Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[SimpleJenn]

@Pastel the Rooster if you still need coop plans, please PM me. I purchased a plan a while back that will never be built by us so I'd be happy to send it to you to use.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

I have to admit I imagined myself not being very polite to that ag teacher! So sorry for the loss of your friends’ Polish.

(Sorry I don’t have any coop ideas. Mine is an existing barn lean to and as such I’ve never had to build a coop!)

I've not talked to her lately. My friend and I both agreed that we weren't going to speak to her until we have calmed down and are sure that we won't say something that we'll regret, as we both want to get onto the FFA officer team this year.

No worries. I figured something out, at least temporarily...

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Very sorry and sad to hear of the death of your poor chickie.

As for plans, one question I have is who is paying for this. Building a coop and run to house 12 chooks will be expensive.

My suggestion is to repurpose a shed like knoturavggrl has done, and attach one of those dog runs to it. You can likely get a 10x20 one used.

My friend and I would split the cost. Lumber isn't too expensive around here, and I know some people who could get me some scraps if I needed it.

There is a shed next to where we want to put the coop, but my ag teacher would NEVER let us use the shed. I thought about it, and told my friend that it would be a nice coop. She just looked at me like I was insane and I let her know that I was not, in fact, insane and that I simply think it would work but I know that our ag teacher wouldn't let us.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

You've got this. I'm trying to maintain good grades this year. AP Bio is rocky for me right now and AP Physics 1 isn't any better (because it's hard) but I have a great teacher and I've been able to maintain A's because of him and what he assigned. I have to step it up in English though.

No experience with coops but I'm sorry to hear about your friend's pullet being eaten. I would've been livid if something like that happened to me. Other than that, looks like a lot has happened.

Thanks! This is the first AP class I've taken, and boy is it hard. It's already bad enough that politics and government isn't my strong suit AT ALL, but my teacher can't teach at all either. She is the sweetest lady ever, but I only know a few people who are passing with a good grade, and they are geniuses.
I took honors biology last year, and I only got an A in it because of my teacher. She helped me out so much. If I had taken AP bio, I don't think I would've passed with an A. I took physical science two years ago... Not sure if that's the same as Physics, but I know that its similar. I got an 87, I think.
Science is my strong suit, so I've been taking the science class that the grade above me takes' for the past few years. (I know that my grammar in that sentence is horrible, so I apologize.)
Let me try to make it make sense. So, before I got into high school, I took a high school science class, so that I could get that credit out of the way. And then as a freshman, I took the 10th grade science class... so forth and so on. Also, I got both of my language classes out of the way in middle school too, which is nice.
Good luck in your classes!

Oh, I was furious. My ag teacher is lucky that I control my temper around adults that aren't my parents, because I have a short fuse and that fuse practically exploded because of my fury.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Advanced Placement courses taken in high school which are more like a college curriculum and have a standardized test at the end of the year which is graded on a scale (1-5 iirc) and depending on your score, can translate into college credit depending on the college/university you attend and how they weigh the scores. I took AP classes and was two credits shy of being a sophomore when I matriculated at uni. The next semester they changed their system and I would have gotten only half of the credits I did if I had started later!

From what I can tell many now just take college classes instead of AP if available as an option. Depends on the high school.

I think that Dual Enrollment classes are college classes... I tried signing up for DE gov, but I wasn't able to so I stuck with AP. If I fail the exam, I don't get the college credit, but if I pass it with a 3, it can count as college credit if I want. It won't harm me if I fail though, I just won't get credit.
I'm hoping to get through one or two years of college in high school, but I'm not sure I will

 

[Ponypoor]

Thanks! This is the first AP class I've taken, and boy is it hard. It's already bad enough that politics and government isn't my strong suit AT ALL, but my teacher can't teach at all either. She is the sweetest lady ever, but I only know a few people who are passing with a good grade, and they are geniuses.
I took honors biology last year, and I only got an A in it because of my teacher. She helped me out so much. If I had taken AP bio, I don't think I would've passed with an A. I took physical science two years ago... Not sure if that's the same as Physics, but I know that its similar. I got an 87, I think.
Science is my strong suit, so I've been taking the science class that the grade above me takes' for the past few years. (I know that my grammar in that sentence is horrible, so I apologize.)
Let me try to make it make sense. So, before I got into high school, I took a high school science class, so that I could get that credit out of the way. And then as a freshman, I took the 10th grade science class... so forth and so on. Also, I got both of my language classes out of the way in middle school too, which is nice.
Good luck in your classes!

Oh, I was furious. My ag teacher is lucky that I control my temper around adults that aren't my parents, because I have a short fuse and that fuse practically exploded because of my fury.

Deep breathes - trust me anger solves nothing and makes one feel like an idiot afterwards. Take the high road, and remember you won’t be in school forever, you just need to get through it and then move to the next step in your life.

How are your other chooks?

Oh and FYI - taxes are needed for all the school talk

Laverne is just finishing up moulting

Hahaha she looks so funny with her feathers half grown in

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

So sorry about your dilemnas ~ schools today are the pits compared to the compassionate caring instructors/administrators of my 1940's~1950's era! Don't get compromised away from your decent values & push on past the jerks in life. Life is an increasing series of challenges that never ends.

As for coop ideas, here are some pics of our 1st little coop (2011) that was a feed store customer-built homemade coop in a design that worked well other than it should have had a slightly slanted roof for rain runoff ~ but otherwise it was a great design. It was 4 ft wide 6 ft long & after 4 yrs outdoors went to a neighbor who really wanted it. It was made out of 2x4 lumber frame & OSB plywood board walls. We have no architect plans since we didn't build it but hope our design helps you guys a little. A handyman or architect student might be enlisted? Too many costly mistakes in measuring happens in DIY projects if you have no building experience. Materials cost too much to employ mistakes.

