Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Have you noticed the hawks might sit in a tree or on a fence to watch chickens but if the flying hawk doesn't have a long aerial space to grab prey w/its talons it doesn't bother to engage in ground stalking chickens? Any thoughts/observations?

Cooper's Hawks will go to the ground to kill prey. They will even walk into a run to hunt. Here is a video of a juvenile Coopers Hawk hunting a song bird in a trumpet vine. I have lost a pullet to a Cooper's Hawk that had to come down through the magnolia tree to reach it.

You can find the video in this post.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...es-stories-of-our-flock.1286630/post-25174409

 

[BY Bob]

Watching Over Her Flock

Here is Aurora watching over everyone from the seat of power.

 

[RoyalChick]

Flopsy update

Here is the video of her mobility

Poor baby.
She seems to have full range of movement so unlikely to be a break.
She doesn't like weight bearing which could be a dislocation or bruising.
You said you can hear something - is that when you move it, or when you feel it? If when you move it, then more likely to be a joint dislocated and you are hearing it click in and out. If it is when you feel it, that implies a wound of some sort - with air under the skin. Have you excluded that?

I am not sure what to do. Maggie had an injury and walked similarly and I decided to leave her be. Took about 6 weeks and she gradually healed. I think she just got big bruising from the fox escape. I never did figure out if there was anything more going on.

She certainly isn't feeling unwell!

 

[BY Bob]

She sits normally and seems to have full mobility of that leg.

I can feel the head of her femur moving when I press on it; it will slip back. I really don’t want to try forcing it around too much. Without an X-ray I don’t know if it’s fractured or not. The call I placed to a Vet today was very dismaying, they quoted my over $800 to do an assessment and X-rays. No way I can afford that.

So my plan is to give her 6 weeks to see if she heals to the point where she can walk around and roost. If not then I will have no choice but to cull her.

Anyways I gave her more calcium and Tylenol. She is good enough in her crate so she can stay there, her being out for an hr or so in the evening will help keep her from getting depressed and give her some exercise.

Also she has laid 2 soft eggs since she did this Monday. I have noted that I had a soft egg layer the past month, and it was blue eggs so she is the one who was laying the soft eggs. I am hoping she stops laying and takes a break now that she has an injury. My luck she will start moulting too

I support this plan. Give her some time. It can't hurt.

 

[Ponypoor]

I support this plan. Give her some time. It can't hurt.

Yes, as long as she is eating drinking and pooping I am good with just hanging out in the summer house with Mr P and his hoard.

 

[Ponypoor]

Christmas Lights and a Return Visitor

I spent Sunday hanging the outdoor Christmas lights. That included decorating the coop again. It came out well. Aurora decided to pose with the Christmas decoration for which she was clearly their model chicken.

View attachment 2919926

Here is the coop lit up at dusk.

View attachment 2919923

Throughout the day as I was working on the lights I could hear the nearly continuous scree of the red tailed hawk. However they never got closer than this.

View attachment 2919927

Return Visit

I was touching up the paint on the letters of the coop today, as I need to do before every winter, and the ladies were fussing at me. It was like they wanted me to know they were there but it was not the full whiney let us out. I talked to them for a while and all of a sudden they went dead silent.

This one had returned.

No chickens this way.....
View attachment 2919924

No chickens that way.......
View attachment 2919925

I guess I'll go and try to kill that sparrow hiding in the trumpet vines.

I did not run it off. I wanted to see it hunt. After watching that video, there is no safe place in my yard other than the complex. Nowhere. The ability that hawk demonstrated dropping down through those vines is scary. Those trumpet vines are the tribes favorite hiding spot. The tribe thinks they are safe there.

They are wrong.

It didn’t catch the song bird?

Wow it was very determined wasn’t it

 

[Ponypoor]

Watching Over Her Flock

Here is Aurora watching over everyone from the seat of power.
View attachment 3967395

With the treats I see

 

[Ponypoor]

Poor baby.
She seems to have full range of movement so unlikely to be a break.
She doesn't like weight bearing which could be a dislocation or bruising.
You said you can hear something - is that when you move it, or when you feel it? If when you move it, then more likely to be a joint dislocated and you are hearing it click in and out. If it is when you feel it, that implies a wound of some sort - with air under the skin. Have you excluded that?

I am not sure what to do. Maggie had an injury and walked similarly and I decided to leave her be. Took about 6 weeks and she gradually healed. I think she just got big bruising from the fox escape. I never did figure out if there was anything more going on.

She certainly isn't feeling unwell!

I hear a clicking popping when she moves the leg when she struggles when I am holding her.

I did think maybe some subcutaneous crepitations, but it’s not really crackly like that - I have heard that in horses before that have had injuries from running into a fence and such.

This sounds like my ankle makes (it loose and pops around), but worse.

It’s very peculiar for sure. I am thinking it’s one of those moron Roos being rough with her. She’s very petite and those big Roos can do some damage. I have been keeping the old gals in with Mr P. But that’s it, I really need to deal with them this weekend.

 

[BY Bob]

It didn’t catch the song bird?

Wow it was very determined wasn’t it

It did not. They are the most dangerous predator I have here. And there are many of them.....

 

[BY Bob]

I hear a clicking popping when she moves the leg when she struggles when I am holding her.

I did think maybe some subcutaneous crepitations, but it’s not really crackly like that - I have heard that in horses before that have had injuries from running into a fence and such.

This sounds like my ankle makes (it loose and pops around), but worse.

It’s very peculiar for sure. I am thinking it’s one of those moron Roos being rough with her. She’s very petite and those big Roos can do some damage. I have been keeping the old gals in with Mr P. But that’s it, I really need to deal with them this weekend.

I'm sorry the roos are such a problem for you.