What did you do with your flock today?

[629864]

Oh my I totally feel your pain!! We had a crazy storm back in November where we got 5” in one day. There was soooo much water everywhere and I was out in it digging trenches too! I have had to engineer small dirt levees and trenches to direct water—our soil is so saturated that water just collects and overland flows are crazy! I hope you are able to dry out some soon! Soggy conditions are such a drag haha. I wish I could cover my run to minimize the mud and sogginess…but alas it is not possible…I think this spring we may reconfigure the layout of things though!

We thankfully live on a hill, so the water doesnt stay too terribly long. So the rambling chaos I've written below is a little clearer, I'll preface it by saying we've got 2 coops on either side of a fenced chicken yard...one of those coops has an attached fully enclosed chicken run.

The existing run was built a gazillion years ago and the wood is way too sketchy to risk covering it with a roof.

But I did convince DH that this spring we need to do something NEW around the chicken yard to offer some protection from the elements. This will be built from new materials so covering it should be doable.

We're thinking an open air covered type of concept...except we'll be doing the perimeter only of the chicken yard (think: square donut with uncovered courtyard in the donut hole ) with the center still uncovered. This perimeter will be fully enclosed like the existing chicken run...plus it will have a roof. I'll have doors to the center "courtyard" as well as adding a door to replace the current gate at the entrance to the chicken yard. This will create a situation where BOTH of my coops are protected and enclosed instead of just the one. And with that, I can then leave the door to the current enclosed run open at night, allowing the chickens to choose which coop they roost in or even giving them the option to sleep in the perimeter with roof, or run without roof. Right now, they're all being good and getting along, but I know it's just a matter of time before they've all just had it with how cramped they are at night in the coop....or they choose to sleep outside of the coop in the uncovered run (covered by wire only, no roof).

The main reason we chose the donut with courtyard plan is that the chicken yard has both a giant Poplar tree and the fallen stump that the chickens think of as their jungle gym. Rather than remove the tree that provides shade and destroy the existing fencing to allow a tractor to get in there and drag out the stump, we decided to work with what we have and make something that's good for all of us. Fingers crossed that reality meets my imagination somewhere in the middle. LOL

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Haha, sounds like me! I was told as a kid that I wasn’t allowed to go to the HS for the same reasons It’s good there was no internet at the time, helped them be more out of sight out of mind! We already had plenty of rescues we found without going to the HS!

Sonny is a pretty little thing! Sorry it seems that he will be a he!

Happy New Year to you as well! Hope 2022 brings you health and happiness and maybe some pigeons??

I’ve got a lot of rescues, too, so what’s one more? My boxer was from the HS. She’s the sweetest dog ever. <3

Thanks! I don’t know what I’m going to do if I have to rehome him. Sonny and Cher are best friends (heheh, anyone get it?), and I can’t only rehome Sonny because then Cher would be lonely, but last time I had to rehome one of my roos and a few hens, the person only adopted the hens. :/
That’s why I need a tiny bantam hen named Abbadon, *cough cough* room

The silkies are back at the HS. Maybe if I don’t look at their page I’ll forget about them. XD

Happy New Years all. My New Years didn’t start off well…Marianne sadly took her last breath sometime during the night. :-( I tried all the things and nothing was working. I’m glad her suffering is over though, she’s in a better place with Eevee, Ms Pretty, and Brad now. She was such a pretty girl. :-(

And the dog decided to pour salt in the wound by eating my BRAND NEW muck boots So he is currently pouting and I am crying while watching crappy football games. I think now that it’s warmed up I will go sit with them outside. I need to be around my healthy ones for a bit and the sun will feel good.

Hope you are all having a lovely first day of 2022.

I’m so sorry you lost Marianne. : ( she was gorgeous.

 

[Silverwulfess]

Underneath our house is virtually fully boarded off except for one cut out where the pipes run through. I had to save my silly cockerel boy who got "stuck" under there and couldn't find his way back out. Luckily he comes when he's called!

 

[Sara S]

Today I Watched my new silkie roo run like a scared puppy from my hens becuase they didn’t wanna share. Then I was outside at 3 am trying to get him to stop crowing because our neighbors house is kinda close and also it was 3am

 

[FrankieDoodle]

I got to spend some time snuggling my birds. It wasn’t planned, but Beigie jumped on my back while I was taking a picture of Iris, so how could I refuse? After that they all kind of dog piled on and around me, so I got stuck. XD poor guys probably thought I’ve been avoiding them, but it’s been pretty muddy here, and Watson is the only one decent enough to keep her feet clean. I mean seriously, she’s never had dirty feet a day in her life. It’s freaky.

I did get some pictures, though some are better than other. I got one where Molly and Elphie are pinning my leg in place, but you can see my ugly chicken shoes and socks, so I won’t post that one. XD
Beigie, after she so politely invited herself onto my back. She’s been fluffing out really nicely, and her hair (not that you can see a lot of it in this pic) is bigger than it’s ever been. <3

Papa Smurf. She bit me after I tried to put her down. I think she’s seen me snuggle Os too much, but in my defense, Os is so much softer and she doesn’t bite. XD
Nugget was hanging out just below Smurf with her head buried in my jacket, so I didn’t include pics of her.

