My predator proof mobile chicken coop has been working out great. The only problem has been the girls spilling their food. The feed falls through the wire bottom and it is wasted since they cannot get to it. Squirrels and brave pigeons crawl underneath and eat it so it's not completely wasted. Haven't seen evidence of mice. The old food also attracts flies and the flies attract a toad I have named Simon who enjoys hanging out there and feasting on the insects. I appreciate Simon. Bumblefoot was only a problem resulting from a wire floor with Twinkie and Ducky who were a bit on the heavy side. For months I wondered if I could replace parts of the wire floor with wood.
This morning I went to Lowes and bought a plank of wood and had it cut to fit between the two by fours on either side of the coop floor. So now the girls have a platform where their food and water sit. I found that I could use the extra cuts of wood just above this area creating a loft likespace for Astrud, our roosting Lakenvelder.
I noticed that Astrud began to roost on one of the beams at night. Elvis would follow Astrud anywhere and tries to roost with her but can't for long. Silkies just don't roost. This loft area provides a nice space for them both to hang out without having to actually roost.
Watching them gather around while I messed with their coop was funny. Questioning sounds came from Fuzztop and PeeWee while Astrud gave me the stink eye. I sat and watched them enter their changed coop. They walked around and would stop and stare at the new floor careful not to love it all right away. Astrud immediately flew up to her roost and onto the loft area and sat enjoying the breezes. I had to tell her this area was made with her and Elvis in mind. I watched them for close to thirty minutes to see if there were any design flaws. So far nothing but I am still peeking out my window. If I didn't have a ton of things to do I could watch them all day.
Their fan was removed today as a cool front is coming in. I hope we begin to see more seasonal temperatures. This past summer didn't seem so bad. The girls love fall. The new floor will really help them out in the winter. According to the Farmer's Almanac it is supposed to be colder than usual.
September 26, 2010
September 08, 2010
There can be too much rain...at one time
A tropical depression hit central Texas on Tuesday. It rained, it poured and I was so loving it until the rain started to pool in the backyard, around the coop, around my studio and my back stoop. The rain kept coming with more on the way and I panicked because water was collecting and flooding. I had removed the chicken feeder before it rain began. I moisture proofed their egg door so that the nests wouldn't get wet. Last time that happened Twinkie got a terrible case of bumblefoot. Now water never enters the nests, something I am rather proud of. However it does enter the rest of the coop. I have a mobile chicken coop so before the rain started I rolled it from under the trees. I didn't want a limb falling on it. Everything seemed ready.
I never thought of flooding, it's never flooded around our house. I looked out my window in the middle of a down pour and saw the coop standing in one foot of water. HORRORS! All I could think of was the girls drowning. So I got my Wellies and went out to move them to higher ground. It was around 7pm and they had just gone to bed. By 11pm and the whole yard was flooded except what I call the Back 40 (inches not acres).
I put the Wellies back on and in the heavy rain, pulled the coop as best I could to higher ground. While I was out there I noticed the water around my studio, EEK! So I tried to dig a trench as best I could to get the water away from the structure. I came in and tossed yet another nightie into the wash. I had been going in and out all evening and never thought to get into real clothing.
I didn't sleep well last night. I was tossing and turning and the rain seemed to fall non-stop and my fears were increasing. This morning I still heard rain but there was no diving off the back stoop, all the water had disappeared. I think it has passed and things are clearing. I am calling in a landscaper to level and fix things around the yard. I need a French drain and leveling.
This morning the girls had a questioning tilt to their usual noises but were otherwise fine. I saw the footprints in the mud where I had dug my heels to pull the coop.
I never thought of flooding, it's never flooded around our house. I looked out my window in the middle of a down pour and saw the coop standing in one foot of water. HORRORS! All I could think of was the girls drowning. So I got my Wellies and went out to move them to higher ground. It was around 7pm and they had just gone to bed. By 11pm and the whole yard was flooded except what I call the Back 40 (inches not acres).
I put the Wellies back on and in the heavy rain, pulled the coop as best I could to higher ground. While I was out there I noticed the water around my studio, EEK! So I tried to dig a trench as best I could to get the water away from the structure. I came in and tossed yet another nightie into the wash. I had been going in and out all evening and never thought to get into real clothing.
I didn't sleep well last night. I was tossing and turning and the rain seemed to fall non-stop and my fears were increasing. This morning I still heard rain but there was no diving off the back stoop, all the water had disappeared. I think it has passed and things are clearing. I am calling in a landscaper to level and fix things around the yard. I need a French drain and leveling.
This morning the girls had a questioning tilt to their usual noises but were otherwise fine. I saw the footprints in the mud where I had dug my heels to pull the coop.