Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ManueB]

Thanks Rebecca. It’s just so confusing right now, I don’t have the right decisions planted in my brain. The loss of Jaffar, Queen Hen-Rietta taking ill. The anniversary of several deaths in the family this month. And the price of French fries going up.

I am not a good enabler ... I think you should wait a bit before deciding to take in a rooster. You have too much to process now, and I believe what you wish is to go back to how things were with Jaffar, but that is just not possible
Take it one day at a time and don't feel bad for enjoying the small ones. Chickens seem to come with grief and joy all mixed up.

My girls are getting feisty with each other. I saw one of them jump on the back of another twice while I was sitting in the run with them.

I don't want to get a rooster, yet. I want them to get along.

Maybe next spring, or the year after, I'll order some more Bielefelders and get a cockerel and a couple of pullets.

Sorry if I missed an update, how has Pip been ?

I haven't shared pictures for a very long time but Théo the little brat is so cute when he drinks that here is a serie for Thirsty Thursday.

I have a bumblefoot tool question, maybe some of you can help before I try the emergency forum. My hen Lilly had bumblefoot surgery at the vet before Christmas. It seemed to be healed, so we stopped tending it two weeks ago. Unfortunately it's swelling again. I would like to avoid taking her back to the vet because they do the procedure under general anesthesia and I think twice is too much in a few months. The abscess is located on top of the foot : I am wondering what would be the right tool to cut the abscess open from above. I have always used tweezers to remove scabs underneath, but she doesn't have a scab at all so we really need to open above. Have some of you used scalpels for bumblefoot, and if so what size ?
I read on this page that it's possible to use a biopsy punch and was wondering if this would be easier. I'm not very good at that kind of stuff .
Lilly. Yes she has drunk the old bat potion.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Crap, I have a missing hen. Momma hen no less. She did not roost in the tree last night. This morning, I have yet to spot her. What I do have outback is a horrible pile of broody hen poop. If she is not around when I get back home or roost in the tree tonight tomorrow I will scour everywhere I can think of to find her.

 

[LhickenChicken]

Crap, I have a missing hen. Momma hen no less. She did not roost in the tree last night. This morning, I have yet to spot her. What I do have outback is a horrible pile of broody hen poop. If she is not around when I get back home or roost in the tree tonight tomorrow I will scour everywhere I can think of to find her.

Oh no! I hope that she didn't find a secret nest and set in there!

 

[Sally PB]

Sorry if I missed an update, how has Pip been

Thanks for asking.

Pip is fine, as far as I can tell. I don't know if she's laying, but I haven't seen any lash material in a while.

I miss her getting on my shoulder. I think she's to big and heavy to get there now?

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Oh no! I hope that she didn't find a secret nest and set in there!

With momma, I am hoping for the exact opposite. I worry about her. She is ancient and has started showing signs of having difficulty getting around at times. She had difficulty getting into her roost tree 3 nights ago, it took 3 attempts to get to her spot. Dad commented then that he thought soon she would come up missing. He thinks she will do like one of our old cats did years ago. She started going downhill and wanted outside one evening. She was a indoor outdoor cat and he let her out. We never saw her again. He thinks when it is Momma's time she will go hide and pass and I will never find her. If she is broody and I can find the nest I will give her eggs. That seemed to help her the last 2 years. She would slow down, go broody and when she hatched she was over whatever difficulties she was having at the time.

 

[Ponypoor]

News of Hen-Rietta, she seems to be fading away fast. I don’t know what from. I was up all night with her, and all I can do is hold her and comfort her if I can. She’s 7 1/2 years old.

That’s a goodly age - you have done a wonderful job with keeping her healthy - I hope she is just under the weather a bit though.

 

[Ponypoor]

Trilling cotton ball
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And Ash giving her best effort at collecting an egg.
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Hahaha cotton ball needs babies! Maybe next year tell her

 

[Ponypoor]

The latest photographs I've done.
I'm still learning and need to get better.
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Well those ladies are taking walkway lessons from Phyllis it look like

Very fancy models

 

[Ponypoor]

Oh no, I hope you don’t have anything too bad!

Tell us more about Stanley and Roxanne

I guess it’s just allergies- making me stuffed up and sore throat.

Those two little Roos were the first chooks I got. I thought the res one was a hen - hence Roxanne.

The were killed by a fox one evening when I didn’t really know about predators.

This is why my gang doesn’t free range - they are only allowed to roam when I am around.

 

[RoyalChick]

I am not a good enabler ... I think you should wait a bit before deciding to take in a rooster. You have too much to process now, and I believe what you wish is to go back to how things were with Jaffar, but that is just not possible
Take it one day at a time and don't feel bad for enjoying the small ones. Chickens seem to come with grief and joy all mixed up.

Sorry if I missed an update, how has Pip been ?

I haven't shared pictures for a very long time but Théo the little brat is so cute when he drinks that here is a serie for Thirsty Thursday.
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I have a bumblefoot tool question, maybe some of you can help before I try the emergency forum. My hen Lilly had bumblefoot surgery at the vet before Christmas. It seemed to be healed, so we stopped tending it two weeks ago. Unfortunately it's swelling again. I would like to avoid taking her back to the vet because they do the procedure under general anesthesia and I think twice is too much in a few months. The abscess is located on top of the foot : I am wondering what would be the right tool to cut the abscess open from above. I have always used tweezers to remove scabs underneath, but she doesn't have a scab at all so we really need to open above. Have some of you used scalpels for bumblefoot, and if so what size ?
I read on this page that it's possible to use a biopsy punch and was wondering if this would be easier. I'm not very good at that kind of stuff .
Lilly. Yes she has drunk the old bat potion.
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I used a small scalpel on Babs. I wouldn’t feel confident in using a punch biopsy. I would also really try drawing salves to see if you can soften the skin to let it out before cutting.