Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

? used to be? Still a good looking chicken, imho!!!

Oh yes he’s eye candy, but he is a holy terror!

But he is cute , he has been tidbitting me

I give him some mealy worms and he tidbits and drops them at my feet - then he eats them he is such a dork. I am almost tempted to keep him rather than Rico. But as @RebeccaBoyd said, time will tell whom I keep.

 

[Ponypoor]

Mr P and his spurs

I have noticed that his spurs were getting quite long and at times it appeared like they were interfering with his gate.

As such, tonight is cut them back, and holy
Mother of god, I couldn’t believe how hard those suckers were!!! I was using the nail clippers I use to trim their nails, and I was hard pressed to clip those spurs back! But I did managing to nip each one back about 1cm.

He also had a few feathers growing in around his face which I yanked out, I learnt my lesson in cutting new feathers - they bleed like crazy! So I yanked those blood feathers out, Fluffy ate a couple of them - ewwwww!

Maintenance on the big stud done for this month

A productive day, washed a poopy butt, and worked on an old stallion-chicken

 

[notabitail]

That’s unfortunate

Yeah. It still worked though and I can make another disc using the built in software to do so.

 

[lightm]

Since this is insanely long I've bolded the main points.

Hopefully good news about Butters! At least, she is doing much better overall! Over the last weekend I thought she hit rock bottom. Surprisingly these last three days she's not fading away but holding on and even improving. Her energy got better. She was dust bathing, foraging, sunbathing. Less sleeping during the day and much less standing around looking miserable. I saw her eat a small spider (yay!), and later maul a tiny snail, and a worm, but not eat them, except whatever little bits she got by mauling. She would nibble a bit of blueberry and no more. But then she actually ate about a third of a blueberry on Monday I think, actually taking pieces of it, and ate one small worm too.

On Monday the vet emailed with the blood work - everything very normal, but some inflammation indicated. Her uric acid was slightly high also. Bile levels very low, so no liver problem. Glucose normal, she was managing to eat enough that day to maintain. If there's something wrong it is either kidneys or her heart. I have started seriously wondering if she has been going through a very screwy starvation molt. For the first time I offered electrolytes and probiotics in the insulated waterer on Monday, with plain water in a dog bowl. I never saw Butters drink it except when I first showed her. I don't think she liked it. Hazel did drink it.

The vet said tube feeding could be done if Butters would tolerate it, but only every other day, and as low stress as possible. I decided not to tube feed for at least a couple of days, because Butters was slightly improving and maybe would continue and eat on her own. Today Wednesday she proved this true in spades, she found and ate a bunch of worms! Still very little interest in greens. Only a little bit of Baby's Breath. She's been terribly interested in bugs and worms all this time, but just not eating them.

Yesterday Tuesday I saw her eat a medium-size worm plus a tiny snail. She liked the insides of a blueberry, eating a few bites. She just mauled the rest of any living thing she uncovered while I was watching her, but I noticed the bile she was pooping was much less, her fluff wasn't nearly so messy with that bright green stuff (I had cleaned it off a couple of times to monitor and check her skin). Her body overall appeared better. Had she fixed up her feathers some? Hard to explain, but she carried herself in a better way too, she looked stronger.

Since Monday the tribe has been behaving differently. Hazel began squatting for me, she had stopped ages ago. She was calling a lot, I kept asking her if she's coming into lay again. Yesterday Tuesday out with them in the back shady area where they like to dig, I noticed Hazel was getting into little scuffles with everyone around her. Butters, too, was chasing Popcorn off of her forage spots, and herself getting picked on by Hazel, once involving Hazel's feet. We heard several kerfluffles throughout the day. Butters looked like she was feeling better!

Today Wednesday Hazel was calling incessantly at times, there were two escort calls, and they all really wanted out to forage, even Butters taking a turn standing at the run door. Now I keep thinking Hazel knew Butters needed to get on fresh ground and eat. Out they ran, and I saw her rear fluff looks pretty good, much more normal, and - today she dug and went to town on about 12 worms! She ate every worm, small and big ones. Even when it looked like she was going to be just mauling it, she got it into position and hiked it back. What a change! Yay!

This is a spot covered with cardboard last year to prepare for gardening in it. I've brought them here often, pulling it up here and there for them. She discovered a motherlode and dug away, more importantly she ate what she found. Previously she had been leaving a trail of dead bugs and worms.
View attachment 3582352

Hard work! She decided to sunbathe and doze for a short while.
View attachment 3582360

Thinking she's a protein hog now, I offered some sardines to lure them back to the run, (they were out a good couple of hours) - and for the first time in ages, Butters tagged along, walked back to the run interested in what I had, and I didn't have to get her and carry her back (she is soooo light). She moved more slowly than the others who trotted, but still, very interested. She nibbled and kept pecking away at the sardines, even after the other two had their fill for the time being.

Here she is still eating.
View attachment 3582496

Butters still has an issue with her left eye. @ManueB it does seem to be something irritating it but it doesn't look red or swollen anywhere yet. I sent the vet pictures, and she saw nothing untoward either. Butters scratches the area regularly. The vet said to monitor it and update her. I did order Terramycin on my own and it arrived today.

