Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[notabitail]

We all have escapees!

And we all have ‘work in progress’

Looks good so far!

Agathae is the worst offender here. She will sneak off, claim she's "laying a egg" while running around on the other side of the yard doing who knows what.

 

[Sylvester017]

Thank you so much for this!! I'll share with my dad

I actually totally forgot that my dad wants to build the coop raised off the ground for the exact reason that they won't lose any run space, and they'll have more cover and shade!

The run is almost 7' by almost 8'. Geometry is not my strong suit so I don't know which is length or width or depth or whatever... So I took a couple extra pics

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Front and back are 8'

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The sides are both 7'

For winter we plan on wrapping the bottom half of the walls of the run with landscaping cloth because it's breathable but should block out enough wind and drafts, and above that with greenhouse plastic for sunlight, leaving the very top section (below the roof and above that horizontal board) open for ventellation. Should we leave one side open too?

When we get around to building the coop, it'll probably be about half of the run, like the section outlined in red

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This is a really good idea! I think we were planning on keeping the coop just in case we need it for anything. I REALLY like the idea of enclosing the support frame with hardware cloth!!

That is so nice! We have 6 backyard hens but we let them out all day. They really only use the coop to roost at night or to lay an egg so our coop really is too big ~ having more run space is more beneficial than coop space for us.
What we eventually did was open up more and more yard space for the hens to roam and kept adding popup canopies, recycled dog houses, lawn furniture, planted chicken safe/friendly trees, made makeshift benches, etc for hens to use as shade and hiding places from aerial predators. A good sturdy run is good against nighttime critters like raccoons, possums, coyotes, skunks, etc. Eventually predators will sniff out your yard so your security is a good plan.

 

[Sylvester017]

I’m lucky today. I got a hug from Xzit. Also from little CeeCee.
Holding CeeCee, when she finally jumped off me, she was attacked by Aero. Pulling feathers off her back and biting her. I don’t know why that happened!

What happened? It's either jealousy or broody tempers ~ especially during this Calif heatwave. Our girls are lethargic in this weather & don't have the energy to snip at each other!

 

[Ponypoor]

I want a rooster so bad guys the more I read about them and see them caring for their hens the more I want to have one and expand the flock a little. GRRRR I DONT WANT TO WAIT LOL!

Dad and I have loose plans for building a bigger coop out of half of the run. Since we plan on free ranging the smaller run shouldn't be an issue but maybe we can expand on that too later...

The prefab we have now should probably hold 2 or 3 chickens at most. I really hate it. It's drafty, small, and probably going to fall apart within a year. But my uncle is the one who spent all the money on everything, and he did it on a whim. I tried to convince him to either get a prefab with a run built in that we could modify into a bigger coop, or a cheap shed we could turn into a coop. But he went with the cheapest option and then went all out buying the lumber for the run frame. And then went cheap again, using chicken wire instead of hardware cloth

Soooo dad and I have a lot to do to make the chickens happier and safer. I think it will be fun though and definitely well worth it. I hope we can start soon!

We still need to bury hardware cloth on 2 sides of the run and then move the coop into its spot in the back corner, then add more clutter to the run once that's done. Phew!

Here's our chicken space so far They're confined to the garden until they're a bit bigger but we've had escapees a few times They're so eager to explore!

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I have a great Roo for you

Too bad you’re so far away.

Bert is looking for a new home.

 

[Ponypoor]

Mugs Monday

Shorley
(Are you all certain she’s a he?)

Mr LC
He’s late for a very important date

Twister - the third twisted sister

Lavern of Lavern and Shorley

Bert, still needs a new home

And his sister Betty needs a haircut
Not sure how she can see!

 

[rural mouse]

No pony photos today - had a crazy busy day cleaning stalls, scraping the aisle floor, throwing down hay for the week. Then I drove to town for feed, then when I was dumping feed into the bins I noted I had bought whole oats not rolled - duh. So I started mixing it with the rolled- went to dump more whole oats in the bin and stopped… what’s that in the bag? Scooped it up - BLAHHHHH! Dead dried up mouse !!!!

Threw the bag aside, checked the oats I had poured in, looked ok, smelled ok…. And am sure the horses will let me know if they are bad. Called the feed store to let them know. They were totally sorry and told me drop the bag in for a replacement.

