Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[drumstick diva]

poor Chickie

 

[biophiliac]

Dear chicken friends

Even though we haven’t met in real life, I wanted to share something with you. I wanted to post something last night but I was just too sad.

I honestly don’t know how much longer Chickie is going to be with us. She had a check-up yesterday as she had finished her antibiotics. Dr Nikki has been away all week so we saw Dr Kevin. He didn’t want to prescribe more antibiotics, saying it would probably cause her harm. He did prescribe Meloxicam, which is a liquid anti-inflammatory. She is seriously under-weight and he thought she was quite unwell, saying she wasn’t as wary of him as she should be. He said to give her half a millilitre each night and call back next week to report how she is.

He said the next suggestion is an ultrasound. This would mean a trip to Sydney (a four-hour round trip) and around $500.The avian specialist suspected enlargement of the oviduct (?) which would probably require surgery. Suffice to say it would probably quite a lot more than what @MaryJanet ’s Dr Hill quoted.

I just can’t justify a $500 ultrasound plus surgery (I don’t think my husband would let me go through with it anyway, plus she may be too unwell to survive it). I have racked up hundreds of dollars already on vet visits, meds and an x-ray. I have to draw a line somewhere.

Every time I looked at her today, she was going about her daily chickeny business. She was having a scratch in the dirt, munching on some grass I had put in there and even inspecting the commercial feed. I reckon if you didn’t know she was unwell, you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at her. She looks like the size she should be (her moult mustn’t have been too bad). She had a decent go at breakfast and ate most of her dinner. When I picked her up, I swear she felt just that little bit heavier.

If she’s eating, drinking, doesn’t appear to be in pain/discomfort and still seems interested in life, I am going to look after her to the best of my ability. When that changes, I will have to make the hard decision. But not before then.

I think you are doing the right thing. If Chickie was in my care I would not puther through the stress of traveling for expensive tests and invasive surgeries with uncomfortable recoveries and no guarantees on the outcome. Ifshecould choose I believe she would rather stay home with her flock.

I hope that when her time comes she passes peacefully in company of her flock mates.

.

 

[mixedUPturk]

I’ve just won 50 Euros!

There are two dogs that belong to the people in the main house. The dogs are pleasant enough and in the right hands would probably fare better. As they are now, they are as thick as two short planks. They do say dogs reflect their owners.

I get quite a lot of piss taking from the others that live here about the chickens and the relationship I have with them. Some of this humour seems to stem around the fact that I can do, and know more, with and about the chickens than they do.

The people concerned in this tale were having a bit of a lunch do. The double kitchen doors were open and as they sat around the table eating a rooster wandered in through the double doors. This cause great amusement and the owner of the house and I should point out the two dogs I’ve mentioned, decided he was going to show off his, I’m a bit good with animals, and tried to catch the rooster with the intention of evicting him. There is nothing like a table of guests who have had a few glasses of wine to promote stupid behaviour.

This man made a grab for the rooster and the rooster did him, for want of a better expression and having drawn blood to prove his point, ran under the stairs that lead to the mezzanine in the kitchen.
There is no easy way of getting him out. One would need to practically lie on the floor and shuffle under to get a hand to the rooster.

I got summoned to remove the rooster with something like “one of your stupid chickens has got stuck under the stairs.” Once in the kitchen I got everyone to leave pointing out that calm and quiet would help with the eviction, mentioning that I would call the rooster out when everyone was gone. This produced further amusement which eventually boiled down to me saying the rooster was a lot smarter than the dogs, or it seems, the owner.

A bet got made. I bet I could not only get the rooster out from under the stairs, but also, if a test of intelligence of owners and creatures was of interest, I could get a rooster to follow (no leads allowed) me on a pre described circuit encompassing the sheep field, around the back of the main house and into mine. I challenged him to do the same with his dogs. I was pretty sure I could do this and suggested we bet 100 Euros. I think the high opening bid rang a warning bell and the bet was lowered to 50 Euros.

I got Mag (the rooster) out from under the stairs with a quick bit of bribery. To be honest I think he realised that he could have picked better circumstances to kick off and was glad to be out of there.

I thought the chances of the dogs owner of getting the two dogs up to the top of the sheep field was unlikely, never mind doing the circuit. I was confident in getting a particular rooster to the top of the sheep field and along the top edge but getting along the back of the house might be difficult.

I went and got Treacle and stood at the start line holding him in my hand. The dog owner and the two dogs made there way to the starting line with much thigh slapping and callings of ‘come on’ and ‘walkies’.
Well both humans, he and I, started to walk up the track. The dogs just sat there, but after a few seconds the slightly sharper of the two wagged it’s tail a bit and did a bit of a lets please the human, hope skip and a few spins getting about half way to the human.

