Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

I am so happy for him! And sad for you.

He is a present for the mans wife, he and his sister dropped by to pick him up.

They are just big animal lovers apparently.

Hope she likes him!

 

[knoturavggrl]

Full Sail

In my experience, normally leghorn type chickens usually hold their tails very narrow, no more than a couple of feathers wide, like Aster in this photo.

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On rare occasions you will catch them doing "Full Sail" and spreading their tail feathers out, like Daisy, the greatest hen ever, in this photo.

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Sadly that photo was very late in the year before her molt so those tail feathers are pretty tattered and worn.

That is why it was a special moment yesterday when Aster was feeling it and decided to go Full Sail. What a beauty!

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She is so pretty, she really keeps herself so clean! Beautiful tail!

I am both sad and happy, young Jolly boy will be going to a new home tonight. Apparently he will become a spoiled pet, and have 10 RIR and a bunch of young chicks to watch over.

I will make sure to trim up his topknot before he leaves so he can see ok!

It really is bittersweet. Roos are a bit of an emotional roller-coaster for me too.

Cockeral stages:
1-Oh no this chick is a roo, I know I can't keep.
2-Awwllll, he's so sweet, get attached against all logic.
3- They start getting bigger and the, Oh no! What if I can't find a home anxiety hits.
4- Finally, find an awesome home and rejoice!
5- You drop them off and miss them.

I love roo stories cuz it's something we're not zoned to experience here ~ no roos & also not equipped to handle hatching our own chicks. We're zoned for 5 hens/no roos but Shhhh! We have SIX hens!
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Humm, looks closely at the photo... Okay one Stripped hen, 5 half-chickens soooo 3.5 since the 5 are so tiny. I think you are well within limits.

Of course official chicken math says you have none. Named chickens do not count at all.

 

[knoturavggrl]

Twofer Tuesday:

Wattle Wednesday - he is working on growing them anyway

This guys had some though:

And all the talk of the irridencent black I had page back through photos and grab this one. So pretty!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Her anomaly may be why they sent you a couple extra chicks in case she turns out not quite right. The only way I could tell anything would be ask a vet or wait it out to see if all other behavior is normal. Such a bunch of cuties & rare Buckeyes too

We have your chick nipple waterer made by Premier ~ we ordered a half dozen for replacements but so far the original is still working great after moving it from the chick brooder to the outdoors a year-&-a-half ago.
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Yes you know I had tested it awhile ago in case it needed fixing, the waterer is now 5 years old and I’ve never replaced the business end. So when it suddenly didn’t work I was puzzled. Turned out to be an air bubble. But I have this almost ready to go for backup, just haven’t cleaned the stones.

I’m a bit paranoid and will soak them and wash the container in a bleach solution before deploying it though, because of my past experience with the 3 Buff Orpingtons beginning integration with the OG Buckeyes, I don’t know what two of them came down with but I suspect some kind of chronic respiratory disease CRD that I think Hazel has which acts up every now and then. Now of course I assume they all carry it. Last time Hazel had a bubbly eye episode, I had her swab tested shortly after to try to zero in on what it is, and it came up with nothing.

In any case Tedi and Annie got some eye bubbles and a sneezing discharge. Tedi recovered but Annie got very, very sick. She developed conjunctivitis too, an actual bloody eye, maybe from scratching her conjunctiva? Hunched over, facing a dark corner because she was light sensitive, she stopped eating and drinking, acted blind, the vet thought it was coccidiosis and had me treating for that, and claimed to not see the later bloody eye (maybe trying to look at the pictures I sent from a phone). She (Annie) probably would have died if I didn’t intervene with antibiotics. This was at about 6-7 weeks, about a week or two after beginning see-no touch integration with the Buckeyes.

I can’t / couldn’t cull everyone and start again. So the formulation of my plan so far is to keep them completely separated for a longer time and integrate later, does older equal more robust with a better chance at beating back whatever comes at them? I have a second small tractor coop and will put the new Buckeyes there, within sight but thirty feet away and not downwind.

Possibly put everyone on a preventive dose of Tiagard during closer integrations?

So at this point I do little chick stuff, then go out for exercise, check again on the Littles, have lunch, check the Littles, get into my Bigs clothes and go out to their run for chores and lap time visits. Coming back and changing clothes and showering, then interacting with the Littles again.

 

[Ponypoor]

I am so happy for him! And sad for you.

It’s also good as he was starting to really harass old Red. I was planning on releasing him out in the main flock full time, let Clyde and Mr LC deal with him.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Little darlings!

Had a mark like that on one if last year's babies. Feathered out normal. I would have to backtrack through the pics to figure out which bird it was.

Good to know, it’s reassuring that it might not be a sign of congenital problems. Thanks!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

This is amazing! I'm so happy for you. They are such lovely chickens.

As far as the spot goes, it doesn't look like damage of any kind to me.

Great, thank you! I wondered about some abrasion happening while she developed in the egg….

 

[SimpleJenn]

Good job, Blue!
Laid in a nestbox, bigger and a beautiful color!


I told her she is fine laying these small eggs for a while, don't want her to hurt herself. She's already an overachiever laying this early and every day!

 

[Sally PB]

Widget is broody, again. She was talking about two days ago, and I tried to talk her out of it, but no. I'll be getting the crate set up tomorrow.

 

[featherhead007]

It’s Gizmo: