Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

I would welcome advice and reassurance (though I realize there is nothing any of us can do in any case).
I am worried about Cookie.
I referenced the issue in the above response to @ChicoryBlue where I said I am holding the feeder open with a block of wood because of Cookie.
I weighed Cookie again today: she weighs 1.04kg/2lb 4.7oz. I last weighed her on November 23rd and she weighed 0.96kg/2lb 1.8oz.
So in 25 days she has only put on 80 grams or 2.9oz. That seems like not very much to me.
She seems energetic enough and she had food in her teeny tiny crop when I weighed her this evening.
She has trouble accessing the rat proof feeders (reach not weight) without Mr. Chips opening them for her (which he does), but I am keeping them open during the day and I notice she walks straight past them. I have been feeding mash made with kefir for extra protein and she will eat some of that but often walks right past the full bowl.
She is definitely the bottom of the pecking order and steers clear of all the big hens and so hangs back when food is served - but they usually leave food in the bowl so she could finish up if she wanted to.
I was worried she couldn't see the food - but I am 100% sure that is not the case (though I trimmed some feathers this evening anyway).
According to the Meyer's website the average weight of a mature hen of her breed is 3.5-5lb. She is a long way from that! She is currently 19 weeks and 3 days old and so is probably close to her mature weight.
I was relieved that she hadn't lost weight - so she must be eating, but is it likely she will really stay that small?
I also have to decide what to do about the feeders while I am away over Xmas. I could leave them held open and risk the rats coming back while I am away (a large male Norway rat weighs about 1lb so she is bigger!), or I could close them and let her eat when Mr. Chips does.
I have seen little evidence on camera that blocking them open helps her - she ignores the food and only eats with Mr. Chips.
I can ask my chicken-sitter to give bowls of mash but that will be a bit haphazard.
Not sure what to do.
All thoughts welcome.

 

[BY Bob]

I would welcome advice and reassurance (though I realize there is nothing any of us can do in any case).
I am worried about Cookie.
I referenced the issue in the above response to @ChicoryBlue where I said I am holding the feeder open with a block of wood because of Cookie.
I weighed Cookie again today: she weighs 1.04kg/2lb 4.7oz. I last weighed her on November 23rd and she weighed 0.96kg/2lb 1.8oz.
So in 25 days she has only put on 80 grams or 2.9oz. That seems like not very much to me.
She seems energetic enough and she had food in her teeny tiny crop when I weighed her this evening.
She has trouble accessing the rat proof feeders (reach not weight) without Mr. Chips opening them for her (which he does), but I am keeping them open during the day and I notice she walks straight past them. I have been feeding mash made with kefir for extra protein and she will eat some of that but often walks right past the full bowl.
She is definitely the bottom of the pecking order and steers clear of all the big hens and so hangs back when food is served - but they usually leave food in the bowl so she could finish up if she wanted to.
I was worried she couldn't see the food - but I am 100% sure that is not the case (though I trimmed some feathers this evening anyway).
According to the Meyer's website the average weight of a mature hen of her breed is 3.5-5lb. She is a long way from that! She is currently 19 weeks and 3 days old and so is probably close to her mature weight.
I was relieved that she hadn't lost weight - so she must be eating, but is it likely she will really stay that small?
I also have to decide what to do about the feeders while I am away over Xmas. I could leave them held open and risk the rats coming back while I am away (a large male Norway rat weighs about 1lb so she is bigger!), or I could close them and let her eat when Mr. Chips does.
I have seen little evidence on camera that blocking them open helps her - she ignores the food and only eats with Mr. Chips.
I can ask my chicken-sitter to give bowls of mash but that will be a bit haphazard.
Not sure what to do.
All thoughts welcome.

This seems normal to me for these types of birds. Polish mature slower than other chickens in my experience. Cookie is from similar stock.

For reference sake, at 21 weeks, Tilly was 1.07 kg.

Phyllis spent most of her life at ~1.3 kg. The last weight In had on Niamh was 1.3 kg.

I am a little worried about how big she has to be to open a feeder. Would 1.3 kg be enough?

 

[RoyalChick]

This seems normal to me for these types of birds. Polish mature slower than other chickens in my experience. Cookie is from similar stock.

