Mollie Sunshine Chronicles

[MollySunshine]

I could use some suggestions.
As you all know, this integration isn't going so smoothly. Yesterday, I let Ellie May and Lucy free range with the rest of the girls. I noticed that Lucy's demeanor towards me has changed. Folks, I don't want this to change. Rather than running to me when she saw me coming towards her, she ran in the opposite direction! Obviously, she associates me with placing her in the cage. I know this isn't about me, it's about getting her integrated with the littles. Now I'm calling defeat and thinking about placing the littles in the main hen coop. Not what I wanted to do. Offering Lucy her own community is turning out to be a bad decision.
My question is this, should suck it up and continue the course or switch the littles to the big coop? Just wondering what others expereinces have been and how the situation was handled. I'm faced with perhaps she will always reject them. I could use a bit of tolerance on her part

 

[MollySunshine]

I think I"ve made the decision to move the littles. Trying to get Lucy to accept them doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon. I let her out of the crate to see if she is less reactive to them. As soon as she saw Chanel she pounced on her, similar to how a hawk would catch prey. I quickly removed her. I will try one last time tomorrow and if the same thing happens I am removing the crate from the coop and placing it in the main coop to begin the integration process one more time. This will be ok i suppose. It will at least resolve my desire to offer the littles heat this winter. The first year (last year) I offered it to both main coops. I wasn't going to this year. Currently we don't have an electrical source near the smaller coops. My last resort if THIS doesn't work is to purchase ANOTHER small coop to house the littles. This I truly don't want to do.
With that being said, if you are in the Rhode Island area, I was curious to see what the pricing would be for coops on Craig's List, in the event a new coop is necessary. I did find someone located in the Richmond area and the coops he makes is very much less than the one I bought. From the photos submitted, it looks of good construction. The same size small coop I bought he was selling for slightly less than 300$. Sure, it's not constructed by the Amish and doesn't have that distinction but I don't think the chickies care one way or the other.

 

[MollySunshine]

Since the last post, I once again decided to stay the course with this integration. If it's paining you with my back and forth, I agree. It's affecting me the same way! Driving me nuts! I do have to decide on something to do though. Currently, day light is becoming later and later and it's just beginning to get light when I open the pop doors in all coops. Lucy and Ellie May aren't quite ready to leave their roost but I give them a nudge out the pop door so I can open the crate door to let the littles roam the coop. Now what I'm thinking of doing is wrapping the large crate, that is in the run that Lucy was using, with hardware cloth then placing insulation around it so it keeps in some warmth. Set it up like a coop with a roost and nesting box. There are 2 doors on it so I can use one door as her pop door and one for the clean out. I was also going to raise it and put up a chicken wire seperator in the run. She will be able to use the space under the crate plus some of the existing run. I don't love having her seprate from her friend Ellie May but this will give her additional time to tolerate the littles....I hope...

I always learn something new from my chickies. The boys were free ranging the other day and I noticed 2 orpington's were challeging each other. I kept an eye on them to make sure it wouldn't get out of control. This went on for a while. They would stop then one would restart. One was Sarge because he is one of the higher ranked with 4 other RIR's. One RIR is lower with 3 orpington's and 2 silkies. Although, one of the silkies is pretty fiesty. One of the lower O's were challeging Sarge and Mr. Romeo was calling interference. He got in the middle and just stood there. The would stop and walk away. In the end, surprisingly enough, Sarge walked from the other Orp. I guess the lower ranked won that decussion. I thought it was intersting how Mr. Romeo got right in the middle of them.

