Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Isn’t having chickens so much fun? I think that having them is a great stress relief (unless you’re counting PonyPoor’s chooks!)

 

[RoyalChick]

Baby update

Looks like another will have a crest
View attachment 4179045the one at the back. The twin in front could still pop one.

Have some cheeky little devilsView attachment 4179044saw 3 try this

View attachment 4179043and the birds on a log

That’s a great log - like a chicken sculpture garden!

 

[RoyalChick]

I would love to have some ‘bag-pipes’ (aka Guinea fowl) but they are good fliers and they would be over on my neighbour’s taking Tippy and Butterecotch with them!

I would love some too.

 

[drstratton]

I took some pictures today. This is Chick-fil-a and the hole in his head. To be honest, he should have died from such trauma, but he’s a strong beautiful little guy. Very playful and is trying to get along normally:View attachment 4179051View attachment 4179052

Poor guy! Looks like it's healing. Hopefully he'll be top notch in no time.

 

[drstratton]

Baby update

Looks like another will have a crest
View attachment 4179045the one at the back. The twin in front could still pop one.

Have some cheeky little devilsView attachment 4179044saw 3 try this

View attachment 4179043and the birds on a log

They are so adorable!
I miss having littles with their mama. We only had this with our bantams.

 

[rural mouse]

I took some pictures today. This is Chick-fil-a and the hole in his head. To be honest, he should have died from such trauma, but he’s a strong beautiful little guy. Very playful and is trying to get along normally:View attachment 4179051View attachment 4179052

He's got some looks! Your care is doing good things for him. As long as he keeps going, you'll keep on with the best care you can for him.

 

[knoturavggrl]

Thank you for this! I have Corid powder on hand, and am thinking I'll try non-medicated in the future.
Well at least they've been getting 18% and will be getting a little more now.
The big girls are getting Kalmbach 20% Full Plume Feather Feed, a layer feed. Somehow, oyster shell and egg shells on the side wasn't enough. I see Hazel (Buckeye) and Diane (Buff Orp, not "heritage" type) both regularly eating both even now. I had so many issues with thin shells with Hazel and the other Buckeyes; I was constantly popping calcium citrate into them and then calcium citrate powder in yogurt. Nutrena Feather Fixer and this feed from Kalmbach (which I can get very fresh from the local True Value store) solve it.

Wonderful, I think what you wrote showcases what the “best” really is and that is the chicken tender keeping close tabs on the flock and then adjusting things accordingly.

I think at least one of the reasons for all the different outcomes could be in our backyards. Each of us has different types of grasses and weeds, different kinds of bugs and worms, ect… so what our chickens consume other than feed differs greatly nutritionally. I suspect this could be a significant factor in why one thing might be great for my flock feed wise and bad for yours. This is impossible to quantify though so all we can do is observe and react to what we see.

You are doing a wonderful job and they couldn’t be in better hands.

 

[Ponypoor]

Thank you for this. It is interesting about feathers and digestion, too, thanks!

Yep, I am mixing too, and making the heat pad take up less space, as last night I thought they couldn't get away from it enough.

If I mix the gamebird 24% and regular chick starter/grower (non-medicated) 18%, then I should get 21%.
I have changed my mind and will likely try non-medicated for chicks next time. I've solved the water issues that were giving the vet ideas about coccidiosis as Annie's ailment (the fecal floats by me were negative, and ultimately so was the vet's test). I agree it could cause unintentional nutritive problems, though it's supposed to be just mildly inhibiting for thiamine. Maybe in certain individuals it isn't minor. These general things like "it's fine to give medicated feed" don't account for outliers in nutrition needs. Isabel's weird seemingly neurological situation is swaying me on this, it can't be helped with inhibiting some thiamine. Maybe she needs more, who knows?

This picture is pretty amazing, it has such a 3-D look!





This behaviour is very cool. The picture took me aback, frankly. It didn’t look real, Èowyn is huge! It appears as if the Phyllistines are in front of a photo studio backdrop picture!
Caption: “Livestock Guard Cat (these are not bantam chickens)”

I feed a 21% starter medicated, but at aroumd 2 weeks they are out an about eating whatever they find, plus the 18% layer (Purina) the bigs eat.

