Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Yay, it’s Friday! We had a break between storms, so I let the girls range for several hours, while I did some heavy yardwork. No photos of the chickens today, but this is recent… It was taken during the last break between storms.

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That's a great bum!

 

[micstrachan]

That's a great bum!

Thanks. That’s Flash’s bum.

 

[TX Chick Noob]

So I tried confining them to the coop before roosting. I am kinda regretting interfering as I think there is less runway for them from these rafters unless they fly on to roosts.
I do hope they don’t break their necks coming down.
Ugh. Why did I do this?


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Maybe you could temporarily tie/nail/fasten some chicken wire or other barrier across the ceiling to the underside of the rafters?

I thought they were surprisingly accurate flyers in those videos.

This reminds me of Lil' Queenie roosting high too, so I'd like to tell the story -- Her "quarantine" was in a room in the house, I had her in the Buckeye's big brooder with a pretty high roost available, one the pullets liked. Not good enough. Two walls were made up of nylon window screening taped to weeny 1/8"x2"x 4ft strapping sticks for framing (also taped together), going up almost to the ceiling, about five feet up from the floor of the brooder.

Well, I go in to check on her in the evening and she's nowhere to be seen, and just as I'm standing there confounded she makes a little "Huh? I was sleeping" bok. It's impossible, but there's a dark figure way up there. She had wedged herself between the ceiling and the top cross stick, perfectly balanced on the 1/8' edge. She thoughtfully roosted head-out, with her bum over the brooder. I was surprised she hadn't brought it all down with her weight. I got her down and put her on the top roost. She did that a few times, even roosting bum-out once (I still can't imagine how she maneuvered on the 1/8" edge to turn around). It all started to sag soon, I filled in that space up there, made her a higher well-supported roost and cleared more landing area. That ended it.

Lil' Queenie (RIP). She used that roost as the highest available from then on. When she first integrated she also tried to roost very high in the Big Run. Once I showed her I wanted her to roost with the Buckeyes in the secure coop she did that.
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When my pullets were smaller when they were first left loose in the coop at night, the were roosting on the electrical conduit and the fans. I was not pleased. Had to block off the conduit with some wall paneling and build protective cages around the fans ( before and after pics below).

It’s been such a hectic day, I had to bring in my emotional support rooster for help.
My car insurance company said I didn’t make a payment this month, the bank says I did make the payment! My roo, will know what to do!

The bank should easily be able to provide you proof of payment to give to the insurance company. It probably got posted to the wrong account.

Roosting pics, before modifications

Modifications

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Option A - I am always paranoid of legs getting caught in small spaces - whether it's horses or chickens!

Where are they going to get caught? Under the top rails of the ladder somehow? That might be possible. I think I need to sleep on everyone's ideas, I might be missing something here.

Let me start out by saying this is a very clever solution. I love what you thinking.

I'm going to try and answer how I would build it. I hope that is what you are looking for.

1/2 plywood is pretty strong. It should not need a middle support to hold up a couple of chickens. I would put my 2x2s on the outer edge. 2 supports should work well.

To mount the ladder I would add a 2x2 on top of the plywood to reach the top of the ladder arch. Then I would drill holes for the ladder support to pass through the plywood so it rests naturally.

Does that make sense?

Yes and no, but I'll picture it better in the morning. Maybe I'll do a small mock-up of your idea tomorrow to better understand what you're saying. I'm not sure a 2x2 will fit inside the crook of the underside of the ladder, if that's what you mean. I could carve it to fit. In your idea, do the rails of the ladder somehow come even with the surface of the plywood? I may try to do a better mock-up of my original idea too. The ladder at the top, the horizontal underside, will lay flat on the plywood in my first scenario, with the angled part of the ladder falling away from the edge. The vertical pipes part would be underneath, through the holes. The ends of the rails would be lying flat on top of the plywood.

How long term are you planning to build for? If more than a couple of years, put the ladder at a cross piece. Personally, I think combining the 2 would work. 3 cross piece supports, ladder coming up through a hatch at the middle one. That way if the roosting shenanigans get too much, a lady can bale off (or fly/jump up) the front edge while someone else is going up/down the ladder in the middle. You get the supported ladder, a bigger porch and could turn the whole thing into a larger coop at some point down the road while providing a large shade/dust bathing area under it.

Long-term, as long as the plywood holds up. Interesting idea having a hatch in the middle, and extending the original coop into it down the road. You're right about the added shade /safe-feeling area under there, that's been part of the idea from the beginning.
I don't think I can do a much bigger porch though, I want to keep the landing zone within the six feet that is this run from the coop to the end of it, and the porch will take 27 inches, leaving 45 inches for a landing zone. Theoretically the landing zone could extend into the bigger run though.

Test-driving this will be important, and I'm trying to build it so it won't be hard to disassemble and modify when I need to get under the coop with a hoe or otherwise, which is every so often.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

What about wooden rabbits?

Maybe!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I do not like anything that goes on with roosting, integration or no. I don't associate roosting with the rest of integration in mind. My roosting is vicious even now and I despair that I will ever have peaceful roosting.

So I divorce roosting from integration. I love when they interact during the daylight hours and find their way to an integrated unit.

I despise roosting at any time.

OK I see that. Roosting has been ridiculous no matter what else is going on, so that makes sense. It is good that you can take pleasure in the integration process and peaceful co-habitation elsewhere!

Lately I've been noticing that treats bring out the worst in the Buckeyes. They've worked out sharing the feeder. But they become dinosaurs and are positively nasty to each other with a transitory food. Even with five little areas of snacking, the dominant hens go around checking out their subordinate's area and kick them off. Popcorn is constantly booted away. I've been giving her treats by hand separately, or tearing off leaves in one hand for her to have while my other holds a bunch for the dominant three.

 

[featherhead007]

Maybe you could temporarily tie/nail/fasten some chicken wire or other barrier across the ceiling to the underside of the rafters?


When my pullets were smaller when they were first left loose in the coop at night, the were roosting on the electrical conduit and the fans. I was not pleased. Had to block off the conduit with some wall paneling and build protective cages around the fans ( before and after pics below).


The bank should easily be able to provide you proof of payment to give to the insurance company. It probably got posted to the wrong account.

Roosting pics, before modifications
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Modifications
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That’s a “do what you have to do “ project!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Maybe you could temporarily tie/nail/fasten some chicken wire or other barrier across the ceiling to the underside of the rafters?


When my pullets were smaller when they were first left loose in the coop at night, the were roosting on the electrical conduit and the fans. I was not pleased. Had to block off the conduit with some wall paneling and build protective cages around the fans ( before and after pics below).


The bank should easily be able to provide you proof of payment to give to the insurance company. It probably got posted to the wrong account.

Roosting pics, before modifications
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Modifications
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Nice job with the modifications! Those pipes are a perfect fit for pullet feet!

 

[TX Chick Noob]

Nice job with the modifications! Those pipes are a perfect fit for pullet feet!

What really amazed me was some were even roosting on them facing the wall, which was four inches away!

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

I finally have some photos from yesterday.

Our living room is always dark so we cut the branches off the trees. Looks like the cat used those branches as an opportunity to play hide in them.

Climb that tree, kitty!

Parmesan turns her back and refuses to look at me. Maybe she's looking at passing cars.

Grandma and Tony plucking a plant.