Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Curly update

It looks like Curly might have Fluffy in with her
She hasn't left that nest all day.
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Will go out shortly and see what's up.

Curly and Fluffy are indeed sharing a nest box tonight. Everyone else is sweltering but those two are together...

 

[featherhead007]

I need do other work, can't sit watching them all day!

I could do that!

 

[Ponypoor]

Hello everyone, I've been on very sporadically, trying to keep up with everyone. The Weekly Synopsis has been great, thank you so much to the scribes!
All is well here. Got some photos -

A few days ago Hazel (left) giving Butters a lesson in not being uppity. Hazel sternly faced her down till she relented. Butters needs regular reminding! In a way, I feel bad for her, it's either her position in the tribe (#3) or her personality, but she gets in little scraps with Hazel (#2) and Popcorn (#4, bottom) pretty frequently.
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Peanut sunbathing in the little trench of the drip line of the garage barn. It didn't look like a relaxing experience, but extremely satisfying. In human terms it looked more like a yoga or Pilates position than what we would do while taking in the sun! Foot firmly dug into the grass. Wing held out. Body pressed hard against the warm ground. Ahhhh...
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Even yesterday and today, when it was 78F in the shade, while I was all concerned about their heat tolerance and went around putting more shade cloth up, the group really wanted to dust bathe and sunbathe out in the sun instead. Well it was slightly shady over there. That's toward where their summer run will be.

The Big Run with some shade, nobody cared.
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Where they all wanted to be, all happily bathing and softly bokking and baking in the heat. I didn't want to get close as that would have disturbed them.
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Two fluffy butts this evening, Peanut (right) and Hazel. Of course Hazel's the one keeping an eye on me...
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That was wonderful I love how they sunbathe also, it's hilarious when the silkies do it with their funny feathers

 

[featherhead007]

I’m in the coop right now with all the chooks. I’m talking with them and they are talking to me. I could stay in here all night it’s so comfortable. (I’m not going to)
I miss those days when I counted 12 in here!

 

[Ponypoor]

 Babies

One of the Bielefelder chicks seems to not be thriving, I have very serious concerns that she will not make the night.

I made up some sugar water for her and did my best to drop some into her. I also tried to make some warm mash for her, which she half heartedly pecked at.

There are two Brahma with some pasty butt which I cleaned up and am keeping an eye on, 1 of the brahma's is very cheeky and bold she runs over to me jumps in my hand and pecks my fingers. They are thriving and the other 4 Bielefeld gals are already double their size from yesterday.

I will go check them at around midnight to see how the poorly one is doing and if still here try more sugar water and food, hoping and praying she will buck up

 

[Ponypoor]

I’m in the coop right now with all the chooks. I’m talking with them and they are talking to me. I could stay in here all night it’s so comfortable. (I’m not going to)
I miss those days when I counted 12 in here!

Well let's hope xzit gets broody, and hatches some babies

 

[featherhead007]

Well let's hope xzit gets broody, and hatches some babies

I did talk to her about it.

 

[Ponypoor]

Other babies...

@RebeccaBoyd will be thrilled to hear one of the Marty eggs has hatched and the two Sophia eggs. Just waiting on one more egg, not sure who...

So my plans have again changed, I will not put these chicks in with the current group until they are about a week old and thriving. Which means I need another brooder plate... Or heating pad. Has anyone ever used a heating pad??? I am very nervous about using one.

 

[lightm]

@bgmathteach
So I looked into the article you linked on use of progestin and/or estrogen.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3273612/#SD1

I was trying to find the dosage, but I did notice that the experiment was on 231 white leghorns, in 4 groups. I was surprised to find the mortality rate before the termination of the experiment:

• control (no treatment): 22%
• treated with progestin and estrogen: 34%
• treated with progestin only: 37%
• treated with estrogen only: 30%

The paper did say that the increased mortality rate could be due to too big of a dosage for which they did reduce later.

Therefore I am not convinced at all that treating production birds with hormones can provide them with a better balanced health. I am afraid that while it reduced reproductive risks, it increases others. So I have decided no hormones or implants at this point.

@Ponypoor

 

[notabitail]

I can't draw a straight line

Very good!

Hard to draw a straight line on that thing. I have a Note 9 now.