Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Much as we all fear them because of our chickens, both owls and hawks are magnificent birds.
I have owls here - I need to look up what kind. I hear them hooting at night.
But I assume I am too far south for snowy owls.
My cameras picked up a disturbing new potential threat.
Any of you knowledgeable folk know what kind it is?

Dog with a docked tail maybe?

 

[Ponypoor]

Yes, grit is important ~ for baby chicks too. Whenever we had chicks we put out dishes of grit for them. Our baby chicks took dust baths in their grit, the silly's!

Grit in square white dish for baby Dom's (2017)
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I always amazes me that chicks know instinctively how to dust bathe

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Thank you, RC

I'm so sorry, @ChicoryBlue

I don't have a suggestion as to whether or not you should have a necropsy.....

It is sad that they are missing her, too, but also nice that you let them see that she is gone, so they will know and grieve in their own way - but with closure as opposed to her just disappearing.

Thank you. Now I am wondering about putting off changing out the Omlet coop to the larger version, which I was about to do, in order to not add any more stress to things. Maybe I'll wait until next week or later, or just store it for the winter. I was thinking of a few more chickens next year and the regular one holds 5-6 chickens, this one probably 8-10. It's similar in design, mostly just bigger, though the nestboxes each have their own space instead of one long rectangle. It looks much the same. Funny thing - it's assembled in the garage barn. The Spuds were walking through there (a home away from home - a safe preening / resting spot when I let them out to forage the yard) and Diane happened to go around to the front and stood there looking up at the pop door quizzically, tilting her head one way then the other!

I'm sure the dynamics will change some so there's got to be some stress. The Spuds had taken to following Popcorn's lead in foraging; Hazel is quite timid, always waits awhile before going out to join everyone, whereas Popcorn was always first to hop out totally gung-ho for exploring.

Thank you rm!

We have done necropsies and it is worth it to see if you can figure out what happened.

Thank you very much too!

Oh no I am so sad to hear this. Over 4 yrs old, and seemingly good energy amd health. I would also be leaning towards some sort of cardiovascular issue.

A necropsy is always valuable, if you have a trusted lab who can do this I would get one done. It can also tell you other things that may affect you flock such as parasites and and intestinal worms.

Gosh how sad though, your feathered friend has passed away, my old Sharpie passed away last Tuesday she was over 6 (extremely old for a production breed), I am hoping they are both flying free and hunting up many tasty morsels

@notabitail and @Ponypoor - Thank you, Pony! -- I understand & of course feel the desire to know, I am a high-information type person, yet it's the same with human health, for me that question is always weighed against what one loses for the test (money, time, a comfortable day with no pain, etc. - and here, whether you'll get the body back) - versus what can be done with or about the information gained. It's not clear that I'm going to get actionable information that will help the other four hens.

No one else appears affected with the same symptoms as Popcorn - loose stools, not eating feed and wanting instead to only forage, the urgency to sit in the nest box without laying. All the other chickens have normal poo, are eating well and are doing what's normal for them.

I never saw any worms in Popcorn's poo (I was fixing to do a fecal float test just for the heck of it but then she died). I was suspecting cancer. Possibly an infection somewhere, yet her poo looked normal: urates / solids proportions, no blood or mucus / cheesy stuff, good color though maybe consistently a bit darker (not black), which I expect given she wasn't eating feed but was eating worms/frogs etc. Just loose to very wet.

Hemorrhagic liver disease maybe? Would that cause these behaviour changes, increased water intake so loose-but-regular looking stools? She was hefty previous to this current weight loss, and always ate well and with gusto. Not clear what I would change for the flock, except ban treats, or try to further limit the treats a particular hen gets? (good luck with that!).

I have a call out to the vet near here that does necropsies for their information & thoughts. But I'm inclined to bury her with her sisters Peanut and Butters. Peanut I knew had cancer from the ascites and then vet xrays showing tumour; Butters it was never clear what was wrong except a digestive infection/trauma, either the main cause or concurrent with something else.

What a horribly sad story. Wow, I’m so sorry this happened to Popcorn. She was such a character and so loving. I can’t even imagine how you feel now. My condolences to you for your loss and friendship always with me. So sorry CB.

Thank you, Featherhead Yes I miss her terribly. She was not a lap chicken, but a wonderful companion, friend & defender, & always up for an adventure. She didn't appear very uncomfortable and went about her day with energy & enthusiasm, so I am glad she seemed to be living the fullest life, right up until the end.

 

[ManueB]

I posted this elsewhere today and meant to post it here, I'm all sad and distracted.

Just found dear, dear Popcorn dead in the nest box.

It looks like she died suddenly, sitting on the fake eggs and one real one, which may or may not be hers. Stroked out? No sudden poop anywhere, her comb looked good, just kicked some hemp away and curled her head down and was lying on her side, eyes closed.

