Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

I have been a little absent here because yes, we have a baby! And I was a little worried about him at first. She had twins but I lost the second baby who was a girl. She was breech and her lungs were filled with liquid.but I’m happy to say we have a health little baby boy, no name yet, who was born at 12:30 am Wednesday morning (more like Tuesday night…) pacific time. I’ve been run a little ragged. He’s only drinking from one year so I am milking out the other (Both DH and I have tried everything to get him to take the other!) I also have 6 new chicks under Creamsicle, one under my new barred Mama (who isn’t quite as attentive) for 17 baby chooks this year. One broody still sitting and last night I evicted three more hopeful mamas from nests. View attachment 3139614
Mr Jimmy is most certainly the Father because the little girl had his elf ears, and he is the only Goat on the island with those because after a hundred years or so of naturalizing here the Saturna Feral Goat is almost a breed unto itself! Sort of like a landrace chicken breed.

Oh my! You really have to stick with us and share lots of cute kid pictures. I know @BY Bob is distracted with work and travel right now - but once he is back Mrs BY Bob will need lots of cute baby goat pictures.
See what I did there? It is really me that wants to see lots of cute baby goat pictures but I will blame Mrs BY Bob.

 

[RoyalChick]

I agree, and I do “underfeed” somewhat here as well at times. The amount and variety of free ranging that I have though really helps, and I think I am able to keep the chickens an a much more natural manner than most. Lots of forest and pasture, no real predators except BBB (bad big birds) Mink , and (strangely) fairly benign Racoons. This is a problem though for the high production ladies, who I just can’t seem to keep enough feed into some of them. I’ve been popping them into a meat tractor with the ladies I’m keeping away from the boys (everyday I’m moving 8-15 birds be hand to dust bathing, and a boy free tractor/the maternity ward!) and treating them heavily. Lots of feed, here have some chick starter mash with lots of scratch, and any dirty eggs? They can go back into the chickens! I’ve got 4 girls I find worryingly slim. They do have a good feed response, don’t have any signs of other illness, but just won’t seem to gain weight.

It is very odd. Every time I take one of mine to a vet or assess them against those guidelines of feeling the muscle around the keel it seems mine are too skinny.
I think those guidelines must be wrong. I don't restrict food.

 

[bgmathteach]

It is very odd. Every time I take one of mine to a vet or assess them against those guidelines of feeling the muscle around the keel it seems mine are too skinny.
I think those guidelines must be wrong. I don't restrict food.

Dare I ask how Minnie is doing today? She looked a bit down in the 'out & about' pic yesterday....

I'm always anxious for an update, but sometimes afraid to ask in case she has gone south overnight.

 

[RoyalChick]

Dare I ask how Minnie is doing today? She looked a bit down in the 'out & about' pic yesterday....

I'm always anxious for an update, but sometimes afraid to ask in case she has gone south overnight.

Aww. She is doing ‘OK’. Her crop is less ballooned but still not empty in the morning and still quite big and like a water balloon.
But she is active and enjoying life scratching and bathing and eating stuff that of course bungs up her crop even more!
One encouraging sign is there is more ‘stuff’ in her poo (not just clear liquid). It is vile smelling and black and it did have some grit in it that I had given her a few days ago. So the optimist would say things are beginning to move.
But honestly I have no idea.
We take one day at a time and I am trying to maximize her time out with the others. I only confine her in the evening for therapy and let her out after therapy in the morning.
My next big decision is tomorrow when she is due for the second dose of de-wormer. I am just not sure if it is a good idea to do that.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Destroyed my fence, killed my rooster friend, tried to poison my tribe, broke into my yard and stole gardening tools, popped the tires on my car. And some other unmentionable stuff.

Poor BLU! And Esther, was that her name? She died from that poisoned bread!!!

 

[RoyalChick]

Here is Minnie at night trying to clear her crop.

 

[Blazinga]

It is very odd. Every time I take one of mine to a vet or assess them against those guidelines of feeling the muscle around the keel it seems mine are too skinny.
I think those guidelines must be wrong. I don't restrict food.

I think another factor is that chickens come in different shapes. Tall raptor-like Katydid is way more slender than the others.

 

[RoyalChick]

I think another factor is that chickens come in different shapes. Tall raptor-like Katydid is way more slender than the others.

Yes. Good point!

 

[featherhead007]

I’m having trouble. I have two redheads in the house now. The other chickens won’t leave them alone to lay eggs. (So I brought them inside to bug them also! They are under my office chair and in my laundry basket. But whatever fluffs their feathers is good enough for me!

 

[Marie2020]

“So, you prefer older roosters? I’m your huckleberry “View attachment 3133876

Flexi said jafar is her kinda man