PS: I burned my right hand Monday grabbing a hot (400 F) cast iron pot handle like an idiot. The chicken medical kit supplies have come in handy! It is the worst I have ever burned myself, I immediately ran cool water over it for at least fifteen minutes and continued with cool soaking because of the pain, but the damage was done. There is a blister an inch long+ and maybe half an inch wide on my palm at the base of my thumb. The rest of my palm and fingers is manageable but there I could not control the pain except holding it in cold water, and even after a few hours and taking ibuprofen it would flare up unbearably and only cool water was helping.

I searched around my medical supplies for anything to put on it (aloe was like nothing). I then searched the web for ideas and then! I remembered I had bought some sort of pain cream for the chickens - and found Aspercreme with 4% Lidocaine in the chicken kit. After seeing conflicting advice on the web about Lidocaine on burns I felt this injury was probably not through all the skin and so okay, but if that proved to be the case later I'd go to the doctor, and for now I was desperate so I slathered it on. It helped some. It helped for about half an hour, so then I rinsed it off and slathered on more. That lasted longer (did I give myself a double dose?). I tried a gauze covering which was very awkward in that location, then for the night I removed it, washed the area lightly and applied more Lidocaine in case it hurt in the night, and covered it in different gauze and fastened with paper tape with a loose glove over it all. Next day I found a non-adhesive non-stick pad, and got antibiotic ointment on it, and - yes, in the chicken kit! - fastened it all with vet-wrap cut in strips. That's been working great. I can play bass because my fingertips are okay, but weirdly the back of my hand feels the inflammation from my palm with some soreness. I have a gig tomorrow night.

I am so so glad to hear Butters improved!! I think dust bathing is a really good sign.

Tina, who was sick for a month before she passed away on June 25th, sometimes was having a good day but never took a dust bath. She was slowly fading away. She was also more interested in grass when she didn't really want to eat.

I hope your burns is healing even better at this point.

 

[lightm]

I have been quiet also for similar reasons as @RebeccaBoyd. I have been diagnosed with Melanoma stage 2a and will have to have surgery to remove it. I am waiting for my appointment to find out more details @ Ohio State University's cancer center.

I know this is a chicken thread but you all have become friends. I should be fine but I do want to remind everyone to get your skin checked every year and to wear sunscreen.

Sunscreen reminder tax:

View attachment 3582631

I am so glad it will be taken care of. Please keep us posted with your upcoming appointment.

 

[lightm]

Miss Sylvie getting a little pink in her face.
View attachment 3584650

Miss Sylvie glamour shot!!!

 

[Ponypoor]

Caturday Saturday

Missy has not been feeling well this week; but today she seems back to normal.

A big stretch and yawn

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

Thing have been rough in my little brooder…
Last Monday 4 little chicks hatched and two eggs were remaining and not really hatching,fast forward to Wednesday another chick hatched but there was still one egg left..
Thursday morning it was pipping from inside the egg and Thursday afternoon it had pipped but mama hen didn’t like the egg and left it to die.
After the chick got a little closer to hatching one of it main vessels got popped,mama hen pecked at it so I took it inside and this little runt hatched Friday afternoon 5 days after it’s friends did

Mama hen accepted the chick right away and this morning when I came to check on the chick mama hen accidentally stepped on its head and I picked up a lifeless chick but I got it breathing again after some heart massage and after 2 min it was ready,dinking,eating and fine again

The mama hen is an amazing mother to the chicks and I’m rooting for this one even though life might not be going it’s way it is a little fighter

The rest of the flock is doing great and mama hen is amazing at teaching the chicks life even though it’s her first time with chicks

 

[Ponypoor]

Thing have been rough in my little brooder…
Last Monday 4 little chicks hatched and two eggs were remaining and not really hatching,fast forward to Wednesday another chick hatched but there was still one egg left..
Thursday morning it was pipping from inside the egg and Thursday afternoon it had pipped but mama hen didn’t like the egg and left it to die.
After the chick got a little closer to hatching one of it main vessels got popped,mama hen pecked at it so I took it inside and this little runt hatched Friday afternoon 5 days after it’s friends did
View attachment 3584984
Mama hen accepted the chick right away and this morning when I came to check on the chick mama hen accidentally stepped on its head and I picked up a lifeless chick but I got it breathing again after some heart massage and after 2 min it was ready,dinking,eating and fine againView attachment 3584987
The mama hen is an amazing mother to the chicks and I’m rooting for this one even though life might not be going it’s way it is a little fighter

The rest of the flock is doing great and mama hen is amazing at teaching the chicks life even though it’s her first time with chicks
View attachment 3584989

I might keep the chick in the house for the first day or two, to gain strength, then I would pop it under her at night - hopefully the wee one thrives, good for you in getting it this far! Well done!

Mama looks very intimidating

 

[Firsttimehens1234]

I might keep the chick in the house for the first day or two, to gain strength, then I would pop it under her at night - hopefully the wee one thrives, good for you in getting it this far! Well done!

Mama looks very intimidating

After her little incident she was inside until she was strong enough to go outside again, she is now following the flock and has learned to stand on mama’s feet so it can stay under her and don’t get stepped on,it is eating and drinking and doing well now

And for mama hen she is just as intimidating as she looks,very angry and makes sure everyone around her knows she is not the hen to mess around with