Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

Hi, friends. I’m feeling quite under the weather and look at this very sweet visitor I have right now. I’m not waiting till post since it’s already Monday in Australia. She’s at the bottom of the pecking order, so doesn’t visit my lap very often. However, I know she enjoys it, as she was hand raised and liked to nap on me as a chick. Her little visit warms my soul.

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Awww. It looks like it warms her heart, too. She is looking quite content nestled into your lap.

Please excuse me if I remember incorrectly, but that is Flash, right? I love her soft, rusty red chest, and her Fascinator! She looks like she has s demur little ruffled comb, going, too, (Ruffled combs are evidently all the fashion rage with chickens these days! See what Minnie started?!)

 

[micstrachan]

Awww. It looks like it warms her heart, too. She is looking quite content nestled into your lap.

Please excuse me if I remember incorrectly, but that is Flash, right? I love her soft, rusty red chest, and her Fascinator! She looks like she has s demur little ruffled comb, going, too, (Ruffled combs are evidently all the fashion rage with chickens these days! See what Minnie started?!)

You are so good with remembering everyone’s chicken’s names! Yes, that is Flash. She does have a nice little ruffled comb, but it’s still a bit shriveled and pink right now, since she’s not quite done molting.

 

[micstrachan]

As I was making coffee this afternoon I looked out the window and saw this. This milk crate is their favorite new hangout. Sadly I am now down to only 1 keeper chick. The blue one in this group. Wattles sprouted 2 days ago on the white chick darn it.
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Such adorable babies!

 

[featherhead007]

Islam (Cat Stevens) wisecracking tax:

 

[RoyalChick]

Electric Fence Tax

The very first day in the Chicken Palace.

 

[rural mouse]

I probably was a step behind even that when I started. I suggest you hang out on the Premier One website. They have a lot of instructional videos and articles. Their customer service is also genuinely helpful.
Same is true of Kencove whose fence I actually purchased, but they have slightly fewer instructional stuff.
I had to call them when I was setting it up because I had some basic questions and they were very happy to spend time on the phone with me.

There is also quite a lot of good stuff on YouTube like this.
https://www.zarebasystems.com/learning-center/how-electric-fencing-works

Sorry if this is too basic for you - but it helped me visualize the whole thing!
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bookmarked. 1 question. How does this factor in with DRY soil?

Nvm, the link has info. Of course it also says to stay 50 feet away from power grounds and from underground pipes (power ground on the spot I need to run this, and underground sprinkler system 10-15 feet away from point pic was taken), and away from metal (I was leaning against the above ground fuel tank refill holder thing. Much as I want to ZAP the critters, maybe rigging some snow fencing while planting another hedgerow would be better.

 

[BY Bob]

It's Mostly Done

Sorry for the lack of updates but I was racing the dark. They're is a roof in the coop and they have roosts. I will post details after I clean up.

 

[RoyalChick]

bookmarked. 1 question. How does this factor in with DRY soil?

The same principles apply - the animal must touch both a live wire and a ground wire to get a shock.
If your soil tends to dry there are tricks to get it damp like locating the ground rod in the path of a gutter run-off.
Here is the PremierOne article on the topic: https://www.premier1supplies.com/sh...X2VZf4_GJDpZk_8UARRgNqFU_whYk96xoCizIQAvD_BwE

If you really are very dry, or on solid rock so you can't drive a ground rod into the ground you can do without one as long as you pair the live wires with ground wires. This is #2 on the PremierOne list above.

They even sell net fences with return ground wires built in. It is called positive/negative fencing (Posi-Neg). Basically they alternate the wires so every other wire is 'live' and every other wire is 'ground'. Here are two easy to understand videos from Kencove to explain it.

And a diagram that explains how it works.

And yes, I really researched all this before erecting my fence!
In the end it was all way easier than I expected (not quite as simple as the videos show - but close!).

 

[RoyalChick]

It's Mostly Done

Sorry for the lack of updates but I was racing the dark. They're is a roof in the coop and they have roosts. I will post details after I clean up.

Well done! I was worried about you - it got dark so damn early!

 

[RoyalChick]

You are so good with remembering everyone’s chicken’s names! Yes, that is Flash. She does have a nice little ruffled comb, but it’s still a bit shriveled and pink right now, since she’s not quite done molting.

Love Flash