Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[featherhead007]

Yes, someone said Barred Rock:

 

[BY Bob]

The integration of the Silkies went well. Our white hen is glad that the rooster can't jump or fly to the top roost like she does. Lol. Silky already found her sanctuary.

That's excellent news. Congratulations.

 

[Ribh]

The other really big difference is the Roosters. It is a very different flock dynamic when you have one rooster, even more so with multiples. For the most part the Boys here all roost together in the same coop, and the Mature roosters and hens raise the young cockerels. It changes their behaviour. I think because @Shadrach had the separate Roosting setups with one Rooster each his “tribe” separation was even more apparent than mine. It’s why I still use the term flock in referring to my overall free range group. I have the one big flock with multiple Roosters and separate core tribes, and some hens that move between those tribes, or are completely outside them. I still get the “racist chickens” issues where there is often more cohesion between physically similar groups, and groups that arrived/hatched out together.

Yep. I've still never done a rooster. I'm not sure my girls would thank me for introducing one either. They seem perfectly happy being independent single ladies with no qualms about being single mothers!

 

[BY Bob]

Yep. I've still never done a rooster. I'm not sure my girls would thank me for introducing one either. They seem perfectly happy being independent single ladies with no qualms about being single mothers!

They are modern women!

 

[micstrachan]

I got sucked into reading the reviews yesterday and found these inside photos for everyone wanting to know about the roosts.
Second photo shows a modification. Personally I would have put a board over the end to shelter the nest boxes.

YOU are amazing! Ok… now that I see the inside, it’s better than I thought. 100% agree nest boxes need a board over them. Easy fix.

 

[micstrachan]

You know, if you wanted side-by-side, you might be able to 'eliminate' the right side on one and the left side on the other and put them together that way, so one long 'coop' and a double-wide run? Depends on how they fasten together, but it might work. The modification you would have to do then is some sort of water barrier in the 'valley' where the 2 meet for the coop portion. (ice & water guard in the 'gully????)

THIS is EXACTLY what I am thinking!!! Except… I was thinking of a hole between the sides. Eliminating the wall altogether is a better solution. DH could figure it out. I think the roof might need trimming if they were that snug.

 

[micstrachan]

You could elevate this by placing the entire structure on old rail road ties. You could then place hardware cloth across the bottom to keep rats and other nasties out.

Brilliant! I wonder where one aquires on railroad tues? Or maybe cinderblocks could work?

 

[micstrachan]

I may have to pay shra on this, but I think it's a perfectly workable short term coop. My only question is will it provide enough headroom for you? Because it doesn't look roomy enough for me to move around freely, but perhaps I'm larger than you are.

And here's a pre-emptive shra contribution

View attachment 3012718

Yes, I think it’s tall, actually. Will confirm the dimensions.

 

[featherhead007]

Brilliant! I wonder where one aquires on railroad tues? Or maybe cinderblocks could work?

Google (Railroad ties near me)

 

[Kris5902]

(She’s still hurting my brain)

Make me do math in the morning and this is what happens!