Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Maybe FBA should stick with Polish, and your other birds.
Maybe add a Speckled Suspect?

I have a speckled lady already.

 

[ValerieJ]

I may take the older chicks out later this week, supposed to be 60°F. They can hang out in a dog crate for a half hour or so. The youngest need a couple weeks to de-fluff though. I'm not going to brood them in winter again, it's too cold to toss em outside to grow up and it's driving me nuts. I'm going to need to dust, and vaccuum, and wipe down, and dust, and so on and so forth.

Oh yeah...I hear that. But it's also so much fun watching them in the house. I miss mine already. Just checked on them again. They have figured out the sweeter heater and are doing just fine now.

 

[ValerieJ]

Man, hubby says I'm not keeping this guy. I promise I will do whatever I can to get him across state!

And in three months when he's settled in y'all can quote this post and laugh.

Hubby doesn't want a rooster at all, or just not yet? They are such a great member of the flock. They provide protection, for one thing.

 

[ValerieJ]

Well, everyone. Grandma's eye is still not doing well and what give me the heebie-jeebies is that everytime she moves her eye, the little something in her eye goes under the skin and oi. I touched it lightly and I could definitely feel it. I don't know if it hurts her. It probably doesn't, however I noticed that when I put each fingers close to both eyes, she is more triggered to close her left eye than her right eye, but of course her right eye is going to do the same. It's just less triggered because her right eye doesn't have a little bubble in it. I've seen worse on other chickens but I just... Oi it freaks me out every time I see it. Also, that black thing that's on there is a hair that might've came from her.
View attachment 4070511

Have you posted this in the emergencies thread? I'm sure someone there will know just what to do for her. I know it looks bad, but I'm guessing it's not bothering her much. Still, it would be good to find out what it is and how to treat it. Any avian vets nearby?

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

Have you posted this in the emergencies thread? I'm sure someone there will know just what to do for her. I know it looks bad, but I'm guessing it's not bothering her much. Still, it would be good to find out what it is and how to treat it. Any avian vets nearby?

Since it's getting late, I'll post it on the emergencies thread tomorrow. As for the vets, I know one that is nearby but I don't know if they specialize in chickens. I have found an avian and exotic vet in Mechanicsburg but I'll ask here first prior to taking Grandma to the vet.

Well good thing is the eyeball isn’t involved, it does look like the conjunctiva is involved, can’t tell if her inner eyelid is involved.

Any chance is seeing a Vet about it?

I have not considered but I might have to think about it. In the meantime, I can get more photos and maybe a video just to confirm.

 

[featherhead007]

I have a speckled lady already.

View attachment 4070545

I know that you have Lady Featherington. She is a beauty!

 

[featherhead007]

Hubby doesn't want a rooster at all, or just not yet? They are such a great member of the flock. They provide protection, for one thing.

They are fun to have around. They have the ability to be lap buddies too. It just takes time and patience.
Roos need love too!

 

[featherhead007]

Seems fuentemoon is catching up to the thread. Congratulations here’s an ice cream cone for you.

 

[micstrachan]

Hazel's had another symptomatic episode of whatever she's carrying - probably some kind of mycoplasma. She is back to normal as of two days ago. Here's her right eye, all bubbly but it looks worse because she was foraging for treats and the dust and tiny bits of litter were sticking there too and she couldn't shake it off.
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Seeing this I called the vets but they couldn't take her for three days. I wiped her eyes, the other was only a little bubbly, and within a day she wasn't exhibiting symptoms anymore. Held off on any antibiotics that day, I have some on hand - Amoxy-Tyl for starters, because I was hoping to get a PCR /culture test. Then I was reading that the best time to get an accurate test is when symptoms start, to get the heaviest DNA load swabbed. I'd like to know what I'm dealing with here (pretty sure it's not HPAV), in order to treat the symptoms properly when it gets bad.

I don't want to cull the entire gang, that's out of the question. I also want to add chicks but do it considering this endemic situation. This might be what almost took Annie down when I began intermittent integration at around six weeks. She started behaving unwell around then.

Here's Hazel yesterday, on her game and looking much better
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Possibly the breathing/pumping tail she was doing when at rest, and the extra long eggs with thin shells could have been symptomatic or this flare-up? The weather and temps here have been a stress probably; but other than the drastic temperature changes I'm not sure what else could be a trigger.
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Awww, Hazel. I’m glad she’s feeling better and hope she can shake it.

 

[micstrachan]

One idea that worked well for me is get a cardboard tray (like ones that come with cat food cans) and cut slits where the top end of the legs of your brooder plate are. Push the tray down on top of the brooder plate and put some bedding in it.
That will expand the space of the sleeping shelf and also keep the poop off your brooder plate.
My chicks have always found that their absolutely favorite spot and when I am done I just pull up the cardboard tray and the heating plate is nice and clean underneath.
Here is a picture of what I mean. I forgot I ended up doing a tray underneath as well. I can’t remember why!
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Love this idea!