Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[SimpleJenn]

We have a problem. Bab has a massive wound on her neck.

Spoiler: Big ol neck scab

It explains her roosting issues and general lack of enthusiasm. It's healing??? But holy crap. She cuddled with me for an hour or so while I tried to figure out when it happened. Butterbird came to check on her and cuddle, even though she was scared of me.

See the raised hackles? Yeah that's from the wound.
I finally found the culprit, the quick brooder we built. There are exposed screw points and she got skinned by one.
So everyone is in thw beige coop tonight. The momma birds gave concerned trills as I piled them onto the roosts but did not move. Butterbird squawked until I put Bab next to her then immediately smooshed into her.

I wasn't going to start encouraging them to roost in here for another week or two, but oh well. Tomorrow I will keep this group seperate from the big hens just to keep things as safe as possible and after my market we will get the brooder out of there and cut off the screw ends.

I'm super upset. Not only did a chick get hurt from carelessness, but I'm having flashbacks to being a kid with my blind barred rock Peeps and then having to give her up for meat after all the special care I gave her...I don't think I'm ready for another black and white striped chicken. Maybe it's hormones or because my knee is hurting, but I am bawling over this poor chick.

Hubby says she's going to pull through, she'll have a wicked scar and her feathers will just stay poking out on her neck. I'm hoping he's right.

 

[Sylvester017]

We have a problem. Bab has a massive wound on her neck.

Spoiler: Big ol neck scab

View attachment 3927110

View attachment 3927111
It explains her roosting issues and general lack of enthusiasm. It's healing??? But holy crap. She cuddled with me for an hour or so while I tried to figure out when it happened. Butterbird came to check on her and cuddle, even though she was scared of me.
View attachment 3927112
See the raised hackles? Yeah that's from the wound.
I finally found the culprit, the quick brooder we built. There are exposed screw points and she got skinned by one.
So everyone is in thw beige coop tonight. The momma birds gave concerned trills as I piled them onto the roosts but did not move. Butterbird squawked until I put Bab next to her then immediately smooshed into her.
View attachment 3927113
I wasn't going to start encouraging them to roost in here for another week or two, but oh well. Tomorrow I will keep this group seperate from the big hens just to keep things as safe as possible and after my market we will get the brooder out of there and cut off the screw ends.

I'm super upset. Not only did a chick get hurt from carelessness, but I'm having flashbacks to being a kid with my blind barred rock Peeps and then having to give her up for meat after all the special care I gave her...I don't think I'm ready for another black and white striped chicken. Maybe it's hormones or because my knee is hurting, but I am bawling over this poor chick.

Hubby says she's going to pull through, she'll have a wicked scar and her feathers will just stay poking out on her neck. I'm hoping he's right.

No idea when the neck wound happened at all?When you noticed she was acting different? No blood signs? Poor baby

 

[RoyalChick]

We have a problem. Bab has a massive wound on her neck.

Spoiler: Big ol neck scab

View attachment 3927110

View attachment 3927111
It explains her roosting issues and general lack of enthusiasm. It's healing??? But holy crap. She cuddled with me for an hour or so while I tried to figure out when it happened. Butterbird came to check on her and cuddle, even though she was scared of me.
View attachment 3927112
See the raised hackles? Yeah that's from the wound.
I finally found the culprit, the quick brooder we built. There are exposed screw points and she got skinned by one.
So everyone is in thw beige coop tonight. The momma birds gave concerned trills as I piled them onto the roosts but did not move. Butterbird squawked until I put Bab next to her then immediately smooshed into her.
View attachment 3927113
I wasn't going to start encouraging them to roost in here for another week or two, but oh well. Tomorrow I will keep this group seperate from the big hens just to keep things as safe as possible and after my market we will get the brooder out of there and cut off the screw ends.

I'm super upset. Not only did a chick get hurt from carelessness, but I'm having flashbacks to being a kid with my blind barred rock Peeps and then having to give her up for meat after all the special care I gave her...I don't think I'm ready for another black and white striped chicken. Maybe it's hormones or because my knee is hurting, but I am bawling over this poor chick.

Hubby says she's going to pull through, she'll have a wicked scar and her feathers will just stay poking out on her neck. I'm hoping he's right.

