Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Cute baby birds But I must be the dunce of the decade ~ a wireless bridge ~ camera?

It’s a fancy name for a transmitter/receiver for my internet; the transmitter is at the house, and the receiver is at the barn.

These ‘bridge’ the space between the house and barn where it would be too far to run cable.

This means my cameras work on the internet and I can work in my office out there.

And the chooks feel the office is their domain also

Some two fors…

It’s disgustingly humid out there today, humid and soggy, the mosquitoes are horrible.

 

[BY Bob]

It didn't make it either. She came off the nest this morning, so I don't think the rest are pipping yet. The shell got peeled back like she was trying to help it, but it just didn't get through the membrane...which didn't seem to wrap it either, but I'm not real sure how a shrink wrapped chick looks either. I definitely seeing things I've never seen before, so learning experience for me too.

 

[BY Bob]

They are getting that grown up look now

Nimue is just so calm and put together. Her poof matches her personality.

 

[Marie2020]

You are very sweet Marie. You would love them. They are endlessly entertaining.

 

[Marie2020]

I have some sad news, sorry to be a downer. Rue took a turn for the worse, by yesterday she was no longer trying to eat or drink. She also seemed to be in quite a bit of pain when she did even small moves. I made the decision to put her down last night. It was very hard as she was so very young but I couldn’t let her be in pain like that.

Fly high beautiful girl:
View attachment 4162326

I'm so sorry you lost lovely Rue

 

[featherhead007]

@knoturavggrl ~ Our 2 Silkies from the same breeder from the same DNA hatch/sexing. Ginny the Buff/Blue Partridge is almost 1/2 lb heavier/bigger than Suzu the Silver Partridge.
View attachment 4162756

Ginny & Suzu checking out strange "yellow" water melon ~ Suzu went to stand w/the Dominique hen while the Blue Silkie Betta is in the rear near Ginny's watermelon ~ all Silkies are smaller than Ginny.

Ginny could almost be considered a real chicken, except that she’s got too much Silkie heritage. But she’s beautiful, whatever she is!

 

[rural mouse]

She currently has 2 live chicks under her, incubator (yes @bgmathteach I got eggs from MIL'S flock when I was out there, including from Thing's and Nellie's offspring) cracked last night. 3 out of shell. The 2 under her came out of brown eggs and look (tentatively) like are blue/blonde, like the lighter toned roos

these guys....I'm guessing. 3rd chick is still drying, but came out of a white egg and is dark. Could be Lark/Indigo, could be Thing Jr.

My sis is arriving Thursday with family. I had been hoping to surprise the kids with being able to watch a hatch, but they're popping early so I guess it will be watching mamas (yes, PITA and Focus will be getting chicks too) with babies. Here's to hoping mamas adopt ALL the babies.

For the inquiring minds:

1. Incubator holds 41 eggs. I FILLED it. 30 from FIL, rest from here. All white eggs should be Cheetah's grandchicks. Most of the rest are minty green or mid brown, but 1 is incredibly dark olive.

2. Candled at 14 days, marked clear (I think), 10 of those, left in cause I certainly don't have an expert eye on that.

3. Lots more pips, so ongoing. #3 is loud so going to check on it.

4. No pics yet.

Edit: loud due to another out of shell, brown, chick dark.

 

[featherhead007]

One of my little ones never made it back to the coop last night. I searched through the whole property until late after dark, she was nowhere to be found. It’s a sick, panic feeling when I lose one of my babies!

 

[Ponypoor]

Their supposed Hatch Day was June 2, so they are four weeks old. I thought one keeps the medicated feed going for eight weeks? They’ve had a box of dirt from the woods since about two weeks and they got a big new box of woodsy dirt, moss and leaves stuff late last week. They’ve not been outside yet.

What is the schedule you have used with the Phyllistines? I haven’t wanted them mixing with the older birds yet and I’ve been wary about when they could or should have contact. I have been tending them in one set of clothes, then changing clothes for the older birds, then showering and changing back to tend the little ones again.

I am imagining it would be better to be older when they meet so that they will be stronger to deal with the respiratory issues there. Remember what happened with Annie? Hazel is in active disease now, and she is pretty uncomfortable and it’s breaking my heart. Her face on the left upper side is swelling. Her appointment is for Wednesday afternoon, a house call. I couldn’t schedule anything for two weeks but they will be in the area and squeeze in a visit.

The chicks already have had something, might have come with them from the hatchery or they immediately got sick here. One was sneezing on the first or second day. Then more started after a few days, and I put them on five days of Tiagard to help prevent a bacterial second infection which they finished last week. One chick today was again snorting this evening however.

I had thought that whatever the tribe has would be manageable, but maybe this will be a big disaster all around. I really don’t want to cull everyone and “start fresh”. Diane has been symptom-free, and Annie and Tedi have had a light nasal discharge and a little snorting, that comes and goes. So they are coping well. And what do you do if you let everyone live out their lives and there’s one hen left all alone? I’m not even sure where the initial disease came from. Queenie? Wild birds?

Thanks for listening. On top of this the one chick with bulging eyes, Isabel, is definitely not right, she blasts around like a chick, jumps and flies and runs, but soon after she stops, she closes her eyes to doze when everyone else is awake and resting, or just standing waiting for the next game. Late in the day she’s very tired and sinks down to sit and doze. She preens, eats and drinks, and poops well. Seems to be hanging in there, but I fear something congenital that’s going to doom her as she grows. She doesn’t appear uncomfortable though, and is enjoying the life she has right now.

First off, I am sad to hear Hazel isn’t feeling great still.

I would give her some aspirin or Tylenol to help her feel a bit more comfortable, she will be happier if she isn’t miserable and more inclined to eat and drink. They need to be treated like kids, something to help them along, and let them be as active as they wish, maybe also make sure she is getting some special foods like left overs all for herself to make sure she is eating well.

Clyde is sniffly all the time now, and wheezy. When he gets really wheezy I give him some prednisone. It’s all about maintenance - he and I wheeze together some days! There are no perfect chooks, they are living beings prone to the foibles and failings of all our bodies.

As for your chicks, if you don’t feel comfortable putting them out with the main gang them wait another month. As long as they are getting some outside time though they should be fine.

Regarding your chick with the bulging eyes, I would just take it one day at a time. And remember each is an individual, some are more active and others more sedentary. I have had chicks that have no interest in running around, they want to stick by mama, and I have had chicks that race around like crazy creatures.

There isn’t anything you can do but take it one day at a time and don’t borrow trouble; I know that’s hard to do, I am the worlds biggest worrier, I stare long enough and imagine all sorts of things. Just this morning I was looking at the barn cam and couldn’t figure out what was behind old Red on the roost. Was it a rat? When I went out it was a shadow I found.

Enjoy them, try not to worry.

 

[Ponypoor]

One of my little ones never made it back to the coop last night. I searched through the whole property until late after dark, she was nowhere to be found. It’s a sick, panic feeling when I lose one of my babies! View attachment 4162951

Hopefully she has flown up high into a tree or something.