 

[MollySunshine]

As you can see, one of my girls is experiencing a heavy molt. It's not the best picture but you get the jist. She wouldn't stay still. It was as though she was saying, "don't take my picture, I'm hideous, I can't let anyone see me like this." I began giving them a feeder full of starter/grower along side of the layer and offering Ca on the side. The hen in the foreground hasn't fully grown her feathers from when the boys were in the coop.
Now that fall is here, there is so much to do to get chickies ready for the colder weather. I intend on insulating the 3 roo's coop. They are in the TS coop which I don't love. The wood that was used is very thin. I think insulate the inside roosting compartment then cover it with plastic and cover the outside as well. There is an opening between the run and the roosting compartment at the top where they like to sit. I will leave that open to circulate air inside and cover the outside of the attached run. They have additional run space besides this small space.
I finished cleaning out the main hen coop. The composted material inside was really nice. Most of it broke down to the consistency of sand. I had added pine shavings at one point too because I ran out of leaves. Surprisingly enough, that too broke down. I have a wheel barrow full waiting for me tonight to place in my garden. To think, 6 months of layered material equated to ~2 wheel barrow full. I intend on insulating the 2 boys coop and cleaning out the main roo coop tomorrow. That will get placed in another garden. There's never nothing to do! Before I know it, I will be covering the 2 main coops and runs with plastic for the winter. But let's slow that down for now and enjoy the colors and scents of fall.
I will once again see how Lucy tolerates the littles this weekend. The continuing saga. One day I will post the integration is complete but until that time......

 

[MollySunshine]

This is a cool picture of some wild turkeys strolling in my yard at the edge of clearing. I was making adjustments to the small door that leads from the small TS coop run to the bigger run for the 3 boys and I look up as I'm heading towards their coop (always head down to watch out for land mines...poo) and there they are. Fortunately, I had my phone with me and was able to catch a quick photo. I guess neither bird bothers the other.
Isn't my RIR handsome? All my boys are handsome.

 

[MollySunshine]

....and the final answer is.....the littles are in the main coop since Saturday. I allowed Lucy in the run with them and once again she lurched on one like a hawk catching prey. I don't think she will ever "tolerate" them. I wonder if she has the I'll get you before you get me attitude since she was picked on vicously in the main coop. It's done. I had to place them in a large cage since it will be at least til Thanksgiving before I let them roam with the others. They grow so quickly. The littles seem to have settled in well so far. They usually never roost, they were roosting last night when I went in to do the nightly coop chores. So they are maturing in so many ways.
This past weekend I cleaned out the boys coop and placed the compost in another garden. I got quit a bit accomplished.
Ugh, that storm Sunday night! It rained so hard and the wind so fierce that rain must have pooled on the top of the main coop run. It is a dog kennel made of galvinized metal with top. It caved in on itself. What a mess. We have to replace that this weekend. This time we will construct a regular wooden roof over the kennel. Needless to say, the girls are stuck in the coop all day until we get this accomplished. Currently, when I get home they are beginning to roost for the night. I will let them out Saturday and Sunday. This puts me back a week now. I was going to insulate the 3 boys coop. I had intentions of doing it last weekend but there's never enough time in a day. If only I didn't have to work everyday...... speaking of which, I have to get back it.

 

[MollySunshine]

My little Mottled Cochan Bantam, Talluhlabelle, cracks me up. I went in this morning to do the morning chores and I noticed she wasn't in her usual roosting spot. I shine my flashlight around the coop and no sign of her. My stomach turns slightly and I think, where could she possibly be; they haven't left their coop. I shine again and there she was, huddled in between 2 hens! She kills me. She's so fiesty. Every now and again she insists on roosting with the "big girls". They peck at her and similar to the badger she don't care. She stands her ground. She obviously won again last night.

Making some progress. The dog kennel is 90% up. I've been doing a bit at a time after work before darkness. This morning I'm out there in the dark holding the flashlight between my knees trying to mount the door. The things we do! I went to depot this morning to buy a new barrel for the ratchet for the size nuts I'm using. This will go into "my toolbox". I just placed the bolts in to get the thing standing. Tonight I will tighten everything up with my new ratchet barrel

ok, got to go!

