Bad Luck Bantams

[NatJ]

They've done a really good job if he's working on the other side of the hill, so they have the ability to at least partially adapt (they no longer care about the heavy air traffic or loud guns either). I think part of the problem is that they can see it and feel the constant rumble. I have a 90% shade cloth on the back of the run for this reason. Can barely see through it myself, but they start alert calling as soon as the guy walks up there.

I tried sitting out with them for an hour yesterday. Brought special treats to try and get them foraging. They just stayed huddled in a ball, or ran back and forth trying to get away. Broke my heart, so I brought them in. This one's a tall order. The equipment is very, very loud and overhead from their POV. Like an aerial predator from hell.

Interesting.

Any chance of moving them to another part of the property temporarily, instead of in your basement? I'm thinking a portable run or "pet playpen" put somewhere else.

Or maybe consider building an actual coop & run on a different part of the property. You can work with a slope: just build things up at the low end, until you have part of it flat enough to put a coop on top of. Chickens do not seem to mind spending time in a sloping run. If you make a roofed run, the slope of the land may even make the roof slope for you to shed rain, without any effort on your part.

 

[ChickenChick46]

It

https://meyerhatchery.com/products/pages/terms
"Extra chicks may be included on orders of 25 or more and are intended to cover any losses should they occur."

I'm pretty sure that I have seen some other hatcheries also say that they do not send extra chicks on small orders. The reason given is that people making small orders usually do not want extra chicks.

That does sort of make sense: if someone is working with a limit on how many chickens they can have, or a certain size coop, an extra chick can present problems.

Absolutely it does. Thank you for sharing that @NatJ . It would be unfortunate to live where you can only have 6 birds and end up with 8. Or simply not want more than a certain number and end up with extras anyway.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Interesting.

Any chance of moving them to another part of the property temporarily, instead of in your basement? I'm thinking a portable run or "pet playpen" put somewhere else.

Or maybe consider building an actual coop & run on a different part of the property. You can work with a slope: just build things up at the low end, until you have part of it flat enough to put a coop on top of. Chickens do not seem to mind spending time in a sloping run. If you make a roofed run, the slope of the land may even make the roof slope for you to shed rain, without any effort on your part.

I wish. I wish so badly. My true options are:

- put the run over my leach field (bad idea)
- borrow the excavator and start clearing trees and grading
- rip out my pondless waterfall and move them there

I've actually considered the last option several times, but I think we really just need to try and move before resetting again. I do appreciate any and all suggestions. It helps to have another noggin brainstorming. My husband and I have been trying to solve this problem for years.

There's a tight area I could squeeze them into to the right of this photo. Even a 9x9 pen would be pushing it, and the coop would have to be inside. I'll have to go out and measure. It would be temporary until either the neighbor stops work or we get out of here. Of course, winter will be here in 3 months, so it might be more permanent than I'd like.

 

[ChickenChick46]

I wish. I wish so badly. My true options are:

- put the run over my leach field (bad idea)
- borrow the excavator and start clearing trees and grading
- rip out my pondless waterfall and move them there

I've actually considered the last option several times, but I think we really just need to try and move before resetting again. I do appreciate any and all suggestions. It helps to have another noggin brainstorming. My husband and I have been trying to solve this problem for years.

There's a tight area I could squeeze them into to the right of this photo. Even a 9x9 pen would be pushing it, and the coop would have to be inside. I'll have to go out and measure. It would be temporary until either the neighbor stops work or we get out of here. Of course, winter will be here in 3 months, so it might be more permanent than I'd like.

View attachment 4213822

Are you a professional photographer? Your photos are amazing! I know that doesn't do squat to help with your situation, sorry.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Are you a professional photographer? Your photos are amazing! I know that doesn't do squat to help with your situation, sorry.

Aw, it's still nice of you to say! If only I could photograph my way out of this. Makes it sound like I'm willing to blackmail him with incriminating photos, which would be ridiculous.... right?

 

[NatJ]

I have not weighed her. She feels like she weighs less than 1 lb (she feels like nothing, there's no way she's more than 16oz), and based on sight compared to my other bantams.

If you do get around to weighing her, I'd be curious how heavy she actually is.

However, I do know that the other bantam breeds I have are naturally a bit larger, but only about 6oz more (if Dinky were the correct weight). Her legs are also about 1/2 the length of the photo on Meyer's website and she has terrible feather shredding. She ain't right.

I think I do see your point.

 

[RoyalChick]

~ REHOME OR RESIST ~​

Welp, bad luck continues to follow us.

I'll be frank. My neighbor's not a very nice guy. He's the type to fly profane political flags while his young kids play beneath them. And that's fine. I put up a fence so I didn't have to look at it. But the one thing I can't ignore is his on/off again desire to rip up his property with heavy machinery. This has been going on for over 4 years.

I've tried to be polite and patient. I've plied him with rare craft beers. But no good dead, yadda yadda. He refuses to give me notice if he'll be working next to the chicken pen. He refuses to give me a timeline. He refuses to just pay someone to knock it out. Instead, he blows me off and his buddy comes and works here and there at whatever time suits him. And he's well within his right to do that. But my birds can't be in the pen while it's happening. It's loud and scary. They have nowhere to escape to and they refuse to eat or drink. I end up bringing them to the basement.

I really don't know what to do, guys. I have no legal standing to go after him. There's nowhere else to put my chicken pen. I knew there would be potential for him to work next door, but I never expected him to drive a massive excavator up the hill and park it for days on end.

I'm thinking I might just need to rehome them. I can't make them live in a construction zone, and I can't make them live in a 3x8 brooder in my basement. I mean, I guess I could, but at what cost? I literally made a post today about whether my chickens were happy or not, WITHOUT considering the construction noise.

Will have to think things over. We're on Day 3 of this with no end in sight.

View attachment 4213797

(Excavator left, chicken pen right)​

Your neighbor sounds like a real jerk!
Let me ask though what you k serve with the chickens that convinces you they are terrified?
I ask because my own chickens have put up with a lot of construction very close to them and they have not seemed particularly upset by it.
I even wonder sometimes if they actually like the sound of heavy machinery!
While I was going nuts with the sound, they were hanging out watching proceedings with interest.
I am fully open to the idea that I just have weird chickens, but am curious to know how your show their terror.

 

[ChickenChick46]

Aw, it's still nice of you to say! If only I could photograph my way out of this. Makes it sound like I'm willing to blackmail him with incriminating photos, which would be ridiculous.... right?

I mean, we'd keep your secret.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Your neighbor sounds like a real jerk!
Let me ask though what you k serve with the chickens that convinces you they are terrified?
I ask because my own chickens have put up with a lot of construction very close to them and they have not seemed particularly upset by it.
I even wonder sometimes if they actually like the sound of heavy machinery!
While I was going nuts with the sound, they were hanging out watching proceedings with interest.
I am fully open to the idea that I just have weird chickens, but am curious to know how your show their terror.

They huddle together and refuse food/treats/water, and also run along the furthest wall of the pen. I know what you mean though. Mine mostly love happenings outside the pen, but this is just too much for them.

 

[ChickyCh00k]

If you do get around to weighing her, I'd be curious how heavy she actually is.

Wellllll, I was curious too, and despite Dinky's literal *short*comings, she is apparently eating well. I used an old (very old - like I bought it to weigh a certain type of dried plant flowers that are often used recreationally & medicinally - and I haven't partaken since 2008 ) letter scale to weigh her and it said 21oz and some change. Due to the age of the scale, it could be +/- some amount, but I'm actually quite surprised.

Though she be but little, she is a chunker.