Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

I'm a mite scared to go out to the coop this morning.

I have about 10 planes buzzing around dogfighting this morning....and the LANGUAGE! They all need mouths washed out with soap!View attachment 3582946Different take on Thirstyday

They're armed and dangerousView attachment 3582947

I saw one fighting off a wasp once ! it was an epic battle, the bird won

 

[Ponypoor]

Mama hen left the nest while the last egg is hatching, I did expect it because it was so late but it is pipping even though it was cold so I’m hoping it will hatch or else I will take it inside and put it under a heated blanket or something like that.
Here are some pics of mama and the hens going for their first little trip outside the nest
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This one who is laying under mama is the smallest one and it really makes sure everyone knows it

You will need to bring it into an incubator (or similar) right away, otherwise it will not survive. The humidity and heat needs to be as close to a mama as possible. It's too bad it was a staggered hatch.

For the next batch make sure to put the eggs in all on one day - that way they hatch all together. When Henny Penny hatched hers I gathered the eggs for a couple days and stored them in the feed room, then when I had the 4 I wanted then I put them all under her - I marked them to make sure I knew which where the ones I wanted, and I removed any other eggs the other hens gifted her with daily.

 

[knoturavggrl]

Those kiddos have big fluffy derrières

Yes I try to be better with the sun, I don’t do the sun worship thing anymore.

They really do! Incredibly wide bodies, They also take longer to finish growing up then a-lot of breeds so I am honestly more then a bit concerned about them being about to fit through the auto door once fully grown I adore my door so I really hope they can squeeze through.

Hopefully, the younger folks here will be better educated on the dangers of the sun!

 

[Ponypoor]

Mama hen left the nest while the last egg is hatching, I did expect it because it was so late but it is pipping even though it was cold so I’m hoping it will hatch or else I will take it inside and put it under a heated blanket or something like that.
Here are some pics of mama and the hens going for their first little trip outside the nest
View attachment 3583019View attachment 3583020View attachment 3583021
This one who is laying under mama is the smallest one and it really makes sure everyone knows it

They sure are cute with they are that small and they grow so fast!

 

[Ponypoor]

They really do! Incredibly wide bodies, They also take longer to finish growing up then a-lot of breeds so I am honestly more then a bit concerned about them being about to fit through the auto door once fully grown I adore my door so I really hope they can squeeze through.

Hopefully, the younger folks here will be better educated on the dangers of the sun!

hahaha never thought of that - I am sure they will squeeze in

Well if my nieces are anything to go by - nope - they are sun worshipers...

 

[RoyalChick]

I’ll look into that again, in the distant past they couldn’t be used at temps past 350 F., maybe less. I was baking sourdough bread at 400 F.
At least the bread came out great!

I have one - it is a red silicone thing that slips over the cast iron handle of the skillet.

 

[Grandmas Coop]

Good Morning Fluffy"s

the broody / hatch season is officially over in my coop. Hatch #1 is 4 weeks old, hatch #2 is 3 weeks old and hatch #3 is 4 & 2 days old.




the main flock is now one year old,


Have a great day

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I am thrilled to hear Butters is doing well! The increase appetite specifically for protein may well lend some weight to the molting theory. Whatever the cause is, I hope its behind her and that she continues to get better.

I am sorry you got burned, ouch just ouch! Glad you can still play, we need a video of that when your hand is mended!

Thanks. Can't film or take photos this week, it's for baseball players and then a team party. I don't usually do any of that anyway. But recently our guitar player found this from some years ago, there are a few posted by baseball - Phillies - fans at a game when the team broadcast to the stadium a video previously made at a private party we played. Part of the party honored this announcer. That's us quickly figuring out the key Harry Kalas was in and then backing him up when he broke into his signature tune at the end of his speech. There's a glimpse of me in it. But now we tease our guitar player, telling him he's played a stadium!

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

I have been quiet also for similar reasons as @RebeccaBoyd. I have been diagnosed with Melanoma stage 2a and will have to have surgery to remove it. I am waiting for my appointment to find out more details @ Ohio State University's cancer center.

I know this is a chicken thread but you all have become friends. I should be fine but I do want to remind everyone to get your skin checked every year and to wear sunscreen.

Sunscreen reminder tax:

View attachment 3582631

I am so sorry. I can not believe you are going through this. Prayers and hugs coming you're way.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Since this is insanely long I've bolded the main points.

Hopefully good news about Butters! At least, she is doing much better overall! Over the last weekend I thought she hit rock bottom. Surprisingly these last three days she's not fading away but holding on and even improving. Her energy got better. She was dust bathing, foraging, sunbathing. Less sleeping during the day and much less standing around looking miserable. I saw her eat a small spider (yay!), and later maul a tiny snail, and a worm, but not eat them, except whatever little bits she got by mauling. She would nibble a bit of blueberry and no more. But then she actually ate about a third of a blueberry on Monday I think, actually taking pieces of it, and ate one small worm too.

