Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

So, I would appreciate some thoughts.

Yesterday, while everyone was free ranging and I was cleaning out the 'field' coop & pen, the ducks and geese got EXTREMELY noisy. I come out and around..and see a fox running with a duck in his mouth. I give chase, yelling....duck slips and he stops to try to re-grab her...and gets spooked by me as I was gaining on him (only because he was stopped, though) and takes off without her.

I manage to catch her (not an easy task) to check her over. Seems the only wound was he had punctured her artery in her wing - right at the elbow. I cleaned it, but it bled like a sun-of-a-gun....I had trouble getting it to stop. I managed to get it wrapped and the blood stopped...but I can't put her out with the others as she will most definitely get the wound wet with dirty water (ducks dirty their water within minutes of getting fresh, clean water.) So, she is in the house - and I don't have space suitable for ducks such that I can bring a friend in.

Here is the problem: She hasn't eaten at all, and only had very little to drink. I am sure she is in shock, but I don't know what to do. (And, no, my ducks aren't cuddly - so I'm more frightening than comfort )

Any thoughts? I really don't feel I can risk an infection by putting her out with the others - at least not for a few days until the wound has scabbed over well.

Do you have a bathtub, wading pool you can put on the deck/patio/in the garage (something easily dumped/cleaned), large cooler, storage tote, mud room wash sink? If so, use it and bring in a friend long enough to get her to eat. Once she starts eating, she should settle down some. If she only eats when a friend is around, can you bring in a friend twice a day?

 

[bgmathteach]

Do you have a bathtub, wading pool you can put on the deck/patio/in the garage (something easily dumped/cleaned), large cooler, storage tote, mud room wash sink? If so, use it and bring in a friend long enough to get her to eat. Once she starts eating, she should settle down some. If she only eats when a friend is around, can you bring in a friend twice a day?

I've got her in my largest tote - and while 2 would 'fit', they couldn't really move if 2 were in there. Hmmmm....maybe what hubby doesn't know won't hurt him...I like the idea of the tub.It is way too cold & windy to use the mudroom (it has louvered windows that don't close completely)

@Ponypoor , it was probably a vein - I should know better with the spurting! But, gosh, trying to get it to stop bleeding! I want to check it, but am afraid to disturb it and make it bleed again

[Thank goodness I had taken today off as a vaca day! Life is never dull, to top this all off, a transformer blew near us at about 4 am this morning - power was just restored around 10:30-11 ish. We are on well water, so went to a nearby neighbor who wasn't affected to get 2, 5-gal. buckets of water this am to take care of everyone.]

*********************************************​

There was a bit of comedy in all this, though it wasn't until now that I could chuckle about it:

Who was chasing the fox?

Was it my geese. big and with fearsome attitudes????


NOPE


Was it my Drakes - who, despite having 14 girls between them, have started fighting over them when one is being armourous???


NOPE


Was it one of my many roosters - who are supposed to be watchful and protective???



Nope




Well, then, ???WHO????




My 2 smallest ducks (Welsh Harlequins) were waddling their little feet off chasing the fox, trying to catch him!! And the lungs on them yelling at 'him'!!!!

 

[BeastBaby]

I've got her in my largest tote - and while 2 would 'fit', they couldn't really move if 2 were in there. Hmmmm....maybe what hubby doesn't know won't hurt him...I like the idea of the tub.It is way too cold & windy to use the mudroom (it has louvered windows that don't close completely)

@Ponypoor , it was probably a vein - I should know better with the spurting! But, gosh, trying to get it to stop bleeding! I want to check it, but am afraid to disturb it and make it bleed again

[Thank goodness I had taken today off as a vaca day! Life is never dull, to top this all off, a transformer blew near us at about 4 am this morning - power was just restored around 10:30-11 ish. We are on well water, so went to a nearby neighbor who wasn't affected to get 2, 5-gal. buckets of water this am to take care of everyone.]

*********************************************​

There was a bit of comedy in all this, though it wasn't until now that I could chuckle about it:

Who was chasing the fox?

Was it my geese. big and with fearsome attitudes????


NOPE


Was it my Drakes - who, despite having 14 girls between them, have started fighting over them when one is being armourous???


NOPE


Was it one of my many roosters - who are supposed to be watchful and protective???



Nope




Well, then, ???WHO????




My 2 smallest ducks (Welsh Harlequins) were waddling their little feet off chasing the fox, trying to catch him!! And the lungs on them yelling at 'him'!!!!

Oh poor dears, they were cursing at both the fox and all the slacker “protectors”

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE German Shepherds! I have one and he is the greatest. He's 4 years old and 78lbs, so on the smaller side. BIG bark, lots of shedding, and yes, big teeth. But he is the most loving, loyal, fun dog. He is very vocal. More so than a husky, but that could be just him. He's adorable. It is very true what they say about them attaching to the women. My picture won't upload.

While I was at school, my parents returned him to his owner because he was too big. He was super sweet. It’s not fair because he would have settled in just fine. I’m ticked off.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

On a bright side, my polishes have been shipped! They should be here tomorrow or Wednesday.

