Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

And now you see my dilemma in trying to train up my gang!

I can just see 40 odd chooks all rushing me tripping me up grabbing the food and running away with it

Yes - even with just 5 it turned out to be more tricky than I expected. From what I observed it was actually Sylvie who may have most aptitude for catching treats mid-air. She seems to have the best 'follow the ball' abilities. But Tassels just bulldozes through and grabs the lot and then Piglet steals half of it from Tassels' beak.
I will try with blueberries next.

 

[TOMTE]

I cringed when I asked my mum ‘how much room do you have in the freezer’.

She actually plugged in out of fridge downstairs and we put Penelope in there, no other food stuff are in it, and I double bagged her. Guess Petunia can join her.

I’ll have to wait until the ground thaws to bury them in the Spring.

Had visions of shoving Truly in a huge freezer if she passed away! But we can’t bury horses here without a permit. I have dead stock removal come and take them horses away. Used to not cost anything, then it was $75, then $100. And now it’s over $800 for them to remove horses.

Environmental fees etc. someone’s making money off my dead horse and it isn’t me!

That's just crazy! You can't bury your own horse?! I'd say what they don't know won't kill them, but I wouldn't want you to get in any trouble if anyone found out. That's just crazy... Even from an environmental standpoint. Unless there's something I don't know, how could burying a horse in a sufficiently deep hole hurt the environment?

Tax:
I don't think Esme is going broody after all. Phew!

But she was sitting on 3 eggs just now, I believe hers, Magrat's, and Sybil's.

These poor dinosaurs want out so bad!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

At this point I going with the ‘sit tight and be vigilant’ plan.

If it’s just her then I will know if no one else gets sick and dies.

My problem is I have a bunch of elderly chooks here, Red isn’t looking too well these days, and Sophia has been malingering for weeks but she is also completing her moult….

I am going to worm everyone and start them on Corid for possible coccidia.

If any of the youngsters pass away though then I will have a full blown panic fit.

So wait and see, deep breathing and think good thoughts.

Hello there - stopping in briefly.... I've read that worming can be a hard process on a weak bird, so why do it when there may not be any worms present? You think worms killed Petunia?

 

[featherhead007]

She is likely full of tumours - she has them all over her - grey horses are extremely prone to melanoma, and I know she has one under her tail that bothers her a lot.

She likely has them inside her abdomen and will likely be causing more issues as she gets older.

Her mum went bonkers when she got really old, and she was dangerous, my Vet theorized she likely had one near or on her brain. I had her euthanized as she was just not a happy horse.

Truly may be headed that way, I won’t let her suffer that would be very cruel.

I wonder if some chooks (colour wise) are more prone to tumours etc. but I guess they aren’t outside like horses are in the sun all the time.

Maybe Petunia was born with some predilection to a disease process, heart issues etc. but I cannot afford a necropsy so it’s wait and see.

I couldn’t let Chaco suffer anymore pain for my sake. An operation to treat her was too risky at best.

 

[Marie2020]

She is likely full of tumours - she has them all over her - grey horses are extremely prone to melanoma, and I know she has one under her tail that bothers her a lot.

She likely has them inside her abdomen and will likely be causing more issues as she gets older.

Her mum went bonkers when she got really old, and she was dangerous, my Vet theorized she likely had one near or on her brain. I had her euthanized as she was just not a happy horse.

Truly may be headed that way, I won’t let her suffer that would be very cruel.

I wonder if some chooks (colour wise) are more prone to tumours etc. but I guess they aren’t outside like horses are in the sun all the time.

Maybe Petunia was born with some predilection to a disease process, heart issues etc. but I cannot afford a necropsy so it’s wait and see.

She's had a great life with you and still with you for now. For all of her health problems which was already within her and her mother anyway. They had freedom happiness and loving care.

They still had an incredible life that they never would have have had, if they weren't so lucky living under dedicated your care.

I seriously applaud you for all you have done. You are amazing

 

[Ponypoor]

it's all money and no heart anymore
Hateful people controls everything

Well I can see the environmental side - the meds they use to euthanize the animal is something one wouldn’t want to get into the ground water, and also a rotting corpse the size of a horse buried and leaching into the ground water

It all costs money….