I feel thankful it seems that it was quick. She really wanted out of the run to forage when we went by to go on our walk this morning, but she was all talkative and seemingly her usual self.

She was a favorite, so personable, friendly and smart, very responsive to me showing and telling her things, and digging the garden with me in the spring, for instance.

I am unsure whether to try to get a necropsy. What are you opinions? There's a history of respiratory illness with her sister Hazel mostly, but Popcorn had some symptoms too, but never got treated. They both have displayed slightly bubbly eyes at times since then, Hazel more than Popcorn. Then there was whatever Annie had which was the same with different symptoms, or something else (bad conjunctivitis- practically bleeding eyes, sneezing) that the other Spuds also had - just sneezing - but to much lesser degrees. Annie survived but only with antibiotics. Is it a good idea to see if Popcorn succumbed to one of these diseases? Information that would be helpful going forward?

She's been lively, no indication of her unable to breathe well, she would run and dig like crazy, no napping, good self-care preening, but she had loose poop for two weeks or more. Very active, wanting only to forage in the last few days, not sitting in the nest box as if she were half broody and not laying. I'm sure she was hungry as she didn't want to eat much feed at all. Her neck had started a molt, which had seemed halted. I still felt concerned for her loose stools, which I was checking visually - found a whole pumpkin seed there a couple of days ago, which was concerning. This morning on the poop tray her poop was wet as it's been, with small poop squiggles as it's been, normal urates, normal darkish color.

I had given her a sponge butt bath & blow-dry inside yesterday, followed by almost a whole salt-free sardine, which she loved. I thought, if "wild" protein is what she'll eat, then okay, and inside the house she didn't have to compete with the three piranha Spuds for a good share of it. Checked her keel, she seemed under-conditioned for her normal weight, but not super skinny at all. She really only wanted to eat protein & fats - foraged worms and skinks and frogs, and some small amounts of oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds and mealworms as treats. They did get a little cooked farro recently.

I'm sad, I miss her already. She was four years and three months old. Hazel looked at her a few times and poked her comb once after I brought her out, and Annie, they were friends, seemingly tried to rouse her, trying to move her head a bit with her beak.

@ChicoryBlue I'm sorry, really, to read this. I know how you cared for Pop-corn, and it's so sad that another of your buckeye is gone after Peanut and Butter. She seemed to not have suffered and I hope that helps to make it less painful.
How do you feel yourself about the necropsy ?
It's something that I would personally only do if I was really looking out for something. I can't believe that Pop-corn died of that respiratory disease. She would have shown other symptoms.
But as others have said, if it does not make you feel bad, it is always useful to have information on what caused her passing.
Am I wrong in remembering you got them from a big hatchery ? Is it possible that your buckeyes may just have a short lifespan ?

Theo’s mane is magnificent!

Getting chicks for Tassels is complicated because of Marek’s in the flock. Eli’s diagnosis was confirmed by necropsy.

I could give her eggs or chicks and just accept that most will die.

Or, I could try some complicated timing logistics and pop 10 day old vaccinated chicks under her and hope she thinks they are newly hatched.
If she is like this in the spring I may try the 10 day old vaccinated approach.

I feel like I've been rude or insensitive not to have remembered this when we had already discussed it. Sorry, RC. Let's hope Tassels gets the cue that freezing at night isn't good to make baby chickens !
I know you like Merle so here is a cute Tuefer with her bad boy.

 

[BY Bob]

2fer

Care to share those seeds?

 

[BY Bob]

Time to grow up

Today I dismantled the youngest chicks pen, they will now have to learn to roost with the rest of the flock.

I left them in the Summer House though to settle where they might.

Seems Clyde decided he was going to join Mr P up on the ledge, and one of the chicks was trying to snuggle up to Penelope - she was not overly impressed.

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Georgie is on the other side of the Summer House up on the spool they like to hop up on.

I am going to go and put the chickies to roost in the Hen House B, I put in a ledge on the opposite wall from the current roosting ledge this afternoon.

I figured since it is a long weekend here (our Thanksgiving weekend) so would start the winter roosting process now. Start with the youngest chicks first. Get them all settled and roosting. Then after a couple weeks I can get the oldest chicks in there.

The only ones to get special treatment are Clyde and Georgie, they will get to roost on the lower ledge in Hen House A once everyone gets sorted. But for now they can stay with Mr P and his ladies.

So off I go now to corral the four youngest pullets (Little Mouse, ChickChick, Patches, and Icy). They will end up in Hen House B for the night.

I think for Mr & Mrs LC I will put in a roost for them way up high so they can get away from the big chickens. I have an awesome Willow branch I found out in the paddock, that I can use in the HHB.

