Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

How is Ester doing? Any update?

Thanks for asking. There is no change. She’s inside tonight. I did bring her out at one point to see if she wanted to play with her friends/sisters, but she headed straight for the coop. I thought the warm inside would be good for her tonight, so brought her back in the house. She’s not eating, drinking, nor pooping, but I did get a good amount of coconut oil into her. I’d like to tube a molasses flush, but she is resisting me and I don’t want to risk aspiration (her crop is far from empty). I might see if the avian vet can see her tomorrow. But I’ll feel terrible if what we find means I should have her put down and her last night is in the house instead of the coop.
I’d like to acclimate her to the cooler temp tomorrow by opening up the kitchen for a bit before letting her outside. I might also like to put a heater facing into the coop for her to warm up if she wants. Which reminds me… there *might* be one small development; she might be heading into molt. She has dropped a few feathers, but I can’t tell if they are falling out on their own or if there’s a possibility they came out when handling her with her resisting. I guess I’ll know in the morning.

 

[BY Bob]

A couple weeks ago I tried the chickies with broccoli, they were totally freaked out by the broccoli florets. Needless to say it went uneaten hahaha.

Today I got an Acorn Squash, seems that they like that .

I also bought some scratch grain, but have never feed this before. Any words of wisdom from anyone on how much to feed?

Less than 10% of their diet.

 

[BY Bob]

Tax. Elizabeth who died too young but had a good life.

View attachment 2943497

She was a splendid hen.

 

[micstrachan]

Hi, Bob. I am sad, too. She barely molted this year, but yes, it’s over. It’s not looking good.

Correction: Ester may be heading into molt on top of everything else.

 

[Ponypoor]

Thanks for asking. There is no change. She’s inside tonight. I did bring her out at one point to see if she wanted to play with her friends/sisters, but she headed straight for the coop. I thought the warm inside would be good for her tonight, so brought her back in the house. She’s not eating, drinking, nor pooping, but I did get a good amount of coconut oil into her. I’d like to tube a molasses flush, but she is resisting me and I don’t want to risk aspiration (her crop is far from empty). I might see if the avian vet can see her tomorrow. But I’ll feel terrible if what we find means I should have her put down and her last night is in the house instead of the coop.
I’d like to acclimate her to the cooler temp tomorrow by opening up the kitchen for a bit before letting her outside. I might also like to put a heater facing into the coop for her to warm up if she wants. Which reminds me… there *might* be one small development; she might be heading into molt. She has dropped a few feathers, but I can’t tell if they are falling out on their own or if there’s a possibility they came out when handling her with her resisting. I guess I’ll know in the morning.

Not ever having experienced a chicken molting, when my cousin's hen Sophia did so at my place she stopped eating had these clear watery poops.

Really freaked me out, I found that she would eat scrambled eggs and toast (my homemade bread specifically), and water sugar water. She immediately had more energy and perked up, but wouldn't eat regular food, not even the morning porridge I make for them. Took about 6 weeks of this pampering, before she started eating regularly. Then another few weeks for her stools to stabilize.

I was told this is normal for a hard molt. But it sure freaked me out.i feel she would have died of I hadn't pampered her with eggs, she was definitely not eating, and her crop all mushy at night.

Ok well keep us apprised, hopefully just a hard molt.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

What a compliment it is to be included in with @Shadrach You are being too kind ACM.

I think you and Shad compliment and balance each other out. Empathy and respect versus pragmatism and respect.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I'm not telling people how they should feel. I'm trying to explain why those sorry for your loss messages are just something people say. They don't actually mean anything. It's one of those sayings like "have a nice day". The vast majority of people who say "have a nice day" couldn't give a monkeys what sort of day you have. It's part of the be nice culture.
Not all cultures are like this. This ime is an American thing and I'm not American.


Well there you go. One short sentence, two possesive references and the only real loss is the chicken who lost its life.

