, where we were joined by meatball one and meatball two, before going over to the favourite dust bathing spot. After several minutes of the human rooster clearly settling down to supervise, Sammy and Dean both moved off to other pursuits with their own tribes and I was left in Charge of the bathing and watching Spike, Elios, Baldy, the Jerk guy, and a bunch of hens. The tribe/Flock dynamics are interesting. Trouble got some more enrichment and I took a good while to just sit with the birds on a little branch. The geese and seven goslings came by for a visit. And now I’m just waiting on DH to come back from the store and mail run (four hours later… ) so we can walk the goats.

Sitting with the chickens before Sammy and Dean leave me in charge:

What a wonderful bathing spot!

 

[Kris5902]

Baldy has left the Bachelor Bunch and joined the main flock. He doesn’t have his own little tribe yet, within the greater 60 chicken Flock, but he has earned his place in the main coop and is now fully tolerated.

 

[RoyalChick]

Bernadette is definitely going backwards. I can't quite catch her on video but her right foot is beginning to take the same position that her left one did earlier with the foot forward and the toes not quite going flat to the ground.
She is spending most of her time on her hocks.
I am just praying that it is a vitamin issue because I tailed off the supplements too soon when I thought she was better, and that I have caught it early enough to recover.
That little girl is swimming in vitamin B with a good load of all the others as well.
She continues to be a champion pooper so no issues there!

 

[Ponypoor]

Noooooo! No more taxes! Especially as with Rural internet and the time differences I tend to bulk post respond when I finally get a chance to sit down in the evenings. Don’t give Bob more tax ideas! Most of my responses are even chicken related I swear! I’ve been keeping most of the non chicken stuff separate…

I can vouch for her, she leaves her good juicy stuff for other threads

Even I have been taking care with the weather whining teeheehee

 

[Kris5902]

I love that you just had to POINT to the Rooster!

That point and he goes: hum-de-hum-hum, nothing to see here, was just stretching the legs is all....I'll just go back to my spot over there...nothing to see....

He was really thinking about jumping Trouble… that is the Jerk Guy, and also on the list of likely taking a one way trip in early July with the meat birds despite having been hatched out here. The real Jerk chickens, the ones that weren’t raised here and haven’t been accepted into the main flock (AKA sausage 1,2,3,&4,) don’t have any manners and don’t listen well, hence the prior chasing, cursing, and threats of punting… at least I set trouble down before trying to move Jimmy I don’t know that I could avoid landing on her if I tripped.

 

[Ponypoor]

Another day of pelting down rain - I have given up on nice weather. Everything is so muddy - my Magnolia tree is not going to flower

But the bright spot in my day arw my horses and chickies

Today they didn't disappoint.

Two Grey Ladies making a run for it.
View attachment 3091144

Buttercup has flown the coop
View attachment 3091145

Two ladies preening together.
View attachment 3091148

And Misty learning all about equal and opposite reactions, she flew from where she is perched on the side of the wheelbarrow, but her momentum pushed the wheelbarrow over, and of course she didn't get enough leverage and almost didn't make it to the hay piled in the wheelbarrow beside it hahaha! No hens where hurt but I wish I had the video running!!!
View attachment 3091149

The gals have been playing on my hay piles.

 

[RoyalChick]

Well, if having the support of good friends helps healing, then Bernadette is in luck.
Here they are all snuggled up for the night. Auntie Minnie came to visit earlier but seemed more interested in their food than them.

 

[Ribh]

Hi ribh

 

[bgmathteach]

Bernadette is definitely going backwards. I can't quite catch her on video but her right foot is beginning to take the same position that her left one did earlier with the foot forward and the toes not quite going flat to the ground.
She is spending most of her time on her hocks.
I am just praying that it is a vitamin issue because I tailed off the supplements too soon when I thought she was better, and that I have caught it early enough to recover.
That little girl is swimming in vitamin B with a good load of all the others as well.
She continues to be a champion pooper so no issues there!

I wonder if there might be something else going on? I'm not medically inclined/knowledgeable, but could it be that she has some issues with absorbing/utilizing Vit. B? (Kind like a Type II diabetic who is insulin resistant...only something regarding Vit. B?) or, are there other vitamins/minerals that support Vit. B usage/absorption? Like Vit. D and calcium?

I'm grasping at straws trying to think of what might be the cause, as it seems odd she is soooo sensitive regarding Vit.. B and the others don't seem to be?

?I supposed it if doesn't hurt the kidneys of the others flushing out the 'extra' vit. B, it doesn't really matter,,,?no? As you can just continually supplement with extra?

 

[micstrachan]

Lucky has been a bit stand offish lately. I figured her molt might be starting soon, as she molted at a weird time last year, too. Yep! Here’s the proof.

She doesn’t really look like she’s molting yet, but she will. She tends to molt a little on the hard side. She just dropped a feather as I took this photo. See it?