Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Desertvalleychickens]

Yes 49 is moderate here for now, it was around 80 this morning with the heavy dew evaporating.

It’s 88F and 46% humidity still. Not too humid.

Here in the desert...
101 degrees and humidity 10%.
Have to put ice in my chick's water too keep them cool!

 

[Ponypoor]

@Ponypoor

Tuff of the Rico-like comb
View attachment 3567221View attachment 3567222View attachment 3567223View attachment 3567224

Oh yea I see it’s got three forks to it!

 

[knoturavggrl]

Tina passed away on June 25th. Husband cried all day and I have never seen him cry since I met him. (I still haven't since I'm not home)

He was a wreck and did not want to talk to me for days, until he suspected honey had a sour crop issue.

He treated Honey with the protocol (cream for yeast infection). But the next day he confirmed Light has impacted crop. He cannot afford to lose light right now so his stress was through the roof. View attachment 3566409

Good news is that Honey is back to normal after three days treatment. Light has only improved slightly. The weird thing is that light is super energetic and full of life. She ate a bit today.

He also called vets around and was comforted to hear that he can always bring light to a vet in Raleigh (2 hours away) for having crop surgery if it comes down to that.

Im pretty sure light will be fine. I would appreciate if you can keep light in good thoughts.

Oh I miss my flock. I shouldn't be away for this long.

Foxy
View attachment 3566409

I am so sorry to hear this news, ALL the good thoughts for Light and Honey recovering quickly.

 

[rural mouse]

Oh yea I see it’s got three forks to it!

That's why I'm wondering about Thing as mother despite the lack of crest and lack of 5 toes.

 

[Sally PB]

I gave my chickens some chilled watermelon yesterday and today.

Yesterday, the chicks were leery of the New Thing. A few pecks from Sunny The Brave convinced them it was ok.

Today they were all over it right away.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I had a chicken with similar symptoms, I checked for egg binding - nope. I thought it was asities - when she passed, I did an informal necropsy on her and she was FULL of cysts. (not tumors, cysts - ovarian/reproductive track cysts - over 2 dozen of them ranging in size from a pea to a ping-pong ball) I did research and found an article (on production/commercial breeds, mind you) and it indicated that at least 20% of hens would pass by age 3 from cysts caused by herbicides, That is when I started using organic only - after reading that an also it's effects on humans, too. That study was done sometime in the late 90's. I haven't been able to find it again - I've looked since being on this thread - and, of course, I never book-marked nor wrote down the website.

I suspect if they can accurately diagnose what it is, they can treat - at least for comfort if not for longevity. I hope that they can see her and are able to help.

Yup, it's hospice care for Peanut. If she doesn't get relief from the draining (doesn't appear so yet, but she could be exhausted from not really sleeping last night, she went to roost really early), and the Meloxicam, then I will end her suffering, the vet said they put them to sleep before euthanizing them, sounds like what mammal vets do.

The vet didn't want to give her a Meloxicam while there, not on an empty stomach. She didn't eat but a few pellets when we got home (like truly, maybe three - she did drink a lot while at the vet's) and she slowly wandered off to roost after foraging only a little bit, getting a couple tiny strawberries from me. So I didn't give it to her tonight. Is this really important, to give it with food? I will try to tempt her with scrambled eggs tomorrow if she doesn't want pellets.

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.

Yes, and the difference in the x-rays between Peanut and Butters was eye-opening. I could see the tissue that is tumor in Peanut, whereas Butters' was so clear.
This is why I'm not sure that the ascites draining has helped her pain level a whole lot, plus that the vet said the chickens often get the zoomies after draining because they are so much lighter and feel so much better, and Peanut did not. She behaved only a little better. She was moving quite awkwardly in fact. I think the tumors are really uncomfortable. Maybe the ascites actually helped keep things apart and fluid and comfortable, to a point. If the Meloxicam doesn't give her relief then that's too bad. We'll see. Poor Peanut! She hid this situation very well up to now.

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.

I hope she feels better tomorrow. She is sleeping now, really conked out in the nest box with Hazel. That's her at the bottom of the picture. She looks much better than last night, her breathing is much better.

glad you are able to get vet service. It will surely make it more comfortable for peanut.

Thank you, Light.

 

[BY Bob]

Ask Aurora
Today's Question comes from @RebeccaBoyd Peep and the Marshmallows.

And they ask..........

