Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

I just want to warn you that I sense I am about to descend into doom, gloom, frustration and sadness and I will need all your help to pick myself up.
First Bella.
Now there is a lash egg in a nest box. It was small and half buried so although I think it was 'laid' there yesterday I cannot be sure I didn't miss it the day before. I have cameras but no definitive proof of who laid it. From the footage it seems like Maggie is the most likely suspect, but it is not certain. She has laid lash eggs before (almost 2 years ago) and does use that box. And she did go into it for a while yesterday. On the other hand she seems fine and perky as normal. Diana who hasn't put a shell on an egg in months and is a high production breed seems a more likely candidate but she definitely has not been in that nest box in quite a while.
Dotty is poorly. She is sitting a lot and with tail down. She has been the only one laying and now hasn't in a few days (but it has been hot). I have had a look at her - externally only - and I don't feel an egg from the outside. I don't see her pumping her tail. I have given her calcium anyway just in case and if she doesn't perk up I will give her an internal exam as well. Could she have laid the lash egg? It isn't her usual nest box, but things have been a bit topsy turvey on that front so maybe.
Oh, and I have mice and cannot figure how they are getting in.
So, anxiety peaks again. Should I give antibiotics because of the lash egg? Should I assume it is Maggie as the only evidence I have points to her? Or Dotty who is the only one sick?
UGH - why are chickens so damn difficult to keep healthy?

I'm so very sorry. This is the last thing you need right now. Sometimes the chicken problems just seem to pile on you.

I know I did not do so great with Bella but you can always call again if you wish to talk through this.

There is a lot to triage here. I would start with the internal on Dottie. That is really enough done. I will say that her behavior could be what I saw in Hattie. She started laying around and distancing herself from the rest of them and eating differently a week or more before the feathers started falling out. Is there a chance she could be starting her molt?

Let's run down the egg production as well. I know you keep track. Who has laid what over the last 2 weeks?

I would let the mice go for now. You can deal with them at any point.

 

[BY Bob]

I hope you can stablize her wing so it heals properly. It would be terrible if the break doesn't heal/knit together because it isn't set...and she never has good use of it.

As far as roosting...she will try to act as normal as possible, thats what chickens do...I hope you are able to wrap the wing with it reasonable set today so she can heal...I've had broken bones and one wasn't set properly...and it has caused no end of grief....please don't make her suffer for the rest of her life with a poorly or non-set bone

I know you love your animals. Short term it may be uncomfortable...but long term it will be better for her.......

@featherhead007 I agree with bgmathteach. You need to set the wing and wrap it. You never answered my question. Is it a displaced fracture or not? If it is displaced you must try to get it in place again no matter how much it hurts her and you may need help to do so.

 

[BY Bob]

Remember also it is only the last couple of days we have seen her legs looking like they work normally. From observing Bernadette, roosting requires leg strength. Bernie so wanted to roost with the others that she kept trying but could only stay there for a short while and then flopped down in the carboard tray. The others then followed. It was a huge milestone when she roosted all night.

Gucci has been roosting all night since I started putting her on the low roost. I think she has enough leg strength right now to do it. She certainly has enough strength to climb the ramp as she will when I have encoraged her to do it by bumping her bum and guiding her. She needs to want to.

 

[RoyalChick]

I'm so very sorry. This is the last thing you need right now. Sometimes the chicken problems just seem to pile on you.

I know I did not do so great with Bella but you can always call again if you wish to talk through this.

There is a lot to triage here. I would start with the internal on Dottie. That is really enough done. I will say that her behavior could be what I saw in Hattie. She started laying around and distancing herself from the rest of them and eating differently a week or more before the feathers started falling out. Is there a chance she could be starting her molt?

Let's run down the egg production as well. I know you keep track. Who has laid what over the last 2 weeks?

I would let the mice go for now. You can deal with them at any point.

Oh I would soooo love if it was just Dotty's molt. I will do the exam and give her some more calcium anyway.
On eggs it is easy. The last time I got a brown egg layer egg was on July 19th and it had no shell so was probably Diana's. The last time I got an egg I am absolutely sure was Maggie's was on May 21st. It is possible that Maggie has started laying no-shell eggs in which case the July 19th egg could be hers - but I don't think so - the May egg had a good strong shell and Maggie's eggs always have - wheres Diana's got thinner and thinner and then stopped having shells at all.
Minnie hasn't laid since she was poorly which is weeks and weeks ago - when I did the worming and she got sour crop - I will need to look back at my posts and my vet appointments to nail that.
The only chicken laying therefore is Dotty (Bernie and Lulu haven't laid yet). She last laid on July 28th. Before that she went 4 days between eggs. Earlier in July she went 5 days without laying and in mid July she laid every day for 4 days. So she is a bit sporadic but would be due to lay an egg yesterday or today as best one can tell.

 

[ManueB]

Hello FBA. I'm back from a short break in the mountains, feeling much better than when I left. I'm almost done catching up the hundred pages since Saturday. (I read a third backwards, a third chronologically and sort of flew over the rest!)

