Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Since I missed Caturday, here's a recent cat photo.
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That is one pretty cat.

 

[Ponypoor]

Red Pyle adult roos are very striking. On Silkies it probably will be hard to tell cuz of fluffiness, but Red Pyle OEGBs, Brahmas, Yokahamas, etc, are gorgeous!

Hope Betty, Marty, Jaffara. & Eli-2 recover

High hopes for Betty, and Jaffarra, guarded about Eli, and Marty is coming 5 and I have already drained her abdomen already. She likely has salpingitis.

 

[Ponypoor]

That was over 2 weeks ago. Her tail is much better now. I need to get a newer photo. I've been obsessed with other chickens of late.

I hear ya… like having half a dozen kids!

 

[Sylvester017]

I have a question about vaccinating. I got my first three chickens from a local breeder. I didn't know much at the time and didn't ask if they were vaccinated. I suspect not.
I bought my next 7 chickens as hours old chicks from Ideal Hatchery. I was able to drive over and pick them up. In the ordering process, I selected "vaccinated' but the website cautioned that I have never had Marek's on my property, this would introduce it. Does anyone have knowledge of what I should do when buying chicks? Do I never get vaccinated chickens in the future, or do I just keep them separated for a few weeks...or what?

That's a good question. I know w/ fowl pox vaccinations ~ the vaccinated birds have to be isolated for a certain length of time cuz the vaccine is "live" & could transfer to other birds. But once the quarantine is over no problem. However, my vet does not recommend fowl pox vaccine cuz it's contagious as a live scratch virus under the wings & he won't do it.

Newly Mareck's vaccinated day-old chicks have to be isolated probably for a similar reason. I've had a non-vaccinated Silkie live in a flock of Mareck's vaccinated birds & the Silkie lived over 11 yrs ~ so I'm guessing the newly vaccinated chicks just need to be quarantined for a while... which is what anyone should do anyway when adding any new birds. Our chick quarantines have gone way beyond the minimum 2 weeks. We keep any new chicks or new juveniles 6 to 8 weeks... or longer. We wait till the babies are 3 to 4 months old before integration so they are almost as big as adults.

Other farm people who brood their own chicks let the mamma take them out to the flock in less than a week sometimes ~ but then, those aren't vaccinated chicks either so that's a different flock situation.

Our non-Marek's vaccinated Dominique chicks

Our non-vaccinated Silkie was our longest-lived bird ~ lived w/ both vaccinated & non-vaccinated birds

Vaccinated Breda Fowl w/ non-vaccinated Silkie ~ example were 4-1/2 yrs together in the flock.

 

[Sylvester017]

That was over 2 weeks ago. Her tail is much better now. I need to get a newer photo. I've been obsessed with other chickens of late.

Life gets in the way... we got back from a relative's funeral this afternoon Surprisingly, Suzu stayed in the kitchen obediently while we were gone. She was so-o-o excited to see us we couldn't keep her off climbing our legs!

 

[Sylvester017]

High hopes for Betty, and Jaffarra, guarded about Eli, and Marty is coming 5 and I have already drained her abdomen already. She likely has salpingitis.

After having Mini w/ reproductive issues I resign myself not to hope too much in that area... but still the little sweetie lived 6-1/2 yrs... but no telling what pain she may have had. She had so many health issues & the vet saved her so many times.

Phaedra & Mini ~ 2016 ~ 2 favorites of mine

 

[rural mouse]

That was over 2 weeks ago. Her tail is much better now. I need to get a newer photo. I've been obsessed with other chickens of late.

Understandable. Is Lady F still picking at her?

 

[Ponypoor]

I just overreact and assume the worst is happening to my chickens all the time. One embarrassing example: This summer some of my big chickens had runny poops. I wormed them, then gave them rice with yogurt to replenish their gut bacteria and some banana to firm things up. The runny poop persisted. So I sat in the run and watched to see who it was, made a vet appointment and had to catch my chicken who most thinks I'm the Antichrist ( of course) because I saw her have 2 bad ones, and they said bring the worst one. I was convinced they had worms or something even more nefarious.
Took her on a car ride in the dog crate, walked in and put her on the examine table ( still in her crate) and she has a normal poop. To top things off, a cat wandered into the examining room and poor Olivia went berserk. The vet tech said that chickens fine.
The good news is, no charge for the conversation with the vet tech. I CANNOT imagine doing crop surgery like Ponypoor is doing. My chickens apparently were just eating too many fresh vegetables and drinking too much water in the heat. And some smart people on this forum even told me that.
Here's Olivia on her great adventure.

Hope Olivia is doing well, my life is ruled by poop. I am fairly obsessed with looking at my horses’ and chickens’ poop. One can tell a lot by looking at it.

I am also very hands on with handling my gang. I’ll just pick one up and feel it’s keel bone, is it well covered? Too thin or too fat and I start to keep an eye on that bird. Esp if too thin. Why are they thin I ask myself.

Poop and observation. Just spending a few minutes watching them in the morning seeing if they are eating. And then during the day. It can show you how they nornally behave.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

Olivia is my most hands-off chicken. My 7 youngest lived in a brooder for far too long while we struggled to build a coop and addition to the original dumb Amazon run and tiny pre-fab coop. (Yes, all the classic first-timer mistakes.) I felt so bad for the chicks towards the end of their in-house incarceration that I went in the spare bedroom every day where they were, blocked off furniture covered the floor in sheets and towels and let them run around. Most of them climbed on me - not Olivia. When it was time to go back in jail, I learned to get her first because several times when she was last she freaked out. One time she managed to wedge herself behind the TV cabinet. I had to get DH's help and he didn't mess around with chicken nonsense. He got a broom and nudged her back until I could get her. Someone on here told me Olivia would never forget that. I thought that surely couldn't be right - she's a chicken, how can she hold a grudge? She has. Poor baby.

 

[Labsandchickens8]

So sad losing her... yet good news it wasn't Mareck's. I just hate losing birds... the older ones we expect it... it's the young ones that's hard to accept. I always went thru guilt trips of what could we have done better... & then I remember my farm Mom weathering her experiences & sharing pros/cons in raising her farm birds. Wish she was still around to consult with

Mom taking a farm stroll w/nephew ~ funky '50's rolled up jeans ~ anyone remember those?
c. 1952
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I've been thinking - I think part of our problem in raising chickens in our backyards is that almost all of us have zero experience with chickens from growing up. I've had dogs my whole life and have very few problems with them. My husband's only experience is chasing his grandmother's unnamed hens on her farm and watching her kill them and prepare them for dinner. These are not helpful experiences for me.
I love this picture!