Dear Aurora,

Hi, it is Peep and my fellow Marshmallow crew here. We caught our hooman mom busy tending to the new chicks and I made a break for it and snuck in her window. We want to know what is "Hooligans" and why is she saying it around us like it is a bad thing? We were not doing anything wrong, just testing out our wings. Yes we were using the neighbors chain link fence like it was a tight rope. Yes we also launched ourselves off it into the top of the tree when she spotted us and came to shoo us down. It was fun! We would have stayed in it longer except dad came around the corner and we did not want to get into trouble with him. Momma Chiquita has given up and now just threatens to tell our father when we have fun. Did you know we can now fly up to the top of the main big roost between the stalls from the ground? Half the other flock cannot do that, they have to use the stall boards. I think we can fly higher, I've been eyeing the roof. Our Hooman mom see this and dares us to do it saying we will get in trouble if she has to climb a ladder and chase us down. Uncle Dirt says do it, we are only young once. Also do you have any advice on how to catch a squirrel? We terrorize the birds and cats that come into the yard but the sneaky squirrel is smart. He jumps as good as we can fly. He stole some of our corn yesterday before we spotted him, the nerve. Our queen Butter says we are growing up and it is time to act like ladies. Acting like respectable ladies sounds boring, do we really have to? If you were our Queen you would not make us act like boring chickens would you? We all agree you would come up with fun games to play. How many Squirrels live at your house? Maybe if we had more then one to chase we could figure out how to catch them. Ooh gotta go, I hear our Hooman coming around the house, do not want to get caught on the computer and be called a hooligan again, I think.

Respectfully yours
Peep and the Marshmallows.


Dear Peep and the Marshmallows,

I have been delayed somewhat in replying to your inquiry. I apologize for that, but a Queen’s life is not easy and there are always things that need to be done. You know, Phyllis needs pecked, I need to steal food from Hattie, Sydney needs reprimanded for something, Glynda needs instruction on what it takes to be a great leader, etc. etc. The demands on my time are endless.

First off, your name, I love it. I swear I heard a song once by a band with that name. I wonder what it was………

Maybe it will come to me later.

My hooman servant tells me you are leghorns. From the way he talks about leghorns you would think they are the best chickens to ever roam the earth. We all know that is not true as you do not have beards and muffs so there is no way you could be the best. He did explain that you have big wings and look much like Glynda. I very much like Glynda. She is willing to take on our cat which is more than 4 times her size. I like a chicken that is not afraid of big challenges and who can punch way above their weight. It kind of sounds like you lot might be much like her. If so, then you are OK in my book.

You are blessed with large wings and can fly well then fly. Fly for all you are worth. Don’t limit yourself to the ground like the rest of us. It is the nature of chickens to explore and be curious. Go flying and have adventures. That way you have stories to tell on the roost at night. This will make you very popular with many other chickens who can’t fly and explore like you. Frankly who wants to hear one more time about the giant nightcrawler that Hattie caught that one time which was so big she could not swallow it all in one bite. She had to pull it back out and break it up so it would fit in her craw. If I have to hear that story one more time……….Well let’s just say we could use a little adventure around here. If you can reach the roof, you go up on the roof and come back and tell everyone else what you saw.

Now squirrel hunting is a serious business. The queen here before me, Lilly, was a great squirrel hunter. She would put on her squirrel hunting hat and she would encourage us all to join in.

Her and Phyllis, if you can believe it, once cornered a squirrel and would have killed it but for the squirrel’s ability to climb. She actually got several whacks on its head before it escaped. My best friend Maleficent was an excellent hunter. She worked with Lilly and the queen before her, Patsy, to organize a chipmunk hunt one time. I participated in this hunt, and we nearly had it when it wiggled under the fence and got away.

What makes a good hunt? Communication and Coordination.

You must talk to each other and work together. You want to spread the marshmallows out and coordinate movements. The idea is to herd the squirrel into an area from where it cannot climb out or run away. You need to identify a fence corner or something similar. Then you need to slowly drive the squirrel towards that location. It is important to tell your teammates when the squirrel is headed their way. Slowly keep driving the squirrel towards the corner. When you finally have the squirrel cornered you will need to take turns attacking its head until you land the knockout blow. Whenever one attacks, the others keep the squirrel cornered. This is the only way to beat the squirrel. They are wily opponents. They are cheeky and will steal your food whenever they can. Lilly was never able to kill one, but she truly believed it possible.

A famous hooman servant named Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once said “Well-behaved women seldom make history”. The same holds true for hens as well. Butter truly sounds like an old bitty. I bet she is an Orpington. Old bitties like to say behave yourself, follow the rules, do things the right way and they will never change anything. They want things to stay as they are. I bet they would love Hattie’s stupid worm story. I bet Butter looks something like this.

