Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Marie2020]

HAHA! I love singing random things to my chooks (and my cat) too!

Mr P said "REMIIIIIX!"

 

[Marie2020]

Oh, WOW! Brave mama!

What a sweet pup. I'd love to smooch that fuzzy head

Bless her. She made her wings as wide as possible and stuck out her little breast as far as she could. I would adore that girl

 

[TOMTE]

Bless her. She made her wings as wide as possible and stuck out her little breast as far as she could. I would adore that girl

I hope that chick it grabbed ended up alright! I know just the impact can kill prey and that hawk came in fast!! But the little thing was still kicking when it was dropped. Sheesh... Great mama hen

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Yes. It was a design mistake in building the Chicken Palace. Hard to lower now - it is a tree trunk. I dragged it out of the woods but lifting it would be a 3-man job.
I often ponder whether I should invest in that.
Now I have the structure under it there is a platform at the highest end.
I could much more easily lower the smaller roosts.
Hmmm.

Sort-of enabling here:

1. That log is much lighter now, it likely was not totally dry when you hauled it out? I thought @bgmathteach was suggesting a new roost lower down, not moving the big one though. So you would have a nice ladder situation. However, you may be worrying, as I would, that like humans, chickens tend to prefer the "this is what we've always done and it's been fine!" line of thinking. Any big ol' ladies that maybe ought not to would continue to try to use it, and get themselves hurt anyway. So I would lower the options by lowering the log if this is a worry.

2. If the log is indeed very heavy I would strategically place sawhorses and any needed lumber under it to support it. Also strap the log to a couple of places, like good screw-hooks into studs. Then you can remove and reattach the brackets. Finally, each log end could be lowered gently via the straps to the new height.

Eggs -
Probably @bgmathteach is right, we'd have to have new littles every year and time it so they're coming into lay during the Winter. My plan is to stagger a group of 3-4 every other year. But that won't avoid eggless winters. Of the Buff Orpingtons here, July 31 2023 was their hatch-day (late) and only Annie has started back up laying, just last week. So we're getting one egg every three days it seems. She was pinking up for a few weeks before that and got even more talkative and kept visiting me to chat, which I loved - though it was more like a vigorous speech or lecture close to the big day - as I cleaned the coop and nestboxes. She had very important news!

 

[Sylvester017]

Ahh, but that is your problem. If you added a pair or trio of youngsters each spring (say, late march). THEY WOULD BE LAYING late fall and through the winter when everyone else is molting/taking a break. See, I have done the research on that...and have empirical proof of this fact!

(Actually, those are the ONLY ones laying at my place now. 77 birds, 10-15 eggs a day...all from my youngsters.)

So: solution to your problem:
Add 2-3 pullets each spring and each winter you will have eggs! simple & easy fix!

Not just a funny joke. Youngsters do seem to be winter layers. Altho I currently have a 4-yr old giving an egg every other day too These Silkies have no rhyme or reason to laying or brooding. Cutesy little buggers.

 

[RoyalChick]

Sort-of enabling here:

1. That log is much lighter now, it likely was not totally dry when you hauled it out? I thought @bgmathteach was suggesting a new roost lower down, not moving the big one though. So you would have a nice ladder situation. However, you may be worrying, as I would, that like humans, chickens tend to prefer the "this is what we've always done and it's been fine!" line of thinking. Any big ol' ladies that maybe ought not to would continue to try to use it, and get themselves hurt anyway. So I would lower the options by lowering the log if this is a worry.

2. If the log is indeed very heavy I would strategically place sawhorses and any needed lumber under it to support it. Also strap the log to a couple of places, like good screw-hooks into studs. Then you can remove and reattach the brackets. Finally, each log end could be lowered gently via the straps to the new height.

Eggs -
Probably @bgmathteach is right, we'd have to have new littles every year and time it so they're coming into lay during the Winter. My plan is to stagger a group of 3-4 every other year. But that won't avoid eggless winters. Of the Buff Orpingtons here, July 31 2023 was their hatch-day (late) and only Annie has started back up laying, just last week. So we're getting one egg every three days it seems. She was pinking up for a few weeks before that and got even more talkative and kept visiting me to chat, which I loved - though it was more like a vigorous speech or lecture close to the big day - as I cleaned the coop and nestboxes. She had very important news!

Hmmm.
How high off the ground are everyone else’s roosts? With the ‘big girl’ nest box cabinet under the downhill end the jump up is only about 2’ (maybe less).

 

[TOMTE]

Hmmm.
How high off the ground are everyone else’s roosts? With the ‘big girl’ nest box cabinet under the downhill end the jump up is only about 2’ (maybe less).
View attachment 4034616

Our coop roosts are about 2ft off the floor. Roost in the run is about the same, I think, maybe a bit higher. 3ft max.

 

[Sylvester017]

Ahh, but that is your problem. If you added a pair or trio of youngsters each spring (say, late march). THEY WOULD BE LAYING late fall and through the winter when everyone else is molting/taking a break. See, I have done the research on that...and have empirical proof of this fact!

(Actually, those are the ONLY ones laying at my place now. 77 birds, 10-15 eggs a day...all from my youngsters.)

So: solution to your problem:
Add 2-3 pullets each spring and each winter you will have eggs! simple & easy fix!

Wow! 77 birds? You can keep track of that many? All free-range? What a hoot getting them all in one pic!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Hi all.

I got a few pictures a few minutes ago. I am going to have to order a replacement battery for my camera this year. The cold zapped a fully charged battery in all of 6 minutes. To be fair though, the camera is 14 years old with the same battery.

George, He is so handsome. I did not know I needed a punk rock rooster, but I do. Mr. P's mini me has earned a middle name. He is now George "Phinieous" Jones. He is adapting to his role as flock rooster. Goose has accepted him now that she is back to laying. The rest of the girls will follow suit as soon as they start back up soon. George has a real lady now he no longer dances for me. I am back to being momma.

The rest are of Poppet and Turkey who is 7 weeks old today. Such a pretty little pullet. If she does not hit a major growth spurt soon I think as a adult she will be Mrs Little Chicken size. She also has a wonky feather on her head that is standing straight up. Until now I did not think she was going to have any type of crest. Now....well, is this the start of a tiny crest?

Poppet by the way has earned her right to hatch chicks in the future. I never had any doubts she would be a good momma seeing as how she is a silkie. It takes a great momma to keep her chick thriving in the temperatures we have had the last 2 and a half weeks.

 

[Sylvester017]

Hmmm.
How high off the ground are everyone else’s roosts? With the ‘big girl’ nest box cabinet under the downhill end the jump up is only about 2’ (maybe less).
View attachment 4034616

We don't have a hen house, just a Barn Coop. & we never used all 5 pre-fabricated roost slots. We used only the lowest roost pole about 20+ inches above the floor of the coop. We averaged 4 to 5 hens at a time & never needed more than one roost.

During Barn Coop assembly there were 5 optional roosting bar slots ~ we only used the lowest middle slot for one roosting bar positioned over the pop door entrance.