Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ManueB]

This gives me hope!

Some more information.

It's just this one bird -- as far as I know. I look at night to see who roosts where, but they're down and waiting to come out when I go to open up the coop, so I don't know if they've moved around.

They all eat the same thing (Kalmbach 20% flock maker), oyster shell and crushed egg shell on the side. The main "treat" is their feed, wetted into a mash; BOSS about 1-2x a week, and rarely anything else.

I haven't seen any "Gee, I am not well/don't feel good" signs, nor any other indications that she isn't up to snuff.

I think she's laying; I have seen her in a nest box since they started back up. With the cold temps, I go out more often to gather eggs. She is not one to lounge in a nest box, so not seeing her in there regularly doesn't mean much.

If anyone has any more ideas, I'd love to hear them.

I have had hens doing those mustard poops so I looked it up at the time.
Other than what has already been mentioned , but less likely for chickens who don't go outside, avian spirochaetosis (= contamination by a bacteria called brachyspira) and colibacillosis ( contamination by e.coli). The last could be the cause of reproductive disorder.
And of course coccidiosis which also does not seem very likely in your hen's case !

This is a repost for thirsty Thursday but these two terrors are so cute.

 

[I Miss u Loaf]

I have had hens doing those mustard poops so I looked it up at the time.
Other than what has already been mentioned , but less likely for chickens who don't go outside, avian spirochaetosis (= contamination by a bacteria called brachyspira) and colibacillosis ( contamination by e.coli). The last could be the cause of reproductive disorder.
And of course coccidiosis which also does not seem very likely in your hen's case !

This is a repost for thirsty Thursday but these two terrors are so cute.
View attachment 4054571
View attachment 4054572

pictures of chickens drinking are awesome

 

[BY Bob]

I have had hens doing those mustard poops so I looked it up at the time.
Other than what has already been mentioned , but less likely for chickens who don't go outside, avian spirochaetosis (= contamination by a bacteria called brachyspira) and colibacillosis ( contamination by e.coli). The last could be the cause of reproductive disorder.
And of course coccidiosis which also does not seem very likely in your hen's case !

This is a repost for thirsty Thursday but these two terrors are so cute.
View attachment 4054571
View attachment 4054572

Over here that is a very expensive water dish..........

 

[featherhead007]

Here are my recommendations from my coop build article. They save money by making the build right the first time.

Of the following, use screws not nails will actually cost more upfront but save in the long run.

Things to Consider When Building/Designing Your Own Coop

Write out what you want from your coop before even beginning to design it. I tried to show that above as I explained what I needed my coop to do. That leads to my second recommendation.

If you can, have your chickens a while before you design your final coop. Yes, they will need a place to live for a while. We got away with a prefab coop. It was definitely less than ideal. However, if the blizzard had not occurred and if we had not gone through some bitter cold winters, I would truly have not built the coop I did. If you can do a less than perfect "temp coop" and experience a year with your chickens before building a "final coop", I believe that you can learn valuable things that will make your final design better.

Use Screws when building. The entire coop complex is held together with deck screws. The beauty of using screws is that if you need to disassemble something you can unscrew it. Nails are much harder to work with. Think about when I extended the nesting boxes to include a third box. I was able to disassemble the existing box and use the side again without destroying everything.

Read through coop designs here on BYC. You never know what may inspire you.
Ventilation. Pay special attention to where you want to place your ventilation to accommodate the prevailing wind. Mine is specifically designed so that no wind will ever blow on the chickens in the winter. Also leave yourself a place to add additional ventilation should it be required. I can still add additional ventilation to my back wall if needed.

Space. Overbuild. When I built I anticipated adding more hens to my flock of 3 at some point. Technically, the coop and run I built could hold 8 hens comfortably, (32 sq feet in the coop and around 100 sq feet of run space). I do not ever see myself having 8, but I do now have double the amount I did, 6. If you are not going to overbuild understand how you would expand if needed. (I now can see myself having 8, just pointing that out)

Pinch your Hardware Cloth between your pieces of lumber as you build. It will save on fender washers and screws.

Yeah, what he said!

 

[knoturavggrl]

This made me laugh out loud.

 

[Ponypoor]

I am so far behind I give up!

Between snow snow and more snow, and Lulu not feeling well, and struggling up to my Vets place through more snow… I haven’t had time for anything.

And this morning I forgot about Betty and Topsy in the summer house, I wonder how much damage they have done to Mr P

Betty! Gaaaahhhhh!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Afternoon everyone.

Besides going out once to make sure everyone had water and gather eggs, I have done nothing today except nap. I still feel pretty blah, no worse then yesterday but my sugar levels still kept creeping up. I broke over 30 minutes ago and changed pump sites a day early. Was going to have to do it sooner anyway as I had used up most of the remaining insulin trying to combat the highs. I hit 324 which prompted the pump change. I have had a few issues in the past with a pump site. A tiny speck of blood can get in the tubing and either partially obstruct insulin or completely block it off. I should know in another hour if that is the root of my issues. I really do not think it is the flu setting in now as I do not feel different from yesterday. I have saw 3 times how this flu hits. It hits hard and fast. You go from feeling fine to on deaths door in a matter of hours. Could I have the start of a cold or sinus issues, its very possible seeing as I spent 10 hours Saturday night into Sunday morning making frequent trips outside in the rain monitoring water levels with my brother. We tried to keep mom and dad inside as much as possible as we did not need them coming down with pneumonia like Rosie. While the temps were relatively warmish, around 50 the rain felt like ice. Truthfully these creeping high sugar levels are probably 99% of the reason I feel like crap. I am used to nothing higher then the 150s. When I spike close to 200 or higher my energy is gone, a nasty headache sets in which it has, and I am so sleepy I cannot hold my eyes open. High blood sugar can really mimic several flu symptoms for those who are fortunate enough to not have to deal with either type of diabetes. I'm not playing around with this though, if it keep creeping up I have a personal limit of how high I will let it go. I hit 400 and it will not come down I am going to the dr or er. Persistent highs over 400 can and will lead to DKA with me, Diabetic Ketone Acidosis. I have landed in ICU 4 times the last 14 years with this complication. It has always followed the onset of a stomach virus though.

