Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

The door to their brooder house is closed and latched. I don’t think even Piglet could open it.
I am of course nervous about what will happen.
Their first move is this. It will not end well.

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[ChicoryBlue]

I keep getting "wow" reactions and I don't know why. lol. The egg on the ramp?

The weird thing is they didn't eat that egg! I wiped it off the ramp and into a bowl I use for treats and it's just laying there still, over an hour later. Guess I should be glad they don't have a taste for eggs.

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You see Sheba's still standing weird...but seems perfectly healthy. My chickens are a puzzle to me.

You've felt her (Sheba's) belly and it's normal?

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Someone crowed.
Pooh is now braying like a donkey but it wasn’t that sound. Piglet has got the goose honking thing going on. But it wasn’t that either.
It wasn’t a full on adult rooster crow. More like practicing.
I can’t figure out who it could be and whether it is actually a little cockerel or just poor voice control.
It could have been Bernie who certainly has other roostwr-like behaviors. Or even Babs who may honestly be the noisiest chicken I have ever encountered.
Or Tassels.
But @RebeccaBoyd thought I would see gold or red by now if Tassels was a boy. Tassels is big, but no red or gold.
The Pentagonists are 12 weeks old.

Here is Tassels looking alert and on the left. Pooh is in the foreground and Calypso head-down on the right.
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I am not familiar with olive eggers personally. Little experience with pea combs which is why Owly worries me. What I am experienced with is Black Copper Marans and Marans crosses. Since I got the Marans lets safely say I have hatched off about 200 chicks, probably more. At least half of those have been crosses. While I have hatched off some solid black pullets I have never, never hatched off a solid black cockerel or rooster. Every single one that has been black based has gotten the Maran's markings if they are boys. This even held true with Twig who had a solid black silkie father and a Marans mother. If Tassels was or is a boy, those copper markings should already be showing around the neck AND shoulder area. Again, this is strictly coming from my personal experience.

 

[RoyalChick]

I am not sure I have the nerves for this. There is a lot of flying back and forth. Babs has rather sensibly left the roosting area and has gone back out to the run and is having a snack to supplement the snack she had after her post-supper snack.

 

[RoyalChick]

I am not familiar with olive eggers personally. Little experience with pea combs which is why Owly worries me. What I am experienced with is Black Copper Marans and Marans crosses. Since I got the Marans lets safely say I have hatched off about 200 chicks, probably more. At least half of those have been crosses. While I have hatched off some solid black pullets I have never, never hatched off a solid black cockerel or rooster. Every single one that has been black based has gotten the Maran's markings if they are boys. This even held true with Twig who had a solid black silkie father and a Marans mother. If Tassels was or is a boy, those copper markings should already be showing around the neck AND shoulder area. Again, this is strictly coming from my personal experience.

Well Tassels is a Marans cross so I am going to hold on to your experience. I will however try and take a bunch of photos so you can all tell me what you see.
I am hoping it was Bernie crowing. It wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Lilion]

You've felt her (Sheba's) belly and it's normal?

Not lately. She isn't one to let me catch her. But she lays every day, eats well, seems plenty peppy.

 

[RoyalChick]

So I didn't think of this issue. Because the brooder house has wire sides they can see in and see their usual night roost. So at least Piglet is trying to break in from various sides.
I might cave and open the door.
This is all a bit distressing. I should have covered the whole thing with cardboard so they couldn't see it.

 

[Ponypoor]

That looks pretty nice actually!

Trying to do so. As @rural mouse said, maybe the painkillers ramping up are helping. I also think possibly of recovering from damage to body functions prior to draining? DH was happy she had a good day, they all came and visited and inspected his work in the garage/barn. I'm going back and forth on this, but will try another draining and see, maybe learn it myself, at least for the future. It is a hopeless endeavor ultimately, yet gives her some good days for now.

If you do it yourself - ask the Vet for the butterfly needles that have to flexible tubing to attach the syringe to, it will make it easier to aspirate back on the syringe. Micstrachan (Michelle) mentioned this and I concur with her.

I drained Tuff twice now and it is really difficult to keep the needle in place and see through the feathers and aspirate to syringe. If I had used a butterfly needle it would have been easier I think.

I am so glad she has stabilized and is doing some chicken things.

 

[Ponypoor]

So I didn't think of this issue. Because the brooder house has wire sides they can see in and see their usual night roost. So at least Piglet is trying to break in from various sides.
I might cave and open the door.
This is all a bit distressing. I should have covered the whole thing with cardboard so they couldn't see it.

They will give up once it gets a bit darker.

My kiddos did the same thing the first night I moved them to the Summer House. Next night they just went into the Summer House.

Right now they are waiting for me to go out and let them in their roost - they are sitting on the stall door roosting till then

 

[Ponypoor]

I keep getting "wow" reactions and I don't know why. lol. The egg on the ramp?

The weird thing is they didn't eat that egg! I wiped it off the ramp and into a bowl I use for treats and it's just laying there still, over an hour later. Guess I should be glad they don't have a taste for eggs.

View attachment 3570763

You see Sheba's still standing weird...but seems perfectly healthy. My chickens are a puzzle to me.

Wow from me because of the egg on the ramp! Crazy place to put an egg - silly chook