Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

I just made a vet appointment for tomorrow morning for Minnie (assuming she lasts that long). I doubt the vet will be able to help - I am a big fan of hers and she has chickens herself, but she is not specifically an avian vet and I don't think many people bring in chickens (at least not judging by the celebrity status that Bernadette has with the clinic staff!), so her experience base is limited.
I can't believe how fast these creatures go off. She was absolutely fine all day yesterday - I spent a fair bit of time inside the Chicken Palace because I was constructing the ground floor apartment for the Hooligans and I took lots of breaks sitting out with the big Princesses as they foraged around outside.
Late - when it was almost dark - I thought she looked a bit fluffed up on the roost - but not enough to cause alarm and frankly everyone was heads well tucked in I think because of all the rukus the Hooligans were making when it was well past bedtime.

I pray Minnie pulls through and you get better news then what I got with poor Daisy. I wish they did not hide that something was wrong until it is almost to late to do anything about it. You are in a better position with a vet then I am. My vet is a farm vet, he offered to see the chickens last fall but when I needed him last week he admitted that besides basic care he cannot do any more. My only option is 3 hours away to a specialist. I hate to say it, but I cannot travel that far right now, nor can I currently afford it.

 

[RoyalChick]

I pray Minnie pulls through and you get better news then what I got with poor Daisy. I wish they did not hide that something was wrong until it is almost to late to do anything about it. You are in a better position with a vet then I am. My vet is a farm vet, he offered to see the chickens last fall but when I needed him last week he admitted that besides basic care he cannot do any more. My only option is 3 hours away to a specialist. I hate to say it, but I cannot travel that far right now, nor can I currently afford it.

Thank you.
I think my vet is probably only basic care too - but she is a step up from me on my own, and though she is further away than the vet my cats see, it is only about half an hour so doable.
She was very sweet and didn’t charge me for the second visit with Bernadette on the grounds that I did everything myself with the boot and she didn’t have much to add.

 

[rural mouse]

How on earth did wee one get up there ??!!!! Awesome pic!

Look again...theres 2

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Thank you.
I think my vet is probably only basic care too - but she is a step up from me on my own, and though she is further away than the vet my cats see, it is only about half an hour so doable.
She was very sweet and didn’t charge me for the second visit with Bernadette on the grounds that I did everything myself with the boot and she didn’t have much to add.

I got the specifics on what my vet can and will do the other day regarding chickens. He will administer basic medications, splint fractures or sew up wounds. Anything beyond that he is not able to do.

 

[rural mouse]

I will keep the little roo.
I don’t think I want babies next year but you never know.

They may hide eggs and surprise you...

 

[rural mouse]

Thank you for the words of encouragement.
I am actually not too afraid Bernadette will hurt herself and I do believe she will only learn to adapt if she goes out in the world and tries to do things. I am impressed by how much she is able to do and has already learned to do.
I am a little afraid that she won't be able to get away fast enough if one of the big chickens attacks her and that she needs to be able to find her way back to the safe places where the big ones can't reach her. Both Bella and Lulu can fly up to their penthouse. Bernadette just cannot leap up and however much she flaps she can't get above 18" (a half a meter).
I believe that Bella and Lulu are not going out and exploring the coop because Bernadette cannot physically do so and so they stay with her. Now they have access at ground level so I am hoping that Bernadette will be able to explore and the others will go with her.
But the signs are not encouraging. They have settled into their ground floor apartment and are spending their time cuddled together in a cardboard box just a few steps from a doorway to the wider coop world. They are alert but they prefer to watch everything from the comfort of the cardboard box!
They behave a bit like a cult - they have everything they need from each other and no need to enter into the outside world.
I have blocked off access to the penthouse because all of a sudden this morning the lovely Minnie has become very ill. I thought I felt a stuck egg but then it wasn't there so I am not certain. So Minnie has moved into the penthouse (hospital ward) and the Hooligans are confined to their ground floor apartment with access to the whole of the Chicken Palace if they would just get off their butts and explore!

Here they are cuddled in their ground floor apartment all tangled together in the cardboard box they love. They go out and eat and drink and then come back and spend the day together in the box.
View attachment 3110450

And here is Minnie who is really the picture of misery and who I fear I may lose. She is not moving and as you can see is very miserable. She looks just like Elizabeth before she died. Same thing - yesterday she was fine. This morning definitely not fine.


View attachment 3110446View attachment 3110448

The hobbit bunch was like that....until feisty mama Jess chased them out. Once I knew they knew the way back in, I rousted them out each morning (catch, shove out big door, close behind, repeat until all out). They quickly figured out they could come back in, but there were all kinds of goodies to find outside. 2 mornings of getting "tossed " and they went on their own. This morning, Mera was the first out....flying....and almost landed on top of Cheetah.... Jess's babies come out too, but still make her go back in to get them. today, the littles spread out a bit, and 1 got far enough in the breakfast chaos to feel lost. It promptly turned to Cheetah and stayed near him until she came for it, just as the babies are supposed to. I'm wondering if she's going to turn them loose sooner rather than later. If they're not fully feathered, we'll deal with it, especially as the other lot is the same age. It'll be easier than when Storm was orphaned because there's warmth in numbers.

 

[rural mouse]

Look again...theres 2

@Ponypoor the previous spoiler (you were asking about how to do it I think...) tells the story of how.

 

[RoyalChick]

The hobbit bunch was like that....until feisty mama Jess chased them out. Once I knew they knew the way back in, I rousted them out each morning (catch, shove out big door, close behind, repeat until all out). They quickly figured out they could come back in, but there were all kinds of goodies to find outside. 2 mornings of getting "tossed " and they went on their own. This morning, Mera was the first out....flying....and almost landed on top of Cheetah.... Jess's babies come out too, but still make her go back in to get them. today, the littles spread out a bit, and 1 got far enough in the breakfast chaos to feel lost. It promptly turned to Cheetah and stayed near him until she came for it, just as the babies are supposed to. I'm wondering if she's going to turn them loose sooner rather than later. If they're not fully feathered, we'll deal with it, especially as the other lot is the same age. It'll be easier than when Storm was orphaned because there's warmth in numbers.

I think by tomorrow they will know 'home' and so I will start hauling them out. It is fascinating and frustrating. They seem to have plenty of energy, they learned new locations for food and water and they found the cardboard box on their own.
When they look out of the box they look right at big chickens at the nipple waterer but have zero interest in investigating further. Totally weird. Definitely cult-like!

 

[BY Bob]

I had all three of my kitties trained to sit, Whisper would shake a paw, they all knew “no” and “down” and much like chickens (they had a shoulder sitting habit) had mostly learned not to leap directly at the humans face. If you think a chicken with wings flying at your head is scary, try as 15lb cat with claw extended for landing! The other huge thing was they never went on the counters or the kitchen table when it had food on it. If we were playing D&D or something that was fair game, but not at dinner time! A year or so with my mother broke them of that good habit though. “WTH do you mean you’re feeding them on the counter?!?”

15 lbs is nothing. Have a 20 lb one come charging across the yard at full steam and then leap at your face. It's all I can do to hold still so she doesn't hurt me by accident!

 

[BY Bob]

Hard to take pictures and feed the apples to Chaco at the same time.
View attachment 3109230

Eve just wants to pet him! He looks so nice.