You be you. If you want to play in the mud, play in the mud. You white chickens repel mud like water off a duck’s back. You want to chase cats, Glynda likes to chase cats and she kinda looks like a leghorn, you chase cats. You think up a great new game, you play it and encourage others to do so. You want to eat pepper plants in the garden, well you should be careful there. Hooman servants are touchy about their plants. You show everyone how much fun it is to be adventuresome and maybe you can offset the Old Bitties a little bit. Who knows maybe you can change chicken life where you are for the better. Besides, I’m willing to gamble that Butter is unable to catch you to peck you anyway.

I do feel a little reminder is in order. Butter is your better. In most things she will be right. Don’t let her control your fun but you MUST listen to her in all other things. It is “The Way of the Chicken”. Despite everything you are still chickens and need to follow “The Way”.

By the way, I think Hooligan is a compliment. My Hooman servant called me one the other day when I stole Hattie’s tomato............I mean when I replaced Hattie’s overripe tomato with a fresh green one.

Queen Aurora

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I am so very sorry. Keep us updated. I really hope that she pulls through. Hugs for you and Peanut

Thank you, Pastel!

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Ask Aurora
Today's Question comes from @RebeccaBoyd Peep and the Marshmallows.

View attachment 3567415

And they ask..........

Dear Aurora,

Hi, it is Peep and my fellow Marshmallow crew here. We caught our hooman mom busy tending to the new chicks and I made a break for it and snuck in her window. We want to know what is "Hooligans" and why is she saying it around us like it is a bad thing? We were not doing anything wrong, just testing out our wings. Yes we were using the neighbors chain link fence like it was a tight rope. Yes we also launched ourselves off it into the top of the tree when she spotted us and came to shoo us down. It was fun! We would have stayed in it longer except dad came around the corner and we did not want to get into trouble with him. Momma Chiquita has given up and now just threatens to tell our father when we have fun. Did you know we can now fly up to the top of the main big roost between the stalls from the ground? Half the other flock cannot do that, they have to use the stall boards. I think we can fly higher, I've been eyeing the roof. Our Hooman mom see this and dares us to do it saying we will get in trouble if she has to climb a ladder and chase us down. Uncle Dirt says do it, we are only young once. Also do you have any advice on how to catch a squirrel? We terrorize the birds and cats that come into the yard but the sneaky squirrel is smart. He jumps as good as we can fly. He stole some of our corn yesterday before we spotted him, the nerve. Our queen Butter says we are growing up and it is time to act like ladies. Acting like respectable ladies sounds boring, do we really have to? If you were our Queen you would not make us act like boring chickens would you? We all agree you would come up with fun games to play. How many Squirrels live at your house? Maybe if we had more then one to chase we could figure out how to catch them. Ooh gotta go, I hear our Hooman coming around the house, do not want to get caught on the computer and be called a hooligan again, I think.

Respectfully yours
Peep and the Marshmallows.


Dear Peep and the Marshmallows,

I have been delayed somewhat in replying to your inquiry. I apologize for that, but a Queen’s life is not easy and there are always things that need to be done. You know, Phyllis needs pecked, I need to steal food from Hattie, Sydney needs reprimanded for something, Glynda needs instruction on what it takes to be a great leader, etc. etc. The demands on my time are endless.

First off, your name, I love it. I swear I heard a song once by a band with that name. I wonder what it was………

Maybe it will come to me later.

My hooman servant tells me you are leghorns. From the way he talks about leghorns you would think they are the best chickens to ever roam the earth. We all know that is not true as you do not have beards and muffs so there is no way you could be the best. He did explain that you have big wings and look much like Glynda. I very much like Glynda. She is willing to take on our cat which is more than 4 times her size. I like a chicken that is not afraid of big challenges and who can punch way above their weight. It kind of sounds like you lot might be much like her. If so, then you are OK in my book.

You are blessed with large wings and can fly well then fly. Fly for all you are worth. Don’t limit yourself to the ground like the rest of us. It is the nature of chickens to explore and be curious. Go flying and have adventures. That way you have stories to tell on the roost at night. This will make you very popular with many other chickens who can’t fly and explore like you. Frankly who wants to hear one more time about the giant nightcrawler that Hattie caught that one time which was so big she could not swallow it all in one bite. She had to pull it back out and break it up so it would fit in her craw. If I have to hear that story one more time……….Well let’s just say we could use a little adventure around here. If you can reach the roof, you go up on the roof and come back and tell everyone else what you saw.

Now squirrel hunting is a serious business. The queen here before me, Lilly, was a great squirrel hunter. She would put on her squirrel hunting hat and she would encourage us all to join in.

