Shadrach's Ex Battery and Rescued chickens thread.

[fuzzi]

Love the rooster vocalizing here:

I'm not sure if it's supposed to be encouraging or a "hurry it up!" communication to the hens in the nesting boxes.

 

[Shadrach]

Hi @Shadrach, I am still reading through this amazing thread, and I’ve gotten through summer 2022, when you acquired Thomas the Tank Engine the Solway coop and built a frame to elevate it. Did you ever post a picture of the coop on the frame?

We have our run (aviary?) mostly done and are building a platform for the Nestera 2 1/2’ (~75 cm) off the ground. Did you somehow attach your coop to the frame?

I can’t imagine the Nestera blowing off its platform, but then we had our hurricane 5 months ago, hundreds of miles inland, so there you go.

Thanks for any solutions you might be willing to share. We will be drilling ventilation holes in the Nestera, which needs MUCH more ventilation.

This shows the recess in the base of the coop.

This is the frame I built. Note the legs sit proud of the support woodwork.

The lugs/proud ends of the legs fit in the coop floor recess. The were a snug fit.

The coop itself weighs 63 kilos; a bit more with the bits I've stengthened and the auto door.

It's bit breezy at the field. 50mph wind gusts are common. 70 mph gusts from passing storms. Anything directly in the winds path gets blown down, sheds, greenhouse, but this coop barely notices the wind. The coop extension is bolted to the coop and this adds further stability.

 

[Shadrach]

Ooo! Found this in another thread!

Is the second picture (third, I guess) showing a “day room”, roost and all, for hanging out in crappy weather, or an actual expansion of the nighttime roosting space?

Henry and his favourites used to roost on the run roost bar when the old coop was in use. The extension was originally built with the idea that in the summer they could all roost in the extension but a) I just haven't got around to fitting the coop extension door or buying another auto door opener so they can get onto the coop run with the coop extension door shut.

 

[notabitail]

Yesterday I did notice Agathae made a noise of some kind at Dominica, leading to Dominica jumping on the desk. It appears she remembered today. Just another sign that chickens are intelligent.

 

[Shadrach]

Love the rooster vocalizing here:

I'm not sure if it's supposed to be encouraging or a "hurry it up!" communication to the hens in the nesting boxes.

I've been quite surprised reading and watching your roosters in a mainly confined setting doing at least some of what I expect from a ranging rooster.

 

[SimpleJenn]

Love the rooster vocalizing here:

I'm not sure if it's supposed to be encouraging or a "hurry it up!" communication to the hens in the nesting boxes.

He sounds so reassuring to me.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

This shows the recess in the base of the coop.
View attachment 4061233

This is the frame I built. Note the legs sit proud of the support woodwork.
View attachment 4061235

The lugs/proud ends of the legs fit in the coop floor recess. The were a snug fit.
View attachment 4061236

The coop itself weighs 63 kilos; a bit more with the bits I've stengthened and the auto door.
View attachment 4061234

It's bit breezy at the field. 50mph wind gusts are common. 70 mph gusts from passing storms. Anything directly in the winds path gets blown down, sheds, greenhouse, but this coop barely notices the wind. The coop extension is bolted to the coop and this adds further stability.View attachment 4061236

Henry and his favourites used to roost on the run roost bar when the old coop was in use. The extension was originally built with the idea that in the summer they could all roost in the extension but a) I just haven't got around to fitting the coop extension door or buying another auto door opener so they can get onto the coop run with the coop extension door shut.

Thank you so much! This is all wonderfully helpful, and I feel that I now know how to proceed. And that extension gives me an idea of what would be possible if wintertime cabin fever set in.

And it’s so well-built! Our set-up will be far more cheerfully half-azzed, but I’m reassured.

 

[fuzzi]

I've been quite surprised reading and watching your roosters in a mainly confined setting doing at least some of what I expect from a ranging rooster.

And so far they not only "get along", but cooperate. Zack is the tidbiter, and Silas does most of the crowing.

 

[BDutch]

The county just south of ours has many apple orchards. Like many other tree fruits, apple trees need a minimum number of chill hours to break dormancy. If winters warm a few degrees and they no longer get enough chill hours, they generally have poor flowering and reduced fruit set.

What will happen to fruit-growing areas that no longer reliably get the traditional number of chill hours?

(Chill hours protect fruit trees from breaking dormancy early in a freak winter warm spell, blooming too soon, and then getting zapped when cold temps return.)

Change of fruits. We grow more grapes for wine, apricots and tomatoes, partly instead of crops that love colder weather.
We always had the possibility of frost in blossoming fruit trees because weather was unpredictable in the past too. Professionals use sprinklers to cover the blossoms in freezing nights. Ice protects the start of the apple, pear and cherry fruits if its getting cold.

 

[fuzzi]

I've been quite surprised reading and watching your roosters in a mainly confined setting doing at least some of what I expect from a ranging rooster.

Here they are, in stereo:

The noisy pullet is probably Joanna. She's the most friendly and outspoken of the three hatched 9 months ago.