Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

*sigh*. So, the storm split my biggest pine in the run (close to 80' tall, 3' diameter.). It y'ed at about 18' up, and the larger leader from the y came down (weird, as we did get torrential rain, but there wasn't any wind, and there wasn't any rot or anything in the tree)

I think everyone is okay - a couple were trapped in a pocket under the tree that we got out and they acted okay - but I am not sure about bruising/internal injuries. One coop is destroyed (the one I got from my neice when I took in her ducks - I never liked the design...but was actively using it), and one I think might be able to be fixed, but have to get rid of the tree trunk first and see if it is structurally damaged or just listing due to teh pressure. The people door on it needs replaceing, but otherwise it ?might? be okay. Everyone is squished into other coops right now....I have my work cut out for me.....

A distant neighbor is coming tomorrow with a big tractor/loader to help pull the tree out of the way (the part that split off is about 30" diameter......and I am hoping that we can at least jury rig the fencing for now to keep at least ground animals out (dogs, foxes, etc) during the day.

With the tree split, we will have to hire someone to take the rest of it down....and hubby says that with that pine down, it is unsafe for the other one to stay...it is much more likely to fall over...so that will have to come down, too. I am bummed for multiple reasons....it will cost quite a bit....even though the barn is dilapitated, having it there makes it a more expensive job requiring a crane. Also, I am not a quick builder...but I desperately need another coop quick - every one is very squished tonight...but at least safe.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that no one has unseen injuries...but only time will tell.

That's so scary. I'm sorry to hear about the coops. What a pain. Hopefully no one is really injured. It seems like the worst is the coops. I hope that is all.

 

[Sylvester017]

Kids are Up to No Good

The girls have been up to mischief recently.

You didn't really want those petunias did you? They did leave the dandelion though.

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This is how they eat an apple. I expect that Mrs BY Bob will be peeling the apples for them soon.
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Remove the apple seeds... there's some toxicity in them but chickens gulp them down anyway. We get Granny Smiths & the chickens aren't too keen on those.

 

[Sylvester017]

And that is why my cat refuses to come up to the barn anymore! She’s afraid of the chooks!

& of all places where a cat is really needed... a barn where rodents look for feed

 

[ChicoryBlue]

I would absolutely love to chain link fence my entire yard. Sadly after being here for 23 years I can tell you 100% chain-link fencing is not an option. At some point each year, many times several times in the spring there is flash flooding and my entire back yard turns into a lake. We are fortunate and blessed that while the yard floods, and 3 times the horse stalls the house itself has never flooded. My next door neighbor has a chain link fence and I will use her as an example. The floods wreck her fence and she has to redo it about every 2 years. A few years ago she had to redo the back section twice as flooding just ripped it out. I'm looking at options right now. I'm exploring moveable electric fencing as an option. I also would ideally like to turn Russ's empty stall into another closed off coop. Dad is halfway on board but he also has a plan for that stall. He wants to turn it into a hay shed and fill it up with hay. Right now is the prime time to do it and if he does Dirt would be solid until up into April. Seeing as how hard it can be to find good hay December through April that is a hard one to argue with. Last year and this spring was horrible to find hay. Mom panics when we get below 5 bales. This march we were down to 1 before he could find some and then it was not the best but what we had to use until the first cutting came in. Dad also made a good point to me. As far as predators go, if I am dealing with a coyote, my troubles always seem to fall in July through September. Normally when the young males are kicked out of the packs. I've never had a coyote issue the rest of the year. Right now, with everyone locked up maybe said nasty critter will move on. This has just been a hard year, one of the hardest for me. The supervised turnout, even for just a hour has helped the girls who until now have never been locked up 24/7.

Electric moveable poultry fencing, I think @Ponypoor was recommending too would be the thing for you. Chain link provides good footholds for climbing coyotes unfortunately. They are amazing climbers. I’ve seen videos, and a documentary on them thriving in urban settings that has amazing footage of them climbing tall walls. Maybe chain link does keep out some domestic dogs, though?

But @Ponypoor it’s the training of getting and then expecting a zap that makes it effective, so to not energize it at least periodically makes it much less effective. If there are neighbors with active fences that probably helps though.

@Sylvester017 I’ll take more pictures of here if you think that’s helpful…it’s the climate & snow that reduces the square footage of roaming space, I’ll have to take down the aviary netting at some point for the season, especially the parts enclosing trees. But hopefully the moveable tripod idea will let a chunk of it persist in the more open areas. In recent years nobody has wanted to even set foot on snow, they’ve been total wimps! I wonder if the new Buckeyes will feel differently about it?

Sir Surely (nee: Shirley)

It is with great sadness I report the passing of the big boy.

His new Hooman called me today to tell me they found him in the tractor shed passed way after they noted two huge piles of feathers. The thought is a hawk or eagle attack. He died protecting his flock it seems, giving them time to run and hide.

The lady is very devastated and her little boy also. Seems Surely was not only great with the hens, but good with his Hoomans.

I am now on the look out for a lovely rooster to take on the task of leading the flock.

