Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

Would Pear be your choice ? I guess as long as peace is maintained in the flock it should be a good thing.

Poor Quartz - did you get a chance to inspect his leg? He is really lame it looks, it amazes me they don’t get more injuries they way they are always jumping and flapping around. I just try not to look anymore!

Pear is next oldest. She's the logical choice. Chickens are logical, right?

Quartz: Mama Storm is not QUITE as bad as the Evil Ol' Bat aka Momma Hen. She didn't draw blood. So zero chance to inspect. I will make sure water and food are in the coop tomorrow and NOT try to catch a little, so it doesn't squirt out the door to get away from me. Hopefully, Quartz will stay put instead of following Storm around. If Storm starts abandoning Quartz, then I might be able to do an inspection. Meanwhile, make food and water available in close proximity to hopefully minimize movement.

 

[Lilion]

Oh that’s wonderful! I am glad they are learning to roost up high. Are the wee ones now allowed to come outside? Or is momma still trying to keep them inside?

Red and her big bad butt

Well I cleaned up her butt, removed all the old shavings stuck on her, clipped the feathers back some more, applied a bit of antibiotic ointment to any soft moist spots, stuffed 250mg of amoxicillin into her, she ate a handful of dried soldier fly larva and some scratch grain, and I gave her abdomen/butt a spray of bug spray I use on the horses.

Right now she is “oot-n-aboot” for a bit. It’s wet raining so I really don’t want her outside too much but she is lonely and depressed looking otherwise.

The black tissue will need to debrided, and that where I might use honey.
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But her tail is up and she is now looking a bit more perky, just need to monitor for additional maggots and any further infection.

Hiding her head? Picking her bum? Ignoring me asking what she is a n my chair - again? Who knows, but one thing is for sure she’s a cheeky one!

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Went thru clicking things to respond to and turned out to all be yours! LOL

Mom goes out in the run but the kids still pretty much stay in.

So glad your Red is getting by. Really other than the wound, she looks healthier than Sheba.

Have you considered a vinyl cover for that office chair?

I am so very sorry about about the passing of Silver. May her legacy live on in your flock. I hope I am not overstepping here, and if I am please forgive me. Last August my biological father passed away. He and my grandfather sparked and nurtured my love for chickens when I was a small child and into my teens. Life happened and eventually both he and myself found ourselves chicken less for decades. When the opportunity arose for me to get back involved with chickens, *Thank you Momma Hen* he encouraged it. He never again was in a place where he could have chickens, but, he loved to hear stories about mine and see the pictures. Every Wednesday he would call and eventually the conversations would lead to the chickens. He would reminisce about his flock. He would offer advice on breeds he used to have. He thought I should have multiple game hens, best mothers as he put it and he and my grandpa always kept a few around for that purpose. I remember those hens, I also remember the floggings I got because I had to see the babies. He met my flock in person a few times. Drumstick impressed him as did Bubba. He called me crazy for loving the weird looking Branch but admitted he was a sweet heart. The day after daddy died, the then neighbor at the barn's dog got loose and killed Ezzie, one of the Cinnamon Queens and the white feather footed Butter daughter that I finally got. That about broke me. I cannot remember if it was my brother or Rosie who pointed out that daddy loved chickens and while it hurt he now had a small flock of chickens in heaven to look over. Including a weird but lovable silkie rooster. I still felt the raw grief of everything, but at the time it was a tiny bit of comfort thinking about that image. I hope it helps you a bit to imagine your beloved MIL in heaven holding and tending to the chick she once raised and gave you to start your flock.

That was truly beautiful. What a lovely way to look at it.

Had to put Eenie and the kids on the platform tonight. Oh well, I hadn't expected to have them "trained" so quickly.

Eenie decided to climb my forearms and hand on! My husband was behind me going, "Put her down!" Like I was the one holding on! Still it gets a bit simpler each night and the kids are getting much better at it. Such sweeties. I love their little chirps.

Darn they're cute. I know Tres is likely a cockrell, and if so he'll have to go, but it's hard trying not to get attached.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I promised to post a pic. I am not a great photographer by any means! The best chicken portrait I have is of my late great Toby, a Dominique. Behold!

Then there is Rojo, my current rooster. He is always surrounded by his entourage of about 7 or 8 hens; he is a great favorite with the ladies!

Finally here is a pic of most of my flock enjoying their afternoon treat under the watchful eyes of their LGDs, Sammy (left), and Gracie (right), both Shelties, who enjoy the corn and dried mealworms as much as do the chickens. Supervising all is Diva, the black cat in the center.

 

[LhickenChicken]

Yep, why surprised - I have seen snow in Alberta in August hahahaha though not this year I bet!

How are your chooks with your extreme weather this summer?

Good, it's been cool and rainy lately, but hot temps are soon to come this weekend. I used to live in Kitchener, that's why I'm surprised-- still reminiscing about the warm temperatures there. You will forever find me to be complaining why the summer is so short...
The chooks have been making sure their puddles are as deep as ever so that they can fill them up with water and drink from them instead of the waterer! It's dirty water you brats, and there's clean water just above your head!!!

