Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Kris5902]

Our roosting drama here has settled down, for tonight anyway. I had to pull DH out to help with the roundup... we burnt our scrap lumber/not garbage pile, and just in case the family reopens that gate We secretly closed back up to buy a little more time for moving my delicates and smash-able chicken housing out of the line of the stampede to moo plaintively at the barn, I repositioned Sammy’s girls in the gate to the field I can close off. This was about 75’ away from last nights location, and so roosting chaos ensued. Sammy decided that the 4x4 pallet coop could hold Dean, Cass, their 11 ladies... as well as Sammy his 23 pullets, and for good measure little red tried to sneak in as well! I believe we rounded everyone up. Sammy is in the Pallet coop again, Red and the littles have been joined by two of Barney’s girls that are not getting on in Chickie Hawks flock, and Tailless has decided Roostie is hers.

Tomorrow (no rest for the wicked) we will steal the tractor and haul out the trailer. I will set to it with my tools for altering it for chicken accommodations and predator proofing it. Then I expect a repeat of tonight’s roosting mayhem as we attemptto convince everyone this is their new home...

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Me too. I am usually doing it as the snow flies. I am trying very hard to be prepared this year.

I’ve been spending the days repairing the damage to the chicks Big Run which was all tarped up for winter. I was trying to keep it dry in there, but I didn’t secure it to the ground and the storm that came through with gusts last week blew it over! Kicking myself, it is very heavy but obviously not when you put tarps that catch the wind. I really am an idiot newbie farmer, I can garden but I’ve never kept animals beyond cats and dogs! At least nobody was hurt. I hadn’t hooked up their tractor coop & little run, though it was butted up to it. It’s so heavy and low to the ground it held fast. I went out there and was pulling off tarps from the overturned Big Run in the wind and blowing snow, I was afraid it would roll into the tractor coop. The pullets were in for the night so that was all closed up & safe for them. Thank goodness. But I am chastened and afraid for them that I might screw up something again !

 

[BY Bob]

I’ve been spending the days repairing the damage to the chicks Big Run which was all tarped up for winter. I was trying to keep it dry in there, but I didn’t secure it to the ground and the storm that came through with gusts last week blew it over! Kicking myself, it is very heavy but obviously not when you put tarps that catch the wind. I really am an idiot newbie farmer, I can garden but I’ve never kept animals beyond cats and dogs! At least nobody was hurt. I hadn’t hooked up their tractor coop & little run, though it was butted up to it. It’s so heavy and low to the ground it held fast. I went out there and was pulling off tarps from the overturned Big Run in the wind and blowing snow, I was afraid it would roll into the tractor coop. The pullets were in for the night so that was all closed up & safe for them. Thank goodness. But I am chastened and afraid for them that I might screw up something again !

O the trials of a first time chicken keeper. I remember it well.

Let me reassure you of one thing, you will mess up again. I have made so many mistakes since I started doing this. The key is to forgive yourself quickly. They will all become entertaining stories. I can already imagine the story you have from this one. It was snowing, the wind was blowing 100 mph, it was a white out, the chickens were laughing at me, I forgot to put a coat on, I was in my bare feet. Trust me, this will be a great story some day.

No chickens were hurt. You are good.

 

[LozzyR]

So can Tsuki and Peggy. Everyone probably has one hen with mean tendencies. Tsuki was doing the "you shall not pass" a few week's ago. Aurora seems over the top right now.

Charlie!

 

[LozzyR]

I've had Treacle in with me most of the afternoon. He got on my lap for half an hour or so and had a doze. He's never done that before.

Is he feeling ok? I started worrying about Chickie when she’d have a head-under-the-wing sleep out in the open!

 

[Kris5902]

I’ve been spending the days repairing the damage to the chicks Big Run which was all tarped up for winter. I was trying to keep it dry in there, but I didn’t secure it to the ground and the storm that came through with gusts last week blew it over! Kicking myself, it is very heavy but obviously not when you put tarps that catch the wind. I really am an idiot newbie farmer, I can garden but I’ve never kept animals beyond cats and dogs! At least nobody was hurt. I hadn’t hooked up their tractor coop & little run, though it was butted up to it. It’s so heavy and low to the ground it held fast. I went out there and was pulling off tarps from the overturned Big Run in the wind and blowing snow, I was afraid it would roll into the tractor coop. The pullets were in for the night so that was all closed up & safe for them. Thank goodness. But I am chastened and afraid for them that I might screw up something again !

6x12 chicken tractors, My first foray into chicken keeping. I was on the phone looking for advice and DH almost called 911. I was feeding the cows in a windstorm and came home to a “relocated” chicken tractor, then I was standing in it mid windstorm on the phone with him when it landed on me... all the chickens were fine, I ended up bruised and muddied.

Things will go wrong... there will be catastrophic failures, you will most assuredly screw things up again. It’s how we react to failures, learn from our mistakes, and our overall desire to do the best to care for our birds that really define success. I’m still trying to figure out if the chickens were making concerned noises, or chastising me while I lay with my leg trapped under several hundred pounds of chicken tractor, squirming and using much “adult language” In The mud and rain. They were quite animated... don’t feel bad we all have a lot of beginning mistakes to live down!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

So can Tsuki and Peggy. Everyone probably has one hen with mean tendencies. Tsuki was doing the "you shall not pass" a few week's ago. Aurora seems over the top right now.

Tsuki is still picking on the younger ones. Last night they were each hiding in a nesting box and she walked along the row giving each one a peck .

It looks like Pepper has gone broody again. I lifted her out this morning and she ate and drank and had a dust bath but she was back at it this afternoon.

I really don't want to have to break out the broody jail.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Going to one up you on that Bob... Got the text an hour and a half ago that, like it or not, the cows are being put into my chicken yard/ trailer area today. Frantically moving everyone into the field. Taking a food break before I drop, and trying to de-stress. Just when things were starting to look positive. There is no pasture here, but there is a barn they know has Hay in it. And all the yummy chicken feed barrels.

The cows discovered this spring that they can smash the 2x2 framing of my big tractors with their heads, and lift the meat tractors and hospital tractors and toss them around like toys to get at the tasty chicken feed I give my birds. I lost two chickens to them. FML.

Well that sounds inconsiderate and kind of arbitrary. Any reason given?

That is not good news.
I've had "we were thnking about moving the coops" stuff before. Fortunatley when I say no, most people listen.

I think you should take a trip to Canada to give Kris a hand Shad. Maybe take ByBob along to help you "people wrangle".

My relaxing g day off with DH has been shot to hell, so I’m just going to take what I can get.

You’re right Bob! I should be thankful that they deigned to let DH know about it at all. It’s so much more fun to wake up to terrified squawks, the sound of snapping wood, and the oh so gentle rocking of the trailer as my power array is used as an expensive chins scratcher. Because that has never happened before.

And sorry to dump like this, I am so grateful for everyone here, your support and kindness keep me hanging on when it goes like this. And it just eats away at me to be so damn helpless.

I've forgotten if you've mentioned it before, but is the land around your house going to be fenced off to be used unmolested?

 

[Ribh]

Noooooooo.....

I have a feeling Alpia is merely humouring me @ present. She knows I don't like her sitting but she can't help tossing her nest about herself. And she's trying to hoard eggs again ~ always the biggest she can find!

 

[BY Bob]

Last night they were each hiding in a nesting box and she walked along the row giving each one a peck .

Each one probably also had to say, "Thank you ma'am, may I have another"