I keep the Starter available for them, which they also eat.

 

[BY Bob]

Yes, they would be, and I've kept in mind your mention of this before, trying to think it through. By my (possibly screwy) thinking they weren't exactly overdue because real exposure itself to the wild was delayed, though they did have some outside dirt with them in the brooder relatively early on (other contributing factors: Hazel sick, Isabel's fainting spells).

Is it chick age conferring resilience by certain weeks of age, or length of exposure to the local coccidiosis strains (I had read two weeks) conferring a level of immunity gained, that is the guideline here? It's not clear to me.
But as RC mentioned, there is the school of thought which throws all that out and says do without and treat if they get sick.
@RoyalChick @rural mouse @TOMTE @bgmathteach

Immunity is conveyed by a combination of age and exposure. The idea is to protect them right after hatch when coccidia is most dangerous to them. Assuming they are in the environment they will be living in, 6 to 8 weeks of medicated feed is plenty and you should begin weaning them off of it.

Because as newly hatched chicks they can die before any treatment is effective, many people start them on medicated feed.

Because of Gucci, I no longer use medicated feed. Instead I delay taking them outside until they are a little older and I have time to intervene should something develop.

I have no idea if medicated feed contributed to Gucci's problems or not but I'd rather avoid it and change how I'm introducing them to the outside world.

 

[knoturavggrl]

Such an adorable kitty! Lovely diluted orange color.



What a cute little crest!



OMG, this made me suddenly realize something. I have two roosters now! Do I need to switch to a lower calcium feed when they are all grown? Right now, because of the different age chicks mixed in with the adults, I have been feeding a mix of:

Nutrena non-medicated chick feed (18% protein, Calcium minimum 0.80%, maximum 1.30%) and

Nutrena Feather Fixer (used to be . 18% protein, now 20%, Calcium minimum 3.25%, maximum 3.75%)

I have always fed at least 18% protein in any feed I have used, I never liked the 16% feeds. And I always keep oyster shell calcium and occasional egg shells available. Have a few hens who still lay the ossacional thin shell, but not many.

My primary feeds used to be either:
Nutrena Hearty Hen (18% protein, Calcium minimum 3.7%, maximum 4.7%), or
the Feather Fixer (used to be . 18% protein, now 20%, Calcium minimum 3.25%, maximum 3.75%).

Which one I used depended on which one was the freshest when I would pick it up at Tractor Supply or the local feed store. I have several hens who seem to have molting issues or are being picked on because they always have areas of thin/missing feathers).

When I am ready to stop mixing in the chick starter (about 6 more weeks because of the lavenders), should I go to Nutrena All Flock instead (20% protein, Calcium minimum 1.4%, maximum 1.9%)??? I like the higher protein, but worry about more thin eggshells. But also don’t want my two Roos to have issues from the calcium in the other feeds.

Side note, I tried the following food for the bantams when they were smaller:
Nutrena Silkie & Ornamental Chick Starter Grower 24% Micro Clean Crumb (24% protein, Calcium minimum .75%, maximum 1.25%)
But even though the little micro pellets were supposed to be made for bantams with smaller beaks, I found my smallest ones seemed to have trouble and were not eating it. Which was too bad, it was such a nice clean feed with no “dust”. They make a layer version (22% protein, Calcium minimum 2.6%, maximum 3.6%), but I have never seen it locally. Which is too bad, looks like a great feed for any size hen, with those nice clean pellets.

Ah the rooster and calcium question. The verdict I reached was I am not sure it matters (not super helpful is it?) To often with chickens it’s just not studied enough to really reach a firm conclusion.

So keeping in mind that I never had an issue with my girls eating oyster shell nor have I had a problem with thin egg shells. If I did I would switch to layer feed super fast.

My not so scientific conclusion is this: Why risk it if I can just feed all-flock? So that’s what I do and I always have oyster shell available.

As for your fears about what you have been feeding them up until now, I do not think you need to worry at all. The one consistent thing I did read was that it was the prolonged consumption of calcium added feed that may pose a risk to roosters long term health. Think over years not months.