Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

But it seems like Bobo is much more white/grey than the others

@Desertvalleychickens @notabitail which one of you has the Dominique rooster? Featherhead needs a clear pic so he can see the white with black stripes.

 

[featherhead007]

But it seems like Bobo is much more white/grey than the others

Don’t get me wrong, I think Bobo’s feathering is absolutely beautiful

 

[notabitail]

@Desertvalleychickens @notabitail which one of you has the Dominique rooster? Featherhead needs a clear pic so he can see the white with black stripes.

I have a Dominique hen. Not a rooster.

 

[featherhead007]

Sweet Bobo:
She’s a little larger than the other Rocks too.

 

[ManueB]

There is no way you can take her sooner? Could she have an internal infection? Is her poop normal? No other excretions? I think a hen can be laying while also having problems from peritonitis. An X-ray may show you tumors if she has them. She could also be having both those problems concurrently. Her vent action may be from feeling something there in or pressing on her, as if there's poop or an egg that needs to go out.

The vet here I brought Peanut to did have some good wary points about puncturing for drainage. I was more gung-ho about learning it before I heard her warnings about it, and saw her do it. She did not want to teach me anyway (as opposed to tube-feeding, which they were fine with teaching).

Yes, there is risk, of introducing infection with the needle, and of puncturing an organ, by way of the needle insert, or of drawing the organs closer through the fluid pull and the space the ascites fills getting smaller (that's why they don't try to get it all). The vet had X-rayed Peanut, to see how things are arranged in there and get a better guess as to what her swelling was from. Tumors can push stuff around and displace organs. She aimed low because I think normally the organs are up near the spine, and didn't appear really displaced in the X-ray. The insides are compartmentalized by membranes, so she carefully went in, then almost out and back in, in a couple of directions.

I should add that Peanut was a very compliant hen, she was feeling so bad too, so there wasn't a ton of struggle and she stayed put during the procedure with a basic wrap and me helping to hold her.

She ended up getting a ton of fluid (clear colored fluid, ascites from cancer, if it was cloudy it would show infection), but it didn't give Peanut much relief, she got about one good day from it, she had too much tumor in the wrong places. One can drain a hen every so often and give her a good life for awhile, the vet knew of one that went about two years, with a slow-growing tumor that wasn't growing in a critical area.

I don't see a downside to pain medication in the meantime, if at least you can alleviate her discomfort that is good. You could try them and see how she appears to feel.

Poor wee thing, bad breeders are everywhere.

I really worry about my Azurs, but not really much to be done other than hope they slow down in the laying business.

Is Maize a production type breed?

SHRA Tax as I didn’t see CB’s answer (still having internet issues here), I would also say that both Tuff and Red were gasping and this is a classic sign of pressure on the lungs/heart. Usually from ascitis.

Oh gosh I'm so sorry. This must be very distressing.

I just called the clinic and we can bring her this afternoon to have her hospitalised.
I hate doing this because the last time we did it was for Caramel and she died there after several days hospitalised, alone, without her flock. I promised myself then that I wouldn't let this happen again. But Kara is younger and she doesn't look like she is going to die yet, so maybe it's better to try and get a diagnosis as soon as possible.
It's a two hours ride..and our first day of snow today .
I really wish we had a vet who looked at chickens closer to our place. It's so difficult to make the decision whether to take them or not.

@Ponypoor she is what you looked at that was called Noirans. Marans X Harko hybrid. Seeing that she lays everyday I suppose she is a production birds.

 

[rural mouse]

None of these are good mugs (they handed me pics for other days on a silver platter yesterday)

Twirp has a tail again...sort of

She'sgot to be feeling pretty good. I let them out for breakfast. Took the feed bucket back, grabbed the water jug (I forgot it the first round) and my phone, came back out and she'd vanished. I found EVERYONE else (scattered about) except her. She's a smart one!

Whiskey's tail is coming in nicely, too. He shook everything as I snapped the pic. I'm lucky it wasn't a blur.

Storm played peekaboo with the shadows.

And Cardhu kept moving...at just the right moment...

Tuff went out with Enigma, Shan, and Havoc to play in the taller grasses (the others are behind the reddish stuff).

Saw the neighbor with the Swiss cows yesterday. It seems one of the ladies visited his place on Saturday. Based upon description, it was Havoc. Examining terrain for nest sites?

 

[RoyalChick]

I just called the clinic and we can bring her this afternoon to have her hospitalised.
I hate doing this because the last time we did it was for Caramel and she died there after several days hospitalised, alone, without her flock. I promised myself then that I wouldn't let this happen again. But Kara is younger and she doesn't look like she is going to die yet, so maybe it's better to try and get a diagnosis as soon as possible.
It's a two hours ride..and our first day of snow today .
I really wish we had a vet who looked at chickens closer to our place. It's so difficult to make the decision whether to take them or not.

@Ponypoor she is what you looked at that was called Noirans. Marans X Harko hybrid. Seeing that she lays everyday I suppose she is a production birds.

Hoping for the best.

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

What brand? Just curious.

AceHi recleaned oats, barley and wheat.

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

@Desertvalleychickens @notabitail which one of you has the Dominique rooster? Featherhead needs a clear pic so he can see the white with black stripes.

I have the Dom roo. Ijak!

 

[Sally PB]

Us older folks call it retirement!

I love retirement!

Here's a suggestion to all the younger folks on this thread: Save all the money you can for your retirement. You are buying your freedom.

If you love your job (I didn't), keep working as long as you like.