Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Still busy in hospital. More tests, drugs and oxygen treatments. Big test tomorrow. Great that you’re thinking of me

I’m not having much fun 🫩

 

[kattabelly]

I've been skimming through posts, just catching up. I hope you're doing better and out of hospital soon @featherhead007 and that the tests are useful and not bad news in the meantime. And hope all everyone's unwell chickens are feeling better soon too.

Your Shetlands sound nice. How is their temperament as adults? Calm? Independent? Flighty? Skittish? Etc? Any egg photos?

Mine aren't really adults yet, they're only 5½ months and likely won't start laying now until it gets a bit lighter - we're on less than 8 hours of daylight at the moment. Based on what I've seen of mine so far and what I know of other people's birds, I'd say they're fairly hardy and self-reliant. Generally calm and easygoing, and not prone to panicking. Confident enough to be fine with bigger, more dominant birds but not especially bossy or mean themselves. Two of mine are complete numpties but the others are more clever. Not super friendly pet chickens, although a couple of them will come over and stand for a wattle rub or a short bit of grooming and I could probably get them tamer if I wanted. The others are less keen on being touched or held, but not all that skittish - they're comfortable just out of reach, or closer if there's food involved. Most of mine don't really have enough of a flight zone to herd without some physical prodding.

I'm very sorry about Dana, by the way. I was going to ask about how Dominiques compare to Barred Rocks - we don't really get Doms over here, afaik - but only if it won't make you sad to talk about.

 

[RoyalChick]

I took a vacation day. I need to use them by end of year anyways…

The task itself is simple enough, just takes a bit of fortitude and belief in one’s self.

I wrapped her in my egg apron and tied the stings to keep her from flapping. Cutting the skin was easy but the crop itself is a bit thicker and needs belief in one’s self to do it. Small incision is best, you can always make it a bit bigger but not smaller!

Picking out the debris requires patience. I spent an hr doing that. Smelly dirty work - the material is sticky and smelly. I had to ditch my gloves they were too big and I couldn’t use my hands properly.

Once all the obvious stuff I’m could easily get to was removed I flushed with a bit of normal saline. Squished the crop a bit to loosen the debris then went fishing for more.

It was amazing how big the crop area was and glow far in I went to find all that long green grass, mixed with all the fibre material - hay shavings… chunks of grain….

Ok I better get to sleep every I hope your having a good sleep of a hood evening.

What did you use to flush? Did you have some kind of bottle with a nozzle, or maybe a big syringe?

 

[Ponypoor]

What did you use to flush? Did you have some kind of bottle with a nozzle, or maybe a big syringe?

See those two syringes they are already prepped.

But I also have bags of normal saline that I can draw from - I have a needle that I can attach to a syringe to draw the fluid from the bag.

Do not use the needle attached to the syringe to flush the crop!!! The needle is only used to draw the fluid from the bag.

This morning I gave Jaffarra 10ml of honey water, also Tylenol and amoxicillin.

The brat tries to eat some hay when I was changing the sheet in her crate! I hauled it out of her beak and locked her back inside her crate.

I hung a waterer in there for her and she had a really good drink. When I get home this afternoon I’ll do some chick starter mash for her.

Betty’s crop is down but still has crud in it. So I guess I will clean her out also

 

[Ponypoor]

Still busy in hospital. More tests, drugs and oxygen treatments. Big test tomorrow. Great that you’re thinking of me

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[Ponypoor]

Hang on Jaffarra

You too Alex!

 

[Sally PB]

my free ranging birds eat grass all the time.

What I've read about chickens eating grass:

When they free range, ie, pick at growing grass, they are pulling off bite-sized bits from anchored pieces, so they are less likely to get a big long piece. When they peck at hay/grass that is cut, they can get a really long piece, and that's what can tangle in the crop.

 

[rural mouse]

Food for thought my free ranging birds eat grass all the time.

Mine too, but it's all rooted. I think its the cut and long stuff. I've got some hayed stuff I haven't set out for them yet. I think I'm going to chop it up first.

 

[RoyalChick]

See those two syringes they are already prepped.
View attachment 4250985

But I also have bags of normal saline that I can draw from - I have a needle that I can attach to a syringe to draw the fluid from the bag.

Do not use the needle attached to the syringe to flush the crop!!! The needle is only used to draw the fluid from the bag.

This morning I gave Jaffarra 10ml of honey water, also Tylenol and amoxicillin.

The brat tries to eat some hay when I was changing the sheet in her crate! I hauled it out of her beak and locked her back inside her crate.

I hung a waterer in there for her and she had a really good drink. When I get home this afternoon I’ll do some chick starter mash for her.
View attachment 4250992

Betty’s crop is down but still has crud in it. So I guess I will clean her out also

Thanks. Hope they both do OK.

 

[Ponypoor]

Mine too, but it's all rooted. I think its the cut and long stuff. I've got some hayed stuff I haven't set out for them yet. I think I'm going to chop it up first.

I see them yanking long pieces off and swallowing it, I hauled lots of that out.

The hay is the main problem I think. It’s dried and fibrous. Most of the stuff I hauled out was hay.

I have been removing all hay now from
The stalls, and will give them more items like cabbages to enjoy.

This is the first time I have had issues like this, not sure what’s changed as I have the hay all the time.

They have feed in front of them all the time but that hay must be tempting.