Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[LhickenChicken]

Pip was not feeling well this morning. The classis "I don't feel good" stance: head hunched, tail down. I looked under her tail, and there was a glob of what looked like egg white mixed with poop under her vent.

I brought her inside, and washed her bum, and saw something sticking out of her vent. There was definitely more, so I probed her vent and worked this loose and pulled it out.
View attachment 3745512
It was definitely a soft eggshell. This is a little bigger than lifesize; the drop of blood was wasn't that big.

This was on the outside of the shell.
View attachment 3745513
It looked like a bit of the meat from "meaty snack" I gave them on Friday. (Meaty snack is the stuff left from making bone broth.) But I'm not sure about that. I did not see anything that looked like lash material, other than the meat bit above.

I gave her a calcium citrate pill. The "pull down on the wattles" to get a chicken to open her beak really works.

She's now in a crate in the mudroom. She pooped the "starvation" poop: urates and a green little blob. She went for the feed that I put in the crate with her as if she was indeed very hungry.

I plan to keep her inside at least until tomorrow, and will give her another calcium in the morning.

Hopefully she feels better soon!

 

[rural mouse]

Pip is eating and drinking. She's pooped a better looking poop too. It was still small and slimy, but more of it. She's been making soft cooing noises with a little bit of trill in them.

The crate is a small dog crate, so not much room. I have a blanket on the bottom with a piece of 2x4 for her to stand/roost on. It's tall enough for her to stand upright, which she's doing, and big enough for her to turn around.

I think one day inside should be enough...? She looks fine. Her eyes are bight, head is up. Or should she go back out with the flock now?

Any suggestions/opinions are welcome! This is the first time I've dealt with this problem.

My experience: (Twirp with Whiskey for companion) the coo is a good sign. I wasn't ready to let her loose until I knew she was eating. She didn't start eating until the next morning....AFTER he had been crowing for at least an hour. I put him out. He tried to come right back in. She hopped up on the edge of the tote, then out to join him. He decided to stay out once she joined him.

My point: she CHOSE to head out.

My thought: give her the opportunity. If she stays in the crate, she's not ready to rejoin. If she leaves the crate, she feels she's ready.

 

[Ponypoor]

Pony Sunday

Opened the gate to the middle paddock yesterday so they can trample down some of the weeds and trim up the willow tree branches.

Lulu playing let’s hide

Reenie and Truly looking for any bits of green grass

 

[Ponypoor]

Look at how odd Bert’s colour is, he is definitely not white but some odd grey/lavender with orange splashes. At first I thought he was just dirty from dust bathing, but you can see next to his mum and sister he is not white.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I saw a reference to "The Ole Bat" this morning. I think it is time to do a update on her. At some point this spring she will turn at least 11 years old. She is still going strong and is in the best shape ever weight wise. She looks great, I would not think of her as a geriatric hen if I did not know her and spotted her out and about. I really do not think she has laid a egg in almost a year. To my knowledge she never picked back up laying after her last clutch late last spring. Right now, her face is reddening up fast. I would think at 11 a hen would be done laying. With Momma who knows. This girl has spent over half her life brooding chicks, she could lay again. I will say while it has been frustrating, with the excessive brooding she has taken care of herself. As of last year her eggs were fertile with really strong shells.
Here is the "Ole Bat" in all her glory this past Wednesday.

She has been through and seen a lot in her 11 years. Oh the stories this hen could tell if she were able to.

Edited to add.
I went back and did the math. From the clutches I have allowed her to hatch willingly or surprisingly she has hatched off 47 chicks herself. This is with me limiting most of her clutches to 2 to 4 eggs.

 

[rural mouse]

Look at how odd Bert’s colour is, he is definitely not white but some odd grey/lavender with orange splashes. At first I thought he was just dirty from dust bathing, but you can see next to his mum and sister he is not white.

View attachment 3745626

He's looking like Butterscotch....and such eye candy too!!!

 

[rural mouse]

I saw a reference to "The Ole Bat" this morning. I think it is time to do a update on her. At some point this spring she will turn at least 11 years old. She is still going strong and is in the best shape ever weight wise. She looks great, I would not think of her as a geriatric hen if I did not know her and spotted her out and about. I really do not think she has laid a egg in almost a year. To my knowledge she never picked back up laying after her last clutch late last spring. Right now, her face is reddening up fast. I would think at 11 a hen would be done laying. With Momma who knows. This girl has spent over half her life brooding chicks, she could lay again. I will say while it has been frustrating, with the excessive brooding she has taken care of herself. As of last year her eggs were fertile with really strong shells.
Here is the "Ole Bat" in all her glory this past Wednesday.
View attachment 3745629View attachment 3745630
She has been through and seen a lot in her 11 years. Oh the stories this hen could tell if she were able to.

Edited to add.
I went back and did the math. From the clutches I have allowed her to hatch willingly or surprisingly she has hatched off 47 chicks herself. This is with me limiting most of her clutches to 2 to 4 eggs.

She is a TREASURE!

 

[rural mouse]

Temps have been hovering just above freezing most of the day. The crew is out and about.

Whiskey watching with some girls just above the coop

And (with the coop cut from the bigger picture) off to the right

Pear, Tuff, and Cheetah all doing sentinel duties at key vantage points with Hector watching from in close.



Sherlock has been out several times to play, found his missing ball and has looked at and turned away from chooks with nothing more than voice commands.

 

[featherhead007]

Hahaha sorry Alex, been a hard day here I over did it yesterday and I was struggling to get chores done, and hay thrown down for the week.

Add to n the fact those wee velociraptors were bat crap crazy to get outside on mount poopmore again today…. I finally just gave up and let them out for a few hrs. They are inside now and I am in the feedroom feet up on the heater reclined in my office chair checking out the weather and FBA.

Here is some prose for you…

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

(Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliette)

If Juliet was my prize, I’d change my name if I had to!! (Just saying)

 

[Ponypoor]

I saw a reference to "The Ole Bat" this morning. I think it is time to do a update on her. At some point this spring she will turn at least 11 years old. She is still going strong and is in the best shape ever weight wise. She looks great, I would not think of her as a geriatric hen if I did not know her and spotted her out and about. I really do not think she has laid a egg in almost a year. To my knowledge she never picked back up laying after her last clutch late last spring. Right now, her face is reddening up fast. I would think at 11 a hen would be done laying. With Momma who knows. This girl has spent over half her life brooding chicks, she could lay again. I will say while it has been frustrating, with the excessive brooding she has taken care of herself. As of last year her eggs were fertile with really strong shells.
Here is the "Ole Bat" in all her glory this past Wednesday.
View attachment 3745629View attachment 3745630
She has been through and seen a lot in her 11 years. Oh the stories this hen could tell if she were able to.

Edited to add.
I went back and did the math. From the clutches I have allowed her to hatch willingly or surprisingly she has hatched off 47 chicks herself. This is with me limiting most of her clutches to 2 to 4 eggs.

What a hen! Such a wonderful old lady, here is hoping she retires and spends her time teaching all the youngsters how to fly up into trees