Finished unloading the rest of the horse and chicken feed. Swept the floor (again) fed the horses (they ate the oats), chased down the chooks and brought them in, put out the garbage and went in to have supper. 6pm.

The cat had loose poops and so had to clean her up and the floor, got all scratched up cleaning her up. Finally able to have a very HOT shower (my back is really aching today), supper…. Now need to do evening chores and Go To Bed!

Gosh I am getting too old for all this monkey business.

So my plans to take some awesome autumn pony photos did not happen.

So here is a rerun from a couple weeks ago.

Tip toe through the goldenrod….
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Sounds like Pony & kitty need to be added to you Chicken wrangler title....

 

[Ponypoor]

Sounds like Pony & kitty need to be added to you Chicken wrangler title....

I am still hung up on the mouse in the oats!



Ewwww!

I bet the chooks would have had a field day with it

 

[Logar]

Shorley
(Are you all certain she’s a he?)

can you take a picture of his side? How old is he?

 

[Ponypoor]

I just had one earlier this morning! One of my SLW pullets, Gytha. I hang out in the garage pretty much all day with my dad, so I was sitting in my chair and I looked out the side door. She was just standing there looking in, looking lost and embarrassed

I walked her back to the garden and opened the gate and she ran back in. I wish a got a picture, it was so funny to see her standing there like "um... I need help?" HAHAHA

My three are smart enough to go round back hang out on mount poopmore and wait until I bring the horses in, they then follow the horses inside. The brats!

Two of the:
Tippy

Eli-too

Butterscotch the third one is good at flying back into the run.

 

[Ponypoor]

Those little resin side tables are great! We got a couple of them for $7 each at Walmart years ago as elevated stands for potted plants. They withstood harsh sun & rain conditions without warping so last year we searched everywhere to get a couple more. No stores around here carried them any more but we found them w/only a beige pair selling out on Amazon for $35 so we got them. We bought a pair for only $14 originally!!! Now the same little tables are $60+ for a pair on Amazon & only come in dark ugly recycled green!!!

I do love the solid design of these tables cuz not only are they outdoor durable but the design of the legs allows rain water to drain down the sides of the legs, the resin doesn't warp, & there are so many uses. I used one indoors to prop up my broken splinted/braced arm when I was sitting at the table, one is on the front porch to hold packages as we unlock the front door to come in, we have one as a potted plant holder of a very large Rosemary herb plant, and one by the coop to put down treats while sitting in a folding chair to gather hens for treat time!

Here is a photo of one of our more agile Silkies who can jump up on the table.
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Front porch tables
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https://www.amazon.com/Compamia-Sunray-Resin-Square-Table/dp/B00Q9YXM3S/ref=sr_1_66?crid=2CSX4JL8GY3WF&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Niip32Mbm4v8ac2pMpn23NL_nG65MNHdIgcSBaF-Jyla827mk38DVBnRu4NFZGLnWqEFl0zi0I4sntClqY2upcMaRk2VZcl4kpe5xVSf8qhXEPtfB-T7iHTwyuiA-VjeL6uqaNUpPdst5L4uF1i3PQBOA5MKbYEAKSJTm1HnhZ_IXzG1y_N-rMSw2i9xiE5FD2gUJUvMt0Eyw3D-pv-S3zBIZ5pDt179obOacA7HAwsXSARn6zX9Pi8FdoQd2PPGcEBs6uCfN97FVI0dHz3oM3BncboD-8QepvmeD21Q2dw.7ARmsqnZvJXeierzYmBdxflNK6EVh21gQqe3U1ajKm8&dib_tag=se&keywords=resin+side+table&qid=1725893153&sprefix=resn+side+table,aps,159&sr=8-66

First - I love your door! So fancy!

Second - love those tables also, I looked at the couple my niece has and was going to appropriate them hahaha but figured she’d pitch a hissy fit.

I have a few foot stools that I use in the barn in strategic location that the chickens have decided are great roosting spots. I used to sit on them to fix things but not anymore! Last time I sat on one it had poop on it!



Lucky it wasn’t a slimy cecal poop!