@GregnLety I was really sad to learn your blind chick passed. You pulled so many strings to try to give her a good life while she was here .
And Bella's passing was a heartbreak. Even more shattering because we really hoped for a positive outcome.
Like you Greg I feel real sadness when someone's animal friend dies, but I also have to say I feel less alone that so many experience that grief.

I'm waiting for some news from little Dakota.

 

[BY Bob]

Oh I would soooo love if it was just Dotty's molt. I will do the exam and give her some more calcium anyway.
On eggs it is easy. The last time I got a brown egg layer egg was on July 19th and it had no shell so was probably Diana's. The last time I got an egg I am absolutely sure was Maggie's was on May 21st. It is possible that Maggie has started laying no-shell eggs in which case the July 19th egg could be hers - but I don't think so - the May egg had a good strong shell and Maggie's eggs always have - wheres Diana's got thinner and thinner and then stopped having shells at all.
Minnie hasn't laid since she was poorly which is weeks and weeks ago - when I did the worming and she got sour crop - I will need to look back at my posts and my vet appointments to nail that.
The only chicken laying therefore is Dotty (Bernie and Lulu haven't laid yet). She last laid on July 28th. Before that she went 4 days between eggs. Earlier in July she went 5 days without laying and in mid July she laid every day for 4 days. So she is a bit sporadic but would be due to lay an egg yesterday or today as best one can tell.

This is not easy. My initial gut reaction is Maggie again but nothing is consistent enough here in egg laying to really rule anyone out. I'm not certain I have an answer for you. You may want to consider treating everyone if you are going to do so.

 

[BY Bob]

Hello FBA. I'm back from a short break in the mountains, feeling much better than when I left. I'm almost done catching up the hundred pages since Saturday. (I read a third backwards, a third chronologically and sort of flew over the rest!)

@GregnLety I was really sad to learn your blind chick passed. You pulled so many strings to try to give her a good life while she was here .
And Bella's passing was a heartbreak. Even more shattering because we really hoped for a positive outcome.
Like you Greg I feel real sadness when someone's animal friend dies, but I also have to say I feel less alone that so many experience that grief.

View attachment 3211055
I'm waiting for some news from little Dakota.

Beautiful.

 

[rural mouse]

Last night, Pear loitering well away from the coop...again...for Hector to head in....he has been watching everyone going in and knows she isn't there, so is looking for her (starting to follow me in my search path). He spots her, she bolts at the last min, catch, escape, repeat to inside the coop where Cheetah hops down from the highest roost (in the rafters) and goes for Hector, who runs....out the door, around the outside of the coop, round the olives, round the coop again, loop around me (not liking this let me get out of the way!). Hector goes to ground head under the curve of a tire just outside, Cheetah trying to get him out.....pecks at his back/tail feathers for a bit (doesn't sound as vigorous as when the hens do it, but pulls a few tiny feathers), then figures out that he can get to his head from the other side of the tire, the chase is back on. Hector goes to ground a second time, inside the coop. Cheetah sent him to the corner like a naughty child. I left him there, shut the coop and went to bed.

This morning when I opened the coop, Hector was up on top of the nest boxes where he's been roosting, Silver spaced apart to one side and Asphodel and Nox on the other. He was the last to exit, too. Upon spotting Cuckoo coming toward the coop, he went for her. She, being smart lady, bolted for Cheetah. This time the chase ended circling me, no going to ground.

Pic is taken from deck for purposes of diagram of chase paths, blue first.

The return path was actually a reciprocal of Cuckoo's dash to safety.

 

[ManueB]

Oh I would soooo love if it was just Dotty's molt. I will do the exam and give her some more calcium anyway.
On eggs it is easy. The last time I got a brown egg layer egg was on July 19th and it had no shell so was probably Diana's. The last time I got an egg I am absolutely sure was Maggie's was on May 21st. It is possible that Maggie has started laying no-shell eggs in which case the July 19th egg could be hers - but I don't think so - the May egg had a good strong shell and Maggie's eggs always have - wheres Diana's got thinner and thinner and then stopped having shells at all.
Minnie hasn't laid since she was poorly which is weeks and weeks ago - when I did the worming and she got sour crop - I will need to look back at my posts and my vet appointments to nail that.
The only chicken laying therefore is Dotty (Bernie and Lulu haven't laid yet). She last laid on July 28th. Before that she went 4 days between eggs. Earlier in July she went 5 days without laying and in mid July she laid every day for 4 days. So she is a bit sporadic but would be due to lay an egg yesterday or today as best one can tell.

Did you also check Minnie and Maggie's abdomens and vents (at least visually) ?

 

[lightm]

Thank you @lightm . When you first posted pictures of light in Shadrach's thread she reminded me of Vanille, and reading your late "introduction" I see our flock have other similarities. I hope you keep all of yours in good health for a longer time than I.

Thank you. So far we've been really blessed in our 1y5m chicken keeping journey. It is all love and cuddliness from them. I hope they (the four that lay too often) can get at least 4 years of good chicken life.
[I am catching up on Shad's thread now, but I think I will remain more participant on this thread.]