Wyrd Sisters (the Discworld chickens)

[TOMTE]

"Things just happen, what the hell." — Terry Pratchett

I've been wanting to make this thread for months and I've started and stopped several times, for various reasons. Like not knowing what to call it or how to start it or structure it or run it or...

So I'm just going to throw spaghetti at the wall and see what happens

First I'll introduce the Wyrd Sisters themselves.

This is my first flock and it's been a little over a year since they came home as little chicks. I'll start from the top of the pecking order:

Aliss Demurrage

Black sex-link with chinchilla soft, shiny feathers and pretty green eyes. She's the feisty, stubborn boss lady. Black Aliss screams, screeches, caws, croaks and cackles, but on the nest she chuckles sweetly. She's bold. She's a biter when she wants something. She follows me around like a puppy. Her best friend is...

Lady Sybil

Red sex-link, my flock's first egg layer at around 4 months. Sybil is my sweet pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top. She's rarely far from her bff Aliss. She really makes the sweetest sounds Sometimes she sounds similar to a zebra. Sybil isn't human affectionate but she's curious and friendly. She came home a couple days after the other four.

Gytha Ogg

Silver-laced Wyandotte, a big, heavy girl who likes to throw her weight around, especially when it's not necessary. Smack dab in the middle of the pecking order, Gytha is rude and brash. Sometimes she's a bully. She's human touch avoidant, but not aggressive. Look at that floppy comb! Everything about her is exaggerated

Esme Weatherwax

Black sex-link, another big girl and occasional bully. Ask her anything and she'll respond with "uh-huuuuuh!" That's her noise. I love it LOL. She's one of the most human friendly in my little flock, tolerant of cuddles and pets. And she likes to jump. She jump-kicks the side of the run when she wants out. She attempts to jump-kick treats out of my hands. She certainly doesn't let her weight keep her on the ground!

Magrat Garlick

Silver-laced Wyandotte, little Magrat is tiny (not bantam tiny but smaller than her sisters) and at the very bottom of the pecking order, but she doesn't GAD... She's spunky and she's got guts. Sometimes she stands over Aliss and sometimes she pecks Aliss on the comb! She tends to get bullied by Gytha and Esme but she's no pushover. Plus, Magrat loves to cuddle and chat with me, and she grooms my hair every chance she gets, often joined by Esme (and sometimes Gytha). She's by far my sweetest little gal.

If you want to know more about how and why I got started with chickens, you can read my member interview! TL;DR? My uncle surprised my dad and grandma and me with everything last summer (2024).

I guess this thread will be a sort of chicken diary, but also a place to chat about chickens and such. Feel free to introduce yourself and your own birds!

 

[Callender Girl]

I love that you know so much about each girl's personality and preferences. They sound like a fun flock, and they are certainly good-looking girls!

 

[Finchbreeder]

Love the salute to Terry Pratchett in your choice of names.

 

[Sally PB]

I love the Discworld series. Terry Pratchett had so many great turns of phrase.

My introduction to him was the blurb on the back of the book, Mort. Blurbs are supposed to make you want to read the book, and this one surely did, with its first sentence.

"Death comes to us all, and when he came to Mort, he offered him a job."

I'm really looking forward to reading more about your flock.

 

[TOMTE]

It's already hot as all get out here. Heat index of 95⁰F currently, at almost 9AM. Today's going to be a changing water several times kind of day. Yuck. Disrespectful humidity levels. Nasty. Poor girls were already panting when I let them out at around 7AM. I think there's a slight chance for popup storms today but my area never gets anything, like we're in a weatherless bubble.

2 eggs so far today, one from Sybil and one from I don't know who, and it had a hole in it. So I threw it on the ground and Esme is eating it. Who doesn't love some raw egg on a hot morning?

Magrat just came off the nest but there's nothing in it so maybe the egg was hers.

They're starting to venture further into the woods now, little by little.

Under that fallen log in the back is a den/burrow. Not sure if it's currently occupied.

So much to see and do out here!

Hurry up and join your sisters so I can get out of here!!! (I was being chewed up by mosquitoes)

 

[TOMTE]

I love that you know so much about each girl's personality and preferences. They sound like a fun flock, and they are certainly good-looking girls!

Thank you! They very quickly became my babies once they came home, I absolutely love spending time with them so it's been really fun getting to know them personally.

Love the salute to Terry Pratchett in your choice of names.

Always happy to discover another Pratchett fan! I love when people recognize the names

I love the Discworld series. Terry Pratchett had so many great turns of phrase.

