Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

I can't stand it, I haven't had chickens in two years! I can now have them, but have to plan my coop first and wait out winter. Not going to lie, I have had my order picked out for spring for like 4 months. I will not go another winter with no promise of chickens in spring! I would much appreciate any ideas or suggestions y'all have. I am planning on 6-8 birds, 3 chocolate Orpington hens, 1 chocolate Orpington rooster, 1 Delaware hen, and 1 Buff Orpington. Maybe a turkey. Or 2 Easter Eggers. Or 2 Barnvelders. Or 2 Welsummers. We shall see. Anywho, I am open to suggestions/ideas on how to make this the best coop design yet.

Here is my Hen House ‘B’ which is approx 5.5” wide and 7’ deep. Those roosting ledges are 24” off the ground and they are 12” wide, I have a step stool for the girls to hop up and down from the ledge - and they use it!

Below the ledge are the nest boxes. It’s very easy to clean, no bending down, I use a kitty litter scoop to pick the poops and flick them into a bucket I use as a muck bucket. For the floor shavings I use a horse stall manure rake to stir up the bedding and pick out the poops. Takes about 5-10min depending on how distracted I get with the time thieves

FYI there are 13 chooks roosting on those ledges.

Next door is Hen House ‘B’ where the Older Ladies sleep - heaven forbid if the youngsters invade their domain!

It’s about 4’ wide and 10’ deep. Again the ledge is about 24” off the ground and 12” deep. Nest boxes below.

My suggestion would be to write down everything you hated about the first time Coop, and then what you would like to see that makes your life easy and is safe and sound for the chooks.

My outside run is 16’ wide and almost 100’ long. There are a few trees in there. I do not let my chooks outside when I am not home as I am too paranoid about predators. I fortunately have the big barn for them to run loose in during the day - they make a right Royal mess but they are safe and I don’t have to worry about them.

What ever you end up doing make sure it’s expandable and that you like it. Nothing worse than not liking your design.

I can’t wait to see what you do and your future chickies

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I can't stand it, I haven't had chickens in two years! I can now have them, but have to plan my coop first and wait out winter. Not going to lie, I have had my order picked out for spring for like 4 months. I will not go another winter with no promise of chickens in spring! I would much appreciate any ideas or suggestions y'all have. I am planning on 6-8 birds, 3 chocolate Orpington hens, 1 chocolate Orpington rooster, 1 Delaware hen, and 1 Buff Orpington. Maybe a turkey. Or 2 Easter Eggers. Or 2 Barnvelders. Or 2 Welsummers. We shall see. Anywho, I am open to suggestions/ideas on how to make this the best coop design yet.

Do people raise turkeys WITH chickens, same pasture?? A moderator on a Facebook chicken vet page said told me they shouldn't be together (I was raising the possibility of gapeworm in a sick hen case, which runs with turkeys a lot). Aso no peafowl with chickens either. Anyone heard of this before?

 

[ChicoryBlue]

@ChicoryBlue can you remind me which warmers you are using?

Cozy Coop, they are 200 watts I think? The 19 inch ones and the 22 inch ones.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

Sounds like a plan!

I never had Orps but people who own them love their calm temperaments.

EEs will give you different green-blue eggs from the varying light brown Orp eggs ~ though I hear owners have been disappointed their EEs did not necessarily lay green-blue eggs but tinted or white. We were afraid to risk an EE for that reason & went w/ a true Blue Wheaten Ameraucana for guaranteed blue eggs.

Ameraucana blue eggs & Breda white eggs
View attachment 3994573

We are ordinanced for only 5 hens/no roos so we had to be more picky about breed choice if we wanted different egg colors. An honest hatchery will post disclaimers that sometimes their EEs might lay 4 different colors ~ pink, white, mint, or blue eggs.

We stayed away from Delaware & Barnevelder only because they are larger & reportedly less friendly reputation breeds but everyone has their favorite breeds either for personality, eggs, meat, or eye candy. For white eggs w/ friendly personality I would pick Barred Rock or Dominique over Delaware but that's me.

Use time to research general breed temperaments before mixing your flock. Some breeds are top of the pecking order & some are timid in nature. Alike breeds tend to pal around so get 2 minimum of each breed if they will be confined in a closed run. If you have a large open range rather than a confined run then mixing breeds should be less problematic.

We had a Cuckoo Marans for dark brown eggs but she was so mean that I wish we got Welsummer instead ~ the Wellies' terra cotta eggs w/dark brown speckles are unique & different from other brown egg layers.

Marans, White Leghorn, Breda, 3 Silkie eggs
View attachment 3994577

A turkey? By itself? Dunno , never had any, & my folks' farm never did either. But it sounds interesting. I found someone who bred bantam white turkeys teehee! Bantam turkeys around chickens sounds better than big turkeys?!

