Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Shanai Roo-Tail has a black feather in her tail that does that wonderful blue-green glistening thing that people love about black feathered chickens! One other seems to be getting a tail like hers too. I'll try to get a picture of it.

It's love to see it!

 

[TX Chick Noob]

You should post your covered field space again... & anyone else who has a large covered or netted space for their foraging birds like SimpleJenn or TX Chick Noob or drstratton or whoever else has a very roomy protected foraging space where the birds are getting some foliage foraging or large pen space w/ tree stumps/branches, chairs, ladders, swings, stimulating toys, etc. The ideas are very helpful how to keep confined birds from boredom.

Here are a few pics of our run again. It is about 16’ x 50’. I am planning to add a few stumps for more vertical space.

Were the losses all Silkies or various breeds that you lost recently? So many things to worry about w/poultry

It was 1 Sapphire Olive Egger, 1 Blue Laced Wyandotte, and 1 Silkie that I lost young this year.

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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Oh no! So sorry to hear this.

*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 that is so scary. Fingers crossed everyone is okay.

By the way, adding a pinch of ground apple seeds to baked goods really enhances almond flavor. Yes, it is the cyanide that does it.

Umm, wouldn't adding a hint of almond extract be a better option???? (Unless, of course, you really WANTED to cause someone pain and suffering...that is!)

Not surprising since cyanide comes from bitter almonds. Which I am allergic to, so wouldn’t take much to kill me.

I told her they likely couldn’t be free ranged, I don’t know how well they fly. Also how cold tolerant are they?

Ok so who here knows anything about them? Beside the fact they have fuzzy legs

Angel flew really well the first few months. She still flies decently, but I think the huge feathers in her legs and feet mess with her aerodynamics.
But she can run REALLY FAST for such short little legs. She is hard to catch when she doesn’t want to be. Not sure about the cold. She is also only 5 months old.

Just harvested some of my pumpkins

I am jealous. My pumpkin vine is huge, but the garden is so overgrown I don’t think any pumpkins managed to grow. Or if they did I can’t find them.

 

[Ikslo]

WOW! A BLUE pumpkin? It looks blue on my screen...

It’s blue! I bought and planted blue pumpkin seeds

 

[Ikslo]

I have an Angel, too!

 

[Ponypoor]

Everybody’s crazy about a sharp dressed man.

Yup like a fancy rooster prancing around

 

[Ponypoor]

Yes, I will have them chip it if they use a chipper. I already use wood chips for the run...I usually get tree companies trimming locally along the phone/power lines to drop a load or two each year they are around.....I have only had to buy them twice since I have been here ( 8 +years) (They come around every 3 years or so.)

The broken coops I will probably end up burning in a brush pile...completely NOT salvageable, and painted, so someone would not want to burn in their house. I will have to try to remove the plastic roof panels first...and ?maybe? salvage some hardware like door latches if they aren't too 'stuck' (i.e. hardware holding them in place.)

Oh what a bummer! Does any insurance cover any of this? Here most People generally don’t have tree removal coverage, but out buildings are usually covered - leant this from last Aprils ice storm and all the thousands and thousands of trees that came down.

Might be worth checking into.

 

[Ponypoor]

Here are a few pics of our run again. It is about 16’ x 50’. I am planning to add a few stumps for more vertical space.
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It was 1 Sapphire Olive Egger, 1 Blue Laced Wyandotte, and 1 Silkie that I lost young this year.


Oh no! So sorry to hear this.


Oh that is so scary. Fingers crossed everyone is okay.



Not surprising since cyanide comes from bitter almonds. Which I am allergic to, so wouldn’t take much to kill me.


Angel flew really well the first few months. She still flies decently, but I think the huge feathers in her legs and feet mess with her aerodynamics.
But she can run REALLY FAST for such short little legs. She is hard to catch when she doesn’t want to be. Not sure about the cold. She is also only 5 months old.
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I am jealous. My pumpkin vine is huge, but the garden is so overgrown I don’t think any pumpkins managed to grow. Or if they did I can’t find them.

You don’t free range yours so you?

My main dilemma for her would be the heavy snow here and free ranging

 

[janiedoe]

There was a time, when I was young and ruthless. Now I’m just old, arthritic and toothless!

Sing us a few lines

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Here are a few pics of our run again. It is about 16’ x 50’. I am planning to add a few stumps for more vertical space.
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View attachment 4212948

Is your "roofing" material avian netting or chicken wire? It looks great! I'm impressed that you can keep the tension on it to minimize sagging.

 

[bgmathteach]

Oh what a bummer! Does any insurance cover any of this? Here most People generally don’t have tree removal coverage, but out buildings are usually covered - leant this from last Aprils ice storm and all the thousands and thousands of trees that came down.

Might be worth checking into.

No, insurance won't cover the cost of tree removal. They consider it 'upkeep' to protect your property. As for covering the loss of the coop...they probably would, but it wouldn't be worth it. Between the deductable...and the subsequent increased rates for filing a claim (it they didn't drop up - someone we know had a tree fall on their house during this storm. Insurance company has already put them on notice they will not be renewing their policy - just the day after they filed their claim - well unofficially, the agent they spoke with stated that - I assume within the next week they will get said notice in the mail. (their policy was due to renew in Nov.....)

So, I lost 2 girls so far. One was the hatch-mate to my big multi-colored girl that I thought was a roo. She was only about 12 weeks old, and was a sweetie. The other was one of my older Welsummers. She would come looking for me...for treats...but was happy to have me pick her up when I was in the barn ('cause she knew treats were coming!). She wouldn't let me just pick her up in the yard or run, though - ONLY when she knew treats were forthcoming if she obliged.)

I am hoping everyone else is okay...but I feel I need to give it another day or two to be sure......It narrowly missed me when it fell, and I thought for sure it had gotten my geese as they were just rounding the corner of the pen (the corner it fell on) when it fell. At the time I was running up and down the downed tree trying to find them, yelling for my 'Gee-Gees'...with nor response. They must have just RUN at the last second and it missed them....as I found them at the other entrance to the run...standing there watching me (but did they honk once??? NO, and they can be noisy buggers!). I am guessing they were traumatized, hence the quiteness at the time. It was really scary, and with the torrential downpour at the time, it was really hard to see anything. I really, really am lucky it was't worse...if it had fallen slightly more left a number of adults would have been killed. If it had fallen slightly more right, my 5 ducklings and the trio of young pulets (5 weeks?) that are in with them would have been killed.

So much work to do to clean everything up and replace the coops. What with working f/t and being given a 1/2 teaching load - and additional class just days before the semester started...I am really feeling overwhelmed at the moment. Work usually requires 8 weeks notice, but I am going to try to take 1/2 day Wed. so I can take some of the mangled metal to the transfer station to get it out of the way (and work more on disassembling the mangled coop), and maybe Friday off to try to get started on building something. Yesterday, other than weekly cleanouts - most time ws spent cutting limbs and dragging them after my neighbor helped cut the trunk into sections and pull them to the side. (plus, lots of work for my classes)

I probably won't be on much this week.

Oh, and vote for my posts in the caption contest!