Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[RebeccaBoyd]

Sad news: The chick I tried so hard to save didn’t make it through the night. I am glad the wee thing was with mama. To much stress and perhaps something else was amiss I couldn’t see. I just don’t know.

I am sorry to hear this this morning. You gave it a chance and did the best you were able to do. Putting it back in with Brownie was also a wise decision. If it had made it and you had kept it isolated for a day or so Brownie probably would have rejected it when you tried to reintroduce it back to her. No matter what we do or how hard we try unfortunately some are just not going to make it. It hurts each time, and for me never gets easier. We just have to love the ones that do make it all the more.

 

[Ponypoor]

Thanks I'm frantically trying to sort this out.

I've just called to see if I can get a carpenter in. They are all busy and some too lazy to work.

The highest point of the roof should be dropping down
Five visits to this guy I explained that the drop should be on the door side

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Another thing is that board on the front and the sides, the roofing tar paper should be OVER that board, not under it - the water will run down between the board and the tar paper, and into the shed.

I would re-paper with that roofing tar paper and put it on the outside of those boards. Then put an eves trough under that edge on the front and the rear, run the down spouts away from your shed.

The way the roof slopes is the correct way, I have never seen a shed with the roof sloping down on the door side. You always want the water to run away from the place you want it dry.

What sort of floor is inside that shed? is it just bare ground? If so then I suggest putting in some paving bricks. Then you can use wood chips of shavings. You can get used pavers really easy I bet, and they don't have to match or be all the same colour because who cares! They will be under shavings. This is what I did in the Hen House, I used all the old pavers I had here and slapped them in there. You have a small shed so it should be relatively easy to get enough pavers and put then in easily. Do what I did, I put them in 2 or 3 bricks every day - I had a 10x10 foot area so it took me a bit of time.

The chickens are happy they can scratch around in the cracks between the bricks for bit of whatever they find.

 

[BY Bob]

It's grey and damp here today

But you do have a new king.

Royal tax

 

[BY Bob]

@Ponypoor @BY Bob or anyone that knows how to keep wet areas clean

I almost had too rehome my girls due to near on accidents and serious pain holding me back

One of my huge problems is their run! I use wood chips and thanks too the guy I paid an absolute fortune to putting their roof on the wrong way around, water floods in even though I've got guttering and a pipe set up.

This huge error has caused a hell of a lot of hard work and hundreds upon hundreds of pounds plus over these years. I even paid for work on this guttering and piping and it's still sodden with rain

What did you say about wet areas? I think you mentioned that wood chips doesn't work as well.
What would you use in wet areas?

I have to resolve this or cannot continue. I have to keep buying and pay for assistance continually. I'm desperately trying to keep them.

I can't help feeling annoyed with this man that ruined my keeping chickens and charging so much. I told him over and over again the hill I'm on and explained which way I needed this roof to tilt. But he couldn't be bothered too listen

I think @bgmathteach has the most experience with wet runs. I will let her respond. I personally have not had to deal with this situation.

 

[BY Bob]

Would pebbles be dangerous to my chickens in my chickens run?

Nope

 

[BY Bob]

Would pebbles be dangerous to my chickens in my chickens run?

I answered nope but they do need to be able to scratch around so not too big. Would you let them out so they can dust bathe or would you add a dust bathing box or similar?

 

[Ponypoor]

Where is the guttering? I didn’t see a gutter in your picture. An eaves trough is a type of gutter.

I am thinking she has a ditch of some sorts around the shed. But that is not going to work, she needs to actually have an eves trough and then backfill gravel up around the shed sides to make a SLOPE of gravel away from the shed.

Or have the shed built up on some cement blocks to raise it off the ground. It's a small shed so should be easy to do if she can find someone to help her out. Help is always the hardest thing I find..

Baring doing any of this then putting in about 4 to 6" of Pea Gravel inside the shed will raise the floor level - though paver bricks is still what I would use.

 

[Ponypoor]

Sad news: The chick I tried so hard to save didn’t make it through the night. I am glad the wee thing was with mama. To much stress and perhaps something else was amiss I couldn’t see. I just don’t know.

Awwww so sorry to hear this sad news. You are likely correct - there was likely something more wrong with the wee one.

 

[BY Bob]

New chick update

The eggs at my nieces school started hatching so I will likely have a few more chicks here by end of week. 1 hatches and 1 pipped so far.

And no broody to take them on - sheesh.

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News for this morning:

Reenie got loose and pooped everywhere and ate the layer ration from the feeders, need to get my office finished and love my feed back there - after I get the Summer House done for the gang.

There is an ill raccoon here, I noted it climbed up onto a fence post and didn’t move, I got within 8’ of the sucker and it looks like it has distemper or maybe rabies. Need to trap and get the Wildlife people out to take it away. AND time to renew rabies vaccine in the horses.

Lastly…. The tweens are growing up, when I released them they hopped up on the bins rim, and the Little Pecker puffed up and “le jeune coq fait Cocorico” !!! He is only 3.5 weeks old.

Will try to get video of this .

He is an over achiever for certain!

 

[BY Bob]

I came back from my trip to CT and since it was raining while we were on the interstate, it was also sunny too. So therefore, there was a rainbow three rainbows.
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You just had to be there, Grandma.
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Beautiful. I love rainbows.