Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

The welcoming committeeView attachment 3785878View attachment 3785879


And I finally caught video

What a hoot! True water dog those. I love how he shoves his whole face under the water

 

[Ponypoor]

Thyroxine and shell quality... Not having a lot of luck other than that one little quote. That source also doesn't say HOW much to give, though another study I read used 0.3 gms. But they weren't testing for shell quality.


One good thing... Thyroxine seems to be easy to get.

https://www.petmd.com/pet-medication/thyro-tabs-canine-levothyroxine-sodium

"Levothyroxine ... can also be used to treat hypothyroidism in birds and tortoises....
"Levothyroxine is a synthetic form of a naturally occurring thyroid hormone called thyroxine."

Well. That was fun. Don't know if it will lead me anywhere. If it does, I'll let you know.

Thanks for that, I was going to get on the laptop tomorrow and surf the net for info.

 

[Ponypoor]

Thyroxine and shell quality... Not having a lot of luck other than that one little quote. That source also doesn't say HOW much to give, though another study I read used 0.3 gms. But they weren't testing for shell quality.


One good thing... Thyroxine seems to be easy to get.

https://www.petmd.com/pet-medication/thyro-tabs-canine-levothyroxine-sodium

"Levothyroxine ... can also be used to treat hypothyroidism in birds and tortoises....
"Levothyroxine is a synthetic form of a naturally occurring thyroid hormone called thyroxine."

Well. That was fun. Don't know if it will lead me anywhere. If it does, I'll let you know.

Here is an article I found, seems thyroxin has no link in egg quality:

https://pdf.sciencedirectassets.com...50e5b57065b53025555&rr=86c44a167a97e263&cc=ca

 

[featherhead007]

The kids won’t go back in tonight! They’re outside waiting. They need their rooster, but I need him well enough to handle those hens. Dakota is inside tonight. Sir Jaffar will be slumbering with me

 

[Ponypoor]

What a hoot! True water dog those. I love how he shoves his whole face under the water

Meanwhile the welcoming committee are looking as gorgeous as ever

 

[featherhead007]

Have you ever heard of hidroxopoxohystominatonin? Neither have I! It’s as Greek to me as the chooks yogurt is in the fridge.

It’s a compound easily figured out. Just put your finger to your lips and vibrate it while saying pox pox pox !

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Hello ! A late reply for which I apologise. I have been having internet issues on and off again. I'm also in the process of saying goodbye to Blanche, another of my ex-batt's just five weeks after Cannelle, and i've been finding it harder to concentrate enough to post, even though I still manage to read most of the thread, worry for Jaffar and Becky, and smile at Poppet.

Kara is one of four pullets I bought in may 2023 in the hope that adding hens would help our two roosters to not kill one another.
This was the post for their introduction. Unfortunately, when they arrived they were in very poor condition. Although they improved, they keep having health issues, so I am very unhappy overall with the local breeder. I have made sure everyone I know who buys her chickens will think twice about it from now on.
Yes, Kara has bumblefoot. It is an unusual bumblefoot because there are two abscesses next one to another, one is in the fold of the skin which makes me thinks she may have had something stuck there that caused it. Strange enough, all of those four pullets got serious bumblefoot at different periods since they arrived ; whereas only two of my other hens did, and they healed in two weeks. I know our environment is very rocky and there are still a lot of rusty metal pieces buried in the ground, but still I wonder if it is just a coincidence that the other chickens raised here had no problem.

When Kara and the others arrived, they were junior to 1. my then four remaining ex-batts, 2. Chipie, and 3. the first hatch by Chipie (Léa, Piou-piou, Merle and Gaston). A week after their arrival, while they were quarantined, Léa hatched six chicks.
Kara has become a bully for a number of hens above her rank : Blanche the ex-batt because she is very ill, Chipie, Piou-piou, Léa. She was leader of the four pullets but this has changed recently, as Alba, one of the leghorn, won a row of several fights. I think that when my last ex-batts dies (which I hope doesn't happen too soon as Nougat is doing great) she will try to become head hen...but she will find resistance with Merle and Alba. She is a nasty bully and the biggest of the hen, so I hope she never takes the lead.
View attachment 3785362
View attachment 3785424

It's a bit of a rabbit hole to explain how people keep the sheeps here as a lot of it is still very familial and traditional . Each family had a small summer barn/cabin in the mountain and one member of the family , usually an older child, would take the few livestock they had for grazing up in the mountain all summer and sleep there. So the hoop shelter is right next to one of those small barn, which has a little stable for the horse and goats, and that's where the couple was planning to sleep. But I think they only did one night or two : most nights the ewes were left to manage on their own until the next morning. This is why the LGD's stay up there, and the shelter is surrounded by electrical anti wolves netting, but it all came down with the snow.

