Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[micstrachan]

Everyone this hen who drives me up the wall did it. She has at least 2 but I think several more. I can hear those sweet little peeps when I step out onto the back porch. I honestly thought that with the bone chilling cold she was wasting her time, but not my Momma Hen. Now I'm really nervous, how am I going to get this group safely off the hill and across the creek.
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Yay, Momma Hen!!! Oh gosh, I did not know there was a creek to cross. Can you get to them? They will need feed and water tight away, right? I forget, and I apologize I’ve been so absent. Is Momma Hen easily handled? And what is your predator situation?

 

[micstrachan]

A few more pictures.
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Thank you for sharing! Yay for chick fix!

 

[micstrachan]

She has 4, and a very smug proud of herself look.
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As she should!

 

[micstrachan]

Treat time and I believe Freya laid a blue egg. This week its been extra electrolytes and vitamins in the water
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I see another set of green legs in there I hadn’t noticed before!

 

[micstrachan]

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.
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See how 2x2s are spaced to be even with edge of plywood platform below:View attachment 3369591

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:
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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...View attachment 3369606View attachment 3369603
Above is a 2x3 screwed to 2x3 'spacers'

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

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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.

YOU are so thoughtful to write that all out and model with cardboard. What a wonderful person you are.

 

[BY Bob]

Momma's final total is just 4 chicks. I had to candle the eggs as her little ones were trying to escape the box and she was having a fit. The eggs all started but maybe made it halfway. Considering she is right at 9 years old and with the weather she decided to try to hatch in I think a 50% hatch rate is pretty good. She is happily now inside the coop with them and has them eating and drinking. I know she has to feel better, one of the first things she done was almost immediately start dust bathing.

She is one amazing chicken. She reminds me of my childhood hen Speck. Just amazing.

 

[BY Bob]

I also read some were sad I had her pulled off the hill before she finished hatching. It really was in her best interest. I do not think she had came off the nest in 3 days and she was starving when I got her settled. She inhaled a whole can of wet cat food plus a handful of chicken feed. Here I can safely monitor the rest of the eggs progress and if I sense a chick is in trouble assist hatching if I need to. Plus now I do not worry about a predator finding that nest or any falling off into the creek on their way down. I was a nervous wreck yesterday before we got them. Those chicks are talkative. They announced to the world they were there.

You definitely did the right thing. Don't you doubt it.

 

[BY Bob]

picture of Nappy and a younger roo (with his ladies)

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I haven't seen Nappie in a while. He looks good.

 

[BY Bob]

If I remember correctly, they don't have 'wet' tongues (unless they just took a drink). they don't have saliva in their mouths like we do. Maybe @BY Bob can confirm this?

They do not have saliva but their mouths are still moist to a certain extent.

 

[rural mouse]

Pony Sunday

I know I had promised to tell my story about the horses and post some 'from the past' photos, but I haven't had a chance to do anything but drive a 7 hr round trip to town, do some laundry, and deal with work (on my day off no less...).

And I wanted to share the video my Environmental Inspector sent me, but it's on my iphone which won't connect to the crappy internet here. Sometimes life gets in the way of my fun!

On the up side my internet issue is about to be resolved with a new StarLink system (I cannot tell you how excited I am to be getting StarLink - blazing fast internet woohoo!). I was so eggcited I hugged the camp manager hahaha So I am hoping tomorrow I will be zipping through my Fluffy Butt Acres updates!

Meanwhile for @Pastel The Rooster here is my Arab mare Truly displaying her clean and dirt side haha

These photos were taken last January new year day. I was going to take her for a ride as it was really mild, then I saw she had rolled hahaha
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Star link took us from 5mb download with our old service to clocking over 300 (not consistently, but I don't think we've seen anything lower than 100). Anyway you look at it, HUGE improvement.

Dustbathing/sunbathing shadows...just the other side of the Russian olives...