Mobile House

Ohio History

PVC-Frame Poultry Shelter

On the other end of the field from the feeder was the shelter house. If it follows common designs I've seen, this coop was built from PVC pipes held together by a wooden frame. A tarp was draped over the tope and secured at the end Conestoga-wagon style. It creates shade while reflecting the heat and allowing a breeze to circulate. The chickens can enter and exit through the openings at the bottom. At this time of day, most of them were taking refuge in the shade to keep cool. There was another good reason to stay under cover: we spotted several hawks circulating overhead while we were there. It would be very easy for a bird of prey to swoop down on these little hens not even yet full size. I also wondered how they secured the hens for the night; the broiler chicks would (hopefully) be fine in the enclosed runs, but this shelter was definitely not secure. Possibly there was a way to pull the tarp down to the ground; I am not sure. It was definitely an interesting setup!

Little Blue Tractor

Ohio History

Feed and Water

The broiler runs were not the only chicken tractor, though. This quaint little blue tractor just begged to have its own picture. We concluded that it is used to haul the large barrel of water from the source to the field. Honestly, I do not even know where the source was, as the chicken field was surrounded by woods on one side and fields on the other. However, I think the tractor was up to the job. If you look closely at the hopper feeder in front, you might pick out the birds inside. Well, with those rust problems, it would not be hard for the pullets to climb in. I think they are probably looking for shade as much as food. The sun was beating down on them, and the shelter of the PVC coop was a good ways off, as we will see in the next post.

Poultry Stop

Ohio History

Chicken Farm

Heading away from Fort Ancient, we were eager to find a park and eat lunch. However, we were not in too much of a hurry (or I was not, that is) to stop for a look at a chicken operation that we passed. Who would imagine finding such an elaborate poultry set up out in the rolling hills of southwestern Ohio? Needless to say, I was at least a little bit excited. And of course I took plenty of pictures, so you can get excited too! Above you can see the whole setup, with a covered house and outdoor feeder for the laying hens. There were also broiler (meat) chicks being raised, which you can see in the chicken runs in the bottom picture. This is the typical "chicken tractor" arrangement, with twenty or twenty-five meat birds contained in a low, large, wire-enclosed run. You might be able to make out the red hanging feeder on the right, and I suppose that the buckets on top feed water into some kind of waterer down inside. The runs are covered at one end both for shade and for protection from predators reaching through the wire.

Broiler Runs

Perky Pepper

Backyard Poultry

Peppy

And now we come to the last chicken recently lost, Pepper the Barred Rock. I don't know of any chicken that's been through more than Pepper in its short life. The hen was unwillingly involved as the test chicken for a number of our inventions--chicken bonnets, leashes, and saddles to name a few. I remember our first year, Pepper caught its foot under the chicken run, and we tried to bandage it! What's more, Pepper started on the very bottom of the pecking order (the "scared chicken" with the bald head) and rose to the very queen of the flock. The 20-some new chickens I've added did help to increase the Barred Rock's seniority. As a result, Pepper then had to wear peepers on and off through the rest of its life. 

Barred Rock 'Twins'

As I explained in my last post, I collected six Barred Plymouth Rocks over the last four years, and just lost the last two. Pepper was the very last chicken I had from my very first batch of chicks. It lived the entire four years of my flock. Over the last year, Pepper became very close to its younger Barred Rock friend Velvet, and they often hung out together. They seemed like twin chickens, even though Velvet was a year younger.

Goodbye, Pepper

I always loved to hold Pepper, and even to hear its indignant clucks and squeals of protest! Pepper was always making some kind of noise, sometimes even calling the other hens over to some treat like a rooster. I loved its cute wavy little comb, and perfect pepper-and-salt feather pattern. I never got tired of watching little Peppy, as we fondly nicknamed Pepper. My flock will never be the same without this faithful hen.

Vibrant Velvet

Backyard Poultry

Beautiful Barred Rock

Over my nearly four years of raising chickens, I've had a total of six Barred Rock hens (well, plus Puzzle the Barred Rock rooster). I got three the first year and three the second. Of those, four of them were lost to various ailments (you know, unexplained chicken diseases). That left my flock with one Barred Rock from my first chick batch, and one from the second. Velvet was from the second, almost three years old. It was a very spunky chicken that was always high in the pecking order, and high on our attention list. In fact, Velvet was sort of my sister's pet chicken (and/or my way of endearing my chickens to her considering their habits of eating all her ducks' food and shoveling straw out of her duck house).

