Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[MaryJanet]

Is this quest a doomed one?

I'm going to try to wrangle 8 or 9 hens and a rooster tomorrow to help re-home them.
Any tips? Wear leather! These are supposedly people-friendly Golden Comets or Buff Orpingtons. At least this summer they were friendly to my friend who walks by there every day. Since he took pictures as they came right up to him, I feel I need to try to help these chickens. Someone said that from the pics they appear to be not a year old.

They were brought to this non-working farm by a house caretaker, and when the homeowner, who hates chickens, returned to occupy it, the keeper left without taking the chickens. They are totally free-range without a coop and I think have been roosting up in the old barn. I find it hard to believe none have been picked off yet. Rooster must be a good one!

My plan, such as it is, is to bring food, mealworms and scratch, go slowly and gently and one by one grab them as I do my Buckeyes, and eventually put them in a chicken-transport crate I've borrowed. (That owner said the low style, forcing them to crouch, keeps them calmer??? It's all anyone offered me so I took it.)

Plus I have one 36 x23 x25 " double-door dog crate. Maybe they could squooch in there, and at least have some headroom. I recall seeing wrapped-up chickens getting evacuated from a hurricane area in a car. It worked, but chicken-burritos transport seems extreme.

Or should I set up a feed & water station in the dog crate, lure a few in, and then grab them and carry them to the low crate? I don't want to spook them and get a few and not the rest.

Then take them about 2 hours downstate to a no-kill chicken-keeper whom I've been corresponding with since I posted about this on the New York USA thread. He has a large covered run and a large enclosure and will quarrantine them first in his basement (not ideal I know).

I am guessing they may not be as tame since the caretaker left, but they started out fairly people-friendly so I am hoping for the best.

Ideas? Should I wrangle my friend into helping?

I've heard chicken burritos transport can have a high mortality rate because they can't breathe properly. So I'd definitely use boxes or crates instead of wrapping.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Get them at night while they're roosting.
I don't think your plan is going to work if they are as feral as you describe.
This might help you.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/getting-chickens-out-of-trees-and-into-their-coops.75511/

Thank you, and the article is helpful. Yes you will be right if they are that feral. It is unclear how feral they are. Getting them at night means potentially unsafe conditions for me, climbing around on old barn rafters is not a good idea esp at night. If it's a big barn the poles won't work from the ground, even if I had the poles, which I could make. Then I would be keeping them overnight likely, as I really don't want to make the drive after dark. Somewhat problematic unless they can stay in the low crate and higher crate overnight, which I guess is do-able. This will have to be plan B I think.

 

[featherhead007]

My nice neighbor just called me and said that she had a nice chicken dinner if I wanted some. I said no thanks. And nice you though of me.

but I don’t eat chicken ever! My pets?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I've heard chicken burritos transport can have a high mortality rate because they can't breathe properly. So I'd definitely use boxes or crates instead of wrapping.

Oh how horrible! Yes the picture looked bad for them, poor things, plus they're on their sides or backs, complicating everything!

 

[Kris5902]

Is this quest a doomed one?

I'm going to try to wrangle 8 or 9 hens and a rooster tomorrow to help re-home them.
Any tips? Wear leather! These are supposedly people-friendly Golden Comets or Buff Orpingtons. At least this summer they were friendly to my friend who walks by there every day. Since he took pictures as they came right up to him, I feel I need to try to help these chickens. Someone said that from the pics they appear to be not a year old.

They were brought to this non-working farm by a house caretaker, and when the homeowner, who hates chickens, returned to occupy it, the keeper left without taking the chickens. They are totally free-range without a coop and I think have been roosting up in the old barn. I find it hard to believe none have been picked off yet. Rooster must be a good one!

My plan, such as it is, is to bring food, mealworms and scratch, go slowly and gently and one by one grab them as I do my Buckeyes, and eventually put them in a chicken-transport crate I've borrowed. (That owner said the low style, forcing them to crouch, keeps them calmer??? It's all anyone offered me so I took it.)

Plus I have one 36 x23 x25 " double-door dog crate. Maybe they could squooch in there, and at least have some headroom. I recall seeing wrapped-up chickens getting evacuated from a hurricane area in a car. It worked, but chicken-burritos transport seems extreme.

Or should I set up a feed & water station in the dog crate, lure a few in, and then grab them and carry them to the low crate? I don't want to spook them and get a few and not the rest.

Then take them about 2 hours downstate to a no-kill chicken-keeper whom I've been corresponding with since I posted about this on the New York USA thread. He has a large covered run and a large enclosure and will quarrantine them first in his basement (not ideal I know).

I am guessing they may not be as tame since the caretaker left, but they started out fairly people-friendly so I am hoping for the best.

Ideas? Should I wrangle my friend into helping?

The crate is ideal but will probably only take about 8-10 chickens. They are forced to crouch which keeps them from hurting themselves or each other. I have managed to move my full grown tall Barnvelder Roosters in them, so don’t worry too much about the headroom. Take a friend, if you can. Herding chickens with two people is better than trying to corner them yourself. Plan on trapping them in a corner or the dog crate if you think you can during the day. And expect to be up a ladder removing them from the barn at night at worst. Good luck! Move slowly and hopefully it goes smoothly.

 

[Kris5902]

Chicken tax video offering

 

[MaryJanet]

Chicken tax video offering

So many happy chickens

 

[RoyalChick]

Oh, they can chew it... they just really don’t like to and would rather start chewing right next to it until they can get their grubby little paws in and pull it out. If you use it, I recommend also filling the gaps with expanding foam to help keep the metal in place. Or just go whole hog and buy some basement foundation repair stuff. It’s a type of cement-like product that comes in a putty form. You can fix up concrete cracks with that and it is truly rodent proof! (Chew through some cement you furry little evildoers! Mwa hahaha!)

The actual item pictured by ACM won’t rust, at least not easily, though if you cut it it’s another story. You need to look for the really shiny wool pads. The ones that are dull grey or have soap in them rust super quickly. Just saying... because copper is pretty expensive here (not as pricy as about 10 years ago, when people were actually stripping the wire out of the street lamps and breaking into demolition sites to pull wire and plumbing out as scrap metal, but still comparatively high)

I remember when everyone was looking for copper - and the commodity price of copper is high right now but for some reason you can still buy 100' of copper mesh for about $30.
The putty is great for the house - trouble is in the Chicken Palace the walls are all hardware cloth so putty doesn't really work!

 

[RoyalChick]

I haven’t got a really ‘fluffy’ fluffy butt picture for Friday... but I do have a new very elegant butt shot.View attachment 2444334
There’s a little fluff back there under all that tail, really, there is! Of all my chickens Sammy is the one who seems to know how best to strike a pose.View attachment 2444336

Wow - he is stunning!

 

[MaryJanet]

Fluffy Butts for Friday!