I tend to feel great sympathy when someone loses a chook here. I want to try and show that sympathy but tend to fear putting my foot in it. That's why a stock phrase like "I'm sorry for your loss" is helpful to me. I can show my support without putting my foot in it and making things worse (hopefully).

Edit: I think you must owe some chicken tax by now Shad. Any new photos of your Ex-batts we haven't seen? How are they going over winter?

My chicken tax: Pepper resting

 

[Ribh]

I've known over 100 chickens most of which are now dead. I don't have a single bad memory of any of them.
I like to remember them.
It often seems to me that people take some kind of affront when death takes one of their chickens. It's like something has stolen something they own and not only do they grieve for the loss but also suffer from some kind of damage to their pride that they were unable to thwart death. It's that view of owning that life and being deprived of it that makes looking after other creatures so diffficult.
I don't understand all the sorry for your loss messages and the reluctance of some people to even utter the phrase that someone died. It's always "passed on" or some other expression that avoids the reality of death.
Lock was lovely. I was lucky to know her. She was never mine,or anyone elses.
Lock belonged to Lock and she lived with her family who it seems cared for her despite her gender differences in a manner many humans could learn from.

Lock was lovely. Odd, but lovely.
I'm not the pragmatist you are. I am emotionally attached to all my animals ~ as many of them also seem to be to me. Knowing that particular personality is gone forever is hard for me.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Hi everyone. Sorry I’ve barely been on and have only posted about Ester. Lots going on.

My son was just diagnosed with strep throat. Ester is still unwell and has been self isolating, so I brought her in to warm up. She’s literally just standing there. She is backed up, swollen, not pooping or eating. I did see her drink when she came out this morning.

I gave her an aspirin for the ascites and swelling, and started her on amoxicillin. I wanted to give her some pedialyte with aloe detox, but her crop isn’t moving, so I held off. Instead, I gave her some coconut oil in hopes it helps loosen whatever is backing her up. There is a disgusting stench coming from her when I handle her, I think from her crop. Poor thing… like she’s rotting from the inside out.

Unfortunately, I don’t know if the ascites is causing the blockage or is secondary to it.

I don’t usually like to remove sick birds from the flock, but she’s been hanging out by herself, anyway. I may keep her in tonight for warmth and so I can know for sure that she isn’t pooping. If I can get her crop moving, I’d also like to get some aloe detox in her for the ascites, as well.

I’m not sure what else to do at this point. I may check in the morning if an avian vet can see her. It would be helpful to know what color the fluid in her coelum is, and maybe they could do some imaging. If she’s blocked by cancer, salpingitis, or something that can’t be cleared, like her gizzard, I may have her put down.

You're having a rotten time of it a the moment micstrachan.
I hope things start looking up for you soon.

 

[Shadrach]

Lock was lovely. Odd, but lovely.
I'm not the pragmatist you are. I am emotionally attached to all my animals ~ as many of them also seem to be to me. Knowing that particular personality is gone forever is hard for me.

I know somewhere you do understand Ribh because of something you wrote earlier in this thread when I rather bluntly pointed out a series of events that happened at Fluffy Butt Acres. I can't find the post atm, but you pointed out that for me it was about what happened to the chickens while most others were concentrating on extending their sympathies to Bob.
It's about the chickens for me, not about the people. People have chosen to keep chickens, the chickens didn't get a say in the matter. When it all goes wrong it's the chickens that suffer yet all the empathy, whatever one may think it's worth, goes to the human who was, albeit sometimes unwittingly, the cause of whatever happened to the chicken.

I have a brief recuring conversation with the person who manages the allotments. It goes something like this.
C, "I do appreciate you helping me out with the chickens."
Shadrach. "I'm not trying to help you out, I'm trying to help the chickens."

I realise it's very hard for people to understand. I don't know how I can explain it any better.

So, it isn't pragmatism and it's not that I don't feel emotional connected to the chickens which should be obvious to anyone who has read the stuff I've posted and all the pictures and obsevations etc etc. It's that step that for Shadrach the chickens are more important than the people that people seem unable to take.
Take that step and you will all understand me.