Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

When they free range, EVERYONE is together. When they are in the pens, I have 1 large run and 2 smaller runs. The 2 smaller runs have 11 each (well, one has 10 at the moment because the WR is in the broody tractor). Of the two smaller pens/runs, one has one boy, the other has 2 roos. The large primary pen has 6 roos - including him. I had made 2 broody/breeding pens within the main run, but life has gotten away from me at the moment, and I am not set up atm to incubate....so I haven't tried to separate them out. And, then I only have a duplex breeding pen...I want to make more mobile breeding/broody tractors, but have way to much other stuff that is more important to do first...like finish my goose hut, and build that additional coop I had a while ago asked about thoughts on the general set-up of roosts and venting...and extend the current pen and replace all of the pen/run walls with 4X4 posts and 8' high fencing...and then build a duplex (up & down) duck & hen house. Then clear a lot of brush and some trees, and put in my fencing like Bob's garden fence...and plant windrows both sides of it with things like high-bush blueberries, pea tree shrubs, etc, etc. Then, of course clear out (some trees, but also a LOT of bittersweet and red/staghorn sumac that has taken over long before we bought the place) so we can start planting an orchard.....yada yada, yada, But, right now - I am just going out to clean out the coops, and maybe get a bit done on my goose-hut!

big plans - it just takes forever to bring them to fruition!

Tax for my monolog:

Hey mom - are you gonna help clean us up? You got us all dirty with the 'dunking in the oil' stuff to make sure we don't have leg mites. I could have told ya we were fine...but no......gotta make us filthy - then take a picture!

P.S.: See the fan like @RoyalChick 's? put it there before going to work, was still running (had on medium) at lock-up time - so more than 12 hours. Not a huge breeze - but was enough to have air movement - and while it was hot, it wasn't a real killer of a day like we will get in July/Aug. Then I will put the bigger fan there and put the little one in a coop.

 

[Ponypoor]

Lhicken seems a bit better today. She is in the Outside area, the place where chickens go to recover from things. Tomatilla is there as well because she gets bullied so bad she can't lay her egg and I like one blue egg each day, right? She still doesn't look like she's out of the woods yet.

I thought Tomatilla was going broody? Last I read.... did I miss something?

 

[Ponypoor]

When they free range, EVERYONE is together. When they are in teh pens, I have 1 large run and 2 smaller runs. The 2 smaller runs have 11 each (well, one has 10 at the moment because the WR is in the broody tractor). Of the two smaller pens/runs, one has one boy, the other has 2 roos. The large primary pen has 6 roos - including him. I had made 2 broody/breeding pens within the main run, but life has gotten away from me at the moment, and I am not set up atm to incubate....so I haven't tried to separate them out. And, then I only have a duplex breeding pen...I want to make more mobile breeding/broody tractors, but have way to much other stuff that is more important to do first...like finish my goose hut, and build that additional coop I had a while ago asked about thoughts on the general set-up of roosts and venting...and extend the current pen and replace all of the pen/run walls with 4X4 posts and *' high fencing...and then build a duplex (up & down) duck & hen house. Then clear a lot of brush and some trees, and put in my fencing like Bob's garden fence...and plant windrows both sides of it with things like high-bush blueberries, pea tree shrubs, etc, etc. Then, of course clear out (some trees, but also a LOT of bittersweet and red/staghorn sumac that has taken over long before we bought the place) so we can start planting an orchard.....yada yada, yada, But, right now - I am just going out to clean out the coops, and maybe get a bit done on my goose-hut!

big plans - it just takes forever to bring them to fruition!

You are a busy lady

I remember you asking for input on the Goose house - have any of the geese gone broody?

 

[LhickenChicken]

GASP (and some swear words...)

Yep dinner for sure! Chickens what on earth?? Sometimes I wonder at their little brains.
So sorry about the eggs and chicks

When are the rest of the eggs due to hatch?

That rooster must be a supreme class of Bird Brain, unlike any other Bird Brains on earth.

 

[LhickenChicken]

I thought Tomatilla was going broody? Last I read.... did I miss something?

Yes, she is broody. But before she was laying eggs. Forgot to mention that...

 

[bgmathteach]

You are a busy lady

I remember you asking for input on the Goose house - have any of the geese gone broody?

No, that input was for another chicken coop. The goose house bumped that back a bit..plus I was trying logistically/design wise how to incorporate some of the suggestions. No, the goose hasn't gone broody. Not sure if it is because she won't, or because I keep taking the eggs. The geese sleep under one of the coops, which has 2x3 wire on the bottom...so rats can get in, so I won't leave the eggs there to help induce her - hence the 'goose coop' build.

