Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

If chickens get heat stroke, I think Jaffar’s little body is experiencing it at the moment

If he is, he needs fluids, electrolytes, and to cool down GRADUALLY. Getting the temp down too quickly can send him into shock just as quickly as warming frostbite to quickly.

Stand him in a dish pan with water just a few degrees cooler than the air, deep enough to cover the tops of his feet. Add 1 (ONE) ice cube. Keep the ice cube away from his feet (opposite corner). If he's willing to stay there, add another only when the one is completely gone.

 

[rural mouse]

Havoc is getting much deeper in color lately - more bronze/reddish yellow instead of true Buff. He is going to be handsome. (I assume it is a 'he'? I think, if I remember correctly, that you mentioned the 'reddening up' of his shoulders.)

I do have to say, though, that that picture of him is kind of funny. The fully-looking fledged body, with the baby chick pale chipmunkie head.

Havoc hasn't gotten any red on the shoulders. S/he has a reddish streak down the center of the breast and all the head feathers are coming in red. Looking to be a red head morphing into blonde. Never seen anything like it, but the MIL has several more doing the same thing. One of her genetic crosses has popped some consistency.....maybe the buff EE and the bielefelders?.....except I thought she said the only eggs she put in the incubator were green.....and some of the red-blonde chicks were under her broodies..... Havoc is proving to be as much a conundrum as Enigma (who also has a twin there).

Time to raid the mealworm farm and see about getting better/new chick pics...

 

[Lilion]

Only 49%? Must be nice, lol. Rarely under 60% here.

I had just said to my husband, "they must live in desert if 49% is low!" I've literally seen 100% humidity here. I don't know how it's measured, but how does that not require gills?

 

[BY Bob]

I got a real shock this morning.
I came in to the Chicken Palace via the servants entrance and there were no chickens.
Usually Bernie and Babs start yelling at me as soon as they hear me exit the garage and by the time I am inside they are jostling for whatever treats I may have.
No chickens.
My mind went to all sorts of bad places and I was practically in tears before I spotted this.
View attachment 3566845
View attachment 3566846

That is the door out into their chicken yard and I wasn’t sure whether to disturb her so I could open it up.
I waited until she had filled my clogs with dust and litter and then I opened the door.
She immediately went out to sunbathe.
View attachment 3566847

She had a nice nap but then heard something and became very alert. I think she looks magnificent when she is on high alert.
View attachment 3566848

And where was Babs?
View attachment 3566849

The Pentagonists were all in a heap in the mud of one of the uncovered runs and now they are in the butterfly bush cleaning themselves off.

Silence is frightening when it involves chickens and small children.

 

[BY Bob]

The Marshmallows have all been laying for over a month now and I fear I will have problems with them. They have layer feed and calcium available at all times. They go to town on the oyster shell. That being said every other day I am finding at least 1 is laying a soft shelled egg. I know for a fact all 5 laid yesterday as they did it in the porch boxes. 3 of them slept in the coop and they had already been on the roost for 2 hours when I closed it up last night. 2 of them in that 2 hour span laid a soft shelled egg on the roost. They were not in there before the chickens went to bed as I had cleaned the coop a few hours earlier. 1 of the girls is laying a huge double yolk egg practically every day. 2 of the girls are laying smaller eggs but they are also double yolks with tiny yolks. Right now they are happy and appear healthy and hopefully I can resolve the soft shelled egg issue as they get older. It bothers me though and is one of the reason I was reluctant to get Leghorns. Don't get me wrong I am smitten with them. They are beautiful chickens, smart and well troublemakers. I do not think they are destined for a long life though and I am saddened by it if this continues. I also do not think I will ever get production girls again no matter how pretty the chicken is. I will tell you now, if I were to loose one of them tomorrow it will hurt.

Sadly this is why I no longer have them. Treasure your time with them. It is all too frequently short.

It is an awful thing we humans have done to these particular chickens. They are smart and clever enough to survive a long time except that we have bred their bodies to fail.

There is always the hope you can get a couple of them past 2 years. Then you might wind up with a long lived one.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

At the mobile vets - the backyard - mobile x-ray and everything's in a truck flatbed.

Peanut likely has heart failure from cancer tumors, x-rays showed ascites and tumors, she drained almost 660 ml. with two needle punctures.

I have 30 days of Meloxicam for pain (for her not me lol). Will see how quickly the ascites accumulates, whether periodic draining is right given that rate, and decide on her quality of life.

Took Butters with her for company and the vet examined her too. She's very skinny and has a lot of air in her gut. X-rays showed no tumors visible.

Vet advised getting some supplements that, given the little research there is, might help heart health. Also to put some probiotics in one of their waters.

 

[rural mouse]

At the mobile vets - the backyard - mobile x-ray and everything's in a truck flatbed.

Peanut likely has heart failure from cancer tumors, x-rays showed ascites and tumors, she drained almost 660 ml. with two needle punctures.

I have 30 days of Meloxicam for pain (for her not me lol). Will see how quickly the ascites accumulates, whether periodic draining is right given that rate, and decide on her quality of life.

Took Butters with her for company and the vet examined her too. She's very skinny and has a lot of air in her gut. X-rays showed no tumors visible.

Vet advised getting some supplements that, given the little research there is, might help heart health. Also to put some probiotics in one of their waters.
View attachment 3567191
View attachment 3567193

About the news, but glad you were able to 1. Get her seen with a friend.
2. Get both checked out.
3. Get some relief while making decisions..

Hugs all around.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Sadly this is why I no longer have them. Treasure your time with them. It is all too frequently short.

It is an awful thing we humans have done to these particular chickens. They are smart and clever enough to survive a long time except that we have bred their bodies to fail.

There is always the hope you can get a couple of them past 2 years. Then you might wind up with a long lived one.

You warned me about egg laying and possible future issues. I was also warned about egg laying issues with the Cinnamon Queens. The 2 queens do lay large brown eggs, but not near the number they *technically* should. They average about 5 a week, on par with my non production girls. They have not went broody or taken a break since they began laying about 10 months ago though so that could hurt them in the long run. I also have gotten maybe 6 double yolk eggs from them and I do not think a single soft shelled egg. I hoped the leghorns would buck the trend and be sort of like the queens and not live up to their reputation. At this point if I wanted to I could not take a chance to even set a egg from them for fear of double yolks to have offspring of theirs. My favorite Peep with the biggest floppy comb is the layer of the huge double yolk egg. Of course it would be that way.

 

[rural mouse]

@Ponypoor

Tuff of the Rico-like comb

 

[RoyalChick]

At the mobile vets - the backyard - mobile x-ray and everything's in a truck flatbed.

Peanut likely has heart failure from cancer tumors, x-rays showed ascites and tumors, she drained almost 660 ml. with two needle punctures.

I have 30 days of Meloxicam for pain (for her not me lol). Will see how quickly the ascites accumulates, whether periodic draining is right given that rate, and decide on her quality of life.

Took Butters with her for company and the vet examined her too. She's very skinny and has a lot of air in her gut. X-rays showed no tumors visible.

Vet advised getting some supplements that, given the little research there is, might help heart health. Also to put some probiotics in one of their waters.
View attachment 3567191
View attachment 3567193

I know it is not the best news, but I am so glad you were able to have a vet see them and that you got pain control. I am sure she will feel a lot better for now with the fluid drained off.