 

[rural mouse]

I've got her in my largest tote - and while 2 would 'fit', they couldn't really move if 2 were in there. Hmmmm....maybe what hubby doesn't know won't hurt him...I like the idea of the tub.It is way too cold & windy to use the mudroom (it has louvered windows that don't close completely)

@Ponypoor , it was probably a vein - I should know better with the spurting! But, gosh, trying to get it to stop bleeding! I want to check it, but am afraid to disturb it and make it bleed again

[Thank goodness I had taken today off as a vaca day! Life is never dull, to top this all off, a transformer blew near us at about 4 am this morning - power was just restored around 10:30-11 ish. We are on well water, so went to a nearby neighbor who wasn't affected to get 2, 5-gal. buckets of water this am to take care of everyone.]

*********************************************​

There was a bit of comedy in all this, though it wasn't until now that I could chuckle about it:

Who was chasing the fox?

Was it my geese. big and with fearsome attitudes????


NOPE


Was it my Drakes - who, despite having 14 girls between them, have started fighting over them when one is being armourous???


NOPE


Was it one of my many roosters - who are supposed to be watchful and protective???



Nope




Well, then, ???WHO????




My 2 smallest ducks (Welsh Harlequins) were waddling their little feet off chasing the fox, trying to catch him!! And the lungs on them yelling at 'him'!!!!

Can you get some of that winterization plastic on clearance to cover the windows of the mudroom for a week or so? Or use a shower curtain? Blocking the wind might be enough, especially if you can warm her. Heating pad might help there. What I'm using with the chicks. No auto shut off, remove the cover, can wash it.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Sunbeam-...mentIntent=Shipping&athbdg=L1102&from=/search

The bathtub was my first thought....the slope would allow her to walk out, could drain/clean it fairly easily. Our tubs have the sliding doors which would keep her there more easily than a shower curtain... and a 1x6, 8, 12 across it would give her a place to get out of the water...and 2 would be OK together.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

That is what I am thinking - and in fact wall along. Though what she was better after the antibiotics is up on the air.

When did you start the dewormer? Recap the timeline if you can, please.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

That’s a better way to frame it! I suppose it’s the complaining immediately afterwards that irks me. But really it’s just Becky who has so much to say about the infrequency of their treats

The gals here talk and caw while the special food - sprouts, oats, whatever, is going on, especially Hazel. I think she’s just so excited about it.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I took her to the vet Thursday, started her on the antibiotics that afternoon, when I got home from work Friday afternoon she was tearing around outside with everyone like normal!

Yesterday (Saturday) she was eating drinking and seemingly back to normal.

Then last night at 8pm when I did last check of the night I found she had laid the two eggs.

She is now seemingly fine - go figure.

She is continuing with the antibiotics, she has a 10 day (20 doses) course of them.

As I have never had a retained egg before I can’t say if that is normal or not…?

I feel as if I’ve read somewhere that soft eggs can be a result / symptom of worms. Not sure about that. However….Worms will cause inflammation, and also can cause secondary infections, through the intestinal wall becoming porous….So these things could all relate to each other, hard to gauge which is most responsible, but since she has demonstrated a good egg, which did not squash the soft one, I’m tentatively inclined to blame the worms, with the antibiotic reducing inflammation through knocking out an infection. When did you begin the wormer?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I am on my way to go meet a German Shepherd in need of a home. He is being fostered, but his fosterer is going through a divorce so he needs to find a forever home for Charlie. He is three years old, and my mom told me that he is around 100 pounds.

My dog Coach, who died last year, was around 95 lbs. My dog who died three years ago, Dina, was about 75 lbs. My two current dogs who we got two weeks after Dina died, Apollo and Diana, are 60 and 45 pounds. Coach and Dina had tails but Apollo and Diana don’t. I miss having big dogs, and I miss getting hit with tails.

I’m sorry, but the fact that we got two puppies two weeks after Dina died but waited almost a year (or more if we don’t get Charlie) to get another dog when Coach died is kinda funny to me. I get that my dad was much more affected about Coaches death than he was by Dina’s. He and Coach were very close. Don’t get me wrong, he loved Dina like she was his daughter, but he and Coach were inseparable. My mom and Dina were very close though. My brother and I were close with both of them.

I wish that we had gotten another dog after Coach passed. Having two 8 week old pups to look after when Dina died took some of the grief away. I was more affected by Dina’s death than I was for Coach. Perhaps it is because I was three years younger when Dina died. I cried the day that Coach died, and maybe one or twice since. And keep in mind that he passed in April. With Dina I cried for months after. It’s kinda sad to me that I cried more about a horse (Lenny) that I’ve known for a year than a dog I’ve known since the day I was born (literally)

But I’ll let you all know if I’m getting another dog. I really want to help this pupper out. All animals deserve people but not all people deserve animals. If we do get him, my family will be his fourth home, and he’s only around three.

Shepherds have a very, very high prey drive. Such that you would have to work very, very hard to get it under control, and you likely will never be able to get it under control and trust him around chickens. He is three years old already, I’m not a dog expert but I think that is late for training / acclimating him to livestock.

Consider your chickens, your first charges, your primary animal responsibility, and how you will protect them. Consider why this dog needs rehoming too. My FedEx delivery guy had a shepherd as a guard dog against coyotes and fox for his chickens and guineas, and they never had an attack from a coyote or fox or even hawks, or other dogs. But his own dog killed some chickens. That’s where all their losses came from.