 

[featherhead007]

I am so far behind I give up!

Between snow snow and more snow, and Lulu not feeling well, and struggling up to my Vets place through more snow… I haven’t had time for anything.

And this morning I forgot about Betty and Topsy in the summer house, I wonder how much damage they have done to Mr P

Betty! Gaaaahhhhh!
View attachment 4054602

You need to get your act together! You need to focus on priorities.
Don’t make me come up there!

 

[Ponypoor]

Here are my recommendations from my coop build article. They save money by making the build right the first time.

Of the following, use screws not nails will actually cost more upfront but save in the long run.

Things to Consider When Building/Designing Your Own Coop

Write out what you want from your coop before even beginning to design it. I tried to show that above as I explained what I needed my coop to do. That leads to my second recommendation.

If you can, have your chickens a while before you design your final coop. Yes, they will need a place to live for a while. We got away with a prefab coop. It was definitely less than ideal. However, if the blizzard had not occurred and if we had not gone through some bitter cold winters, I would truly have not built the coop I did. If you can do a less than perfect "temp coop" and experience a year with your chickens before building a "final coop", I believe that you can learn valuable things that will make your final design better.

Use Screws when building. The entire coop complex is held together with deck screws. The beauty of using screws is that if you need to disassemble something you can unscrew it. Nails are much harder to work with. Think about when I extended the nesting boxes to include a third box. I was able to disassemble the existing box and use the side again without destroying everything.

Read through coop designs here on BYC. You never know what may inspire you.
Ventilation. Pay special attention to where you want to place your ventilation to accommodate the prevailing wind. Mine is specifically designed so that no wind will ever blow on the chickens in the winter. Also leave yourself a place to add additional ventilation should it be required. I can still add additional ventilation to my back wall if needed.

Space. Overbuild. When I built I anticipated adding more hens to my flock of 3 at some point. Technically, the coop and run I built could hold 8 hens comfortably, (32 sq feet in the coop and around 100 sq feet of run space). I do not ever see myself having 8, but I do now have double the amount I did, 6. If you are not going to overbuild understand how you would expand if needed. (I now can see myself having 8, just pointing that out)

Pinch your Hardware Cloth between your pieces of lumber as you build. It will save on fender washers and screws.

Yes! Use screws not nails - so much easier to remove when fixing things.

And yes use strapping to hold the hardware cloth in place.

List things you like and dislike about your current coop.

I did this while building my barn. I had been boarding my horses so I knew what I liked and disliked about others barns.

With the chooks I was winging it hahaha. But I am super glad I had the opportunity to build inside my barn - I hate winter so it’s very convenient for me to have everything contained.

Also you will need to figure out how to get power there. I suggest you figure out how far it is. Extension cables are only good for 100’. If it’s further then that you will need to likely get an electrician in to run some power there.

Don’t not scrimp on this it’s a safety issue for you and your chooks.

At the very least you will need a couple of lights and an outlet for a heated waterer.

Gosh I am super eggcited to see the finished product!!!! So eggciting!

 

[Ponypoor]

Afternoon everyone.

Besides going out once to make sure everyone had water and gather eggs, I have done nothing today except nap. I still feel pretty blah, no worse then yesterday but my sugar levels still kept creeping up. I broke over 30 minutes ago and changed pump sites a day early. Was going to have to do it sooner anyway as I had used up most of the remaining insulin trying to combat the highs. I hit 324 which prompted the pump change. I have had a few issues in the past with a pump site. A tiny speck of blood can get in the tubing and either partially obstruct insulin or completely block it off. I should know in another hour if that is the root of my issues. I really do not think it is the flu setting in now as I do not feel different from yesterday. I have saw 3 times how this flu hits. It hits hard and fast. You go from feeling fine to on deaths door in a matter of hours. Could I have the start of a cold or sinus issues, its very possible seeing as I spent 10 hours Saturday night into Sunday morning making frequent trips outside in the rain monitoring water levels with my brother. We tried to keep mom and dad inside as much as possible as we did not need them coming down with pneumonia like Rosie. While the temps were relatively warmish, around 50 the rain felt like ice. Truthfully these creeping high sugar levels are probably 99% of the reason I feel like crap. I am used to nothing higher then the 150s. When I spike close to 200 or higher my energy is gone, a nasty headache sets in which it has, and I am so sleepy I cannot hold my eyes open. High blood sugar can really mimic several flu symptoms for those who are fortunate enough to not have to deal with either type of diabetes. I'm not playing around with this though, if it keep creeping up I have a personal limit of how high I will let it go. I hit 400 and it will not come down I am going to the dr or er. Persistent highs over 400 can and will lead to DKA with me, Diabetic Ketone Acidosis. I have landed in ICU 4 times the last 14 years with this complication. It has always followed the onset of a stomach virus though.

I hope this is the cause, pleas make sure to go immediately to the dr if you don’t improve. Too many rely upon you, you are a valuable person to so many