Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Back to Her Old Tricks

It was warm today (47°F, 8C) so this one decided to sleep here.

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We are now having torrential rains.

She is so lucky to have me to put her in the coop and protect her from her bad decisions.

Earlier tonight I thought she was taking Tilly with her.

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But it turns out that Lady Featherington would not let Tilly into the complex to go to bed.

Why are they mean like this?

Gosh she’s so determined! She’s one lucky chook that she has a wonderful Hooman to ensure her safety.

 

[BY Bob]

Very reassuring. Yes, she is already heavy enough to open the feeder. The issue is that while standing on the treadle she has trouble reaching the food. So it is a size issue not a weight issue. She can do it, but it requires a lot of balancing and if she puts her foot down on the ground between the treadle and the feed trough then of course she isn't operating the treadle.
I may need to modify the treadle a little so she can get closer.

A think a little modification would help a lot.

I understand your apprehension about being gone. Mine have made me very reluctant to leave them alone at all these days. They just won't settle down, accept each other, and sleep where they are supposed to.

I'm worried about going anywhere anymore.

 

[BY Bob]

She didn’t strike me as under-nourished but I am not sure I have a good sense for that keel test.
I kicked around ideas with Al Gerhart this evening (the guy who makes the feeders) and tomorrow I am going to try and extend the treadle a little bit. I have some cedar shakes left over from the roof and could maybe even just make a bigger treadle. He felt as long as there is 3” gap to the feed trough I should still be OK on the rats front. Cedar makes sense because it is lightweight.
I asked Meyers hatchery about growth and the lady thought at 20 weeks she would grow a bit more but not much. She said some are just small. But, assuming @rural mouse is right about her breeding. she is a mix of two slow growing breeds so I am going to remain hopeful she still has some growing to do.
For now I will focus my worry on the feeders - but soon I will go back to the whole worry or Mr. Chips and how huge he is relative to her!

Tilly has grown quite a bit since her last weigh in. When i pick her up, she feels heftier than Niamh now. I'll try and get a weight to see how much she has grown since October.

I think Cookie will grow for a while yet.

 

[BY Bob]

Gosh she’s so determined! She’s one lucky chook that she has a wonderful Hooman to ensure her safety.

That's what I tell her every night when I move her. She does not seem to agree.

 

[Sylvester017]

Yes that would be fine, but read the Ingredients, anything with fragrance or any sort of alcohol will dry the skin even further (hey this the same for your skin also! So read the ingredients), creams that claim to dry fast on your skin have alcohol in them this is why it dries fast. And dries your skin - now just imagine poor wee chooks comb!

That's why we liked the Spring Valley Vit E oil w/coconut oil 12000 IU... it had no alcohol or fragrance. The newer 12000 IU claims it has keratin now. Of course straight pure Vit E oil is best if you can afford the higher cost. Since our vet liked our choice we stuck w/ it. He said the Vit E had so many benefits, is safe if ingested, & recommended massaging it on chicken skin like legs, toes, face, wattles, comb, beak, toenails too. We apply it whenever a Silkie gets dry face skin. When we had Leghorns they often got the full Vit E spa treatment

 

[Sylvester017]

RC I’ve been poking for your pic - that showed what looked like a clip holding open the feeder door? I fear Lizbel hasn’t overcome her fear yet of the feeder, and she’s at the bottom of the pecking order and is too shy to even join in with someone else. Thinking I’ll get a second feeder probably.
Training them… I need to put a board or two alongside to get everyone to at least use the treadle, there seem to be possibly only two of the pullets that will brave the thing alone!

We never had success w/ any of our treadle feeders. Out of 3 feeders only one hen in our flock history used a treadle. We did everything to train birds & nothing worked. The noise scared them silly. And yet, we watched other videos where farmers had great success w/them

 

[Sylvester017]

Very reassuring. Yes, she is already heavy enough to open the feeder. The issue is that while standing on the treadle she has trouble reaching the food. So it is a size issue not a weight issue. She can do it, but it requires a lot of balancing and if she puts her foot down on the ground between the treadle and the feed trough then of course she isn't operating the treadle.
I may need to modify the treadle a little so she can get closer.

Either modify the treadle or invest in a smaller size one. When we got the smaller treadle one hen actually learned to use it in a couple days. Our Silkies never would go near a treadle though.

This is the smaller treadle we got & it was used but the big metal treadles were just too loud.

Smaller treadle that doesn't drop down on a chicken's head. This is the small Feed-O-matic

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[Sylvester017]

We got a Christmas card from our Nevada rescue farm friend & the envelope matched the same picture that was on the card

 

[Sylvester017]

@SimpleJenn 's Silkie artistry ~ we loved it so much

 

[Marie2020]

Good morning

Merry Christmas Everyone

I'm away right now but haven't forgotten you all.