Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

Someone is Laying Eggs Again

Wow! So, why are they laying in the cluckle hut instead of the Fluffy Butt Acres coop???
That is odd....but so nice to see her bright red comb and wattles...and hear her voice singing the song of her people!!

 

[bgmathteach]

Diana woke up for an afternoon snack of chopped tomatoes and blueberries.
View attachment 3379063

It looks like everyone is sharing - hopefully peacefully!

I have to say, she still looks lovely, with her pretty white lacing on her feather tips.

 

[RoyalChick]

Did she get wormed recently? This just made me think that if she has worms or other parasites, it would make her weak/exhausted, no? I don't know when you last did a flock 'float test' (still not sure exactly what that is other than it looks for worms/eggs??) Have you had any bloodwork run on her recently? Or, do you not want to torture her with drawing blood - especially since she has already lived longer than you expected?

She was wormed in June when I got a positive fecal test (float test is just saying how they check the poop for worm eggs,).
Not sure if others know - but wouldn't it be odd to be so infested to get weak in such a short time?
But weak she certainly is.
I don't know if I did the right thing, but this evening she desperately wanted to join Bernie on the roost but she just wasn't strong enough to jump up on the tree stump. I don't know why she didn't use the ladder which would have involved much less jumping.
Anyway, it finally got dark and she was forced to hunker down on the step. I went in and offered her an elevator ride up which she happily took.
I have put lots of bedding both sides of the roost so if she falls off I don't think she will do herself any harm. She looks nice and comfy there for now at least.
I wish I knew why she was so weak. I could worm her just in case or I could persuade a vet to do a test for me which will likely take a couple of days to get results.
Any advice anyone?

 

[bgmathteach]

The Roof is On
One of the reasons there is no Ask Aurora is that today was nice enough to finish the roof on the main coop. So i took my lunch and got the panels installed. It is barely warm enough to caulk but I managed to pull it off.

I started by putting the foam spacers in place. I caulked the top of them and the edge on the right.
View attachment 3379097

I then installed and screwed down the panel.

View attachment 3379098

I extended the foam with caulk and installed the second panel.
View attachment 3379099View attachment 3379100

I then installed the final panel.
View attachment 3379101

I then caulked and sealed the ridge line to the quarter round at the peak of the roof.

View attachment 3379102

Next I installed a piece of PVC edging to finish off the edge of the roof. This side is in the lee of the prevailing wind.

Edging
View attachment 3379110

Edging installed
View attachment 3379109

This end of the coop, above the porch, gets the strongest winds. So I did Extra to keep the wind from cashing the edge and pulling the roof off. I had an overhang of roofing and bent it down to create a flush edge.
View attachment 3379103

Once I had it bent down I installed the PVC edge.
View attachment 3379104

All finished!

View attachment 3379105

It looks great! I'm glad the weather cooperated with you on your lunch break.

 

[RoyalChick]

I looks like everyone is sharing - hopefully peacefully!

I have to say, she still looks lovely, with her pretty white lacing on her feather tips.

Well sort of sharing. Bernadette had her own bowl and Babs was trying to sneak a piece of tomato from Diana.
Babs and Eli have ended up on different rafters tonight. I can't imagine they like that but I certainly can't help!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

It is hard to tell. It doesn't look like pain, it looks like exhaustion. She sleeps and then when the sun moves she gets up and follows the sun. And when I serve her a bowl she will perk up and eat. But she has not gone to the feeder at all. Lunch was tomatoes and she definitely enjoyed them scarfing down quite big pieces. So I am off to chop up more tomatoes and will go out again in an hour or so.
The closest I can describe is like a very elderly grandma sitting out on the porch and napping.
I am realistic, I think we are close to the end of her journey in life, but as long as she is interested in special food she will get it!

You could think about setting up the brooder plate as a nice warm wall for her to snuggle next to, wherever she is. Or if it's got low enough settings, a foundation to sleep on. If she's old- and cold-feeling she may want the warmth she would get if she could get up on the roost.

 

[RoyalChick]

You could think about setting up the brooder plate as a nice warm wall for her to snuggle next to, wherever she is. Or if it's got low enough settings, a foundation to sleep on. If she's old- and cold-feeling she may want the warmth she would get if she could get up on the roost.

Good idea - I can try that tomorrow if we make it that far. I don't really want to move her tonight now she is settled.

 

[knoturavggrl]

Someone is Laying Eggs Again

Yay, beautiful song from Ms. Sydney! Also, the roof looks great!

 

[micstrachan]

Floaters just mean they are old and have lost moisture and have more air in the shell than when laid. It could be more air because of gasses building up - or more air because moisture has evaporated and the eggs are older but not bad. Crack them open into a clean dish. If bad, you WILL KNOW (horrid Sulphur smell), if not, they are good to go. If you aren't planning on using them at the moment, freeze them. If you have a spell in spring when you have excess eggs, you can do this to have some for the 'lean' times.

I will definitely freeze some this coming season.

 

[featherhead007]

The Roof is On
One of the reasons there is no Ask Aurora is that today was nice enough to finish the roof on the main coop. So i took my lunch and got the panels installed. It is barely warm enough to caulk but I managed to pull it off.

I started by putting the foam spacers in place. I caulked the top of them and the edge on the right.
View attachment 3379097

I then installed and screwed down the panel.

View attachment 3379098

I extended the foam with caulk and installed the second panel.
View attachment 3379099View attachment 3379100

I then installed the final panel.
View attachment 3379101

I then caulked and sealed the ridge line to the quarter round at the peak of the roof.

View attachment 3379102

Next I installed a piece of PVC edging to finish off the edge of the roof. This side is in the lee of the prevailing wind.

Edging
View attachment 3379110

Edging installed
View attachment 3379109

This end of the coop, above the porch, gets the strongest winds. So I did Extra to keep the wind from cashing the edge and pulling the roof off. I had an overhang of roofing and bent it down to create a flush edge.
View attachment 3379103

Once I had it bent down I installed the PVC edge.
View attachment 3379104

All finished!

View attachment 3379105

It looks great. Surely it will increase the property value, and of course the IRS will be taxing you for the increase. I wouldn’t recommend reporting the installation of such a nice roof!