Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ChicoryBlue]

This picture came to mind! View attachment 3368867

Impenetrable castle! The Omlet coop itself is very secure, Fort Knox-like, I've seen pictures of trees fallen on it from storms and everybody still safe inside.

Hmmm, a moat would be great for keeping predators away. Except for otters...

PS There will absolutely be no cows, ducks or chickens catapulted over the ramparts of the castle here!

 

[GregnLety]

I would think that, living out in the country like I do, there would be many veterinarians who cater farm animals, surprisingly there isn’t many. Livestock is treated like investment property, not beloved pets. (But I’m still looking)!

I'd do a search for the nearest agriculture university

 

[Ponypoor]

I’m expected to be superhuman !

I always thought you were!

OK Superman Tax
View of the nestboxes - count of 4 - the rest are on the roosts above.

 

[Ponypoor]

My veterinarian gave up on my rooster too. She can’t find what’s wrong with him. And told me today that she won’t waste my money anymore.

Did you mention the hen to her? Hey how long has your girl had this on her? Did I ask this already? Sorry if I did.... been a hectic week (got a Big Wig here and he has all of us jumping around like a cat on a hot tin roof!).

 

[Ponypoor]

Jaffar is in here, to help me, because he always thinks outside the bawks!

Good one haha

 

[featherhead007]

I always thought you were!

OK Superman Tax
View of the nestboxes - count of 4 - the rest are on the roosts above.
View attachment 3368898

Are they migrating down?

 

[featherhead007]

Did you mention the hen to her? Hey how long has your girl had this on her? Did I ask this already? Sorry if I did.... been a hectic week (got a Big Wig here and he has all of us jumping around like a cat on a hot tin roof!).

Found her like that, when I returned from Colorado.

 

[Ponypoor]

Coop Porch Project

Here's what they have now, to go into the coop they go either up the ladder or jump up to the perch and awkwardly walk over and up a bit to the pop door. By the way - you can also see the ventilation devices mentioned before that keep condensation down in this little run when the tarp is covering the run part so completely.
View attachment 3368766

So my idea has been to put two or more 2x2 boards across and into the welded wire on each side, the way the existing perch wedges into it on the right. Then put a piece of 1/2" plywood about 27" deep on top. (The run is about 36" wide at that height.) The ladder would then come forward. The ladder rails are pipes and turn down and usually hook into two vertical pipes attached to the coop. You can see the vertical pipes behind the wood crosspieces placed here as a test. The plywood would rest on those pipes and help with edge support there.
View attachment 3368767

I cross-sawed and then split with a chisel to make the thinner ends of the wood to fit into the welded wire rectangles. I made the boards too long here in this picture, I took them out and cut off 3/4" on each end and need to test it again. They are pushing the hardware cloth and tarp out too much. I wonder if I should make a little notch in each underside to stop it sliding side to side? I don't think they will fall but it would be a fail-safe.
Now that this might be a real hangout spot year-round (the existing perch is too small for the grown birds, only once is a while does anyone hang out on it) I have more hardware cloth to run up the sides and over the top. Need to do that before proceeding much further. The electric fence is down and I worry about predators.
View attachment 3368775

Here's what I need to figure out now:

1) How far apart from each other the crosspieces need to be to support a piece of regular 1/2" plywood 36" wide and 27" deep. (We happen to have a good piece of ply 6' x 27" that's why it's 27" to start. I also have many 2x2's left over from the Big Run roof job that morphed into using larger wood.) In the test above the back crosspiece could be further from the far end, yes, or no? I can make a third crosspiece if necessary.

and

2(a) Whether to place a crosspiece right at the front edge of everything and hook the ladder first through the 1/2" plywood (with two round holes made in it) and then over the crosspiece like this picture below (small piece of 3/4" wood standing in for 1/2" plywood thickness). I'm inclined to do this but I don't know exactly why.

(For anyone familiar with Omlet, I've removed the ladder rail catch wires from the ladder top end caps - these are wires that hook under those vertical coop pipes - and replaced the end caps without them. I think they are useful only when moving the coop tractor so the ladder doesn't come unhooked from the coop with a bump. But my ground is so gnarly I usually removed the whole ladder anyway).
View attachment 3368779
View attachment 3368780

Or,

2(b) I could have the cross piece not at the edge of the plywood but have the crosspiece further back / plywood sticking further forward from it, and have the ladder just set in holes near the plywood edge without a crosspiece under it. I suspect 1/2" ply will hold it, DH thinks so as there's not much consistent weight on it (and the ladder bottom sets on the litter, I could put wood or a brick under it too). There could likely be two chickens on the ladder and one or more on the porch during any roosting shenanigans.

Here I've put the ladder against the crosspiece to hold it and demonstrate the idea but it wouldn't be there, it would be forward of the crosspiece and just through the plywood.
View attachment 3368781

What do you all think?

Option A - I am always paranoid of legs getting caught in small spaces - whether it's horses or chickens!

 

[Ponypoor]

Probably not a profit thing, Probably a lack of poultry knowledge. Our vets charge dearly but they are knowledgeable. At least yours isn't taking your money for a service they can't provide and they seem to be honest about it. We have spent hundreds on a 30 dollar hen but we wanted the best care. If you look long enough you'll find a vet knowledgeable about poultry.

Find a Veterinarian who also has a farm and has their own poultry. Mine has her own horses, cattle and poultry, so I feel comfortable that I can send my chooks to her. Of course she charges a fortune!

 

[Ponypoor]

Are they migrating down?

Only Marty who seems to want to launch herself into the dark abyss at night to go lay an egg - it looks light in there but trust me it's pitch black- that light is the InfraRed lights on the cameras. Looks bright doesn't it!

It always freaks me out when Marty does that....