For reference sake, at 21 weeks, Tilly was 1.07 kg.

Phyllis spent most of her life at ~1.3 kg. The last weight In had on Niamh was 1.3 kg.

I am a little worried about how big she has to be to open a feeder. Would 1.3 kg be enough?

Very reassuring. Yes, she is already heavy enough to open the feeder. The issue is that while standing on the treadle she has trouble reaching the food. So it is a size issue not a weight issue. She can do it, but it requires a lot of balancing and if she puts her foot down on the ground between the treadle and the feed trough then of course she isn't operating the treadle.
I may need to modify the treadle a little so she can get closer.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Here you go.
The clip stops it closing on anyone’s head. When small Chippy (now Mr. Chips), got his head stuck when Tassels got off the treadle.
I also sometimes use a small block of wood to hold it wide open so nobody needs to use the treadle. I do this primarily for Cookie who is still very tiny and prefers to stand between the treadle and the feed but is now big enough that the tiny crack the clip leaves open isn’t enough.
I remove both clip and block when I close up at night.
I am away over Xmas and I haven’t decided whether to risk leaving it open like that or close it up and let Cookie rely on Mr. Chips to open it for her.
View attachment 4268345

Thank you, I see. I’ll put a block in there, and try to make an “alley” to step on the treadle.

How experienced, professional (!) do you think your mice/rats are? They haven’t been visiting the rat proof feeder during the daytime it seems. The young Buckeyes here are in a “new” run and I think the open feeders that are concurrently available with the treadle feeder haven’t attracted mice yet. So, possibly, if you kept the treadle feeder treadle-only, and placed an open feeder in an entirely new place for Cookie (and showed her) it would take a few days for rodents to find.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I would welcome advice and reassurance (though I realize there is nothing any of us can do in any case).
I am worried about Cookie.
I referenced the issue in the above response to @ChicoryBlue where I said I am holding the feeder open with a block of wood because of Cookie.
I weighed Cookie again today: she weighs 1.04kg/2lb 4.7oz. I last weighed her on November 23rd and she weighed 0.96kg/2lb 1.8oz.
So in 25 days she has only put on 80 grams or 2.9oz. That seems like not very much to me.
She seems energetic enough and she had food in her teeny tiny crop when I weighed her this evening.
She has trouble accessing the rat proof feeders (reach not weight) without Mr. Chips opening them for her (which he does), but I am keeping them open during the day and I notice she walks straight past them. I have been feeding mash made with kefir for extra protein and she will eat some of that but often walks right past the full bowl.
She is definitely the bottom of the pecking order and steers clear of all the big hens and so hangs back when food is served - but they usually leave food in the bowl so she could finish up if she wanted to.
I was worried she couldn't see the food - but I am 100% sure that is not the case (though I trimmed some feathers this evening anyway).
According to the Meyer's website the average weight of a mature hen of her breed is 3.5-5lb. She is a long way from that! She is currently 19 weeks and 3 days old and so is probably close to her mature weight.
I was relieved that she hadn't lost weight - so she must be eating, but is it likely she will really stay that small?
I also have to decide what to do about the feeders while I am away over Xmas. I could leave them held open and risk the rats coming back while I am away (a large male Norway rat weighs about 1lb so she is bigger!), or I could close them and let her eat when Mr. Chips does.
I have seen little evidence on camera that blocking them open helps her - she ignores the food and only eats with Mr. Chips.
I can ask my chicken-sitter to give bowls of mash but that will be a bit haphazard.
Not sure what to do.
All thoughts welcome.

Very reassuring. Yes, she is already heavy enough to open the feeder. The issue is that while standing on the treadle she has trouble reaching the food. So it is a size issue not a weight issue. She can do it, but it requires a lot of balancing and if she puts her foot down on the ground between the treadle and the feed trough then of course she isn't operating the treadle.
I may need to modify the treadle a little so she can get closer.

How is Cookie’s conditioning, going by her keel? Is she just right, under-conditioned, or starving? If she’s passing by available food, I think she’s probably doing fine and is eating as she needs.

