Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Chicken Palace is correct. That is an astonishing coop and run. Just amazing. I can't wait for it to be finished either!

I agree. I’m hanging out for a virtual tour.

OMG YALL I ALSO HAVE TO SAY I TALKED TO MY UNCLE!!! HE TALKED WITH ME! boy did i cry and his prognosis is still 'ticking time bomb' But hes Fighting! Hes actually out of ICU!

What great news!

 

[LozzyR]

Ask and you shall receive!
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Gorgeous! We had a Cornish Rex for a couple of years when I was a kid, his name was Baxter and he was beautiful.

 

[LozzyR]

IT MIGHT BE MY TURN FOR NEW GIRLS NEXT... WATCH THIS SPACE...

 

[BY Bob]

Yes I did, so that’s awesome! They also pecked at my shoes.

Then it counts!

 

[BY Bob]

Is he talking about Leghorns?

Let's be careful now. BY Bob is married to an italian lady for 32 years and I wouldn't change her one bit.

Neither would I change my leghorn's personalities!!

 

[BY Bob]

She will be helping Grandpa Bob to collect eggs and round up chooks in no time!

I can't wait until she gets to touch them for the first time. She met them at the backdoor but has never touched.

 

[BY Bob]

IT MIGHT BE MY TURN FOR NEW GIRLS NEXT... WATCH THIS SPACE...

Forget hatchalongs we have Pullet-a-Longs over here with Integration Parties!

 

[BY Bob]

Integration Strategy

As @Ribh prepares to integrate her flock, I have started laying out my strategy as well. I thought I would share my "plan" as its stands right now. I am a pretty conservative integrator preferring to use space to my advantage as much as I can.

Considerations Before I Start

• Reliable Roosting: I need to know that the littles are going to roost in their house at night to start with. I need a good 7 days of the same thing happens every night.
• Limited Wife Involvement: I need to know that I am not counting on her for more than closing the door at night and feeding/watering. Anything more can and has gone horribly wrong.
• Big Coop is Ready: Before I close off the old prefab all adjustments in the Big Coop have to be done and the originals given a week to adjust to them.
• The Weather: This must always be a consideration. Any blizzards or bitter cold on the way?

So for now we have gotten 2 nights of good roosting. Assuming they complete the week, I can look to start everything this weekend. That is also when my personal mark of the 2 week partial Quarantine comes to an end. So what will I do starting this weekend?

Phase 1
In this phase I allow the flocks to free range together. I will let the big girls out as usual and then with about 2 hours of daylight left, I will let the newbies out with them. I will open the big run up fully so there are no dead ends. The big benefit of this is all the space it gives them to get away. The first thing that happens is the big ones go into the big run because it is theirs and they want it back. They will eat the littles food, explore their house, etc. The good news is that the littles will be busily exploring the yard at the same time.

I will place a lantern in the prefab coop so that the littles can find it at dusk as they can get lost out in the yard sometimes. I do not want any roosting elsewhere.

While this is going on I plan to make changes to the roost situation in the big coop. This will allow burn in time with the older hens on any changes I make in the big coop.

Phase 2
Phase 1 will continue at least a week with me letting the littles out earlier and earlier each day so that more yard time is shared. Based upon how they flocks interact, I will look to time out phase 2 which is placement into the Big Coop.

I will stress test the free ranging with treats to see how they interact when brought together.

There is no definitive time frame to move to this next step. Their behavior will tell me when they are ready.

Once they are combining without a lot of pecking while free ranging, I will start to move the littles at night from roosts in the prefab to roosts in the Big Coop. I will do this for a few nights and then I will close off the prefab. I must be home at this point. This becomes the hardest and saddest part of the integration.

The littles will stand at the door to the prefab at night the first few nights and cry to be let in. I will place a lantern in the Big Coop to draw them to where they are supposed to be roosting. Sometimes hearding is required. What is definately required is that I be a flock defender during this time period and be absolutely certain that they get safely roosted within the coop each night. This can take several days.

Phrase 3
Here I remove the prefab from the Big Run and lock them into the complex together with no free ranging. Now I can see if I need to make any adjustments inside the runs or coop beyond what I have already done. Most of this is done by camera so I get true observations of their behavior. It also really brings the flock together and enforces one place to sleep together.

This could all take as long as a month. Fortunately I have no need to rush the process and of course I am praying that the weather holds the whole time. There are no guarantees of that this time of year. All I need is one snow storm to take my free range away from me and this gets a lot more complicated.

 

[mixedUPturk]

Haha! Yes, of course I know LA is a state, but people also say South LA for southern Los Angeles. LOL! Anyway, I got so excired, I jumped to conclusions. I can’t wait to see photos of your blue laced reds! I have one, and she’s adorable, but she’s hatchery stock. Her name is Lucky for her rainbow colored feathers.

yes of course i know you knew that but its not the first time its been mistaken lol. I guess ill have to change it, i thought L.a. was the abbreviation for the city and i had specified the state but ill spell it out to stop furthire confusion.

Regardless you know that i am an NPIP breeder right? When i get recertified around may i want to add the AI test to it and that would be all i need to send you hatching eggs you didnt hear it here when your hubby finds out

Lucky is a wonderful name for a BLRW!

Here we go! Both together.
Wrold is the darker bird. She seems a little shyer.
Alpia is more adventurous.
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Woooow! That double penciling takes me breath away!! I will really enjoy watching those girls with you ❤❤❤

I think I'm going to post a few pictures of humans. Perhaps we could all come to an agreement on a SOP for them and get on with a breeding program.
I keep telling the chickens here they don't meet any standards. They give me one of those looks, deposit a pile of shite at my feet and go off muttering that that Bucket Boy could do with some cosmetic improvements.

yep yep humans deserve an SOP, oh wait, isnt that what Hitler was after?

To each his own dear friend, you know these birds are treated well and thats all that really matters. Even though i do like for all my birds to look the same and that may be crazy to other Bet youll be very quick to congratulate me if i bring home a blue ribbon though.

 

[mixedUPturk]

Hey Shad check it out! Remember a good yr ago or so i told you we are making a difference educating people on getting away from mass production sources?

https://www.statista.com/statistics/195823/total-number-of-laying-hens-in-the-us-since-2000/
Really man, statistically making a difference in millions of peoples' and birds' lives.

This getting away from mass production is the foundation of why i am a real deal state certified chicken breeder. Then if i can get a bird to win a show? I can double my prices and logistically spend my whole life working with birds and educating people while being able to help provide for my family.