Thanks for this post!
Re Kara - she may be a fine leader once she’s achieved it. Hazel here, she was a serious 2nd in command and very severe in doling out reprimands. Since she’s become lead hen with Peanut’s death, she hangs back, she lets others eat first, she avoids the scrum. She never campaigned for the job. Butters would have been her 2nd in command but she wasn’t well and died a few months after Peanut. So Popcorn, who was nowhere near the top, last in the pecking order, is now 2nd, and she’s stepped up nicely to the job. It’s very interesting. @BY Bob’s Aurora, who did campaign for the job, is another example.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Yes, so far. What do you think?

Her lethargy is abating, she is active again! Hasn’t laid yet, but otherwise is behaviorally back to normal. Perhaps the topical antifungal is working? Her bum is still bare of feathers, but I wouldn’t expect that to get better until she molts?

I don’t know much about it and haven’t had time to research it. Hopefully tomorrow. But the discharge, it’s supposed to have an odor…maybe you’re catching it very early?
Feathers- I don’t know either, if with disease they would grow back, for some reason I think they could. With injuries they can, so maybe?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Hello ! A late reply for which I apologise. I have been having internet issues on and off again. I'm also in the process of saying goodbye to Blanche, another of my ex-batt's just five weeks after Cannelle, and i've been finding it harder to concentrate enough to post, even though I still manage to read most of the thread, worry for Jaffar and Becky, and smile at Poppet.

Kara is one of four pullets I bought in may 2023 in the hope that adding hens would help our two roosters to not kill one another.
This was the post for their introduction. Unfortunately, when they arrived they were in very poor condition. Although they improved, they keep having health issues, so I am very unhappy overall with the local breeder. I have made sure everyone I know who buys her chickens will think twice about it from now on.
Yes, Kara has bumblefoot. It is an unusual bumblefoot because there are two abscesses next one to another, one is in the fold of the skin which makes me thinks she may have had something stuck there that caused it. Strange enough, all of those four pullets got serious bumblefoot at different periods since they arrived ; whereas only two of my other hens did, and they healed in two weeks. I know our environment is very rocky and there are still a lot of rusty metal pieces buried in the ground, but still I wonder if it is just a coincidence that the other chickens raised here had no problem.

When Kara and the others arrived, they were junior to 1. my then four remaining ex-batts, 2. Chipie, and 3. the first hatch by Chipie (Léa, Piou-piou, Merle and Gaston). A week after their arrival, while they were quarantined, Léa hatched six chicks.
Kara has become a bully for a number of hens above her rank : Blanche the ex-batt because she is very ill, Chipie, Piou-piou, Léa. She was leader of the four pullets but this has changed recently, as Alba, one of the leghorn, won a row of several fights. I think that when my last ex-batts dies (which I hope doesn't happen too soon as Nougat is doing great) she will try to become head hen...but she will find resistance with Merle and Alba. She is a nasty bully and the biggest of the hen, so I hope she never takes the lead.
View attachment 3785362
View attachment 3785424

It's a bit of a rabbit hole to explain how people keep the sheeps here as a lot of it is still very familial and traditional . Each family had a small summer barn/cabin in the mountain and one member of the family , usually an older child, would take the few livestock they had for grazing up in the mountain all .summer and sleep there. So the hoop shelter is right next to one of those small barn, which has a little stable for the horse and goats, and that's where the couple was planning to sleep. But I think they only did one night or two : most nights the ewes were left to manage on their own until the next morning. This is why the LGD's stay up there, and the shelter is surrounded by electrical anti wolves netting, but it all came down with the snow.

For you and for Blanche. It’s so hard to not be able to cure them, and have to say goodbye.

 

[BeastBaby]

"Thyroid dysfunction in chickens will seriously affect the absorption and utilization of calcium, thereby producing thin-shell eggs or soft-shell eggs. Feeding thyroxine tablets for 3-5 days can quickly harden the eggshell."

Anybody done anything with this?

'Scuse me while I fall down a rabbit hole...

Report back what you find down that hole, please