Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[LaFemmeKatia]

I told James to shush the other day when he mentioned going to the shop to get chicken thighs for dinner within hearing of the hens!

My husband always says that if the girls knew what goes on in this house (chicken, eggs) they would be horrified.

 

[LaFemmeKatia]

Poppy is gone. I went out to let everyone loose this morning and while opening the door to the coop Poppy flew off the roost and crashed into the door. Thankfully it was quick and she was gone almost instantly although I'm shattered and been in tears all day.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

I lost the thread again.

@The-White-Elephant , have you marked the threads you want to return to as "Watched"?

To the right and above the first post on each page of the thread there is a box labeled "Watch" . If you click this it will be added to a list of threads that you are watching.

When you log in and get to the BYC home page, right next to the logo there is a box labeled "Forums". Click on this and you get a drop down menu. About 2/3 of the way down you will see "Watched threads". Clicking on this will bring you to the page that lists all the threads you have clicked "Watch" on. Then you just need to click on the one you want to read.

I hope this helps.

I read BYC on my PC so there may be a different system for mobile. Does anyone who uses mobile have some hints for The-White-Elephant?

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

WoW, Look at those legs!!!

Once her fluff came back in they looked a lot less long and lanky.

What breed?

Araucana. Our Aussie ones look rather different to the ones in the States.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

It’s a good day today! I passed the test, and just need to send in the paperwork to reinstate my PPL .
I’m headed home now to see my chickens (and tell them I have my wings again)

Great news Alex!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Primarily Solar which we will slowly expand into a more significant system, right now I’ve got 400watts, but the trailer is in deep shade most of the time, especially in winter. The house location was chosen specifically for its solar exposure, as well as being the worst pasture on the entire farm (literally just gravel, thistle, and clay). I’m going to do some very minimal mains type AC wiring to a 30 amp generator, for big appliances like vacuums, heaters, and the clothes washer, which could them be wired to an inverter once the solar system is big enough to support those sorts of loads.

Fridge and stove will be Repurposed from our RV, so propane. And we will have a big wood cook stove for primary heat and cooking fall through spring. Having the little propane stove will let us cook inside during summer without overheating the house. We will also do a propane on demand hot water heater for summer and a “water jacket” thermal siphon and standard hot water tank off of the wood stove… it will be a hybrid system that will evolve. Now I need to go take more tax pictures!

Wow, that sounds complicated but versatile. Thanks for the info Kris. I haven't even heard of some of these systems!

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Poppy is gone. I went out to let everyone loose this morning and while opening the door to the coop Poppy flew off the roost and crashed into the door. Thankfully it was quick and she was gone almost instantly although I'm shattered and been in tears all day.

Oh, I'm so sorry Rebecca, what a horrible shock for you. I would be crying too.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Were there any at all? I recall crops and maybe drainage but not chickens but my capacity to recall details like that can only be described as poor at best.

Zero is a number too....

(I haven't actually read "War and Peace" but from what I've heard it doesn't sound like a book that would have many chickens in it)

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Oh Bob… I am so sorry for your loss and the trauma to Hattie… and the whole tribe. Good to see Hattie starting to recover. They do get traumatized, and there’s a lot going on in those chicken brains and hearts that we don’t always fully know. She will eventually get back to herself more and more.

After the mink attack here, which occurred in their coop, I had to physically put almost all 60 of the survivors up the first three nights (after I repaired the door, trapped and shot the mink, and cleaned the coop thoroughly and put in fresh bedding). “Not safe there anymore” was the chicken consensus. Five girls persisted in attempting to roost anywhere as far from the coop as possible for almost two weeks. Trees, fences, under my trailer, you name it, anywhere but the site of the attack.

This is probably an indelicate question and you needn't answer it Kris, but how did the mink get in?
I am picturing the caravan coop in my mind and it seems like a metal and fiberglass fortress to me. I'm guessing, from what you said here and earlier, that Gus' weight damaged the door step somehow?

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

It cleared up and he was well on the mend, but the heatwave this summer, his Meat Bird Genetics, and a little additional stress from Sammy and their feud were too much for his heart. He put his girls to bed one night and then had a presumed heart attack (based on his comb).

So sorry Kris, he was a great bird and a dutiful rooster.