I totally get why you are upset, but honestly it looks like she will be fine!

 

[RoyalChick]

My broody jail is empty!

 

[SimpleJenn]

No idea when the neck wound happened at all?When you noticed she was acting different? No blood signs? Poor baby

It happened after the night I trimmed their fluffs, was that Tuesday? Then she tried to sleep outside of the brooder Wednesday night, then Thursday night she slept in the coop with the hens and chicks. I carried her back to the rest this morning (friday) but didn't really check her over because I had to immediately go chase down the dog who was getting into the garden. So I didn't check her over until this evening when I found the wound. Didn't see or smell any blood at any time. Her wound seems clean and the skin around it was healthy.

 

[featherhead007]

I have learned a lot from BYC. I constantly check the surfaces where my chooks perch. I look for splinters or anything else that might cause bumblefoot. I keep perches clear of poop. And there’s always clean water available (though they prefer wild water) there’s three different kinds of feed that they can choose from and I have cut back on sharing my lunches and snacks with them.

 

[featherhead007]

It’s not the ants that I worry about so much. It’s the spiders that get into everything.

That’s not the half of it!

 

[Lilion]

Reading all the stuff on hierarchy has been interesting. So far only Red Leader has infiltrated the Empire. She seems to be relegated to the lower roost. The others remain in the small coop. The older girls seem to rule the roost, pun totally intended. They regularly wander in the small coop and eat the reds food. The rest of the red squadron rarely go into the main coop. Only if seeking cover because we're doing something that spooks them. They are about 12-13 weeks old now I believe.

We're hoping to get the coop finished this weekend...(again). Of course, it's going to be in the high 90s again, after a week on low 80s when hubs was sick and I was working. Bad for us, because it's miserable working outside when it's so hot. Bad for chooks, because they're still in the metal coops. I hate to move them when I can't keep them in the coop for a few days before letting them into the run. But IF we get done, we may move them and deal.

God help us, we're considering getting Guineas! I hate the thought of pesticides, and we watched a Homestead Rescue where they got guineas to control ticks and now he's reading about them. I had joked about it, but hubby's tired of ticks! Those nasty bugs love him. We're going to have a poultry farm before too long. We don't know the first thing about guineas!

 

[Ponypoor]

My broody jail is empty!
View attachment 3927128

View attachment 3927126

Yay! Hope it stays that way.

 

[Ponypoor]

We have a problem. Bab has a massive wound on her neck.

Spoiler: Big ol neck scab

View attachment 3927110

View attachment 3927111
It explains her roosting issues and general lack of enthusiasm. It's healing??? But holy crap. She cuddled with me for an hour or so while I tried to figure out when it happened. Butterbird came to check on her and cuddle, even though she was scared of me.
View attachment 3927112
See the raised hackles? Yeah that's from the wound.
I finally found the culprit, the quick brooder we built. There are exposed screw points and she got skinned by one.
So everyone is in thw beige coop tonight. The momma birds gave concerned trills as I piled them onto the roosts but did not move. Butterbird squawked until I put Bab next to her then immediately smooshed into her.
View attachment 3927113
I wasn't going to start encouraging them to roost in here for another week or two, but oh well. Tomorrow I will keep this group seperate from the big hens just to keep things as safe as possible and after my market we will get the brooder out of there and cut off the screw ends.

I'm super upset. Not only did a chick get hurt from carelessness, but I'm having flashbacks to being a kid with my blind barred rock Peeps and then having to give her up for meat after all the special care I gave her...I don't think I'm ready for another black and white striped chicken. Maybe it's hormones or because my knee is hurting, but I am bawling over this poor chick.

Hubby says she's going to pull through, she'll have a wicked scar and her feathers will just stay poking out on her neck. I'm hoping he's right.

It looks ok, I would give it a rinse with some saline and put some neosporin on it to help keep it soft and as an antibiotic cream. She grow into the scar don’t worry.

And had a colt with a wound big enough to put my hand in, it healed up and it was a very small line you could hardly see.

Yea exposed sharp points and holes they can get heads stuck - those sort of things. I would do an inspection just to make sure no issues. I have had a habit of doing this now for 40 years with the horse - they get into everything!