Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Aussie-Chookmum]

They are kind of like identical triplets, and even though we love them and have really enjoyed our first step into keeping chickens, I'm determined that our next flock will be be more varied.

Yep, I got different breeds mainly so I could tell the eggs apart and I could tell who was laying. It has the added bonus of being able to tell the girls apart too.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Hattie found a weak spot in the grass

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She fixed it for me.

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She's preparing for grass seed for you Bob

Chicken Palace Tour: The servants' quarters (long post with lots of pics)
The main servant of course is me.
The basic set-up of the Palace is a coop at the top of the hill and then two covered runs stepping down the hill.

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The servants' quarters are where I can store feed and egg cartons and medicine and all my 'chicken-kit'. Naturally, I enter through the servants' entrance. The servants' entrance, like all the doors and windows, were a great salvage find and is why the thing is so big because it needed to accommodate full size people-doors - I was worried at first about that but now am very happy because it makes it so light and airy.

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Hopefully one day the servants' entrance will have a proper step - but for now the cement block works fine. For those worried about ventilation, note the hardware cloth covering the whole of the gable end as well as the soffits.

Coming in through the servants' entrance on the left is the kitchen cabinet which has the nesting boxes (I shared a few posts ago) as well as my chicken jail/hospital/brooder box (which can also just be storage when not in use). It doesn't have its doors on yet.


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At this point Diana is wondering why I am standing in the servants' quarters and not doing anything for her.
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At the other end of the servants' quarters is a door into the main part of the coop (so the servant can serve lunch of course!). It is another salvaged door where we cut out the panels and replaced by wire so I can see through into the coop. It doesn't really need that fancy vinyl 1/2" hardware cloth but it looks smart and we had plenty of scraps left over from the runs.

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And on the other side of the servants quarters is storage - I am hoping to rig up a water system to harvest rain water off the roof so some of the space will be taken up by a water barrel. The heater is not for the coop - it is for the people who are working to build the coop on some very cold days - it can come out soon. And above the storage is more ventilation into covered run #1.View attachment 2045221View attachment 2045222

And now the other princesses have joined Diana in demanding to know what I am doing just standing around in the servants' quarters. So time to stop now and go play with the chickens.

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@BY Bob - I am so sorry. I seem to have taken over your thread. I should have posted all this to a different thread and just posted a link here. I wasn't thinking it would get so long when I started! I will see if I can figure out how to do that for the next part of the Chicken Palace tour.

Love it! Any chance of a floor plan? ( I know, I'm demanding )

You could have your own Palace Tour thread!

Final Integration: Self Roosting

Tonight I blocked off their access to the prefab coop. Needless to say they were distraught.

Phyllis was the first one to check out the porch.
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But she did not go in. She left the porch.

This is more complicated than my previou
s integrations ast this point. My Big Girls have always roosted first. This left plenty of time for them to settle before the new hens found their way in later. This helped tip limit pecking as they settled in when it was darker.

My problem now is that Aurora, Queen of the Peck, is a late night bird. She goes in very late.

Back to tonight.

The littles were all on the other side of the complex at the big run door crying to be let in. I tried to get them to follow me to the other side but they would not. Then I got lucky.

Aurora showed up. The fled from my little T Rex not wanting to be pecked. Sansa and Phyllis went the way i wanted them to, Sydney ran to the garden. So i headed to the other side to take advantage of Sansa and Phyllis arriving on the correct side.

Sansa was easy. I directed her onto the porch without having to pick her up and in she went. She roosted on same spot from the last couple of nights. Easy Peasy.

Phyllis would look in but would not go in. I kept turning her back on the porch, she kept looking in and then trying to get off the porch.

I turn her, she looks, comes back.

I turn her, she looks, comes back.

I turn her, she looks, comes back.

again and again.

Finally I am not sure how, she is roosted on my arm. I pull my arm out and there she is looking at me.

While i am trying to figoure out what to do, of all things, Aurora scoots by and into the coop.

Phyllis eventually flies off of my arm and onto the top of the porch. At this point I'm like OK, I will deal with you later and I head back to the other side to get Sydney.

Sydney is standing in front of the door to the big run crying. She let's me pick her up. I walk her to the porch and in she goes. Simple.