This is the progress so far: Hopefully today I will have time to put up the already cut and varnished rafters and can then put fencing on the open top part. Then to cut and build the front with doors. Then cut the last piece of backed plywood for the portion of roof not yet decked...:

I had just shooed out my 'inspectors', and have to scrub the side walls again, as the chooks felt they should be christened...and I need to put one more final coat of urethane on it once it is all screwed together so the wood doesn't absorb H20 where the screws are. The 4X4 uprights, base/floor of coop (5/8" plywood) and a couple of the longer boards I bought for this, everything else was free (wood-wise) I will be putting metal roofing on when finished (I will be buying that, too, 12' cut in half to 6' each. The coop proper is 4' deep X 75" long (needed that specific length due to the length of the longest piece of backed plywood (back side of hut). I wanted the goose house as big as possible, but still able to use the free (thin - 1/4 inch) backed plywood for the sides. I used 2 of the backed pieces back to back so there is the thin plywood on both the inside and the outside, these (together) are the exact width of a 2X3 on it's side - which is what is topping the walls. I have the one for the back cut and urethaned it Friday eve after work, but it wasn't dry yet yesterday, due to high humidity (sprinkles off and on Friday eve and Sat. morning through mid-day)

Okay, I probably owe another tax payment:

'Friend' to the Buff Orp.:
Hey, you are going the wrong way - you are supposed to ESCAPE over the fence, not put yourself back in!

 

[rural mouse]

How is he liking the service?

Well, he's matured very well. He's also well liked by his chiefs and CO. He was put up for Blue Jacket of the Quarter (supervisors have to submit names: based upon work ethic mostly, we think, those names go before a board, answer questions) and won it. They wanted to put him in again for the following quarter, but apparently you can't be in for more than 1 quarter a year. It does put him in for same title for the year. Probably bigger/higher ranked board for that, but don't really know. Basically it's like Employee of the Quarter, and goes on his permanent record. He's a good kid (no longer a kid) and the whole family is delighted he's doing so well. He has several more years before he can re-inlist or get out. Whe he decides to do then is something he has to decide, probably closer to then. He does know the whole family will support whatever decision he makes on that, too.

 

[rural mouse]

GASP (and some swear words...)

Yep dinner for sure! Chickens what on earth?? Sometimes I wonder at their little brains.
So sorry about the eggs and chicks

When are the rest of the eggs due to hatch?

She's got about a dozen that hatched (assorted nests) over the course of the past week. Doesn't think any more will hatch (more like hopes no more do). This puts her total number of babies (excluding the meat birds) at @ 20, way more than she was expecting this year.

I haven't had anyone turn up broody, yet, but I've had them wait until July to do so.

 

[rural mouse]

You've got Cornish Crosses as well? You'll find they have a very high mortality rate... I lost at least six, maybe more.

The in-laws did. I'm not in a position to do that. At some point, I would like to start breeding most of our chicken, but that's not in the close future unless unexpected changes occur.

 

[Ponypoor]

When they free range, EVERYONE is together. When they are in the pens, I have 1 large run and 2 smaller runs. The 2 smaller runs have 11 each (well, one has 10 at the moment because the WR is in the broody tractor). Of the two smaller pens/runs, one has one boy, the other has 2 roos. The large primary pen has 6 roos - including him. I had made 2 broody/breeding pens within the main run, but life has gotten away from me at the moment, and I am not set up atm to incubate....so I haven't tried to separate them out. And, then I only have a duplex breeding pen...I want to make more mobile breeding/broody tractors, but have way to much other stuff that is more important to do first...like finish my goose hut, and build that additional coop I had a while ago asked about thoughts on the general set-up of roosts and venting...and extend the current pen and replace all of the pen/run walls with 4X4 posts and 8' high fencing...and then build a duplex (up & down) duck & hen house. Then clear a lot of brush and some trees, and put in my fencing like Bob's garden fence...and plant windrows both sides of it with things like high-bush blueberries, pea tree shrubs, etc, etc. Then, of course clear out (some trees, but also a LOT of bittersweet and red/staghorn sumac that has taken over long before we bought the place) so we can start planting an orchard.....yada yada, yada, But, right now - I am just going out to clean out the coops, and maybe get a bit done on my goose-hut!

big plans - it just takes forever to bring them to fruition!

Tax for my monolog:
View attachment 3537685

Hey mom - are you gonna help clean us up? You got us all dirty with the 'dunking in the oil' stuff to make sure we don't have leg mites. I could have told ya we were fine...but no......gotta make us filthy - then take a picture!

P.S.: See the fan like @RoyalChick 's? put it there before going to work, was still running (had on medium) at lock-up time - so more than 12 hours. Not a huge breeze - but was enough to have air movement - and while it was hot, it wasn't a real killer of a day like we will get in July/Aug. Then I will put the bigger fan there and put the little one in a coop.

I checked Henny Penny's legs yesterday for any critters or anything funky (I was trimming back her curled Silkie-toe nailes. I didn't see anything and they all looked fine. Should I be overly worried with those hairy legs?

I am more worried about ticks, not sure if a chicken will be able to get any off their head/neck area.