 

[LhickenChicken]

Wow 16300

Am I the chatty one? Or is it Alex ?

Both, I'd say!

 

[LhickenChicken]

Red and her big bad butt

Well I cleaned up her butt, removed all the old shavings stuck on her, clipped the feathers back some more, applied a bit of antibiotic ointment to any soft moist spots, stuffed 250mg of amoxicillin into her, she ate a handful of dried soldier fly larva and some scratch grain, and I gave her abdomen/butt a spray of bug spray I use on the horses.

Right now she is “oot-n-aboot” for a bit. It’s wet raining so I really don’t want her outside too much but she is lonely and depressed looking otherwise.

The black tissue will need to debrided, and that where I might use honey.
View attachment 3617288View attachment 3617291
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But her tail is up and she is now looking a bit more perky, just need to monitor for additional maggots and any further infection.

Oh no! What happened?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

So it's 71F in their room and the 3 1/2 week old chicks are roosting on the open air highest bar/roost and not on the hemp floor under the brooder plate. Aren't they going to get cold? I was working at the computer nearby and maybe the light and my presence attracted them up there?

They are bunched up together and sometimes look a little puffed up but aren't complaining, and they're dozing and sticking their beaks under their wings or onto their neighbor's back.

I put on some low light and tried out putting the plate higher near where they are but decided it wasn't stable there and put it back down. Meanwhile they came down and drank water and ate some crumbles, then ignored the brooder plate and went back up to their spot on the bar.

I'm sleeping near them, so I'm hoping they'll start complaining if they get cold and need help moving. There is a low nightlight next to them....

 

[rural mouse]

So it's 71F in their room and the 3 1/2 week old chicks are roosting on the open air highest bar/roost and not on the hemp floor under the brooder plate. Aren't they going to get cold? I was working at the computer nearby and maybe the light and my presence attracted them up there?

They are bunched up together and sometimes look a little puffed up but aren't complaining, and they're dozing and sticking their beaks under their wings or onto their neighbor's back.

I put on some low light and tried out putting the plate higher near where they are but decided it wasn't stable there and put it back down. Meanwhile they came down and drank water and ate some crumbles, then ignored the brooder plate and went back up to their spot on the bar.

I'm sleeping near them, so I'm hoping they'll start complaining if they get cold and need help moving. There is a low nightlight next to them....

Mama Storm had her babies (4 weeks) out in 53F, RAIN. Honestly, I'm coming to the conclusion that chicks do NOT need the constant temp decreasing 5 degrees a week. They need a spot consistently 90 degrees (space getting bigger as they grow) so they can go warm up, but they utilize it much less after the first couple of days-first week. Then they only use it when they feel cold/at night....and I suspect they grow their feathers in a bit faster too. And get less pasty butt.

Not something I want to run science tests for. Too many variables, not fair to the chicks.

 

[RoyalChick]

Mama Storm had her babies (4 weeks) out in 53F, RAIN. Honestly, I'm coming to the conclusion that chicks do NOT need the constant temp decreasing 5 degrees a week. They need a spot consistently 90 degrees (space getting bigger as they grow) so they can go warm up, but they utilize it much less after the first couple of days-first week. Then they only use it when they feel cold/at night....and I suspect they grow their feathers in a bit faster too. And get less pasty butt.

Not something I want to run science tests for. Too many variables, not fair to the chicks.

I don’t have much experience but the batches of chicks I have raised with the plate would only go under it now and then to warm up.
I even had to lower my bathroom temperature because they were clearly too hot but were still quarantined at about a week old.
I too no longer believe those heat charts reducing every week.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Mama Storm had her babies (4 weeks) out in 53F, RAIN. Honestly, I'm coming to the conclusion that chicks do NOT need the constant temp decreasing 5 degrees a week. They need a spot consistently 90 degrees (space getting bigger as they grow) so they can go warm up, but they utilize it much less after the first couple of days-first week. Then they only use it when they feel cold/at night....and I suspect they grow their feathers in a bit faster too. And get less pasty butt.

Not something I want to run science tests for. Too many variables, not fair to the chicks.

I don’t have much experience but the batches of chicks I have raised with the plate would only go under it now and then to warm up.
I even had to lower my bathroom temperature because they were clearly too hot but were still quarantined at about a week old.
I too no longer believe those heat charts reducing every week.

I agree on what you both are saying, this last week they've been outside for a spell each day with the plate available, and even shivering sometimes and still running around, and their feathers are coming in fast. So I'm fine with a cool /even cold room temp as long as they have the warm up spot. But they've been under the plate every night so far, though more or less, half-in or so. Tonight I confess I've been dozing lightly because I'm listening for every move they make. Heard them shifting around once with light peeps only. Just checked and they're still on the roost, and not particularly bunched up either!