Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Not only Raven, Corona is also broody for the first time and is proving a nightmare to break. Corona has been this way for a week and a half now. I will not relent and give EITHER girl eggs. Butter is also starting to give warning signs she is thinking of joining the broody club. I noticed a line down her chest when she stood up yesterday and checked. She is plucking her feather's darn it.

I’m not letting Xzit brood again. And I already repurposed her box for storage items I had around. She’s off the eggs now (Jaffar came by to check on her, and she followed him out of the coop) I took the eggs inside with me. (Breakfast)

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

You know what is terrifying. I have a new layer. I do not know which one of the hooligans but I'm suspecting based on squatting behavior and comb development that it is the Buff Wasabi. I have gotten lucky with Butter in the fact that at over 2 years old she's really never went broody. Orps are known broody hens, really determined broody hens. I have 3 new ones, I fear I will not get that lucky again with these 3 new girls.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

My facebook is flooded with horrible pictures of the devastation from the flooding. I will spare you all those. I have to share this one, a strange visitor at one of the local elementary schools. Sadly his 2 herd mates did not survive the flooding. His owners are trying to catch him now but he is untamed and they have been at it for hours this morning.

 

[featherhead007]

You know what is terrifying. I have a new layer. I do not know which one of the hooligans but I'm suspecting based on squatting behavior and comb development that it is the Buff Wasabi. I have gotten lucky with Butter in the fact that at over 2 years old she's really never went broody. Orps are known broody hens, really determined broody hens. I have 3 new ones, I fear I will not get that lucky again with these 3 new girls.

Or, maybe you might be lucky!

 

[featherhead007]

My facebook is flooded with horrible pictures of the devastation from the flooding. I will spare you all those. I have to share this one, a strange visitor at one of the local elementary schools. Sadly his 2 herd mates did not survive the flooding. His owners are trying to catch him now but he is untamed and they have been at it for hours this morning.
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That’s a “horse of a different color” for sure!

 

[featherhead007]

My facebook is flooded with horrible pictures of the devastation from the flooding. I will spare you all those. I have to share this one, a strange visitor at one of the local elementary schools. Sadly his 2 herd mates did not survive the flooding. His owners are trying to catch him now but he is untamed and they have been at it for hours this morning.
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Rebecca, you stay safe please!

 

[Ponypoor]

Hattie is Not Herself

Hattie has really slowed down the last 2 weeks, really ever since he birthday. Lots of laying in the yard and not even coming to the deck with the others. I have watched her poo (normal) and she is eating well. She has not been laying but all the girls have slowed down except the Polish. I believe because of the high heat. There is no weight loss. So I have just been keeping an eye on her.

I thought maybe it was depression over becoming middle aged.

Who knows?

I figured it out today.

I have been noticing these in the yard.

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Not many but here and there.

Then I looked at her closely today after I noticed it looked like her feather shredding had really progressed towards her head.

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She is looking kind of raggedy.

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So I checked the coop.

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It must have really kicked into gear last night.

Mystery solved.

This is very early in the year for her. She has always been a late molting hen. I'm glad I won't have to worry about her freezing this year.

My girls also are early molting this year??

Is anyone else noticing this?

 

[RoyalChick]

My facebook is flooded with horrible pictures of the devastation from the flooding. I will spare you all those. I have to share this one, a strange visitor at one of the local elementary schools. Sadly his 2 herd mates did not survive the flooding. His owners are trying to catch him now but he is untamed and they have been at it for hours this morning.
View attachment 3204043

I have been watching it on the news - just awful!
Poor little fella. Hope he gets to safety soon.

 

[RoyalChick]

The poop report
Sadly no massive clean up required after Bella's overnight activities. BUT there were at least three tiny chick-sized poops in her hospital ward and they did not contain undigested corn so either she is stuffed full of corn or she is able to digest something.
Her crop was rock hard with corn kernels but definitely smaller than last night and the fluid baby bird formula I had tube fed last night had definitely moved on.
I managed to get a full 40ml tube feed into her this morning made up of baby bird formula, Gerber (human baby) beef food (I felt a bit of animal protein might help), extra probiotics, extra vitamin B, and Pedialyte (for quick energy).
On top of 40mls of that concoction she eagerly devoured a good handful of corn including 6 pieces laced with grit.
It is very subtle, and I am trying hard not to get my hopes up, but she seemed a bit perkier.
Usually after I tube feed her she plays 'dead chicken'. Really, her neck goes limp, her eyes close, and she is unresponsive. Each time I am convinced I have killed her.
This time she forgot that stage of the process and went straight to the 'now I deserve corn' stage.
She still never drinks which really mystifies me but the inside of her mouth looks less dry than it did a few days ago.
Her breath still doesn't smell yeasty, so fingers crossed I can avoid that nightmare.
I find myself daring to hope, but she is still not walking and I feel the odds are still slim.

Bella in her bucket eyeing the corn after her tube feeding.

 

[BY Bob]

Now seems like a lovely time to take off the down jacket, as long as she hides in the shade. Several times over the last few days in the evening, when I peel off the soaked layers and attempt to air dry, the chickens have started to go off and alarm. More often than not I have utter the phase “duck pants, I don’t care if some trespasser is scarred for life by the blinding whiteness of my legs” and just run out to check them… good thing my neighbours are a solid mile away.

I think they should ask molt in July and August. They need their feathers the least in those months. I think Hattie is finally being sensible about this.