Of course, even though the dogs are perfectly fine with the chickens, the chickens, being cautious creatures. like a bit of space between them and the dogs, even nice dumb ones. The moment I put Treacle down he headed up hill away from the dogs and up the track and all I had to do was keep a step or two in front of him. At the top of the sheep field I had to call him to come around behind it, but he did, and the stretch down away from the sheep field is route to coop and route to my house and I know Treacle will follow me having done it many times. It took a bit of encouragement, which was allowed, before Treacle follwed me along the back of the main house because this is away from coop and my house and into Tribe 3’s territory, but Treacle did it.

The dog owner and one dog; the other had gone inside and got back on the sofa apparently, were waiting on the driveway outside the main house, the owner muttering about stupid dogs....well, you can imagine....

Well done Treacle.

Now I get a lot of crap about the chickens and the other animals here from this particular person and I went to double prove a point.
When the dogs, owner, and assorted onlookers went back into the kitchen (lunches here can go on for hours) I stuck my head through the kitchen double doors as I was passing a bit later and said to the dog owner, “look, this is how you do it” and shouted HAWK! UP! very loudly. The dogs shot out the door barking frantically, crashing through the table and chair legs in their hurry to get out. It was a couple of seconds of true pandemonium. As the barking receded as the dogs headed up to the top of the sheep field (a favourite strike spot known to the dogs as UP) I held my hand out and said, “you owe me fifty Euros.”

So glad i went back and found this! Truly another Magnificent story!

Dear chicken friends

Even though we haven’t met in real life, I wanted to share something with you. I wanted to post something last night but I was just too sad.

I honestly don’t know how much longer Chickie is going to be with us. She had a check-up yesterday as she had finished her antibiotics. Dr Nikki has been away all week so we saw Dr Kevin. He didn’t want to prescribe more antibiotics, saying it would probably cause her harm. He did prescribe Meloxicam, which is a liquid anti-inflammatory. She is seriously under-weight and he thought she was quite unwell, saying she wasn’t as wary of him as she should be. He said to give her half a millilitre each night and call back next week to report how she is.

He said the next suggestion is an ultrasound. This would mean a trip to Sydney (a four-hour round trip) and around $500.The avian specialist suspected enlargement of the oviduct (?) which would probably require surgery. Suffice to say it would probably quite a lot more than what @MaryJanet ’s Dr Hill quoted.

I just can’t justify a $500 ultrasound plus surgery (I don’t think my husband would let me go through with it anyway, plus she may be too unwell to survive it). I have racked up hundreds of dollars already on vet visits, meds and an x-ray. I have to draw a line somewhere.

Every time I looked at her today, she was going about her daily chickeny business. She was having a scratch in the dirt, munching on some grass I had put in there and even inspecting the commercial feed. I reckon if you didn’t know she was unwell, you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at her. She looks like the size she should be (her moult mustn’t have been too bad). She had a decent go at breakfast and ate most of her dinner. When I picked her up, I swear she felt just that little bit heavier.

If she’s eating, drinking, doesn’t appear to be in pain/discomfort and still seems interested in life, I am going to look after her to the best of my ability. When that changes, I will have to make the hard decision. But not before then.

I think you are doing the right thing. If Chickie was in my care I would not puther through the stress of traveling for expensive tests and invasive surgeries with uncomfortable recoveries and no guarantees on the outcome. Ifshecould choose I believe she would rather stay home with her flock.

I hope that when her time comes she passes peacefully in company of her flock mates.

.

I 110% agree!

 

[mixedUPturk]

Sorry ive been absent i missed a couple pages then it became a couple more andbefore i knew it i was 100 pages behind i went back about 5 pages.

Been a streak of bad luck over here. No animals harmed but its a soppy wet mess and the gnats are coming back and i have orders to fill but the eggs are getting wet/muddy And a swap to attend on Saturday. All aside of the potty training. Then DH got sick. I am trying to get back to par but its much harder to catch up than to keep up.

 

[BY Bob]

I think you are doing the right thing. If Chickie was in my care I would not puther through the stress of traveling for expensive tests and invasive surgeries with uncomfortable recoveries and no guarantees on the outcome. Ifshecould choose I believe she would rather stay home with her flock.

I hope that when her time comes she passes peacefully in company of her flock mates.

.

I have posted this before but this is how Daisy, the greatest hen ever, wished to pass. With her besty, Patsy. There is comfort in the flock. They care.

 

[BY Bob]

Sorry ive been absent i missed a couple pages then it became a couple more andbefore i knew it i was 100 pages behind i went back about 5 pages.

Been a streak of bad luck over here. No animals harmed but its a soppy wet mess and the gnats are coming back and i have orders to fill but the eggs are getting wet/muddy And a swap to attend on Saturday. All aside of the potty training. Then DH got sick. I am trying to get back to par but its much harder to catch up than to keep up.

We understand. I hope everything dries out and things work their way back to some semblance of normalcy for you

 

[ValerieJ]

I have posted this before but this is how Daisy, the greatest hen ever, wished to pass. With her besty, Patsy. There is comfort in the flock. They care.