On Monday the vet emailed with the blood work - everything very normal, but some inflammation indicated. Her uric acid was slightly high also. Bile levels very low, so no liver problem. Glucose normal, she was managing to eat enough that day to maintain. If there's something wrong it is either kidneys or her heart. I have started seriously wondering if she has been going through a very screwy starvation molt. For the first time I offered electrolytes and probiotics in the insulated waterer on Monday, with plain water in a dog bowl. I never saw Butters drink it except when I first showed her. I don't think she liked it. Hazel did drink it.

The vet said tube feeding could be done if Butters would tolerate it, but only every other day, and as low stress as possible. I decided not to tube feed for at least a couple of days, because Butters was slightly improving and maybe would continue and eat on her own. Today Wednesday she proved this true in spades, she found and ate a bunch of worms! Still very little interest in greens. Only a little bit of Baby's Breath. She's been terribly interested in bugs and worms all this time, but just not eating them.

Yesterday Tuesday I saw her eat a medium-size worm plus a tiny snail. She liked the insides of a blueberry, eating a few bites. She just mauled the rest of any living thing she uncovered while I was watching her, but I noticed the bile she was pooping was much less, her fluff wasn't nearly so messy with that bright green stuff (I had cleaned it off a couple of times to monitor and check her skin). Her body overall appeared better. Had she fixed up her feathers some? Hard to explain, but she carried herself in a better way too, she looked stronger.

Since Monday the tribe has been behaving differently. Hazel began squatting for me, she had stopped ages ago. She was calling a lot, I kept asking her if she's coming into lay again. Yesterday Tuesday out with them in the back shady area where they like to dig, I noticed Hazel was getting into little scuffles with everyone around her. Butters, too, was chasing Popcorn off of her forage spots, and herself getting picked on by Hazel, once involving Hazel's feet. We heard several kerfluffles throughout the day. Butters looked like she was feeling better!

Today Wednesday Hazel was calling incessantly at times, there were two escort calls, and they all really wanted out to forage, even Butters taking a turn standing at the run door. Now I keep thinking Hazel knew Butters needed to get on fresh ground and eat. Out they ran, and I saw her rear fluff looks pretty good, much more normal, and - today she dug and went to town on about 12 worms! She ate every worm, small and big ones. Even when it looked like she was going to be just mauling it, she got it into position and hiked it back. What a change! Yay!

This is a spot covered with cardboard last year to prepare for gardening in it. I've brought them here often, pulling it up here and there for them. She discovered a motherlode and dug away, more importantly she ate what she found. Previously she had been leaving a trail of dead bugs and worms.
View attachment 3582352

Hard work! She decided to sunbathe and doze for a short while.
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Thinking she's a protein hog now, I offered some sardines to lure them back to the run, (they were out a good couple of hours) - and for the first time in ages, Butters tagged along, walked back to the run interested in what I had, and I didn't have to get her and carry her back (she is soooo light). She moved more slowly than the others who trotted, but still, very interested. She nibbled and kept pecking away at the sardines, even after the other two had their fill for the time being.

Here she is still eating.
View attachment 3582496

Butters still has an issue with her left eye. @ManueB it does seem to be something irritating it but it doesn't look red or swollen anywhere yet. I sent the vet pictures, and she saw nothing untoward either. Butters scratches the area regularly. The vet said to monitor it and update her. I did order Terramycin on my own and it arrived today.

PS: I burned my right hand Monday grabbing a hot (400 F) cast iron pot handle like an idiot. The chicken medical kit supplies have come in handy! It is the worst I have ever burned myself, I immediately ran cool water over it for at least fifteen minutes and continued with cool soaking because of the pain, but the damage was done. There is a blister an inch long+ and maybe half an inch wide on my palm at the base of my thumb. The rest of my palm and fingers is manageable but there I could not control the pain except holding it in cold water, and even after a few hours and taking ibuprofen it would flare up unbearably and only cool water was helping.

I searched around my medical supplies for anything to put on it (aloe was like nothing). I then searched the web for ideas and then! I remembered I had bought some sort of pain cream for the chickens - and found Aspercreme with 4% Lidocaine in the chicken kit. After seeing conflicting advice on the web about Lidocaine on burns I felt this injury was probably not through all the skin and so okay, but if that proved to be the case later I'd go to the doctor, and for now I was desperate so I slathered it on. It helped some. It helped for about half an hour, so then I rinsed it off and slathered on more. That lasted longer (did I give myself a double dose?). I tried a gauze covering which was very awkward in that location, then for the night I removed it, washed the area lightly and applied more Lidocaine in case it hurt in the night, and covered it in different gauze and fastened with paper tape with a loose glove over it all. Next day I found a non-adhesive non-stick pad, and got antibiotic ointment on it, and - yes, in the chicken kit! - fastened it all with vet-wrap cut in strips. That's been working great. I can play bass because my fingertips are okay, but weirdly the back of my hand feels the inflammation from my palm with some soreness. I have a gig tomorrow night.

I am so glad that Butters is okay! What a relief!

So sorry about your hand! Ouch!!