I had the coop cam running on my phone and she went in, up onto Hattie's step, onto the main roost bar and right up to the high roost i have been putting her and Phyllis on all without Aurora ever noticing as she was at the feeder topping off.

Phyllis sees her friend go in and goes into the coop on her own after her. I immediately close the automated door. Now that they are in, they are not getting out.

As i watch on the camera Phyllis can't decide what to do. Aurora roosts so she is no direct threat but Phyllis starts wandering around the coop and the Bigs peck at her head as she walks by. Finally she gets up on Hattie's step. All she has to do is step onto the main roost next to Sansa and either fly up to Sydney or sit down and roost there. But no she gets down and goes over to roost right next to Aurora!

This is too much fun for Aurora. She is full on pecking at her trying to knock her off the roost. Finally Phyllis gets the hint and moves to the main roost and runs down to Sansa and roosts there.

The drama is over and everyone is ready to sleep. Here are the final roosting positions.

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Everytime I do this it tugs at my heart strings. We will all get through it but its hard. Just a couple of more nights to go.

It is hard Bob.

Tsuki tends to roost first and pecks at anyone who comes through the door. There ends up being a traffic jam of the younger ones on the ramp too afraid to go in ☹

 

[RoyalChick]

You will. Give it time. Watch them roost more on ther camera. You will see it.

I have definitely been watching roosting on the camera. Maggie always gets the favorite spot up against the wall. And she gets it every night - but not by asserting authority, simply by going to bed earlier than everyone else. She goes quiet early and sits and watches the view through the window.
Here is what happens when Diana clearly wants the end spot. She doesn't have a chance!

And here is how they end up.

 

[LozzyR]

There is I believe but I use the UK one.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Chick...words=This+chicken+life&qid=1583663698&sr=8-1

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

Never mind. You are in good company ~ mine! I'm allergic to everything! Now I just say I prefer the natural look.

I only wear makeup if I'm "dressing up". Say, for a wedding. Sometimes not even then.

Men don't usually wear make up. Why should we? A face is a face.

 

[LozzyR]

They are so sweet.

What's the time line for integration looking like Loz?

We’ve got one more week of quarantine, then I will start the integration. There will be supervised free-ranging and the newbies will still sleep in the tractor for another week. Then they can go in the new hen-house and the big girls will go in the old one.

I will, of course, provide photos and video. And I won’t be traumatised like I was last time.

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

They are still alive.
With broody hens, there comes a point where the hen stops full time care of the chicks and they are left to fend for themselves. This point often coincides with restarting the egg laying cycle. Both Knock and Bracket have reached this point. Some hens will still keep the chicks warm at night and share food with them, but they stop calling them for food and they stop callinng the chicks to follow. Reaching this stage is a relief in one way because the hens won't die defending the chicks in the event of a predator attack. On the other hand this is the most vulnerable stage for the chicks. I find it quite heartbreaking to watch. One day mum is there for them every minute of the day and night, the next she's gone. For a few days the chicks stick together close to the feed areas and make heartbreaking calls for mum. Next they attempt to follow the tribe. Of course, now they are at the very bottom of the pecking order in every respect. They have to compete for food, get bossed about during the day and are last to be let into the coop to roost. There is some leeway with regard to the now small pullets and cockerels personality as to how they fare at this stage. Brackets chicks and in general all the bantam chicks learn to follow the tribe quite quickly. The mixed breeds can be a bit here and there.

This is very interesting Shad.

About what age are they now?

 

[Aussie-Chookmum]

We’ve got one more week of quarantine, then I will start the integration. There will be supervised free-ranging and the newbies will still sleep in the tractor for another week. Then they can go in the new hen-house and the big girls will go in the old one.

I will, of course, provide photos and video. And I won’t be traumatised like I was last time.

Sounds like a well thought out plan

I have faith in you Lozzy! You can do it!

 

[LozzyR]

Sounds like a well thought out plan

I have faith in you Lozzy! You can do it!

Thanks ACM! I did it once; I can do it again.

 

[LozzyR]

I have definitely been watching roosting on the camera. Maggie always gets the favorite spot up against the wall. And she gets it every night - but not by asserting authority, simply by going to bed earlier than everyone else. She goes quiet early and sits and watches the view through the window.
Here is what happens when Diana clearly wants the end spot. She doesn't have a chance!

And here is how they end up.
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I was waiting for Diana to step over Maggie!