 

[Marie2020]

I couldn’t let Chaco suffer anymore pain for my sake. An operation to treat her was too risky at best.

You again, did everything right Alex . I don't doubt that for a moment

 

[Ponypoor]

I couldn’t let Chaco suffer anymore pain for my sake. An operation to treat her was too risky at best.

You did the right thing.

Colic surgery is very risky and isn’t good odds for recovery.

Even if I were a billionaire I wouldn’t put my horse through it

And now with the chooks - well I am just as happy Penelope passed away peacefully. And Petunia went so fast also.

 

[Marie2020]

That's just crazy! You can't bury your own horse?! I'd say what they don't know won't kill them, but I wouldn't want you to get in any trouble if anyone found out. That's just crazy... Even from an environmental standpoint. Unless there's something I don't know, how could burying a horse in a sufficiently deep hole hurt the environment?

Tax:
I don't think Esme is going broody after all. Phew!

But she was sitting on 3 eggs just now, I believe hers, Magrat's, and Sybil's.

View attachment 4047860

These poor dinosaurs want out so bad!

View attachment 4047861
View attachment 4047862

Kelly has explained that euthanasia drug they have to administer to help them with their passing would cause issues in the ground.

I suppose if a horse dies naturally that might not be an issue.

My heart goes out to Kelly and her beloved horse. I really feel for the both of them very much indeed.

 

[ManueB]

TERROR AND PANIC

That is the only way I can describe how I felt this morning.

Petunia is dead. She died in the Hen House on the roost ledge with the others in the wee hrs of this morning. Well before I got out there at 4:30am.

Why?! That’s what terrifies me and makes me panic. Was she not feeling well? Yes - she had been I’ll for about a week, had yellow poops, Sunday I started her on amoxicillin. Yet she died. Why? Did she have health issues? Yes - she was plagued with soft eggs last summer, and then an impacted crop, but once she moulted she blossomed. But she became ill again. And now has passed away rather suddenly.

Now I play the watching game with the rest of the flock, see if anyone else becomes ill. Meanwhile I think I will worm and treat for coccidia, just to cover all bases.

And then there is this in the News:

AI has now been detected here in Ontario, the Rouge is not far from me…

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7452738

I'm so sorry for Petunia, and that it's all happening at once.
To me AI does not sound likely if she had been not well for a week, and with them locked up most of the time. At this stage, I would think that it is just a sad coincidence between an elder hen passing away from old age and Petunia whose reproductive issues may have caused her death, or be a symptom of something serious but individual like cancer.
But I also don't feel worms and coccidia are very likely at this time of year and locked up most time. Lots of other things can cause yellow poops - in facts anything that affects digestion, kidneys, and liver.... Have you seen other yellowish poops ?

Hang in there, you should know more in a few days .

Burying horses at home is also not allowed here. People still do it, but it's potentially a 4000 euro fine if you get caught. I do hope Trudy gets better - she might not yet be at the stage her mum was, and I hope she sees another spring. But you're so experienced with elderly horses you will do whatever is best for her.

I think Tassels is more whiskery since her molt.
Here is her mugshot for Monday.
View attachment 4047398

Now she truly looks like some mystical magical creature. A bearded dragon ? Or a griffin ?

Daisy, the greatest hen ever, had an amazing sunvisor!

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A sun visor that stays on when it rains ...leghorn Tuefer !

The visor belongs to Nieva. Behind her is Alba, who has survived her dramatic soft egg issue and is slowly getting better, for the time being.

Another Tuefer : Mélisse and a slowly recovering Alba.
(followed by a floppy comb question )

About this picture : Mélisse is a backyard mutt, (like her siblings Annette, Lulu and Laure). I think Annette and her have body shape rather similar to that of my leghorns, and slightly similar floppy combs.
Their mother was a mixed type layer. Are there other breeds that have this type of floppy comb and slim figure ? Or does this indicate they are likely part leghorns ?
Happily they don't lay at all like the leghorns - they make two or three big eggs a week (70g+).