Looks like someone is already trying out the new ledge - Rosario maybe?? And maybe Raven/Blackie….

We’ll fill that ledge up soon
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Happy belated Thanksgiving!

 

[BY Bob]

A Caturday update
Some of you are already aware, but I wanted to use Caturday to let all my FBA friends know about what happened over the last week with my lovely Nightshade.

Friday night last week, Nightshade started choking on his dinner.
He was in a terrible state trying to breathe and swallow and pawing at his head like he was trying to remove the blockage in his throat.

I grabbed him to see if I could see anything and help him remove it. I couldn't see anything but he started drooling blood from his mouth so I realized he needed professional help.

I took him to the local emergency vet clinic. It was full on hospital drama. They rushed out and grabbed him and gave him oxygen while I was left pacing around the waiting room.

Six hours later (about 1am) they had him stabilized in ICU (who knew there were ICUs for cats?!) but he was still having trouble and the emergency vet said she didn't think she had the experience to operate on him, so wanted him to stay in the ICU until the surgical team came in.
On Caturday morning last week, the surgeons operated and removed a large (3x5cm) vascular mass from his nasopharynx.

Poor Nightshade lost a lot of blood in surgery and they were concerned about further bleeding and also swelling obstructing his airway, so he spent another night in ICU.
I brought him home on Sunday but had to wait until yesterday to get the report back from the lab.
I am so relieved that the mass was not invasive - just some kind of polyp.
Nightshade is recovering well - still on steroids but only for a few more days. He is also absurdly loving - he must have been very frightened because now he wants to be as close to me as possible.
I have been a nervous wreck all week but now we are both very happy!
Thanks for listening.
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Boy he is gorgeous. So happy for the best possible outcome.

 

[RoyalChick]

@ChicoryBlue I'm sorry, really, to read this. I know how you cared for Pop-corn, and it's so sad that another of your buckeye is gone after Peanut and Butter. She seemed to not have suffered and I hope that helps to make it less painful.
How do you feel yourself about the necropsy ?
It's something that I would personally only do if I was really looking out for something. I can't believe that Pop-corn died of that respiratory disease. She would have shown other symptoms.
But as others have said, if it does not make you feel bad, it is always useful to have information on what caused her passing.
Am I wrong in remembering you got them from a big hatchery ? Is it possible that your buckeyes may just have a short lifespan ?

I feel like I've been rude or insensitive not to have remembered this when we had already discussed it. Sorry, RC. Let's hope Tassels gets the cue that freezing at night isn't good to make baby chickens !
I know you like Merle so here is a cute Tuefer with her bad boy.
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No, no. Not insensitive at all!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

@ChicoryBlue I'm sorry, really, to read this. I know how you cared for Pop-corn, and it's so sad that another of your buckeye is gone after Peanut and Butter. She seemed to not have suffered and I hope that helps to make it less painful.
How do you feel yourself about the necropsy ?
It's something that I would personally only do if I was really looking out for something. I can't believe that Pop-corn died of that respiratory disease. She would have shown other symptoms.
But as others have said, if it does not make you feel bad, it is always useful to have information on what caused her passing.
Am I wrong in remembering you got them from a big hatchery ? Is it possible that your buckeyes may just have a short lifespan ?

Thank you, Manue! She was a longtime favorite, a reliable chicken friend!
Yes, her quick death is a comfort. I don't know what else could have been done for her, though I could have taken her to the vets, but frankly whether what was wrong was something treatable is doubtful, I think. I also agree although respiratory disease could cause death, she did not exhibit any distress in that way. It would be a much slower decline. She really had no "decline" except in weight, and she wasn't starving skinny. Her body still surprises me, how heavy she was.

I've decided on no necrospy. After speaking with one of the vet's helpers and going over her symptoms it's not likely there's any reason to do one except to know the cause (if that can be found). They can return the body, and it would cost US$155 or so. For some people it is helpful for "closure" to know the cause but I don't need that. If someone else here comes down with similar symptoms that's another issue, I might bring them to the vets. If they also die unexpectedly I would be more inclined to do a necrospy, if, as is likely, the previous vet visit had shown nothing.

Yes, these ladies came from My Pet Chicken. Hazel is the last survivor of them. It may be that all of these are destined to not make it to 6 or 7. Buckeyes are a Heritage breed, but the conservation efforts done on the breed in the 80's to the present include "improving" the breed so more people would want to keep them. That means (I think) the "desirable" qualities for dual-purpose breeds: meat production and higher egg-laying rates. Not long healthy lives. It's terrible, they've just bred early deaths into them. I do love their personalities, so will be looking for more, from somewhere.

 

[BY Bob]

I love her comb, it’s very funky

I love combs!