 

[MollySunshine]

In my effort to keep things real with this chronicle....
You know this dog kennel that is being erected? It's the same one I disasembled after the storm Sunday night. Yup, same one. In my tissy after seeing the top completely distroyed and one side bent and another side bent and split to the point of no repair, my only course of action seemed to be to take the whole thing down. With a handy ratchet I proceeded to take it apart and placed it all in a pile for the scrap yard. A couple of days later, I began thinking more clearly about this. What a dummy! They sell the individual panels! DUH I trudged to the heap of fencing I piled the other day and trudged it back to it's original area....in the early morning, with help from my flashlight to lead me in the right direction.
Morale of the story.....step back a second and evaluate the situation prior to reacting.

 

[MollySunshine]

The kennel is "fixed"! Hubby straightened out the sides that were bent with a sledge hammer. I will be honest, I was prepared to purchase new panels but he did a good job at making them better. Sure they may have a slight bow here and there but nothing in comparison to what it was. He built a wood frame and placed a corrugated roof on the frame. See how this stands up. If it does well, we will do the bachelor pad as well.
Still need to insulate/cover the 3 boys coop. Have to do it before weeks end because they are calling for cold temps. by Friday. So much to do and so little time! Especially now with the time change. So many reasons to dislike the coming of winter!
I noticed this weekend there's a shift in the hen house. The RIR that was seriously molting (now regaining feathers) decided on Saturday that she wants a particular roost. Mollie Sunshine and Silver and Gold Wyandotte's share this roost. The RIR pecked them off. I moved the RIR back to her spot amongst the other RIR's. This morning I looked in the corner and saw the 2 Wyandotte's and the RIR on the roost. Where's Mollie? She's roosting with the other RIR's. This is huge for Miss Mollie Sunshine! Within the original flock, she was the lowest in the pecking order. She had a rough time. She had to roost alone. Then came the next batch of littles that included the Wyandottes. The Wyandottes, who I call the mean girls, (they are so bossy) took Mollie in their fold. I was happy for her. She now had roost mates. Can it be she is now accepted by her original brood mates? Good for you, Miss Mollie Sunshine.

 

[MollySunshine]

Never enough time in a day. There has never been a truer statement. With the time change, this is literal. The weather is turning too cold too quickly. It has been too warm to winterize and now I'm scurrying to get it done.
Last night I'm using my familiar flashlight to secure a piece of plastic over the opening in the coop for the 3 boys. They weren't too happy to have me hoovering over them.
This is the coop from TS that I am trying to winterize. Those are not my chickies. I took this photo from their site. You can't see from this photo but the cabin is wide open at the top to the run. I was able to place plastic across one end of the cabin to the other. The alpha likes to roost at night on the ledge of the opening. He didn't appreciate me coaxing him inside the cabin. Tonight I will envelope this adjoining run so the wind doesn't get in. Tomorrow the weatherman is calling for 50 degree day temps. but over night and Friday, 20's brrrrr. The run we built that this is attached to, I think will be fine. This coop drives me nuts! It's ok for summer but the wood used to construct it is so flimsy....thin. This morning I'm out there with said flashlight measuring the insulation to place in there tonight. I always arrive to work early so prior to beginning my day I cut the pieces. Time management. Not a second can be wasted! The stray cat that hangs around, my trusty companion, "helped" me last night and this morning. He really is a good boy. I placed him in Lucy's coop last night to see if he would stay and be ok with it but when I opened the door he was quick to come out. I am hesitant on keeping him there, I don't know if they will harm each other. They don't seem to care when in the yard but this is enclosed. I have a good size dog carrier on my deck that I placed a comfy cat bed in for him. It has tarp over it so no rain can enter the air holes. I have to winterize that too! Again, never enough time in a day!
This weekend hopefully I am able to winterize the main coops.
I keep reminding myself that it's busy with the change of season but this will pass. I will get through it.
I still have the littles to deal with too. I plan on trying an integration during Thanksgiving weekend.