In the end pick your heart's desire & then learn like the rest of us what worked best in the end for you ! Can't wait to see what you get!

I have loved my Orpingtons. Calm, cuddly, fantastic layers, they are just great. I loved my EE too. Her name was Minnie. (Minnie and her first egg)

I helped to care for a flock once with a single turkey. He was a pet, and quite friendly! So I just thought it might be fun to have a pet turkey. It may not be the way to go for me, but their turkey and chickens lived together and got on just fine. It would just be fun to have a pretty farm turkey. Bantam turkeys?!? How did I not know about this?!? I will go check that out right now!

 

[Sylvester017]

I have loved my Orpingtons. Calm, cuddly, fantastic layers, they are just great. I loved my EE too. Her name was Minnie. (Minnie and her first egg) View attachment 3994642
I helped to care for a flock once with a single turkey. He was a pet, and quite friendly! So I just thought it might be fun to have a pet turkey. It may not be the way to go for me, but their turkey and chickens lived together and got on just fine. It would just be fun to have a pretty farm turkey. Bantam turkeys?!? How did I not know about this?!? I will go check that out right now!

This is where I 1st learned of midget (bantam) turkeys:
https://www.chickendanz.com/midget-white-turkeys

 

[GregnLety]

Do people raise turkeys WITH chickens, same pasture?? A moderator on a Facebook chicken vet page said told me they shouldn't be together (I was raising the possibility of gapeworm in a sick hen case, which runs with turkeys a lot). Aso no peafowl with chickens either. Anyone heard of this before?

I've had both with our chooks with no issues. We had 2 spare roosters that were raised with the turkeys so they hung out and rooster together

 

[Sylvester017]

hahaha she isn't even broody! Those 9 eggs are the result of almost 2 weeks of laying, she doesn't lay daily, so even if she was bred I would doubt they would even hatch, not to mention they sit there on that cold floor all night long getting chilled.

She has not shown any sign of being broody, yet. And with winter coming on I am betting she will soon stop laying.

but.... can you imagine how tiny those chicks would be from those wee eggs!! I thought silkie babies were tiny, but those would be miniscule!

From talking w/a couple NPIP breeder/sellers, they recommended waiting till a pullet reaches a yr old before hatching her eggs ~ pullet eggs are smaller than hen eggs so a bigger egg has more room for the embryo to form properly.

Talking about miniscule chicks ~ have you ever seen quail chicks? or hummingbird chicks?

 

[Sylvester017]

Did you see the video? it's in the video. She had crawled under a small animal live trap I have sitting on top of a framing I used for some equipment. Curly was very intent looking at the spot where that was so I knew something was up. I moved the stuff and there she was!

She likely chose that so that they other mean hens don't harass her when she is laying. They can't reach her there. I might do up a nice nest box with a small opening for her that only she can access.

A video? I must be a dunce & glossed past it. Good for Curly helping you find it!!

 

[rural mouse]

Do people raise turkeys WITH chickens, same pasture?? A moderator on a Facebook chicken vet page said told me they shouldn't be together (I was raising the possibility of gapeworm in a sick hen case, which runs with turkeys a lot). Aso no peafowl with chickens either. Anyone heard of this before?

The theory (if I remember it right...) is that chickens can carry/transmit something (black something or something black) that turkeys are highly susceptible to, but chickens aren't. I've also heard the waterfowl and chickens shouldn't be housed together. (dunno on the peafowl)

Historically, did they get housed together or separated at night? Turned loose during the day so could go all over....?

Going to double check on the turkey bug...

Blackhead disease is the generic name...some sort of semi-unpronouncable scientific name. Found in earthworms and the like...Apparently it's regional so check with state vet on if is there. And they shouldn't range together as in keep turkeys off chicken turf until chickens off it for 3 years...? If not in the region then range together should be fine?

 

[Sylvester017]

I have loved my Orpingtons. Calm, cuddly, fantastic layers, they are just great. I loved my EE too. Her name was Minnie. (Minnie and her first egg) View attachment 3994642
I helped to care for a flock once with a single turkey. He was a pet, and quite friendly! So I just thought it might be fun to have a pet turkey. It may not be the way to go for me, but their turkey and chickens lived together and got on just fine. It would just be fun to have a pretty farm turkey. Bantam turkeys?!? How did I not know about this?!? I will go check that out right now!

P.S. reminder: I'm sure you know this already but have your coop/run done before getting chickens. So many people get chicks & THEN start working on a coop & don't have enough time to finish it & in 4 weeks the chicks are hurriedly rushed into a half-completed enclosure.