Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Aww come on, REALLY?
They are laying down.

 

[bgmathteach]

Hey, mom, does the red in this bucket accent my red comb, or is it too matchy-matchy?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Betty wants to roost and wants to roost high.

Its strange but no one will share a roost here. When Aurora was on Daisy's roost that left the high roost for Sydney and the Maleficent's roost over the window free for Betty.

Here is what is going on. Let's start with how the roosts are set up.
View attachment 3369277
With the recent remodel I broke up the one continuous roost and added Mal's roost over the window.

What has been happening was this arrangement.

View attachment 3369278
And Hattie slept on the floor. I've given up on Hattie. She just gets down to eat every night. Why bother trying to get her to roost?

I was thrilled by this arrangement as Betty was finally able to roost in peace. This is because Mal's roost it too high for Aurora to reach. To understand the significance of that you need to know what happens every night.

Aurora is the last to roost. Prior to her roosting she terrorizes everyone who is trying to roost. So Betty being able to get up high and away from Aurora was essential to her ability to roost. When Betty tries to roost on Daisy's roost it is low enough for Aurora to grab her and pull her off while standing on the coop floor. No one will roost on the door roost because that is Aurora's step up to the high roost and therefore the last thing she does is pass through that roost. If anyone is there, like Phyllis who tries sometimes, she throws them off before going on to the high roost.

This is what we are now back to.

View attachment 3369279

Why is this happening?

Betty and Sydney are roosting like before but Aurora is now going back to the high roost. This moves Sydney to Mal's roost and she knocks Betty to the floor. By the time this happens it is too dark for Betty to get on Daisy's roost and so she goes to a nest box.

So I have 4 roosts and only 2 chickens can use them. This frustrates me to no end but I am giving up again. I have to leave them to it.

While I love integration, I hate roosting. I causes me no end of angst. I have to accept that I can't solve it. Meanwhile three hens share 1 roost in the Cluckle Hut. The roost is split by wire but the three of them do share to a point.

Can you put another high roost in over the current food & water, next to Mal's roost (@rural mouse had this idea too), but because your access door is there, move the food & water to the left, over toward the nest boxes. Then block the end of Daisy's roost so no one roosts directly over it.

 

[ValarieF]

I added another roost for the chooks since theres so many in the coop now.

 

[Sally PB]

I'm not as stupid as y'all think I'm actually an all honors/gifted student. My grades are anywhere from an 80-100. Not proud of the B's, but I can keep up with them

It is obvious (to me, at least) that you are far from stupid. Your demeanor online says that you are a mature, respectful, thoughtful person. I was actually surprised to learn your age!

 

[featherhead007]

It is obvious (to me, at least) that you are far from stupid. Your demeanor online says that you are a mature, respectful, thoughtful person. I was actually surprised to learn your age!

We only get stupid when we get much older (speaking from experience)

 

[Kris5902]

I stand corrected! I assumed less work for each rooster to watch each of their hens and less competition and fighting for hens if they’re “spoken for.” I’ve heard of senior and junior roos working out together when the second roo is an offspring. But bringing in a strange cockerel can work out? That’s why I’m thinking division causes less strife, the new roo would have no reason to work with the existing one, would he? Maybe it depends on the personalities? What you describe sounds wonderful!

It 100% has everything to do with personality! I have 6 boys all sharing one coop. I’ve integrated cockerels from other flocks/farms. I’ve had Spike successfully integrate himself into my main flock from first another farm, to a bachelor group here, then into the main coop, with almost no help from me, and only one significant fight where he got his butt kicked by Sammy. Integrating mature Roosters is more difficult, even very mature cockerels are more readily accepted. I’ve also had Boys break off from the main flock, and I had to separate Sammy for most of a summer and re-integrate him with 18 new girls to the main flock.

Lots of my boys will actively work together, even completely unrelated ones, with very different physical appearances. It’s far more complicated than just family dynamics and relationships, or even physical appearances in a mixed flock. In my relatively short time keeping Chickens, especially Roosters, I have come to understand that we really don’t know nearly as much about their interactions and social structures as we think we do… and that keeping style and environmental conditions also have a large impact on how they interact.

I really miss the in depth chicken psychology discussions and stories from Shad… and I do wish I had more time to keep up on what he’s up to now, far different than Catalonia, I know, but I’m sure equally interesting. I have to say I’ve learned so much from his keeping style, and far greater experiences with chickens.

 

[bgmathteach]

Okay, @ChicoryBlue here goes. I hope I explain what I am thinking clearly enough to understand.

Starting with your 2X2s, keep them as is - but the exact with of the plywood apart, so the edge of the plywood is even with the edge (at least the front edge, anyways - if the fence spacing doesn't allow both front edge and back edge to be even) of the plywood.
I made a model from cardboard to illustrate most of what I'm thinking.

See how 2x2s are spaced to be even with edge of plywood platform below:

On the under side of plywood, attach strapping/ 1x2s so that when you place the plywood on the 2x2s, the strapping fit snuggly inside the 2x2s:

This should help hold the plywood in place so it doesn't slide, so no need to screw it to the 2x2s.

Then, for the ladder (I'm not sure if this will work with your ladder, as I don't know just how wide the 'hooked part' is that would slide over the below set-up)

Can you screw two short pieces of 2x2 to the outside edge of your cross bar 2x2, just a bit farther apart than your ladder is wide, then screw a piece of 1x2 to that that you can hook the ladder over? Examples of what I mean below...

Above is a 2x3 screwed to 2x3 'spacers'

This gives me something to 'hook' the ramp to, below images:

I actually hook the ramp to the door handles I put in an angled edge (see middle picture), but I know someone who did something similar, but hooks it to the board that is spaced out from the frame.

 

[featherhead007]

We only get stupid when we get much older (speaking from experience)

Think about it: I’m here sitting in a chicken coop, welcoming eight birds (by name) into their house. Fact is, it’s roosting time.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

The deed is done and no necks were broken in the process. Momma hen is safely in one of the porch boxes with 4 chicks and 4 eggs. When Austin was trying to get into position to gently grab her she came off the nest like a bat out of you know where. He deflected her and almost lost his footing in the process. Oh the names that hen was called. At that point there was no getting her and stuffing her in the cat carrier so he caught the chicks and eggs and put them in and brought them down too me. Not before busting up her nest and blocking the entrance with a rock. It took about 10 minutes but she did come off the hill to the chicks. I managed to grab her and then moved her to the porch. I first stuffed her in the nest and while holding her tucked one egg under her. That was all it took for her to settle down and accept the rest of the eggs and her chicks.