If it were me, I’d test the desired situation - the treadle closed and she eats with Mr. Chips - and see how she behaves to gauge whether she’s getting enough, like does she now want every scrap of leftover mash, etc.?

Lizbel is friends with Shehnai the same way - unlike the other pullets, he lets her eat with him, whatever and whenever he’s eating. She gets beaked away by other pullets when she tries to join them at the feeder. Often another pullet is at the feeder with Shehnai, so Lizbel can’t take advantage of him there. And, she also is going to the open feeder by herself, when everyone is doing something else, which is why I’m concerned that she won’t yet use the treadle by herself.

There’s two dynamics to deal with - access, and the chicken thing of eating when others are eating.

So depending on that test, tack on an extension to the treadle at least for now if you think she needs to eat more. She definitely needs both feet on it to push it down? She might not be experienced enough yet to know to push down more with one foot, putting more of her weight on that foot, while the other is between the feeder and the treadle for proximity (little Annie I think ate like that, and Hazel does to this day). So an extension invites rodent risk but might be necessary for now.

Going by standard breeds, 19 weeks is not enough to say they’re finished growing and filling out. But for little polish?

Again, when you feel her tiny crop, feel her keel.

Today

 

[Ponypoor]

It was milder today and the chooks were able to get outside a bit. So happy to see them outside.

And a thirsty Thursday with Flopsy munching on frozen wild water.

Topsy seems to have a crop issue also, watery full crop, I gave her some calcium and 1/2 aspirin earlier and then before I came in I dosed her and Flopsy with Clotrimazole. Not waiting for Topsy to see how she does I am just dosing her.

Not sure but maybe Flopsy is a tiny bit better. She’s more active. But gosh she needs weight. I am still dosing her with the clotrimazole at night, giving her a couple days off from the Ducosate.

 

[RoyalChick]

How is Cookie’s conditioning, going by her keel? Is she just right, under-conditioned, or starving? If she’s passing by available food, I think she’s probably doing fine and is eating as she needs.

If it were me, I’d test the desired situation - the treadle closed and she eats with Mr. Chips - and see how she behaves to gauge whether she’s getting enough, like does she now want every scrap of leftover mash, etc.?

Lizbel is friends with Shehnai the same way - unlike the other pullets, he lets her eat with him, whatever and whenever he’s eating. She gets beaked away by other pullets when she tries to join them at the feeder. Often another pullet is at the feeder with Shehnai, so Lizbel can’t take advantage of him there. And, she also is going to the open feeder by herself, when everyone is doing something else, which is why I’m concerned that she won’t yet use the treadle by herself.

There’s two dynamics to deal with - access, and the chicken thing of eating when others are eating.

So depending on that test, tack on an extension to the treadle at least for now if you think she needs to eat more. She definitely needs both feet on it to push it down? She might not be experienced enough yet to know to push down more with one foot, putting more of her weight on that foot, while the other is between the feeder and the treadle for proximity (little Annie I think ate like that, and Hazel does to this day). So an extension invites rodent risk but might be necessary for now.

Going by standard breeds, 19 weeks is not enough to say they’re finished growing and filling out. But for little polish?

Again, when you feel her tiny crop, feel her keel.

Today
View attachment 4268393
View attachment 4268394

She didn’t strike me as under-nourished but I am not sure I have a good sense for that keel test.
I kicked around ideas with Al Gerhart this evening (the guy who makes the feeders) and tomorrow I am going to try and extend the treadle a little bit. I have some cedar shakes left over from the roof and could maybe even just make a bigger treadle. He felt as long as there is 3” gap to the feed trough I should still be OK on the rats front. Cedar makes sense because it is lightweight.
I asked Meyers hatchery about growth and the lady thought at 20 weeks she would grow a bit more but not much. She said some are just small. But, assuming @rural mouse is right about her breeding. she is a mix of two slow growing breeds so I am going to remain hopeful she still has some growing to do.
For now I will focus my worry on the feeders - but soon I will go back to the whole worry or Mr. Chips and how huge he is relative to her!

 

[WhoDatChick]

That’s even better with the Santa hat! Love it!

Merry Christmas to you and yours as well

Thank you
Hoping everyone has a blessed one