View attachment 3567433

Her and Phyllis, if you can believe it, once cornered a squirrel and would have killed it but for the squirrel’s ability to climb. She actually got several whacks on its head before it escaped. My best friend Maleficent was an excellent hunter. She worked with Lilly and the queen before her, Patsy, to organize a chipmunk hunt one time. I participated in this hunt, and we nearly had it when it wiggled under the fence and got away.

What makes a good hunt? Communication and Coordination.

You must talk to each other and work together. You want to spread the marshmallows out and coordinate movements. The idea is to herd the squirrel into an area from where it cannot climb out or run away. You need to identify a fence corner or something similar. Then you need to slowly drive the squirrel towards that location. It is important to tell your teammates when the squirrel is headed their way. Slowly keep driving the squirrel towards the corner. When you finally have the squirrel cornered you will need to take turns attacking its head until you land the knockout blow. Whenever one attacks, the others keep the squirrel cornered. This is the only way to beat the squirrel. They are wily opponents. They are cheeky and will steal your food whenever they can. Lilly was never able to kill one, but she truly believed it possible.

A famous hooman servant named Laurel Thatcher Ulrich once said “Well-behaved women seldom make history”. The same holds true for hens as well. Butter truly sounds like an old bitty. I bet she is an Orpington. Old bitties like to say behave yourself, follow the rules, do things the right way and they will never change anything. They want things to stay as they are. I bet they would love Hattie’s stupid worm story. I bet Butter looks something like this.

View attachment 3567423

You be you. If you want to play in the mud, play in the mud. You white chickens repel mud like water off a duck’s back. You want to chase cats, Glynda likes to chase cats and she kinda looks like a leghorn, you chase cats. You think up a great new game, you play it and encourage others to do so. You want to eat pepper plants in the garden, well you should be careful there. Hooman servants are touchy about their plants. You show everyone how much fun it is to be adventuresome and maybe you can offset the Old Bitties a little bit. Who knows maybe you can change chicken life where you are for the better. Besides, I’m willing to gamble that Butter is unable to catch you to peck you anyway.

I do feel a little reminder is in order. Butter is your better. In most things she will be right. Don’t let her control your fun but you MUST listen to her in all other things. It is “The Way of the Chicken”. Despite everything you are still chickens and need to follow “The Way”.

By the way, I think Hooligan is a compliment. My Hooman servant called me one the other day when I stole Hattie’s tomato............I mean when I replaced Hattie’s overripe tomato with a fresh green one.

Queen Aurora

View attachment 3567434

Ah, Queen Aurora, funny as always! You are such an amazing writer @BY Bob!

 

[BY Bob]

Peanut's very ill
I think she is not long for this world, I'm afraid. Maybe ascites from tumors, or internal laying, but her belly is tight and she is not breathing well. This development was very quick, but was probably brewing for some days, and I missed it. The vet I thought she could see (but I didn't establish with them) is not in business anymore, and I've been calling around without success - but just got a call back by a traveling vet outfit that goes to farms and works out of trucks, River Valley Veterinary Services, and should know if someone can come here (or maybe we can go to them) . I don't see how this situation for her can be improved but I'd like a consult. Maybe they can give her pain meds. Any chance antibiotics could help?

I was away Sunday and back Monday evening, but she seemed active and talkative that evening, I didn't think to feel her, I thought she might be beginning molting as I think that's what is up with Butters, and now Hazel, they are both molting, and she held her tail a little down like they did in the beginning. Same Tuesday morning. But yesterday (Tuesday) late afternoon she began standing around and not foraging, her tail down, and went to roost very early. I thought she might have to lay, this didn't look too out of place but she didn't call about it like they normally might.

I should have felt her, because checking in on them late after the auto-door closed I saw she was breathing quickly, making a little noise with each exhale, her tail pumping with her breathing. I didn't think there was anything I could do late at night, so I woke up early this morning and saw she was still alive. I went and felt her, her belly is full and tight. I put a glove on and some KY and checked her vent, in about an inch and a half, I didn't feel anything. She left the coop and drank water

She is drinking, and ate a little, and is now resting in the shade of the lilac bush. She was alone for a couple of hours because the others were hanging out in the Winter run, but now she has company.
@BY Bob
@RoyalChick
@bgmathteach

The difficulty breathing is a result of the fluid in her abdomen. Perhaps you could try draining her yourself. You have to get the fluid out or her organs will start failing from the pressure. @micstrachan has drained her own hen before. Perhaps she can help. That is the immediate issue you need to solve. Then you can start trying to figure out why.

The sad fact is that I have not heard of many hens recovering from ascites. They get relief from the draining but unless you can cure the cause it keeps coming back.

In your case, draining her would hopefully give you time to consult with a professional and start to diagnose.

We are praying for you both.