Puff Puff. I was experimenting with background editing, but I haven’t decided if I like the results or not. It’s definitely a lot cleaner than the original. XD

Iris. This has to be my new favorite picture, and possibly the best photo I’ve gotten of him. All natural, the only editing I did was a bit of cropping, and the camera was on portrait mode. I’m really impressed on how the camera was able to pick up all the feather textures. None of my other cameras could do that.

And then two of Santa. She looked very magical with how the light softly shown down on her nice new feathers. XD It doesn’t even look like my bird. The Santa I know is a dirty, feral mess, not whoever this nice, fluffy girl is. XD

Later they all got to share a pear. The SGs loved it (but then again, they love everything), so did Iris, but the others weren’t too impressed. They still gobled it up in a matter of minutes, so they must have liked it at least a little. XD

 

[Sara S]

I got to spend some time snuggling my birds. It wasn’t planned, but Beigie jumped on my back while I was taking a picture of Iris, so how could I refuse? After that they all kind of dog piled on and around me, so I got stuck. XD poor guys probably thought I’ve been avoiding them, but it’s been pretty muddy here, and Watson is the only one decent enough to keep her feet clean. I mean seriously, she’s never had dirty feet a day in her life. It’s freaky.

I did get some pictures, though some are better than other. I got one where Molly and Elphie are pinning my leg in place, but you can see my ugly chicken shoes and socks, so I won’t post that one. XD
Beigie, after she so politely invited herself onto my back. She’s been fluffing out really nicely, and her hair (not that you can see a lot of it in this pic) is bigger than it’s ever been. <3
View attachment 2949533
Papa Smurf. She bit me after I tried to put her down. I think she’s seen me snuggle Os too much, but in my defense, Os is so much softer and she doesn’t bite. XD
Nugget was hanging out just below Smurf with her head buried in my jacket, so I didn’t include pics of her.
View attachment 2949534
Puff Puff. I was experimenting with background editing, but I haven’t decided if I like the results or not. It’s definitely a lot cleaner than the original. XD
View attachment 2949532
Iris. This has to be my new favorite picture, and possibly the best photo I’ve gotten of him. All natural, the only editing I did was a bit of cropping, and the camera was on portrait mode. I’m really impressed on how the camera was able to pick up all the feather textures. None of my other cameras could do that.
View attachment 2949536
And then two of Santa. She looked very magical with how the light softly shown down on her nice new feathers. XD It doesn’t even look like my bird. The Santa I know is a dirty, feral mess, not whoever this nice, fluffy girl is. XD
View attachment 2949530View attachment 2949531
Later they all got to share a pear. The SGs loved it (but then again, they love everything), so did Iris, but the others weren’t too impressed. They still gobled it up in a matter of minutes, so they must have liked it at least a little. XD

They’re all SO CUTE! My one chicken cappachyno loves cuddles and she’s bipoar do she cuddles and then bam ur sight is gone for 2 days

 

[Sara S]

Me and butter chilled outside because his 2 brooder buddies got attacked by my cat and he was jumping around and riling them up. He loved the sun on him

wow i look young here

 

[FrankieDoodle]

They’re all SO CUTE! My one chicken cappachyno loves cuddles and she’s bipoar do she cuddles and then bam ur sight is gone for 2 days

Thank you!
Oh no! I hope your sight is ok. It sounds like you need to wear safety goggles whenever you hang out with her. XD
I’ve had quite a few birds over the years that liked to peck eyes/teeth/earings/everything else they shouldn’t peck, so I’d be lying if I said they didn’t give me trust issues. XD

Me and butter chilled outside because his 2 brooder buddies got attacked by my cat and he was jumping around and riling them up. He loved the sun on him View attachment 2949542View attachment 2949543
wow i look young here
View attachment 2949544View attachment 2949545

He’s so cute! My chicks are just starting to feather in, and I already miss the fuzzy baby stage.
What breed is he?

 

[Sara S]

Thank you!
Oh no! I hope your sight is ok. It sounds like you need to wear safety goggles whenever you hang out with her. XD
I’ve had quite a few birds over the years that liked to peck eyes/teeth/earings/everything else they shouldn’t peck, so I’d be lying if I said they didn’t give me trust issues. XD

He’s so cute! My chicks are just starting to feather in, and I already miss the fuzzy baby stage.
What breed is he?

Golden comet, I have another, sweet potato. I also have a sapphire gem, berry. Had 3 brahmas but they died of respitory issues in the first week. And ik butter is starting to get his feathers and I’m Already missing when he was a fuzz ball on stick Legs

 

[FrankieDoodle]

Golden comet, I have another, sweet potato. I also have a sapphire gem, berry. Had 3 brahmas but they died of respitory issues in the first week. And ik butter is starting to get his feathers and I’m Already missing when he was a fuzz ball on stick Legs

They’re so cute! I love my sapphire gems, they’re such beautiful birds, not to mention big, fluffy, and super chill.
I’m sorry you lost your brahmas. : (