View attachment 2049873

Upper respiratory? She looks like she was an awesome girl!

 

[BY Bob]

Upper respiratory? She looks like she was an awesome girl!

Complications from Salpingitis sadly. We cured the infection but her fallopian tubes were scarred and therefore blocked leading to fluid build up internally everytime she tried to make an egg. The fluid build up is what ended things.

 

[Ribh]

Dear chicken friends

Even though we haven’t met in real life, I wanted to share something with you. I wanted to post something last night but I was just too sad.

I honestly don’t know how much longer Chickie is going to be with us. She had a check-up yesterday as she had finished her antibiotics. Dr Nikki has been away all week so we saw Dr Kevin. He didn’t want to prescribe more antibiotics, saying it would probably cause her harm. He did prescribe Meloxicam, which is a liquid anti-inflammatory. She is seriously under-weight and he thought she was quite unwell, saying she wasn’t as wary of him as she should be. He said to give her half a millilitre each night and call back next week to report how she is.

He said the next suggestion is an ultrasound. This would mean a trip to Sydney (a four-hour round trip) and around $500.The avian specialist suspected enlargement of the oviduct (?) which would probably require surgery. Suffice to say it would probably quite a lot more than what @MaryJanet ’s Dr Hill quoted.

I just can’t justify a $500 ultrasound plus surgery (I don’t think my husband would let me go through with it anyway, plus she may be too unwell to survive it). I have racked up hundreds of dollars already on vet visits, meds and an x-ray. I have to draw a line somewhere.

Every time I looked at her today, she was going about her daily chickeny business. She was having a scratch in the dirt, munching on some grass I had put in there and even inspecting the commercial feed. I reckon if you didn’t know she was unwell, you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at her. She looks like the size she should be (her moult mustn’t have been too bad). She had a decent go at breakfast and ate most of her dinner. When I picked her up, I swear she felt just that little bit heavier.

If she’s eating, drinking, doesn’t appear to be in pain/discomfort and still seems interested in life, I am going to look after her to the best of my ability. When that changes, I will have to make the hard decision. But not before then.

I am so sorry, Lozzy. I had to weigh the stress of travelling & procedures against unlikely survival with Tuppence. I know I made the right call but it didn't make it easier. She was loved & cared for right up until the end & I know she appreciated being safe & cared for. Sometimes there's nothing more to be done & the reality is she's had a wonderful life with you & that's something very few chickens get. You have done great by her.

 

[Shadrach]

Dear chicken friends

Even though we haven’t met in real life, I wanted to share something with you. I wanted to post something last night but I was just too sad.

I honestly don’t know how much longer Chickie is going to be with us. She had a check-up yesterday as she had finished her antibiotics. Dr Nikki has been away all week so we saw Dr Kevin. He didn’t want to prescribe more antibiotics, saying it would probably cause her harm. He did prescribe Meloxicam, which is a liquid anti-inflammatory. She is seriously under-weight and he thought she was quite unwell, saying she wasn’t as wary of him as she should be. He said to give her half a millilitre each night and call back next week to report how she is.

He said the next suggestion is an ultrasound. This would mean a trip to Sydney (a four-hour round trip) and around $500.The avian specialist suspected enlargement of the oviduct (?) which would probably require surgery. Suffice to say it would probably quite a lot more than what @MaryJanet ’s Dr Hill quoted.

I just can’t justify a $500 ultrasound plus surgery (I don’t think my husband would let me go through with it anyway, plus she may be too unwell to survive it). I have racked up hundreds of dollars already on vet visits, meds and an x-ray. I have to draw a line somewhere.

Every time I looked at her today, she was going about her daily chickeny business. She was having a scratch in the dirt, munching on some grass I had put in there and even inspecting the commercial feed. I reckon if you didn’t know she was unwell, you wouldn’t be able to tell from looking at her. She looks like the size she should be (her moult mustn’t have been too bad). She had a decent go at breakfast and ate most of her dinner. When I picked her up, I swear she felt just that little bit heavier.

If she’s eating, drinking, doesn’t appear to be in pain/discomfort and still seems interested in life, I am going to look after her to the best of my ability. When that changes, I will have to make the hard decision. But not before then.

It's very sad. I think you've done wonders, far more than I would even if I could afford it.
It also makes me angry. A lot of this heartbreak could be avoided by better breeding and better knowledge of the pitfalls of the breed one buys and the method one chooses it.
The sad truth is that despite the care and the love and the vets expertise many chickens are prone to these problems. I can't fault people for wanting to try and save their much loved pets but from my experience it is often better to let the chicken live as comfortably as possible and end their lives as quickly as possible when it becomes obvious they are suffering.
I despair when I read much of the advice on forums such as these where the OP is advised to give this drug or that drug, even if there is a short reprieve, often the stress of the treatment and the effects of the drugs, or surgery doesn't make for a happy healthy chicken.