Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RoyalChick]

Will there be towers? And battlements? I don't see any battlements!
The plans look great RC

Ooooh battlements - that would be something!

 

[RoyalChick]

I'm trying to balance chicken keeping in this environment (foxes, pet dogs off the leash, hawks, hot hot hot summers) with all the work-related travel that seems to be increasingly required.

Details ahead! If I'm away for a month, the hens will need lots of space in a safe run. If there's going to be lots of space, it might as well be divided up into rooms for weeds to grow and for slowly integrating new pullets. Cool breezes, deep shade, dust holes (a dirt floor) and misting for summer. I need a few seats, a cup holder or coffee table of some kind, easy cleaning (not getting any younger) and easy pick ups off the roost at night, so a raised roosting box is called for. We don't get much rain here, so a rain water tank is mandatory. I'd like enough eggs for myself and to give away, so that means two pullets every two years with the old biddies living on til they're ready to shuffle off. So that's a flock of 9-12 hens - lots of feed and water dispensers so no one misses out. A dutch door to the run for tossing treats in without releasing the hens, while being able to open it fully when it's time for the chooks to rummage in the garden. In an earlier post I mentioned the roof and the paved perimeter to prevent predation. There are other details too, but I won't go on about it.

The first hurdle is council approval. The structure will be much more than the "no approval required" threshold of 5m2, so approval is essential. That means drawings, which is not something I'm good at

I am in a different climate but have many similar elements be

I'm trying to balance chicken keeping in this environment (foxes, pet dogs off the leash, hawks, hot hot hot summers) with all the work-related travel that seems to be increasingly required.

Details ahead! If I'm away for a month, the hens will need lots of space in a safe run. If there's going to be lots of space, it might as well be divided up into rooms for weeds to grow and for slowly integrating new pullets. Cool breezes, deep shade, dust holes (a dirt floor) and misting for summer. I need a few seats, a cup holder or coffee table of some kind, easy cleaning (not getting any younger) and easy pick ups off the roost at night, so a raised roosting box is called for. We don't get much rain here, so a rain water tank is mandatory. I'd like enough eggs for myself and to give away, so that means two pullets every two years with the old biddies living on til they're ready to shuffle off. So that's a flock of 9-12 hens - lots of feed and water dispensers so no one misses out. A dutch door to the run for tossing treats in without releasing the hens, while being able to open it fully when it's time for the chooks to rummage in the garden. In an earlier post I mentioned the roof and the paved perimeter to prevent predation. There are other details too, but I won't go on about it.

The first hurdle is council approval. The structure will be much more than the "no approval required" threshold of 5m2, so approval is essential. That means drawings, which is not something I'm good at

Add me to the list too please. I am in a different climate but I also have to cope with travel for work and am building some pasture 'rooms' for them for when I am not home and not able to have them around me 'helping' me in the veggie garden. I have a dirt floor and am working on a rain barrel waterer. Sounds like we have some similar ideas!

 

[MaryJanet]

Mary lays a pinkish egg from time to time.

I am in a different climate but have many similar elements be

Add me to the list too please. I am in a different climate but I also have to cope with travel for work and am building some pasture 'rooms' for them for when I am not home and not able to have them around me 'helping' me in the veggie garden. I have a dirt floor and am working on a rain barrel waterer. Sounds like we have some similar ideas!

I'm thinking of using the rain water through the misting system. It should work out close to ideal in terms of volume collected and volume misted. But I'd need a powerful water pump to keep the pressure up in the misting system

The planning and creativity is the best part for me!

 

[BY Bob]

i couldnt do the 700+ messages i was behind sure am glad to be back though!

It is great to have you back!

 

[BY Bob]

Forum etiquette, hmmm, I'm not sure there is. It's just great that you post. That will do me.
I hit the like button for just about everything except posts I really don't like or posts I've missed. On these 'personal threads' I try to give a like for all I read. On the general forums it's a bit different. I like the posts I agree with or the well presented posts that I might not.
I don't like every post though on the general forums.
That's how I do it. The why I do it on the personal threads is a) I'm a guest, and b) I rarely see a post I don't think deserves a like.

I was going to "like" this, but...........

 

[BY Bob]

Wow I finally caught up after falling what seemed to be 20 pages behind, and with the holidays to make reading time harder to find, I feel bad for only occasionally “liking” posts and am wondering if there’s an etiquette to the practice. forgive me as a newbie but I’m liking everyone’s post in my head and failing to mark it on the actual post.

The flock of 17 I’m managing is now 20 weeks old and someone laid their first egg yesterday. Not everyone has a red comb, so the suspects are a distinct subset of RIR or Red Star. And our young rooster is now crowing—I have a home lined up for him at my sister’s place as I’m reluctantly admitting that for this flock, there is no advantage to keeping a rooster. It’s sad because he’s quite beautiful right now and still quite leery of people, but I don’t want to wait until he turns aggressive on any of our volunteer tenders (or me.) Bob, at what age did Jabber become unmanageable?

here is our guy, August. He’s a Silver Spangled Hamburg.

Happy New Year and Happy Anniversary Bob!

There is no etiquette of which I am aware. You "like" what you want. I know I'm not keeping track.

 

[BY Bob]

Okey dokey. Bob's on it too

Which Bob? Could it be me? Oh, I hope she means me!

 

[BY Bob]

Hhmmm, it looked pinkish in the nest but when you were holding it it looked more of a light cream color with a pink hue maybe.. I have one just like that from Goosie my SS.. I would not say that is brown though.. these are my thoughts... I’m no expert but thank you for asking

I'm calling it Pink then! Anybody care to disagree? Anyone!

 

[BY Bob]

I'm trying to balance chicken keeping in this environment (foxes, pet dogs off the leash, hawks, hot hot hot summers) with all the work-related travel that seems to be increasingly required.

Details ahead! If I'm away for a month, the hens will need lots of space in a safe run. If there's going to be lots of space, it might as well be divided up into rooms for weeds to grow and for slowly integrating new pullets. Cool breezes, deep shade, dust holes (a dirt floor) and misting for summer. I need a few seats, a cup holder or coffee table of some kind, easy cleaning (not getting any younger) and easy pick ups off the roost at night, so a raised roosting box is called for. We don't get much rain here, so a rain water tank is mandatory. I'd like enough eggs for myself and to give away, so that means two pullets every two years with the old biddies living on til they're ready to shuffle off. So that's a flock of 9-12 hens - lots of feed and water dispensers so no one misses out. A dutch door to the run for tossing treats in without releasing the hens, while being able to open it fully when it's time for the chooks to rummage in the garden. In an earlier post I mentioned the roof and the paved perimeter to prevent predation. There are other details too, but I won't go on about it.

The first hurdle is council approval. The structure will be much more than the "no approval required" threshold of 5m2, so approval is essential. That means drawings, which is not something I'm good at

If you need blueprints I might actually be able to help. My daughter is an architectural engineer. She did drawings for my coop and run. Private message me if you are interested.

 

[mixedUPturk]

Hey girl friend!!

Heeeey!!!

It is great to have you back!

What a nice welcoming committee!