Fly high and free lovely fellow

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This is sad news! RIP, brave Sir Surely.
Hugs for everybody and you too Kelly! I am particularly sorry for the boy Hooman's loss and devastation.

EDIt - trying to upload some pictures...

 

[Grandma The Chicken]

I baked a tres leches cake today.

Too bad Grandma isn't around anymore to try it. Perhaps Tony and the twins can try a very small amount. I mean, Mozzarella did eat a slice of apple cider donut cake before...
Does this recall to anyone?

 

[Sylvester017]

Everyone, I need some help.
So, all of the chickens are currently in this area of the yard.
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However they cannot get along. Tony is attacking them as well as Parmesan and I need them to get along because I plan to put them in the same coop together when the weather gets colder. The problem is because the coop (AKA shed) is small and I can only imagine them fighting non stop during the cold season. These little ones are like wild birds, always running around, getting scared and all that. Can anyone give me any tips to calm the little ones down and stop Tony and the twins from attacking them? It's getting to a point... I know that Ancona chickens (Raven) have an active temperament. Ameraucana chickens (Hawk) tend to be curious and calm. Hawk seems to show the curious part but the calm part, not so much.

Our experience is that some breeds get along better together than others. In a smaller space chickens also get testy w/ each other w/ older ones harassing newer birds. Even in our open backyard for hens to forage, the older ones will chase/harass the newer birds, nothing injurious, but it's chicken behaviour. More space is a real help w/ lots of hiding spots ~ chairs, box crates, pen perches, tree stumps or boughs, hanging chicken toys, mirrors (a real winner for distraction), ladders, milk crates, chicken swings, dog house, etc, might help the younger to get away from oldsters' abuse? Whenever a hen goes broody others will get jealous & pick on her. Some chickens are just plain bullies & we've had to rehome a couple in the past.

Tish a Cuckoo Marans upset the whole flock she just wouldn't stop ~ rehomed to a neighbor's layer flock.She didn't warm up to humans either. She didn't bully in the layer flock.

Char a very tall heavy Cuckoo Breda Fowl was a bully toward the littler Silkies so she went to a friend's rescue farm where she apparently got along well w/ a dog.

I hope something will work out for you... but a large space w/ distraction objects really helps if birds are confined.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Here's pics from today, didn't get the wide shots of the setup yet, just pics of the new Buckeyes, it was the magical time between the adults going to roost and the juveniles going to their coop and hanging out before packing it in. Here they were perching and scrolling my phone before bed while I worked on the coop camera and fixing the fan charge wire in there (am thinking we'll get hot weather again before it really cools down so not taking them out yet).
At one point four of them were pecking all over the phone screen. They managed to change the camera settings!

 

[Ponypoor]

*sigh*. So, the storm split my biggest pine in the run (close to 80' tall, 3' diameter.). It y'ed at about 18' up, and the larger leader from the y came down (weird, as we did get torrential rain, but there wasn't any wind, and there wasn't any rot or anything in the tree)

I think everyone is okay - a couple were trapped in a pocket under the tree that we got out and they acted okay - but I am not sure about bruising/internal injuries. One coop is destroyed (the one I got from my neice when I took in her ducks - I never liked the design...but was actively using it), and one I think might be able to be fixed, but have to get rid of the tree trunk first and see if it is structurally damaged or just listing due to teh pressure. The people door on it needs replaceing, but otherwise it ?might? be okay. Everyone is squished into other coops right now....I have my work cut out for me.....

A distant neighbor is coming tomorrow with a big tractor/loader to help pull the tree out of the way (the part that split off is about 30" diameter......and I am hoping that we can at least jury rig the fencing for now to keep at least ground animals out (dogs, foxes, etc) during the day.

With the tree split, we will have to hire someone to take the rest of it down....and hubby says that with that pine down, it is unsafe for the other one to stay...it is much more likely to fall over...so that will have to come down, too. I am bummed for multiple reasons....it will cost quite a bit....even though the barn is dilapitated, having it there makes it a more expensive job requiring a crane. Also, I am not a quick builder...but I desperately need another coop quick - every one is very squished tonight...but at least safe.

I am keeping my fingers crossed that no one has unseen injuries...but only time will tell.

Oh my gosh! It’s like a bad Henny Penny story - the sky is falling! Poor dears - I also hope everyone is ok. That’s just rotten luck. And I know about those big pines. I removed about 6 of them including 2 huge Fir trees with trunks like that.

The only thing I am hopeful for is that those trees are springy, so hopefully no one is injured. Super glad you’re ok!

 

[Sylvester017]

New layer! Marans from yesterday on the right. I think the new one on the left may be a Barnevelder, as I saw one checking out the garage nest yesterday.

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Pretty, pretty, pretty

 

[BY Bob]

Remove the apple seeds... there's some toxicity in them but chickens gulp them down anyway. We get Granny Smiths & the chickens aren't too keen on those.

I once did a breakdown of how many apple seeds a chicken would have to eat to be poisoned and it is astronomical. Nothing to be concerned about.