Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Integration Update

Everything has been pretty good. The Phyllistines are able to avoid the bigger ladies.

Yesterday evening we had a thunderstorm come through and the Phyllistines decided to shelter here.

This was fine until the rain started getting heavier. So I figured I should go out and lead them towards the big run.

So I headed out and got them to start following me towards the run. We got about half way there and then they stopped. That's when I saw the issue.

Lady Featherington was standing in the doorway to the big run.

She was not going to let them in.

So I decided to quickly provide them with an improvised dry spot and put a piece of tile over a chair.

I have an old wooden covered litterbox that I think I will fix up for them to use as a temporary shelter in case of rain like that.

 

[BY Bob]

Such wonderful photos of them. They are so elegant. This color for Polish always makes me think they are always dressed for fancy night out.

I agree. They always appear to be dressed to the nines.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

@ChicoryBlue - Having just gone through this. @Ponypoor ‘s method is 100% the best way to do it as it ensures they get all of it at once.

As an alternative with Rue being in so much pain and me afraid I would do more harm than good, here is an alternative. You can crush aspirin (low-dose 81mg) then mix it into warm water. The ratio is 1/4 aspirin to 1 gallon of water for a tiny chick or 1/2 for a grown chicken. This way they get a little as drink throughout the day. This method isn’t as effective as Ponypoor’s but it can help while you wait for the vet.

I crushed an orange baby aspirin and mixed it with a little Greek yogurt which she loves and will take from my hand or a spoon, so with patience for her eating speed I got most of it into her. The others got plain yogurt in another container which took them awhile to finish off.
Wait - looking at your water ratios - was a baby aspirin too high a dose? I am not thinking straight. She got close to 81 mg in one dose. Rats!

Yep start the antibiotics. If you can calmly wrap her in a towel and pop 1/2 an aspirin into her she should be fine.

It’s only for a few seconds, sure they squawk but it’s more in protest. I lay mine on my lap on their side a bit, and pop a pill into them.

I’ll see if I can video what I do. Marty is looking a bit miserable with her moult I was toying with giving her aspirin to feel better. And she fights like a demon!

I thought I’d wait for the vet and potential tests to wait on the antibiotics.
I can wrangle them fine, it’s just that Hazel is so wary and just miserable with nerves. She’s not feeling well and it’s like she knows the drill, she is very wary of me approaching her.
She’s so nervous when I check her she does better when she’s standing on something high up, so I pick her up and put her on something. She hates to be handled. Even then she is trembling there but stays put because I place her where it’s not an easy decision to just leap off. I have given her antibiotics before by mouth/syringe and done the wrap with her on my lap. She will leave afterwards and hide under the coop. She says, No, thank you! to any rewarding treats. Not worth it in her mind!

And I think also if you’re not used to handling them when they thrash about, it can be upsetting.

With my gang I have some who take it in stride and others like Marty who fight, but they all stop the moment I put them down, glare at me, shake their feathers and then eat the mealworms I give as a treat. They don’t run off in a panic - so they aren’t that stressed out!

 

[BY Bob]

4 eggs today.
Look, Blue laid a shelled one this time!!!
View attachment 4162543
View attachment 4162544

It's so pretty.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Wait - looking at your water ratios - was a baby aspirin too high a dose? I am not thinking straight. She got close to 81 mg in one dose. Rats!

I hope I haven’t killed her. I’m sure she did not get the full aspirin but she should have gotten about 15mg? She’s five-six pounds tops. She is not bleeding anywhere or has any obvious injuries. I am making a dosage chart to stick to the box where these meds are stored. Oh man I do not think at all straight under stress and I know it, yet made this mistake too.

 

[RoyalChick]

I thought I took a 2fer jungle chicken picture to wish everyone a happy Tuesday.
But now I look again there is a 3rd chicken lurking in the shade.
It really is their favorite spot.

 

[BY Bob]

I have known them from the day they hatched, and not once have I given them medicated feed. They grow up healthy anyways.

That was not meant for you it was meant for chicory blue

 

[BY Bob]

I love jungle chickens

So do I!

 

[BY Bob]

This one sure is colorful!View attachment 4162682

They are beautiful.

 

[RoyalChick]

I hope I haven’t killed her. I’m sure she did not get the full aspirin but she should have gotten about 15mg? She’s five-six pounds tops. She is not bleeding anywhere or has any obvious injuries. I am making a dosage chart to stick to the box where these meds are stored. Oh man I do not think at all straight under stress and I know it, yet made this mistake too.

According to PoultryDVM (not necessarily the most scientifically rigorous source) the dose of aspirin for chickens is 5mg/kg given three times a day. So an individual dose of 15mg is probably right giving a total daily does of 45mg.
So yes, she got too much. Not quite double the correct (per PoultryDVM) dose.
However, she will likely be fine.
I found two relevant studies.
- One gave 10mg/kg every day for many days and monitored blood for adverse signs. They started seeing adverse (not fatal) signs on day 3. You only gave it once.
- Another study was looking at aspirin as a feed additive. It is a badly written paper which claims they gave 100mg/kg of aspirin (along with vitamin C) but it may be that they gave 100mg/chicken. Either way it is more than you gave her and their results concluded that all that aspirin boosted growth (it was a broiler study).

So, I think she will be fine. But if you are fretting you could try giving her some activated charcoal which is the treatment for aspirin overdose.

I am glad you prompted me to look it up because in my head I assumed a whole baby aspirin was the right dose!