Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[lightm]

I just got a photo of my whole, correction...most of my flock SUN BATHING!!! i rarely see them do this and it normally only happens in spring. Even more rarely will I get a picture of them and this flock behavior.
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It almost looks like oil painting. What a picture!

 

[Ponypoor]

I just got a photo of my whole, correction...most of my flock SUN BATHING!!! i rarely see them do this and it normally only happens in spring. Even more rarely will I get a picture of them and this flock behavior.
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Wonderful photo! You should put it in the calendar entry

 

[lightm]

This does feel somewhat positive. Their prices seem to be in line with my vet if that helps. I don't understand why the sand would not move on through on its own. That's feels odd to me.

We have lots of sand here and other birds have no issues either.

My understanding is that when birds digestive tracts are slow, they often gorge on sand or stones. She was doing all she could to heal herself. The sand in her crop now have become sticky/muddy. We are going to have her inside the house for two days, so she will be away from sand for a while.

 

[Ponypoor]

Yeash! I couldn't even drill the starter holes because the darn drill bit is dull! I'm always saying how capable and handy I am. Not hardly tonight. Also I couldn't find the staple gun...

And I got no eggs today! No. Just no. I'm done with the chicken coop tonight. I need to get some dinner and just crash.

Whining tax.
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I have been here I know that feeling of frustration. That’s when you just need to put it all aside.

Eggs: I got 9 the other day, yesterday I got 3. I swear they are hiding them on me!

Ok I hope you have your feet up and resting, no sense getting over heated.

 

[rural mouse]

Storm is the soft trill, semi hiding under the sounds of the others. That's her version of a warning scream. She inherited her father's voice.

 

[Ponypoor]

I don’t think I do look good in glasses .
They are a bother to wear and find if lost.

Yep and in the winter they fog up! And I keep running into things with them on because they are for reading only! Who put that wall there! That’s were the door is supposed to be!

 

[Ponypoor]

My wife bought so many readers there is a pair everywhere she sits down. She never has to look for a pair.

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I did that here too, pairs in the barn also!

Seeing tax
I have multiple versions of this theme

 

[Ponypoor]

Today we brought Light to the vet. She has had an impacted crop for about a month at this point.

Inside the car before the two hour car ride. She was a very good girl.
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Patiently waiting at the vet
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Overall I am not impressed but it is hopeful.

The vet did an overall physical exam which seems routine for all patients they take in. The clinic is avian and exotic only (no cats and dogs) but I am afraid the vet we have is not an expert in chickens. I feel like I know more than him on many topics.

After physical exams, he suggested x-ray, blood work, fecal test, and crop wash, all of which are diagnostic. Crop wash is to push some saline water down her crop and then take out a sample of what's inside her crop. It is not meant to clear the crop. I was really hoping that he would at least empty the crop somehow.

We chose to do crop wash and fecal test. Light was even sedated a bit (we were told it is pretty safe) during crop wash. After lots of waiting (we arrived at 10:20am and left at 4pm... it was a slow doctor according to the technician... lots of unnecessary waiting), the vet came back saying that it is all sand in the crop. He found lots of bacteria in her poop and her crop sand. With the crop wash, he also went ahead and took about half of the sand that was in Light's crop. So her crop is smaller now. He also gave us three medications, two liquid medicine that will help flush stuff down (one called slippery elm and the other called metoclopramide), one antibiotic. We are also supposed to tube feed her some sealed bird meals that he gave us.

I am hoping that getting her crop half cleared can be a good starting point and two liquid medication will be a better version of stool softener. The whole visit cost $400.

That’s way less expensive than it would be here, a visit like that would be close to a thousand here I bet.

So you know how to tube feed? I really need to learn to do this, I must ask my vet to show me.

 

[Ponypoor]

This does feel somewhat positive. Their prices seem to be in line with my vet if that helps. I don't understand why the sand would not move on through on its own. That's feels odd to me.

Horses often get sand accumulated in their stomach causing ‘sand colic’ - I feed beet pulp which is supposed to help move the sand out of the stomach.

Not sure how valid that is but I feed it anyways - it’s a good fibre feed.

 

[Ponypoor]

I will say that of all the times I have taken a chicken to the vet, only Lilly's arthritis was actually fixed. Sansa and Gucci both passed away. Now I don't blame the vet. They were both likely genetic issues but it was a lot of money spent to no net result.

It's just what else can you do when you don't know and you need help?

This is the very reason I am sooooo thankful for my Nurse training, this along with the fact my equine vets are proactive in “training” me has been so very helpful with treating things.

Of course the anatomy of a chicken is way more different than a mammal like a cat dog or horse. But I can still apply a lot of what I have learnt, and I have faith in my skills to do things like drain poor Tuff when I have never done such a thing to a bird in my life!

Thank god for you tube. Not only do I learn to use my rotor, but also how to drain a hens water belly. And thank god for everyone here also for allowing me add your knowledge to mine - thank you all