Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

The more cluttered the better, I think, usually! For the Spuds' integration it's been better to have not much straight-line distance to run or see without some obstacle.

In the back under the veranda and coop the ladder is a "go around" escape obstacle. But I did put an upside-down 3 gallon bucket a little further back to prevent any cornering when first integrating, because it's a classic "dead end". Now they all preen and rest together under there and it's not needed.
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There are three long old cedar logs in these runs. One you can just make out above the red-top heated nipple waterer. The log going straight back - the Spuds used to sneak under it but now they're too big. It's still useful though, a quick jump up and over, or run down and around the end for an easy escape. That cross-log is low enough that the Buckeyes don't want to go under it, but tall enough the Spuds can still zip through. It leads to a pretty tilted log going by a platform on a captain's chair (one Spud is on it here) and to the upper decks perching area. Another log is tied to the captain's chair and leads slightly down, into the next run.

The dust-bath pool is a great obstacle too, they run around it, or hop up and across it. A treadle feeder is near there on the left, you can see a Buckeye using it. Near the feeder is the captain's chair with no canvas and a small platform board across the arms which the long log going slightly down is tied to. The front chair legs form a sort of tunnel that gets used as an avoidance bypass.

The Buckeyes are not inclined to flap-jump up on to much. I've given the Spuds lots of places to go up, and that's "their" territory, even treats up there, the Buckeyes just catch anything that falls off.
The run is a "T" shape, and here below is the right side of the second 6x12 run. You can see the upper root-end of the long pretty tilted log. That leads to a perch of two 2x2's put together. When the Spuds were younger there was a heating panel up there for them too and they spent a lot of their rest time up there. They used to flap-fly down from it but now even when there is plenty of landing zone they prefer to walk back down on the big log, so I've pulled the corner log out further for more obstacle in that landing zone space. Nearest the red waterer is the low end of the log that's tied to the captain's chair.
You can also see some of the apple "breakfast log" and chair at the bottom which are in the center left of this run.
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That short log in the left back corner the Buckeyes will hang out on sometimes. The Spuds can slip under it or hop over it, and now go into the triangle area from the side next to the cozy coop panel too. They get up onto the little perch going across the other corner from it.
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That's Diane-Ida Biter on the end of the big log. She's not biting as hard when she does peck now, and training continues. I went over there to get a picture illustrating the path from the captain's chair and the two logs.

Diane-Ida Biter: "Are you trying to get a close-up?"

Me: "Actually I was trying to get a chicken's-eye picture of the logs you guys use, with you on it. Then yes, I was going for a mug-shot picture since you came over and filled the whole frame. But now, the camera won't focus right with you moving so much."

Diane-Ida: "I might like to peck something on your face. Come closer and hold still."

Me: "That's what I thought. Forget it, no face pecks happening. How about YOU hold still for a second while I get a shot of you? No? Then I'm outta here!"
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The left side of the other run, right of the feeder & heated water bowl in the first picture. The light coming from the left out of view is the hooman door. The chair is missing lower rungs on one side and the back. Everyone can and does go under the plank. Spuds also go on it and the chair (also the chair back) and sneak through under the back corner.
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Sorry if this post is too long for some, I love seeing other people's setups to get ideas, so did it with that in mind!

Love all your obstacles they are great esp the use of the chair with the missing rungs.

And I loved the running commentary between you and Ms Ida-Biter

 

[Lilion]

Greetings chicken tenders! Hope all are well. Love seeing everyone's lovely flocks. Sheba seems fine, bedraggled as she is. Tomorrow I'll give them another delicious high-protein (cannibalistic) treat. We're still getting an egg almost daily, just none from Sheba. It's good she's taking a break.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Yes, and I have used gravel and grit and shavings in the past, but my fear was her breaking a leg or hip she fell so hard.

The problem with horses is that their hooves are hard and sharp and they cut through gravel etc back down to the ice unless it really embedded in the ice.

I use google old manure and throw it on top of ice - it melts into the ice creating a rough surface with some traction. Works great on walkways and is biodegradable - but it does get messy in the Spring!

Great idea to use manure for traction on ice, I would never have thought of that. Mt Poopmore to the rescue!

 

[Ponypoor]

Greetings chicken tenders! Hope all are well. Love seeing everyone's lovely flocks. Sheba seems fine, bedraggled as she is. Tomorrow I'll give them another delicious high-protein (cannibalistic) treat. We're still getting an egg almost daily, just none from Sheba. It's good she's taking a break.

I am so glad Sheba seems fine, these critters sure do test our fortitude don’t they?!

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

I love the slow motion wattle shake! Magnificent!

Thank you very much!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

And I loved the running commentary between you and Ms Ida-Biter

I'm getting a clearer idea of what's going on with Diane Ida-Biter and she's beginning to understand biting and hard pecking is not okay. I think her inner drives are very intense, she's both super food-oriented and very focused on me, much more than the other two Spuds. She's learning the boundaries and I can see (and hear in her vocalizations) how hard it is for her to resist her urge to peck to get what she wants. She still needs a reminder from me every day, always vocally and sometimes restraining her when that fails. She's battling her instinct to bite hard against her fear of discipline from me if she does (I warn her vocally, then with my finger raised, then peck her with it if she persists, then hold her down tipped on her side or hold her firmly under my arm if she fights me).

Lately her bites have been relatively gentle, no blood drawn and usually no bruising even but that's still not okay to go for my hands. She's allowed to preen my clothes and get dust bits off me, eat snow off my boots, and beak my pants just to hear the zippy sound it makes, undo seams and pull on threads and whatnot, climb on my back and shoulders and explore whatever, just nothing hard directed at my hands or bare skin.

They might be learning. Yesterday there was a group of them lightly pecking, pulling and exploring my lower back clothes as I crouched, and there must have been a bit of skin showing and I got a sharp peck back there. It wasn't too hard but their beaks are sharp! I yelped and jerked a bit, and suddenly it all stopped for a couple seconds. I didn't move further and everything resumed, but nobody pecked that spot again. Progress?

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

I don't know if I showed you all this already.

 

[featherhead007]

I don't know if I showed you all this already.
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Valentine’s Day posts on a collection of pictures from last year ( I am trying to get several for a BYC page post)

 

[featherhead007]

Valentine’s Day posts on a collection of pictures from last year ( I am trying to get several for a BYC page post)

I’m trying to get permission from the people who take the picture.

 

[featherhead007]

Okay… I am angry now. I found Dakota eating something up on her platform. She was eating an egg! I don’t know what to do about that. I have to babysit her closely and try to protect the rest of the eggs laid by the other birds. I can’t have egg eaters in my tribe