Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Have been trying to get run litter materials piled in before the rain. Managed to get a couple of fluffy butts inspecting and helping with the latest loads!
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One is taking a little break for a snack...started training them on the treadle feeder, going well, but they are barely heavy enough and I'm making adjustments to the feeders. So they've got dual systems going for the time being.
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Wow great job there that is a wonderful playground for them

I guess my wee chooks wouldn’t be able to use the treadle feeder then, most of mine are so small.

 

[RoyalChick]

Well my fencer has a positive and negative terminal, the positive leads to the actual fence, the negative terminal leads to a grounding rod that is at least 8’ deep in the ground.

If you can’t get the rod down deep enough then 2 or three rods can be used in a daisy chain.

I can attest to getting a lifter off of that fence more than once and it was not fun! But wearing rubber boots will insulate you from getting a zap. In which case I don’t suggest grabbing the wire fence and the electric fence at the same time

Yes. Mine too. But to complete the circuit and get shocked the animal must touch the ground and the live wire. Song birds can perch happily on the live wire because they are not touching the ground so they don't get shocked.
If you have a live wire up on top of a fence the animal might get a shock if the fence material acts as a conductor - but most likely it will be like the song bird and not get shocked because its feet are off the ground.
The solve for this problem is what is called a posi-neg fence where there are two wires and as long as the animal touches both at the same time they will get shocked. A strip of chicken wire near the top of the fence could act as the ground wire so there is a big area. It should be connected to the negative terminal like the ground rod is.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Okay, a few things. I am sick with strep throat so that’s why I wasn’t on here for a few days.

Willow hasn’t dumped her chicks, and they are around 10 weeks old.

I think Opal might be a Biefelder. She was supposed to be an EE, but I’m not sure. Her coloring is IDENTICAL to that of a Biefelder. She also looks like a Welsummer I think. Any thoughts on that? Whatever she is, she is super pretty.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

It was all hands on deck today.
I cleared out one of my in-ground garden beds and piled a big ole mound of straw, fall leaves, mulch, weeds, and loads of fresh chicken poop from the coop’s poo boards right in the middle of it. The composting team expertly mixed, shredded, and spread the contents to all four corners of the bed.

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(I piled it back into a mound once they clocked out for the day )

I think that I was out when you joined us at FBA, so I didn’t welcome you. Welcome to FBA! I love your chooks, they are so pretty

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Wow wow wow! They have so much room, the ground is still green What lucky chooks!! Your enclosure is super impressive and well thought out. I’m sure they appreciate that you even managed to hug in some trees for them.
If I had that sort of space, chicken math would have bitten me bad.

Do you still get birds of prey taking swipes at them, or is the aviary netting enough that they don’t bother?

So here I’m living the city life- our lot is considered “Over sized” at 50’ wide and just a fraction of an acre. It’s also steep and terraced, so requires three sets of stairs to get from one end to the other. I mean we’re lucky we have as much space as we do, buuuuut… my, wouldn’t having a whole (less steep) acre or two be nice. I would fill it with chickens!

I wouldn’t say it’s well thought out, more like evolved, adapted over time with lots of research looking at others’ setups, and unfortunately with horrible experience. We haven’t had any attacks (that I know of) since I secured the aviary netting to the ground. I had an attack on two hens, with one death, when I had put up the netting like a canopy over part of the area, and the Red Tail merely went to one side and got under it.

I’ve read about hawks and owls that will just land on a post or frame holding up netting and look to get in, looking for gaps, but we haven’t had that either. They have landed high up on branches of nearby trees to watch, which I’ve eventually seen long after the chickens warn and freeze, but not lately, the resident killer (probably juvenile) Red Tail moved on, and the Coopers mostly hunt elsewhere. But they all soar overhead, which I see, and something flies by through the woods (probably the resident Coopers) next to this open area, the chickens see it and warn, but it I haven’t seen it.

You know, you (and @BY Bob) have it much harder being in a city /suburban environment, where fear of humans is often reduced or gone. There’s lots of non-chicken prey with little daytime competition there. If you go back in this thread you’ll see that just being outside with them while they’re unprotected has not always been enough to deter an attack by a hungry aerial predator. Bob hasn’t reported lately on it but he used to go out with a powerful nerf-type gun so he could drive one away from across the yard if he had to.

 

[Ponypoor]

Yes. Mine too. But to complete the circuit and get shocked the animal must touch the ground and the live wire. Song birds can perch happily on the live wire because they are not touching the ground so they don't get shocked.
If you have a live wire up on top of a fence the animal might get a shock if the fence material acts as a conductor - but most likely it will be like the song bird and not get shocked because its feet are off the ground.
The solve for this problem is what is called a posi-neg fence where there are two wires and as long as the animal touches both at the same time they will get shocked. A strip of chicken wire near the top of the fence could act as the ground wire so there is a big area. It should be connected to the negative terminal like the ground rod is.

Actually the animals feet touching the ground complete the circuit. The addition of a ground wire is used if the ground is too dry, or rocky and the circuit can’t be completed.

Same as my wearing rubber boots, they will insulate me from the shock of the electric fence - but if I were to say grab the wire mesh fence and the electric top wire at the same time (ya I did that), then the circuit could be completed if there is an ability for the electrical charge to travel to the ground.

It’s all about the ability to enable the electrical charge to travel to the ground.

ZAP!

 

[Ponypoor]

I think that I was out when you joined us at FBA, so I didn’t welcome you. Welcome to FBA! I love your chooks, they are so pretty

How did your championship show go?

How are your chicks growing

 

[Ponypoor]

Okay, a few things. I am sick with strep throat so that’s why I wasn’t on here for a few days.

Willow hasn’t dumped her chicks, and they are around 10 weeks old.

I think Opal might be a Biefelder. She was supposed to be an EE, but I’m not sure. Her coloring is IDENTICAL to that of a Biefelder. She also looks like a Welsummer I think. Any thoughts on that? Whatever she is, she is super pretty. View attachment 3686281View attachment 3686282

Yes she is lovely. I have a chick who looks like her. I not sure what she is other then a pretty chicken

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

How did your championship show go?

How are your chicks growing

Oh um… I got last in the championship round. 13 out of 13. It’s the biggest class I’ve ever been in, and I’ve done 3 championship shows.
And then I’m my next ride I did a canter ride and Lenny walked out of the arena. I just did a circle outside of the arena and trotted him back in, then picked up the canter and did my circle. So no ribbons. I’m disappointed but oh well.

Yes! They are huge. Ruby closest to my hand, Opal in the middle, and the big man Gumbo closest to his mama. This was a few weeks ago, so they’ve grown even more.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Yes she is lovely. I have a chick who looks like her. I not sure what she is other then a pretty chicken

Awe. Who is it? All I remember is that you had a chick named Babe who you have to Sophia, right? I forgot the others. Is it from them? How are those lovely babies doing?