Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

So sparklingly clean!

That's a photo from years ago. They are stunningly clean. Have to be post molt.

 

[RoyalChick]

Big Boy
To those of you who sought to reassure me about how big Mr. Chips would become, I thank you for temporarily calming my nerves, but now it is time for a reality check.
Mr. Chips is a big boy!
He is not quite 15 weeks old, has just started honking, and tonight he weighed in at 2.2kg/4lb 13oz.
That is about the same as Pooh and already bigger than Piglet.
I don’t know when cockerels reach mature weight but I am guessing at least 6 months, so 9lb doesn’t seem ridiculous as an adult weight.
Yikes!
It is hilarious to see how terrified he is of Pooh who weighs only 2oz more than he does. Calypso still has a pound on him and I have not yet weighed Tassels.
I am drifting back into the panic zone.
Also he bites so I am going to need some chicken handling gloves, and I need a bigger bag for weighing him - poor guy was in a very uncomfy position in the bag!

 

[bgmathteach]

Anbesol is a great topical anesthetic. It is benzocaine. I have it in my kit in case I ever have to work on skin. It lasts about 15 minutes so you may want to reapply if things take too long.

https://www.amazon.com/Anbesol-Gel-Maximum-Strength-0-33/dp/B0006GBEJ4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=Y55B0LNGU6J6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mRYtXoYAD70GB40XTRhZ4H3xaWyeUgP19uqIJ37-YIlUJOA5wtI9qX831oEpkczkseVmIJR5mkpiiQq5ksJPRJ-cPcE-mSYEHkKfXR9LwOuCa6gjGGIFZ9_1DMHHXXxwRFyWEQ3o_CkxOEQhMoBr8dBsQKTf8-IUfNbIWhxczCJUSscLGrMlFKfGdk36MKt6kOVzNpS-gzCV2MLJppankw.i2UaEFCbcl2cDso8ttFNm-cQDmGH2nopvnuvbymKYJ4&dib_tag=se&keywords=anbesol&qid=1763164245&rdc=1&sprefix=anbesol,aps,565&sr=8-1

Thank you! Bookmarked this for future reference. Lidocaine works, too, but I wasn't sure if it would be okay on an open wound......????

Some hemmorhiod treatments have lidocaine - so would be anti-inflammatory as well as a pain killer. Would that work as well? Better? or would Anbesol be better - I have only seen older stuff regarding lidocaine, but a vet who used to work at the college mentioned hemmorhoid cream with lidocaine for a wound pain killer once...he suggested slathering it on around the wound, but not on the 'cut proper' when I was treating for a fox caused injury. That was years ago, and he wasn't a poultry specialist, but did have his own small farm. (no chickens - mostly sheep). Unfortunately, he retired well before the pandemic and passed less than a year after retiring. [he retired from practice to work at the college - so roughly when he was 60ish, ran the Vet. Tech program for 10 years, then retired from that.]

He retired when I was just really getting started with chickens, so I wasn't able to pick his brain much.

 

[RoyalChick]

Thank you! Bookmarked this for future reference. Lidocaine works, too, but I wasn't sure if it would be okay on an open wound......????

Some hemmorhiod treatments have lidocaine - so would be anti-inflammatory as well as a pain killer. Would that work as well? Better? or would Anbesol be better - I have only seen older stuff regarding lidocaine, but a vet who used to work at the college mentioned hemmorhoid cream with lidocaine for a wound pain killer once...he suggested slathering it on around the wound, but not on the 'cut proper' when I was treating for a fox caused injury. That was years ago, and he wasn't a poultry specialist, but did have his own small farm. (no chickens - mostly sheep). Unfortunately, he retired well before the pandemic and passed less than a year after retiring. [he retired from practice to work at the college - so roughly when he was 60ish, ran the Vet. Tech program for 10 years, then retired from that.]

He retired when I was just really getting started with chickens, so I wasn't able to pick his brain much.

One of the ‘caine’ painkillers isn’t safe in chickens but I don’t remember which one.

 

[bgmathteach]

Also he bites so I am going to need some chicken handling gloves, and I need a bigger bag for weighing him - poor guy was in a very uncomfy position in the bag!

Well, I would probably bite, too, if I was stuffed into a bag too small and was quite uncomfortable and didn't understand what the heck was going on! Especially when I was entering boyhood hormonal period!!!

I am drifting back into the panic zone.

Oh, fine, you do what you do best!



Seriously, though, he will be bigger, but a gentle Roo will still manage to mate a smaller (willing) hen just fine. Hopefully all the girls give him the proper training on Roo manners.

He is not quite 15 weeks old, has just started honking, and tonight he weighed in at 2.2kg/4lb 13oz.

While it may be bigger than some of the girls, he still isn't THAT big yet. Nearly all Roosters are bigger than hens of the same breed.....just keep remembering that!

Besides, who couldn't/wouldn't just fall in love with such a handsome lad!!!! Especially if his elders (ladies) teach him manners, as well!

 

[RoyalChick]

Well, I would probably bite, too, it I was stuffed into a bag to small and was quite uncomfortable and didn't understand what the heck was going on! Especially when I was entering boyhood hormonal period!!!

Oh, fine, you do what you do best!



Seriously, though, he will be bigger, but a gentle Roo will still manage to mate a smaller (willing) hen just fine. Hopefully all the girls give him the proper training on Roo manners.

While it may be bigger than some of the girls, he still isn't THAT big yet. Nearly all Roosters are bigger than hens of the same breed.....just keep remembering that!

Besides, who couldn't/wouldn't just fall in love with such a handsome lad!!!! Especially if his elders (ladies) teach him manners, as well!

I must confess to being quite taken with his feathering.
And to be clear, he didn’t bite me when I stuffed him in the weighing bag (he just honked), but he bites when I hand feed him.
He absolutely recognizes me as the bringer of treats, but he doesn’t really distinguish between me and the treat.
That hurts and he is still only little!

 

[bgmathteach]

One of the ‘caine’ painkillers isn’t safe in chickens but I don’t remember which one.

There may be more recent ones out there, but I think Lidocaine is safe based on this study

 

[Ponypoor]

It could be like an assembly line!

Like kids waiting in line in the gymnasium for their shots hahaha. That used to be a thing back in the day, the public health nurses came in and we where all checked for scoliosis, and then given our MMR.

They don’t do this now, and I have read that scoliosis is being under diagnosed in kids causing them misery.

Anywhoooo - I could line all the chooks up, slice and dice, dig out the crop and yell ‘Next!’. Hahaha.

Jaffarra had some soaked chick starter, more amoxicillin and a 1/2 low dose aspirin. I’ll see how her crop goes down by tomorrow morning, if it doesn’t go down I’ll need to put a crop-bra on her.

 

[rural mouse]

Happy Friday everyone
I went and picked a pocket full of crab apples to toss around in the hope of getting some fluffy butt pictures.

Sylvie obliged with a half butt (it is at least fluffy).
View attachment 4251095

Mr. Chips has quite a fluffy butt - and look at the green on his tail!
View attachment 4251096

Cookie was keeping her fluffy butt well hidden but she did try and score a crabapple.
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Unfortunately meany Calypso grabbed it from her so Cookie retreated back into the undergrowth.
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She's got the Houdan stateliness.... Thing 2 would stand like that, and I see glimpses of it with Koonj.