Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

I thought I was being reasonable!

You were reasonable ~ just singing to the wrong choir However, developers are grabbing up a lot of Central lands to build HOA communities, sad really, cuz my Auntie wanted a couple hens in her new backyard Clovis home & can't. I couldn't convince her to keep two diapered indoor Silkie pets

Look how cute & easy to keep them indoors:

 

[featherhead007]

You were reasonable ~ just singing to the wrong choir However, developers are grabbing up a lot of Central lands to build HOA communities, sad really, cuz my Auntie wanted a couple hens in her new backyard Clovis home & can't. I couldn't convince her to keep two diapered indoor Silkie pets

Look how cute & easy to keep them indoors:
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HOA’s are not a good deal for anyone. Sadly there’s no benefit to the home owners .

 

[featherhead007]

After thinking about HOA and chickens, I needed to speak with my emotional support rooster, and my golden child Aero.

 

[bgmathteach]

Not sure which marans

Not sure which marans

So, @SimpleJenn , is that her name now? "Hey, Not Sure, come on over for treats!

Poor sweet dear is going to get a complex!

 

[RoyalChick]

Not sure which marans

So, @SimpleJenn , is that her name now? "Hey, Not Sure, come on over for treats!

Poor sweet dear is going to get a complex!

When I had a cat called No-name he seemed to take it in his stride!

 

[bgmathteach]

What Will They Look Like?

The chicks @jaricas19 got now look like this.

View attachment 4149798

They are buff orpington and barred rock crosses. @rural mouse any thoughts on what they will look like when full grown?

Also, I see 2 boys for sure. What does everyone else think?

I think they will look mostly like what they do now. #3 will get a bit more black barring at the hackles (and maybe a smidge more on the tail) at future adult molts. #4 & 6 may get a bit of gold leakage (re:'copper') around the neck, like #5 has, but not so dramatic - with adult molts (but may not - they may also get a stray white splotch on a feather - particularly on a wing feather tip) as they age. Otherwise, I think they will pretty much look as they do now - gorgeous!

I agree, #1 & 4 are cockerels, #2, 3, & 6 pullets. Not sure on #5 - hard to tell from the picture if that is comb or beak I am seeing! Slow comb production in cockerel...or pullet beak...or fast pullet comb growth??? Given Marans X orps - could be either. [shhhh, but if my eyes were a bit better, I might have a better answer for you on #5] Questioning the cross, though, especially with #3, shouldn't be white/silver with that cross!

 

[Ponypoor]

Wry neck??

Rue who is about 9.5 weeks old appears to have developed this condition. She still has balance and locomotion. She is eating and drinking normally. Neither her nor anyone else has shown any signs of illness at all. I have not changed feed, except a bag of black soldier fly larvae I brought. This is day two and she does seem improved today. She does still seem to be twisting but not as dramatically as yesterday.

What I have done so far:
Yesterday, immediately put Poultry Cell into their water. It’s all they have so I know she will have to drink it.
Today I bought some black oil sunflower seeds as I read it has very high Vitamin C and selenium in them.

I am flummoxed, I have been feeding either Nutrenia or Kalmbach 18% chick feed as I always have and never have I had this issue. Thought? Could it be the larvae?

She was doing this a lot not all the time though but definitely often enough to be not at all normal. Today she isn’t like this at all but just holding her head off to the side.
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How is Rue today?

 

[bgmathteach]

I was wondering how the water in the cups keeps from freezing. Is it warmed from the main body?

I saw that the cups had a thick body surrounding them - I was wondering it there was a coil that went out into/under the cups some? My concern would be the cups freezing as well if they don't also have heat - especially on those couple of weeks each year we get extreme cold temps, since the water stays in the cups (if they don't drink all they release by hitting the nozzle)

 

[Ponypoor]

When I had a cat called No-name he seemed to take it in his stride!

I had TC (that cat) - she was a good kitty

Relaxing with the chooks

 

[bgmathteach]

Yes, thank you this matches what I found, I have been reading everything I can find on it. It’s a symptom vs a condition. They are not nor have they ever been on medicated feed, I didn’t see that as a cause, good catch!

Causes of this symptom I found: Vitamin deficiency, injury, poisoning/toxic plant/food or it can be a precursor to illness like Mercks or AI ect. To me it seems like it really could be anything that stresses their systems.

I feel like I can rule out Vitamin deficiency (unless she has some metabolic abnormality that isn’t allowing her to absorb one of those vitamins.) I have feed all of my birds the same things and she is the only one showing any signs of this.

Illness - I have been biting my nails for the last 48 hrs checking them every 4 hrs for the slightest sneeze and nothing thank goodness, absolutely nothing. Still monitoring closely we are at 48 hrs with nothing.

Toxic plant/food - possible but again they all eat the same foods including the new BSF Larvae I got.

Injury- This seems most likely. I am not out there 24/7 and they are dare devil teens.

Treatment seems to be Poultry cell or Rooster Booster in water for a few weeks and/or Black oil sunflower seeds. I am doing both. This seems to be working, she is improving either because of the supplement or the possible injury I can’t see is healing.

Mainly I am just puzzled as to how this happened to prevent it going forward. I am also going to throw away 40 dollars worth of BSF because omg what if there is a toxin in there???

Just putting this out there for thought - though hopefully she has resolved and it is a non-issue now:

@RoyalChick had Bernie who had leg issues and needed extra Vit. B - maybe because she was exceptionally leggy and needed more than the average chick? Maybe because she didn't absorb it as well and needed a bit more due to that? It really could be either the injury you think it could be - or that the chick just needs a bit more of a B vitamin or selenium or such than the average chick.