Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

First snow...

For those who don't get much snow, the sidewalk has a skiff on it.

The deer found the yard too

And this is a dusting.

For the most part the birds aren't bothered by this. Horus didn't want to stand in it, so his flight to exit the coop involved brief touches to relaunch in a curving arc around the outside.

While there may not have been much physical reactions (Twirp came out and promptly hopped up on bricks and Horus and Kren headed into the carport for the crock pot water there), there was LOUD crowing and much grumbling.

 

[bgmathteach]

The babies are feathering nicely
Mercy the bossy one
View attachment 3314221View attachment 3314222Cinnamon and Nutmeg with Misty the grey shy oneView attachment 3314223View attachment 3314224She has no name yet but is very elusive. Maybe a Lucy!View attachment 3314225View attachment 3314226View attachment 3314227View attachment 3314228View attachment 3314229View attachment 3314230View attachment 3314231

ooohhhh one of those looks like a boy!!! Stance, legs.... might be just the angle of the pic, and a surprise shot, so curious....but.....

They are all adorable, though! Soon they will be in the glorious 'fugly stage'!

 

[ValarieF]

ooohhhh one of those looks like a boy!!! Stance, legs.... might be just the angle of the pic, and a surprise shot, so curious....but.....

They are all adorable, though! Soon they will be in the glorious 'fugly stage'!

which one looks like a boy

 

[bgmathteach]

Buckeyes de-Mite-ing Day Yesterday

Confined everyone to the Big Run, set up a stool and the spray bottle, thinking they would stand on the chair. Nope, ended up on my lap. Decided to do Peanut first, as she is top hen and if she ended up all funny-looking from wet ruffled feathers she would maybe not get any guff from the others. That was a good choice, as when she was done and I let her jump off my lap she did look different and Hazel The Enforcer immediately ran up to her and stared at her, stock still, neck all stretched out toward her. Hazel then decided all was well. Until I proceeded with her!

Found it went better to start with my fingers ruffling their hackle / back feathers to the skin and putting a tiny squirt there, while massaging and ruffling, than starting with the neck, it seemed more stressful on poor Peanut when I did her neck first. I held them with my forearm and ruffled with that hand reaching around them and squirted and ruffled with the other. Of course the mixed solution water was cool which I hadn’t thought about at first. Their skin is so warm it must be a shock. So I worked my way back, then did under their wings, then the vent area and lower fluff (most mites there) & some belly, then did their neck and finally stroked their wattles and cheeks and lobes and combs with a wetted cotton handkerchief, and by then they were more used to it all. I even had the feeling that the massaging felt good at times, especially around their fluffy rears. They still had the automatic reaction of moving the head away when I got back there to do the neck and head, but let me hold their head gently at first, and then held still by themselves, I think the regular gentle stroking helped.

Such good chickens, and it’s such an honor and a big responsibility to hold their trust like this. I feel terrible that with my health issues and getting the coop ready for winter I didn’t catch this earlier. Poor Peanut had two very red sores on either side of a small poop ball below her vent, and a lot of mites there. Broke up and removed the poop ball. I had looked at their vents before my surgery and I think the sores are new. Are the sores from the mites? I hope it’s not fly strike. I am going to gather her up again today and put some coconut oil or Vaseline on those spots. I hoped the permethrin solution did not sting, and she actually appeared to relax while I worked back there so I am guessing it didn’t.

They gathered in a quiet group together as each one was done, and started preening and ruffling. When everyone was done I let them out and they all immediately headed over to their dust bath holes and proceeded to dustbathe for at least a half-hour. Everyone was sleeping soundly when I checked the coop cam last night, and they seem okay today.

I’d like to put Saturday lime in those dusting areas and also where they hang out under the lilac bush, but I don’t want to put them off their favorite spots. Will UV light kill mites and eggs? Dust mites yes but chicken mites? So maybe it’s not necessary? I haven’t found definitive answers on that. What do you all know in that department?

Managed with a leaf rake to get the low six foot run litter mostly cleared up to the ground in a pile, and I could kneel with the operated leg not bent much at the hip, holding onto the inside run wire to help me move forward, and gather the litter into a plastic bag with my hands. Pilates coop cleaning basically! I had with me a Parmesan shaker plastic jar with the Saturday Lime and sprinkled it all over the ground. The three feet under the coop itself I got through the coop floor raking and then bending over to gather it, then it got soaked with the permethrin solution dripping down from the open coop surfaces when I sprayed them (ceiling, walls, rails & brackets). Then I sprinkled more Saturday Lime there too. That is a shady area under there.

