Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

I apologise for not having done it sooner : thank you all for the good thoughts about Piou-piou.
I'm not coping very well, it's been a difficult end of year. I still want to wish everyone at FBA the best possible outcome for 2025. I'm thankful for this thread that remains a place where we can share chicken knowledge, shenanigans, joy, and sorrows.

No, and yes. Again please forgive me, I'll just quote the relevant stuff from what I wrote on different posts on my thread. I don't feel up to writing it more concisely again.

Thanks Manue for the update, very sad to read.

Having animals is a voyage of emotions; and sometimes it’s a crazy rollercoaster. I am so sad that you both had to experience this, one needs to have nerves of steel when having pets and children.

A suggestion for you coop area. If you can get plywood sheets, you can use a jig-saw to trim the bottom to fit irregular footings, then you can clad the inside with a ‘new wall’ that is secure. This is what I did with the Hen House B. The one wall is the stall wall which I clad in plywood.

On the floor brick pavers can be used to prevent digging from below, any spaces too small to fit the pavers can be cemented. Make the cement on a floor at least 4” thick.

Also if your partner or you are handy working with mortar you can use the cement to ‘chink’ the spaces, there are many videos on how to chink and caulk spaces.

The added advantage to chinking using mortar/cement is that it can help support the base of the structure.

And you may also be able use the mortar to parge the inside wall (if it will adhere to the surface) to help close in any gaps.

 

[Marie2020]

Especially knowing how many tons of chicken is thrown out, never even touched.

That's even worse, lives lost for nothing

 

[BY Bob]

I apologise for not having done it sooner : thank you all for the good thoughts about Piou-piou.
I'm not coping very well, it's been a difficult end of year. I still want to wish everyone at FBA the best possible outcome for 2025. I'm thankful for this thread that remains a place where we can share chicken knowledge, shenanigans, joy, and sorrows.

No, and yes. Again please forgive me, I'll just quote the relevant stuff from what I wrote on different posts on my thread. I don't feel up to writing it more concisely again.

I'm so sorry.

I never caught the weasel that killed Maleficent but I believe the neighborhood cats did. They were all over my yard at night the weeks after she was killed.

I spent a lot of time trying to weasel proof the run and complex outside of the coop. The thought of her fight with it still chills me and brings a tear to the eye. I have been very diligent in making certain everyone is in a coop ever since because I know the coops are safe. I don't feel I can ever again rest easy when they are not locked up at night. I also sure wish that Aurora didn't stay out so late and would roost earlier.

In other news that is not good news for chicken owners, the state of Pennsylvania has recently re-introduced the marten into the wild woodlands of the state. I need to be wary of them as well now as they won't stay just in the woods.

 

[TOMTE]

In other news that is not good news for chicken owners, the state of Pennsylvania has recently re-introduced the marten into the wild woodlands of the state. I need to be wary of them as well now as they won't stay just in the woods.

Martens are pretty shy... Hopefully you won't have issues with them. It might worry you to think about your chickens, but remember that the martens were there first. Imo native wild animals deserve more protections than our livestock (that's not to say that we shouldn't also protect and care for our chickens, but there is a balance!).

And at least, martens being bigger, they won't be able to squeeze into as small of spaces. Just be more alert for them at dawn and dusk, at night, and on foggy/overcast days. That's when they prefer to hunt. Maybe learn to recognize their tracks and scat so you know if they hang out on your property and you can take extra precautions.

 

[GregnLety]

Happy New Year everyone! May God bless us all and make this coming year better than the last.

 

[LhickenChicken]

Happy New Year everyone! May God bless us all and make this coming year better than the last.View attachment 4018452

Happy New Year!

 

[TOMTE]

Happy New Year 2005! Wait... 2025?!

Where does the time go?

When I was a kid my dad would stay up with me on NYE playing videogames, and we would go outside and bang pots and pans together, and shout "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" at midnight. I think about doing that every year... But I can't manage to stay up that late anymore!

YAY, SNOW FOR THE NEW YEAR!

"Please let us out? Pretty please? With boonworms on top?"

 

[GregnLety]

View attachment 4018230

I have the dog version, lol.

 

[TOMTE]

I have the dog version, lol.View attachment 4018464

Where can I get one of those?! How stylish!

 

[Ponypoor]

I'm so sorry.

I never caught the weasel that killed Maleficent but I believe the neighborhood cats did. They were all over my yard at night the weeks after she was killed.

I spent a lot of time trying to weasel proof the run and complex outside of the coop. The thought of her fight with it still chills me and brings a tear to the eye. I have been very diligent in making certain everyone is in a coop ever since because I know the coops are safe. I don't feel I can ever again rest easy when they are not locked up at night. I also sure wish that Aurora didn't stay out so late and would roost earlier.

In other news that is not good news for chicken owners, the state of Pennsylvania has recently re-introduced the marten into the wild woodlands of the state. I need to be wary of them as well now as they won't stay just in the woods.

I have a plethora of martins, mink, fishers, otters, weasels and other highly intelligent hunters here.

Also raccoons and opossums. I have mead the barn as predator proof as possible, but it still worries me that one can get in.

I more worry about them being outside though. In the Spring I will need to get the run covered so Tippy and her sisters don’t fly out and run amok.