Our little coop base was placed on top of paver stones for stability but we kept the center w/no stones so the hens had dirt for baths or scratching. Yes, it was a mess but we only had 2 birds when we started ~ it was comfortable up to 4 hens (2 Silkies & 2 standard-size) & our birds only used the coop for roosting or laying eggs ~ we yard-ranged them daily. If you don't free-range than an electrified netted or wired run will have to surround the coop.
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The door to let the chickens in-n-out of the coop would not stay open in wind so we used bungie cord hooks to keep it open during the day. The tarp covered the coop at night from our vicious Santa Ana Winds or rain.
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Our coop was only 4 ft tall but enough room that we could reach inside for maintenance. There was a crossbar perch low to the ground to the left of the walk-in door but the bantams never used it... but the standard hens liked it for roosting at night.
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I highly recommend a stable platform in front of nestboxes if you have bantams that jump up ~ even the standard hens jumped to the platform ~ made no less than 10 inches wide by 4 ft. The platform was just an extension of the nestbox floor. The ramp ladder was cleated w/rungs but the front nestbox platform was so low (12 inches) above the ground the bantams never used the ladder ~ they just jumped up to the platform ~ so we removed the ladder.
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This coop had flimsy chicken wire which is not predator safe but it's better than no wire at all ~ the best wire is 1/2 inch hardware wire but costly!
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Rear hinged OSB board-door behind the 3 spacious nestboxes will drop down for egg access, cleaning, or inspecting sleeping birds. I have no pic of the door latches/locks at the top.
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The bantams roosted/slept in the 3 spacious nestboxes. Each nestbox had a round hole entrance at front & the coop's back door dropped to reveal a full view of divided boxes. Since the nestbox floor was OSB plywood board we lined the nest floors w/ individually cut plexiglass pieces for easy cleaning & to keep hens from scratching wood splinters into their toes! Views of nestboxes when back door is open. The box spaces were about 14"x14" & very spacious~ we once found 2 Silkies & one standard hen all huddled in one cubicle!
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Years ago we had no $$$ so we made DIY benches out of leftover paver stones & leftover plywood pieces to make day shelters for the hens plus added recycled old doghouses too. The more shelters the more they use them.
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A popup canopy w/ legs buried in ground to keep from parasailing was added as shelter/shade w/more "junk" (potted plants, broken wheelbarrow, old plastic furniture shelves, stools, etc) in yard for the hens to hide/use.
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Well, no coop is ever 100% perfect but we do whatever we all can. Experience w/ a flock will dictate what we need to do for them & what the environment conditions are.

Thank you so much! I'll definitely keep this in mind and talk to my friend about it tomorrow.
I'm pretty sure that there are students in my ag teachers' class that have building experience. If I need to, I'll see if they can help my friend and I. We have a little friend group that'll probably help us though, and they are geniuses so I have faith in them.

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

Deep breathes - trust me anger solves nothing and makes one feel like an idiot afterwards. Take the high road, and remember you won’t be in school forever, you just need to get through it and then move to the next step in your life.

How are your other chooks?

Oh and FYI - taxes are needed for all the school talk

Laverne is just finishing up moulting

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Hahaha she looks so funny with her feathers half grown in

The other chooks are pretty good. I have made a bunch of changes, but everyone is doing great. I need to move 10 more chickens out to free range (it was the only way Dad would let me buy the new school chickens with my friend.) but I've not done that yet.
I have way too many roosters, and Dad won't let me send them to freezer camp. I have six right now... and two are in my freezer, than goodness, or else it would've been awful.

I would send tax, but I am on my personal Chromebook with no chook pictures... I got grounded yesterday because of my short temper. My brother has been harping on me about something for the past few weeks and I snapped yesterday. He got cussed out and I got my phone taken away for a few days. Once I get it back I will send tax though.

My lavender orp. is moulting right now too. Most of everyone has already moulted. Just her and my barnevelder, Willow, and I think a few wyandottes.
She's a gorgeous girl though. How are all your chooks? Horses?

 

[Ponypoor]

Thank you so much! I'll definitely keep this in mind and talk to my friend about it tomorrow.
I'm pretty sure that there are students in my ag teachers' class that have building experience. If I need to, I'll see if they can help my friend and I. We have a little friend group that'll probably help us though, and they are geniuses so I have faith in them.

If you have a carpentry/shop class in your school you can approach the teacher and ask for help with building a coop and run, the teacher might think it’s a great idea for a project for the students.

You might end up with a palace!

 

[Pastel the Rooster]

@Pastel the Rooster if you still need coop plans, please PM me. I purchased a plan a while back that will never be built by us so I'd be happy to send it to you to use.

Thank you! My friend and I have figured out a temporary solution.
We threw my ag teachers' chickens (with her permission) into a duck pen that a student built. Said duck pen is NOT secure in any way, shape, or form, but I don't care honestly. It had no roof, the "fence" is wobbly and the wire isn't buried, and I don't even think the house is predator proof.
Well, once we threw them in there, we put our chicks into their old run. Their run has a little TSC coop in it for shelter. All I am going to do is secure the bottom with hardware cloth because I don't trust the chicken wire walls.
I'll talk to my friend tomorrow and see if this will be a permanent situation, or if she still wants to build a coop.