From earlier this year
View attachment 3314209

That sounds like you did a very comprehensive job! I'm hoping you aren't paying for it today
[Hip: I'll get you back for all that hip yoga yesterday! See if this will learn 'ya!]

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Oh that’s an awesome setup. Very convenient! And handy that the doors open up fully - that’s great.

I wonder if that stuff you spray on horses with permethrin in it would work, not sure the concentration of it and might be too expensive though (anything with the word horse attached to it is automatically twice the cost of cattle stuff! ).

This is probably the same - Gordon’s, it’s described as a livestock treatment
https://www.gordonsusa.com/products/animal-insect-control/permethrin-10-livestock-premise-spray/

 

[bgmathteach]

which one looks like a boy

4th one up from bottom. Facing Right. Comb I'm unsure of, depends on breed, but otherwise, does.. and the one below him similar but slightly darker coloring(I think 2 separate shots of same one?) one pic legs look quite stout, other pic, not so much.

 

[bgmathteach]

This is probably the same - Gordon’s, it’s described as a livestock treatment
https://www.gordonsusa.com/products/animal-insect-control/permethrin-10-livestock-premise-spray/

That is what I used...seemed to work fine. Was a bit expensive, but when you consider how much it makes diluted properly, I felt it was quite reasonable.

 

[BY Bob]

Roof is Off

I've included some interesting shots of the layout inside that may be difficult to appreciate normally.

I also had a helper arrive. Things should go much quicker now.

Spoiler: My Helper

 

[BY Bob]

The Official Inspectors Have Arrived

 

[ChicoryBlue]

It's Coop Fixing Time

I obtained new plywood for the roof of the coop today. 2 sheets cost as much as all the materials I bought when I built the coop, sans the window. It is crazy what wood costs these days.

View attachment 3313892

I will be starting early tomorrow since i have to get the new roof in place in time for them to sleep and there is more involved than just replacing the roof.

First of all the birch tree is dying. The front fork has died completely this year and needs to come done. You can see a piece of it broken off but still hanging in the tree.

View attachment 3313893

This makes me very sad. I love that tree. On a good note, I think I have a replacement growing right next to it.

View attachment 3313894

Once I remove the current roof, I will remove the floor and bring in the ladder to cut down the dead portions of the tree. That is going to take some time.

I am also going to rework the roosts by splitting the main roosting bar into 2 sections. This will prevent any hen from "running the roost" and knocking everyone off of it.

I am going to reevaluate the ventilation in the coop as well just to make sure there isn't a better way to do it. I really don't remember what I did when I built it.

It's going to be a big day. Hopefully I can get it all done by dusk.

Birch trees are in the poplar family, and are not long-lived as a group. Nice little sapling there!

What about tying into the electrical ground? Or putting the ground in near the septic system drain field? Would an existing fence post work for a ground?

Most fence posts don't go deep enough, and are painted steel. Copper or copper coated steel rods are usually used for grounds for fencing because the copper is a much better conductor (hence why many electrical wires use copper for homes)

If you are close enough to tie into the House ground, I would *suspect* that would be fine. Most house ground rods are long/deep. That said, I am so not an electrician, so hoping someone else here could answer regarding the safety of that (? maybe @micstrachan hubby might know - not an electrician, but I believe he is a carpenter/house builder, so he might.) @Kris5902 has also said she has done a fair amount of research for her solar stuff. She might have an idea, too. You could probably also call someone like Premier fencing and they could answer this, I bet. Careful, though....you might be going 'a fowl (a foul)* of building codes here.

I suspect near the septic system is okay. Just keep the following in mind: most septic systems are in WELL DRAINED soil; if raised, fill is gravel for drainage; and need to be careful regarding rod placement -you don't want to hit a leeching line!

I can’t remember the details now but when I was researching setting up my electric fence I think I remember they said not to do that.
Also, you need to have the ground the same metal as the clips and wire you will connect to it. Otherwise you get the galvanic effect which erodes the metal.
I think house ground rods are copper whereas electric fence are galvanized steel. To avoid confusion I bought a kit from the electric fence people so I was sure I got the right thing.

@rural mouse RC’s information is what I found too - you’re not supposed to tie into the house ground or any other ground, and you shouldn’t ground near another ground either, in fact. I forget what it was, keep it 30 feet from any other ground? Also yes as @Ponypoor wrote? depending on the charge level and fence length you want at least one or more ground rods of a certain length. And yes, the metals touching each other have to be compatible when electricity runs through them or you will have corrosion and loss of charge and wasted materials. I bought the plug-in charger and ground rod (only needed one three foot steel rod for my soil and where I was placing it - on the perennially moist northern side of the barn) and connectors and wires and all the bits and pieces from Premier with their advice.