Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sylvester017]

The triple antibiotic helps the crusts come off while leaving the ointment surface to keep infection from forming on any "raw" skin. Fowl pox has to run it's course but the antibiotic ointment prevents resulting secondary infection. Some chickens will show very very few spots but mosquitos have a blast eating big Roo or hen combs/wattles.

Fowl pox is one of many reasons we have birds w/ little or no combs/wattles for less mosquitos to bite repeatedly or for frostbite to deform ~ nice breeds like Ameraucana (or EE), Breda, Dominique, Silkies, and many other good breeds like bearded Polish, Pavlovskaya, D'uccles, Sultan, Crevecoeur, etc. The more crests & beards the less combs/wattles for mosquito bites or frostbites.

 

[rural mouse]

I’m not sure if anyone has tried calamine on a chicken before?

Not sure on this one. @Ponypoor, @BY Bob thoughts?

 

[rural mouse]

Rat update.

Today just got better. We got 21 bales of hay this afternoon. Me and dad removed the old 4 bales left to redo the hay stack. The last bale we removed was hiding a rat nest. 9 pinkies and the momma ran away to be snatched and killed by CeeCee. I showed the chickens the pinkies, figuring they would go to town on them. Nope, Rat was not on the menu today spoiled princesses. Keeper was outside though, he does not need catfood tonight, he ate them all.

Good boy, Keeper! Good girl, CeeCee!

 

[rural mouse]

The triple antibiotic helps the crusts come off while leaving the ointment surface to keep infection from forming on any "raw" skin. Fowl pox has to run it's course but the antibiotic ointment prevents resulting secondary infection. Some chickens will show very very few spots but mosquitos have a blast eating big Roo or hen combs/wattles.

Fowl pox is one of many reasons we have birds w/ little or no combs/wattles for less mosquitos to bite repeatedly or for frostbite to deform ~ nice breeds like Ameraucana (or EE), Breda, Dominique, Silkies, and many other good breeds like bearded Polish, Pavlovskaya, D'uccles, Sultan, Crevecoeur, etc. The more crests & beards the less combs/wattles for mosquito bites or frostbites.

Crests can cause worse frostbite if they get wet in winter. Same with beards. Keeping water from freezing while also keeping those dry is a real challenge.

 

[Sylvester017]

I caught him (using canned corn ) his favorite. Then when he calmed down in the house, I rubbed the cream on his waddles and comb. I checked his mouth… no signs of Wet Pox I could see. I have antibiotics, but this isn’t something that I should use.

I have been studying the internet for any help with it that I can get.
Remember, I have never experienced anything like this in my birds before.
My birds are my BFF’s

You are now considered "experienced" ~ we all get hit w/a first time w/our birds! If not for BYC DH & I (mostly me) would've had heart attacks at losing our 1st bird to a natural death, our first case of fowl pox, our 1st bloody injury, our 1st bird to "put down" ~ besides worrying about predators, intestinal worms, reproductive issues, AI, local ordinances, snoopy neighbors, govt bulletin threats to euthanize backyard flocks, etc etc etc. I don't remember half these problems on the farm or maybe cuz the folks just handled them like the farm troopers that they were!

 

[featherhead007]

The triple antibiotic helps the crusts come off while leaving the ointment surface to keep infection from forming on any "raw" skin. Fowl pox has to run it's course but the antibiotic ointment prevents resulting secondary infection. Some chickens will show very very few spots but mosquitos have a blast eating big Roo or hen combs/wattles.

Fowl pox is one of many reasons we have birds w/ little or no combs/wattles for less mosquitos to bite repeatedly or for frostbite to deform ~ nice breeds like Ameraucana (or EE), Breda, Dominique, Silkies, and many other good breeds like bearded Polish, Pavlovskaya, D'uccles, Sultan, Crevecoeur, etc. The more crests & beards the less combs/wattles for mosquito bites or frostbites.

Now you tell me!
Actually I had no choice but to take these birds and raise them. When the pastor asked for me to take them, I had to.
I know that he was just trying to cheer me up because Sir Jaffar had died and I was devastated by his loss. I’m still devastated by the loss of Sir Jaffar, but I’m surely distracted by these new birds now.

 

[featherhead007]

You are now considered "experienced" ~ we all get hit w/a first time w/our birds! If not for BYC DH & I (mostly me) would've had heart attacks at losing our 1st bird to a natural death, our first case of fowl pox, our 1st bloody injury, our 1st bird to "put down" ~ besides worrying about predators, intestinal worms, reproductive issues, AI, local ordinances, snoopy neighbors, govt bulletin threats to euthanize backyard flocks, etc etc etc. I don't remember half these problems on the farm or maybe cuz the folks just handled them like the farm troopers that they were!

I have experienced all of these problems, it’s not fun having to deal with them all, but I’m hoping that my experience will help someone else here on BYC.
Maybe I should get a badge for this?

 

[featherhead007]

I baked a cake with candles and everything. I did this for Rebecca last week (I was a week early)

Becks, may not believe me, but it was a lemon layered cake with cream frosting and vanilla icing

 

[Sylvester017]

Crests can cause worse frostbite if they get wet in winter. Same with beards. Keeping water from freezing while also keeping those dry is a real challenge.

Our So Calif climate is moderate so daytime freezing temps don't occur at my elevation. But we have had 2 to 3 nights in a row per year where the night temps went enough below freezing to injure the comb of our white Leghorn years ago. Only the tippy tips of the comb got a couple frostbite scars but no bearded/crested birds were hurt in the frost (Breda, Silkies, Ameraucana).

BYC suggestions were to vaseline the leghorn combs which we did but that stained her white head feathers cuz during the day dirt clung to the residue & stained the feathers dirty brown till the next moult. I love Leghorns but not those enormous floppy easily injured combs/wattles

Now we have neither white birds nor comb/wattle birds in the flock to worry over. I heartache too easily in my old age

 

[featherhead007]

He is looking as good as Rudy (excepting for the fowl pox).

Thanks for that, I guess. Rudy’s comb won’t contract Dry Pox.
He’s got that Wyandottey comb.