Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[drstratton]

I got the same one as Bob got. It is called Arlo. They are pricey but the system has given me so much joy I count it as multiple birthday presents to myself!
It is really intended for home security and I keep saying I will deploy one of the cameras on the front door for that purpose (one day!), but it is also great for chickens and wildlife.
It has a base station which connects to your home router, and then the cameras talk to the base-station, and then you can see it all via an app or by logging in on your computer. I am not at all tech savvy but I set it up myself. I have a wireless extender for my router in the garage and the base station plugs into that in the garage and that is probably 200 feet from the Chicken Palace.
I mainly use mine on my phone. It records video (motion triggered) and you can take still shots from your phone.

That sounds like a great system. Techie or not, sounds like you did a great job setting it up. My oldest son is the one that told my husband which camera to buy. We will run a cable from the house that will connect to the server my son put in. We just haven't had time to get it done yet!

 

[drstratton]

I use hemp in the poop tray only because of the price. I have been using aged tree-trimmer wood chips ("ramial chips") in addition to baled pine shavings in the run. I think I get a 33lb bag of hemp for $60 (it would be way less, at least half or more less, if I could buy it locally and cart it home, I think it is $20-$25?).

I like it, the chickens did NOT eat it much, which I was afraid of, after they inspected it when I put some down in their run. I think they found it boring. I am interested in composting all the litter and stuff but don't have long-term experience with hemp yet. I am told it composts faster than wood chips and is great that way. So I have a pile started since late Fall that is poop and only hemp and kitchen waste (that did not go to the red worms, my other "farm").

I have an earlier pile from July - Nov 2020 that is mostly poop and ramial wood chips which I will inspect for "doneness" once the snow cover goes. I expect it will need a month or maybe two of warm weather to be fully ready.

The chicken's run litter itself isn't composting much though it is breaking down into tinier bits because it's kept fairly dry throughout the winter with the tarps. That's ramial chips, some hemp, pine forest floor raked stuff, fall leaves, PDZ, wood ashes, and of course lots of chicken poop. So I expect to clean that out and make a pile with it and let it compost through the summer somewhere. Alternatively, it might be great for the perennial plants that need lots of mulch like the blueberry bushes and maybe could compost on them. I have to see about the potential nitrogen levels and what blueberries want.

Sorry for the long post! Chicken tax soon. Still have the video to deal with!

Thank you for the great information!

 

[RoyalChick]

That sounds like a great system. Techie or not, sounds like you did a great job setting it up. My oldest son is the one that told my husband which camera to buy. We will run a cable from the house that will connect to the server my son put in. We just haven't had time to get it done yet!

Sounds great. One thing to consider is dust. The cameras I have are well sealed but whenever I change the batteries they are completely coated in chicken-dust. I was worried about having the base station inside the Chicken Palace because of the dust. The signal would be stronger and I thought maybe I could seal it in a plastic bag or something like that. But in the end having the base station right at the edge of the garage seems to work out fine. Sometimes the cameras say the signal is low but it doesn't seem to stop them from working so I have stopped worrying about that.

 

[Marie2020]

Am I seeing pink on the white chicken? LOL.

That's a long story .

 

[Marie2020]

I'm not sure I can laugh at that.

I have no idea what EEs are are all
.

 

[Marie2020]

Like sands through the hourglass so are..........The Days of Our Nest Box.
[Cue music]

Starring
Hattie as Hope Brady
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Sydney as Abigail Deveraux
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Sansa as Sami Brady
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Aurora as Kristen DiMera
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Lilly as Alice Horton
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And our special guest star Phyllis as Erica Kane in a special 5 part crossover event!

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They all look like they are actually thinking. Just adorable

 

[drstratton]

Sounds great. One thing to consider is dust. The cameras I have are well sealed but whenever I change the batteries they are completely coated in chicken-dust. I was worried about having the base station inside the Chicken Palace because of the dust. The signal would be stronger and I thought maybe I could seal it in a plastic bag or something like that. But in the end having the base station right at the edge of the garage seems to work out fine. Sometimes the cameras say the signal is low but it doesn't seem to stop them from working so I have stopped worrying about that.

Thank you, that is good to know! My first camera is going to be mounted outside so that I get a view of the coop, enclosed pen & the rabbit hutches. My second one will be pointed so that I can see the whole free range pen. The 3rd will go into the coop! I should be able to keep good tabs on them that way!

Chicken tax! My boys!

Maximus

Roo 2

Marquis

Little Roo

 

[drstratton]

I have no idea what EEs are are all
.

Good morning Marie!

EE's or Easter Eggers are a cross bred chicken from Aracauna chickens. You never know what their color will be & their eggs can be blue, green & sometimes brown!

 

[cfonts]

Thank you @featherhead007 @fuentemoon @MaryJanet @RoyalChick @LozzyR @Marie2020 @Shadrach @BY Bob for your responses to my post!

@BY Bob I made it to page 518 so far, so I'm slowly catching up! I love that you were able to experience the wild chickens in Hawaii! What island did you visit?

@fuentemoon I loved hearing that your chicken journey started when you rescued a hen that slept on the hedge in front of your house and that she still follows you around 3 years later!

@Shadrach I definitely won't be posting about heritage breeds I wish I knew what breed the chickens are, but I'm sure since they're feral they are many different breeds!

Chickadee actually does have a mate! There's a neighborhood rooster that moved into my backyard shortly after Chickadee and I often spot them roaming around my yard together!

I haven't built a coop for the chickens in my backyard since they seem to like perching in the trees at night. I have thought about building them a coop, but I don't know if they'd be welcome to the idea.

 

[featherhead007]

Thank you @featherhead007 @fuentemoon @MaryJanet @RoyalChick @LozzyR @Marie2020 @Shadrach @BY Bob for your responses to my post!

@BY Bob I made it to page 518 so far, so I'm slowly catching up! I love that you were able to experience the wild chickens in Hawaii! What island did you visit?

@fuentemoon I loved hearing that your chicken journey started when you rescued a hen that slept on the hedge in front of your house and that she still follows you around 3 years later!

@Shadrach I definitely won't be posting about heritage breeds I wish I knew what breed the chickens are, but I'm sure since they're feral they are many different breeds!

Chickadee actually does have a mate! There's a neighborhood rooster that moved into my backyard shortly after Chickadee and I often spot them roaming around my yard together!
View attachment 2580777
I haven't built a coop for the chickens in my backyard since they seem to like perching in the trees at night. I have thought about building them a coop, but I don't know if they'd be welcome to the idea.

You could ask them? I heard Hawaiian chickens were pretty smart!