Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

I think she will be ‘ok’ but I am now seriously thinking of having her euthanized, I have been leaving the horses out overnight due to her falling over in her stall from her sleep issues. She doesn’t want to lay down to sleep as she can’t get back up easily, so she falls asleep standing up and falls over.

Last night I just didn’t realize it would be so miserable weather wise. I am guessing she fell over and then couldn’t get up due to the slippery mud.

My fear is that she falls and breaks something and I don’t get to her till morning. I am going to have to talk with my veterinarian about this.

Ok well I better get cracking here and let the horses out, since we are under severe thunderstorm warnings I will have to bring them in later incase of lightning and possible tornadoes. I want Truly to get outside walking to see how she is. I gave her pain meds.

Sending many hugs your way. A downed horse is not fun and can be difficult to get up by yourself even in ideal conditions. She is getting up their in age right? I am really sorry you are thinking of euthanizing. When it comes to horses though I feel it is better a few days or weeks too early then a day too late when health and safety issues come into play.

 

[Ponypoor]

Our neighbors have a gold laced Polish hen. She has been camera shy to this point.

They are so lovely, I am wondering if Martina/Martin (hahaha reminds me of that movie Victor Victoria ha!), will feather out similar to that.

 

[Galaxy_rules]

Ok, thanks!

Yah!

 

[Galaxy_rules]

I think she will be ‘ok’ but I am now seriously thinking of having her euthanized, I have been leaving the horses out overnight due to her falling over in her stall from her sleep issues. She doesn’t want to lay down to sleep as she can’t get back up easily, so she falls asleep standing up and falls over.

Last night I just didn’t realize it would be so miserable weather wise. I am guessing she fell over and then couldn’t get up due to the slippery mud.

My fear is that she falls and breaks something and I don’t get to her till morning. I am going to have to talk with my veterinarian about this.

Ok well I better get cracking here and let the horses out, since we are under severe thunderstorm warnings I will have to bring them in later incase of lightning and possible tornadoes. I want Truly to get outside walking to see how she is. I gave her pain meds.

I hope she’s ok

 

[Ponypoor]

Let us know how she is. Seems to me good to discuss this with Truly’s vet. Your feelings about her situation have changed? Could she fall and break something in the stall also, but it is a safer place to be if it happens?

You do a great job with everyone in your care, so remember to have some compassion for yourself, too.

Yep you are correct she could also break something in the stall - more likely to cause issues inside actually. Which is why I had her outside, if she falls down it's wide open nothing for her to crash into or through, just my bad luck it was a monsoon and flooded and cold.

If I had know it was going to be a miserable night I would have kept her and the other inside. She will stay in tonight and likely tomorrow also until the ground dries up again.

I can't do anything with her at the moment at any rate so I will just be extra vigilant - always worry with pets - one has to have nerves of steel to have pets and kids.

Chickens are easy - they fall over I pick them up and plop them on their feet
Horse falls over - not so easy! I have helped haul up other horses that have gone down, 4 or 5 people to get them up. one on the head, one on the tail, one one either side with a rope under their belly/hindquarters. Heave ho! steady pull on tail and head to keep them from going forward or backwards, and the rope to hoist them up. Back breaking work - which is likely why I have such a bad back these days.

Chickens are far easier to deal with than large horses!

Rico

 

[LhickenChicken]

An update

Lots has been going on here. For example, I got my first green egg two weeks ago. I haven't uploaded the picture yet. Twilight lays those eggs.

Yesterday, I lost a pullet. It was Brooks. I went into the barn to do the chores, I hear a desperate CHEEP CHEEP CHEEP! I look under my feet; no Tomatilla chicks I am stepping on. I look towards the big coop... Brooks is standing there, with lots of feathers missing and blood all over. Her butt was a bloody mess. Now if you know my chooks they will torture little chickies and practically kill them. They love going for the butt. I think part of her skull could have been broken off, and everything was just disgusting, gory, and bloody. I ended her misery. Even if I could have saved her, she would've not laid eggs. Because of the backside. Brooks was only about ten weeks old. Or could be seven weeks. She was a small chick.

Alpha wants to be a crazy rabbit. He is trying to thump my arm. It's called thumping; basically it's when the buck pinches some of the doe's fur near the back of the neck, and kind of balances, then starts thumping his back legs. It's a comical sight, kind of like a rabbit stacked on a rabbit. Anyway, he was trying to do that to me! Pinching my sweater, balancing on my arm, and thumping... Yeah not ideal. But I think he likes me...

A Gen.2 pullet, Esme, started laying yesterday. It was so weak shelled it broke in my hands. The membrane was strong, though. I just made mash of it. Chooks loved it.

Anyway, here's some tax, a random bunch of hens

More like Lady Nacho (left) and Mary (right)

 

[Skyewatcher]

Such beautiful chickens!

Thank you so much!!

 

[featherhead007]

She’s back up on all 4s - she is fine as long as she doesn’t have to lay down. Or if she does she has some good traction to dig in her hooves to get back up (same if she falls).

But it was the mud causing issues.

At least she’s up!

 

[Ponypoor]

Omg. I hope your vet helps to find out what's going on.

Oh we know what the issue is, she has trouble getting up when she lays down and also painful - she has arthritis in her hips, hocks, and sacrum, so she is refusing to lay down she gets sleep deprived (I know the feeling), and then falls asleep standing up and topples over (no I don't do that haha!).

Dangerous situation. I close her stall door in the evening so the chickens can't get in her stall, just in case she all of a sudden falls over - don't want no squashed chickies!

 

[Marie2020]

These girls were so upset because i couldn't get them in the garden because of ebay customers services messing me around for over an hour and still not resolved