My introduction to him was the blurb on the back of the book, Mort. Blurbs are supposed to make you want to read the book, and this one surely did, with its first sentence.

"Death comes to us all, and when he came to Mort, he offered him a job."

I'm really looking forward to reading more about your flock.

I think Mort was one of the first ones my boyfriend read to me, before we decided to start from the beginning instead of reading them in a random order. The Death books are so special to me... But then, they all are!

I can't wait until I can bring home some more Disc chicks, and name them things like Granny Aching, Long Tall Short Fat Sally, Agnes Nitt, hopefully someday a Ridcully or Rincewind or Vimes...

 

[TOMTE]

The current setup

Ignore the mess (if you can ), I was going to clean up some today but the heat and humidity are way too bad. I'll do it tomorrow when it cools down again.

First things first, our run is WAAAAYYYYY TOO SMALL for 5 standard sized chickens. While we do range all day in the warm spring and summer months, they're stuck inside for winter, and that's when problems arise. A few months ago dad and I expanded the "main" run by adding an access door to an outdoor run constructed with snow fencing. That way they have a bit more space to get away from each other, but I doubt they'll want to spend much time out there when the snow comes. Keeping it shoveled is going to be a PITA.

In total the run is about 19ft long by 7½-8ft wide (it isn't squared properly). There isn't much clutter at the moment since they're spending the majority of their time ranging, but in fall I'll add more logs and branches and whatever else I can find.

Still partially winterized to keep out the rain... Not that we get any... With windows cut out for a nice breeze.

Showing the chicken access door to the outdoor run, and food, grit, and OS.

Waterer in there too, of course. And the crappy prefab coop that desperately needs cleaned.

It's so tiny... Terrible ventilation... During the day I leave the cleaning door open because of flies and heat, and overnight I leave the pop door open. I know it's risky, especially because the run is constructed with flimsy chicken wire that predators can easily tear through, but I'd rather they have enough airflow and not overheat during our humid summer nights. Plus, they can go in and out of the coop as they please before I get up in the morning. Obviously once it starts getting cold again I'll shut it at night.

Problems with this setup

1) Too small for 5 active chickens, even with the expansion.

2) South-facing. Nice in winter for the extra heat from the sun, horrible in summer for the extra heat from the sun.

3) Built too close to the gas meter and underground pipes that run to the septic tank.

4) Not sturdy enough. Neither chicken wire nor snow fence will stop a determined predator.

5) Tiny, sad, cheap prefab coop. It serves its purpose but only just barely. I hate it. There isn't enough room in there for them to sufficiently churn the bedding, so poop piles up under the roosts really quickly. Have had to make a few modifications just to make it usable (higher lip for more bedding, stilts to raise it off the ground, took out the nestbox divider and added a higher lip there too, replaced some screws, etc).

6) Indoor section of the run is cramped and hard to rake/shovel when necessary.

7) The clear roof panels let in too much sun/heat.

8) No protection from predators or the sun over the outdoor section.

9) Spilled food inevitably brings mice up to the house.

So... There's a lot to fix. Next I'll share what dad and I plan on doing about it!

 

[Sally PB]

The clear roof panels let in too much sun/heat.

Can you put a tarp over it, secured with bungee cords? Or use an old bed sheet inside to filter the light.

Tiny, sad, cheap prefab coop.

If you build a larger coop, this could possibly make a brooder or hospital or isolation coop.

 

[Callender Girl]

You've got plenty of work ahead, but you seem to have a sound plan of attack. Good luck with all your undertakings!

 

[TOMTE]

Can you put a tarp over it, secured with bungee cords? Or use an old bed sheet inside to filter the light.

If you build a larger coop, this could possibly make a brooder or hospital or isolation coop.

I've been thinking about the bed sheet thing. We have so many old sheets, I might be able to find something that I can use. Thank you for the tip!

As long as the current coop stays sturdy enough, that's exactly my plan for it. If we don't just end up burning it or something LOL. It'll still need some adjustments like sealing up drafty cracks. Will dad and I want to do anything with it by that point? Remains to be seen

You've got plenty of work ahead, but you seem to have a sound plan of attack. Good luck with all your undertakings!

Yep! Thank you! I'm looking forward to getting pictures of our plans and talking about it here. But I don't feel like getting sucked dry by mosquitos in the woods so it's gonna have to wait a bit. Maybe later today or tomorrow I'll brave it.