Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Wishing everyone & their flocks a Happy New Year! May 2023 be your best year yet

Happy new year to you as well!

 

[BY Bob]

I wonder, too. She will be six at the end of March. I’ve considered pain meds, but I’m not sure if there are any for long term use?

Metacam works if you can get a prescription. Lilly was on CBD, see photo. I don't think you need a prescription for that and it seemed to help Lilly. Let me know if you want more info on it.

 

[BY Bob]

OK I said I would wait because I'm so behind but I can't help myself. Yes wind would have that effect if it's a direct hit but I don't think there was/is direct wind in there. Wind underneath the Hut could keep the coop temp low and counteract any body heating warmth. But nowhere is there direct wind I think?

I think I would do the same to ease my mind and coddle Glynda's injury - using the main coop for now because that's a tried-and-true situation with proven ventilation for that number of birds.

Frankly for the Cluckle Hut I suspect the super low temp & extra humidity due to the number of birds roosting combined with the ventilation either not being enough or the direction of ventilation unfortunate. For instance Glynda was on the far end near the nestboxes? Was she at the receiving end of a bunch of humid air from the others, because of the direction of ventilation?

Another thing to consider, if this is correct, is that much of the Hut is protected because it's within the run? On three sides? I'm not clear.... My very vague, only intuitive idea is that, although the non-plastic sheeted side of the run that makes a draft below the Hut floor that could be keeping the Hut temps low, maybe you actually WANT some breezes going by to pull out out the humid warm air from the birds, right? But without drafting them directly. (I personally think with a good layer of shavings / straw the floor exposure shouldn't be a problem.)

So if your build of the Hut was similar to the main coop, maybe the main coop works well because it is more exposed to the pulling breezes, and the Cluckle Hut is not working well (for X number of birds) because it isn't as exposed, or exposed in the same ways?

Maybe furnace filters would be handy here to increase ventilation escape but stop direct drafts. A heat panel in the Hut below the roost would certainly help keep moisture from condensing out on them.

My personal experience with the pulling breezes idea is when I enclosed the Omlet run with plastic for the winter for the first time. Recall the coop itself opens into the low wire "tunnel" run. I didn't block any coop slatted vents front or back, or the side ones that are built into the construction. I covered the wire run only, on two sides fully, leaving the far end open. I also put plastic around the space under the coop (the "near" end of the run). I don't think ultimately there was any condensation in the coop itself, but I grew concerned about that possibility when I noticed condensation under the tunnel plastic near the coop side, above the coop vent slats there. That much humidity wasn't good, day or night. It occurred to me that I had lowered or eliminated the natural draw of the surrounding air with the plastic. The only really open part was the far end of the tunnel run. So I stuck a piece of PVC pipe under the plastic on the coop end, right above the coop vent there. The run now had a greatly improved through-path for fresh air and the coop vent benefited. There is a bit of a breeze on my head when I'm sitting in the tunnel close to the coop but that is way above chicken height.

Thank you for posting this thoughtful evaluation of my situation. Ib really appreciate the time you took and this is very helpful to me. I think I will take a video of the setup so you can better understand what I am dealing with.

 

[RoyalChick]

OK I said I would wait because I'm so behind but I can't help myself. Yes wind would have that effect if it's a direct hit but I don't think there was/is direct wind in there. Wind underneath the Hut could keep the coop temp low and counteract any body heating warmth. But nowhere is there direct wind I think?

I think I would do the same to ease my mind and coddle Glynda's injury - using the main coop for now because that's a tried-and-true situation with proven ventilation for that number of birds.

Frankly for the Cluckle Hut I suspect the super low temp & extra humidity due to the number of birds roosting combined with the ventilation either not being enough or the direction of ventilation unfortunate. For instance Glynda was on the far end near the nestboxes? Was she at the receiving end of a bunch of humid air from the others, because of the direction of ventilation?

Another thing to consider, if this is correct, is that much of the Hut is protected because it's within the run? On three sides? I'm not clear.... My very vague, only intuitive idea is that, although the non-plastic sheeted side of the run that makes a draft below the Hut floor that could be keeping the Hut temps low, maybe you actually WANT some breezes going by to pull out out the humid warm air from the birds, right? But without drafting them directly. (I personally think with a good layer of shavings / straw the floor exposure shouldn't be a problem.)

So if your build of the Hut was similar to the main coop, maybe the main coop works well because it is more exposed to the pulling breezes, and the Cluckle Hut is not working well (for X number of birds) because it isn't as exposed, or exposed in the same ways?

Maybe furnace filters would be handy here to increase ventilation escape but stop direct drafts. A heat panel in the Hut below the roost would certainly help keep moisture from condensing out on them.

My personal experience with the pulling breezes idea is when I enclosed the Omlet run with plastic for the winter for the first time. Recall the coop itself opens into the low wire "tunnel" run. I didn't block any coop slatted vents front or back, or the side ones that are built into the construction. I covered the wire run only, on two sides fully, leaving the far end open. I also put plastic around the space under the coop (the "near" end of the run). I don't think ultimately there was any condensation in the coop itself, but I grew concerned about that possibility when I noticed condensation under the tunnel plastic near the coop side, above the coop vent slats there. That much humidity wasn't good, day or night. It occurred to me that I had lowered or eliminated the natural draw of the surrounding air with the plastic. The only really open part was the far end of the tunnel run. So I stuck a piece of PVC pipe under the plastic on the coop end, right above the coop vent there. The run now had a greatly improved through-path for fresh air and the coop vent benefited. There is a bit of a breeze on my head when I'm sitting in the tunnel close to the coop but that is way above chicken height.

I am intrigued by the furnace filter idea.
How would you do that? Aren’t those the things that come in a plastic frame? Just hang them up over an opening?
By and large I think the Chicken Palace is OK from a ventilation and draft perspective but in extreme situations like a blizzard I wish I had a way of cutting it down a bit and am trying to figure out how to do that.

 

[BY Bob]

It is Monday the 2nd here. Currently on a bullet train to Tokyo for my flight home

Travel safe

 

[BY Bob]

I'm so sorry I've been inactive on here for a while! I've been busy with the holidays, and helping my boyfriend with herding his sheep. I have nothing to do right now, so I'm gonna catch up on recent posts. I'm so excited!! My brother and his wife came down to my home today to give me some great New Years news, I'm gonna be an aunt! My chickens are doing well! I can't wait to catch up on these posts!

Congratulations! That's wonderful!

 

[Ponypoor]

Arrived Grande Prairie

it's -10C and sunny! I have a photo of the truck for @ValarieF on my other phone so I will post those tonight

Now I need to get on the road!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

The towel is washed, thankfully it did not stain. Is it as bright and white as before the incident....that is up to debate. Mom knows and all she said was I had better hope that it did not stain.
Here we have the guilty party of the "New Years Day Towel Heist". Look at him, doesn't he look guilty, shame him. He actually does not care and would 100% do it again if given a chance. The hood on my sweatshirt is slobbery where he decided he had to see if it was removable. No Russ, it is NOT.

 

[rural mouse]

I'm in San Francisco now and will be home by bedtime

Welcome back Stateside!

 

[rural mouse]

Those eggs look huge! It must be the perspective.

I have small hands...with wide palms....fingers maybe 3-3.25 inches long.....