Velvet

I always loved Velvet's crooked comb and beautiful zebra feathers. The hen was easy to cuddle since it had such plush feathers and, well, a good bit of fat under them. I think Velvet enjoyed being carried around in our arms and getting that extra - er - occasional helping of scratch. It took egg-laying very seriously, and any human hands that got to close would immediately receive a hard peck. Velvet's next favorite activity was dust bathing, and it sure took a lot of scratching to get all those feathers clean!

Evening Perch on a Fencepost

This past summer Velvet started going broody, sitting stubbornly in the nest box day and night--and biting anyone who reached in to get it out. We had to separate the determined hen in a fence so it couldn't get to the nest box. It could take 3-5 days before Velvet forgot about being a mother, and then we'd go about a month before we found it lingering in the nest box again. This probably happened four or five times before winter set in! I think Velvet would have made a good mother though. It certainly was a blessing to raise for almost three years and will be missed.

Persistent Poppy

Backyard Poultry

Poppy

Poppy was one of the toughest chickens I've seen. It came with three other Golden Buff chicks in my second batch of chicks. As they grew up, Poppy not only landed on the bottom of the Golden Buffs' pecking order, but also ended up as the lowest chicken of the entire 24-bird flock. But that never seemed to hinder this chicken. Poppy became quick on its feet, ready to grab and peck and run to get a bite of whatever treat we offered. No matter a few missing feathers, Poppy never missed out on what the "top" hens got.

Now Who's On Top??

Once the third round of chicks came along, it was a different story. Poppy was sure to let them all know POPPY was on top. Here you can see the hen already sizing up the new Golden Buff chicks at only 6 weeks. I have to say those chicks look a bit intimidated! Thus, for the last year of its life, Poppy was resigned to wearing peepers (as in the first picture) to keep it from continually chasing down and pecking the younger hens. Poppy really could peck . . . it pecked me more than once (only when I was redirecting its aim at another chicken's head on the roost at night). Of course it didn't hurt me, but I wouldn't want to be a chicken within reach.

Evening Snack

I love this picture of Poppy nibbling on grass seed in the evening light. They liked to roam the field of tall grass beside their pen when I let them out in the late afternoon. Poppy could always find something good to eat, whether it was loose paint on the chicken coop, insulation revealed under the siding on our house, or scratch from my hand. Even though I've now had twelve Golden Buff hens, I can see a different "personality" in each one. Poppy's was certainly a shining star.

Dainty Daisy

Backyard Poultry

Daisy in the Snow

I got three Buff Orpingtons with my second round of chicks almost three years ago. We named them Sunflower, Daisy, and Buttercup. They grew up together like triplets - all had identical golden yellow feathers and pointed combs. I will never know how Buttercup and Sunflower escaped while Daisy was lost during the mink incident. But the 'Buffy' trio had lost its leader.

Daisy was quite a character. I don't think I've ever had a hen so beautiful and yet so "chicken." You can see above what Daisy thought of the snow last year. The hen went this far and then seemed to decide its feet were stuck in the sea of cold white stuff!

The Other Side of the Fence

While Sunflower and Buttercup were both typically friendly and liked to be held, Daisy was the one to stand back and keep its feathers away from human hands. It would cluck loudly if we even touched it, and squirm while we held it. Daisy always had an air of pride in its step. But the hen was a bit mischievous too, like the picture above where it found a new method for getting a mouthful of fresh grass! (How it got that huge comb through the fence without nicking it, I don't know...)

Daisy

I always thought Daisy was the ideal portrait of a Buff Orpington, with its perfect red comb and lovely feathers. Because of its tall comb, Daisy was on the top of the little Buff Orpington trio's pecking order. (Maybe that's why its feathers stayed so beautiful.) It's been very difficult for Sunflower and Buttercup to adjust to life without their watchful Daisy.

Watchful Walnut

Backyard Poultry

Walnut in the Snow

Walnut was practically inseparable from Pinecone. They stuck together and looked out for each other, whether scratching for bugs or staking out nighttime roost space. I would not be surprised if both Auracanas came from the same mother. Their gorgeous feathers were nearly identical, only Walnut had more black on its head (the only way to tell them apart). But while Pinecone was the suspicious one, Walnut always seemed to have a sort of friendly and curious expression in its eyes. For this and its furry-soft feathers, Walnut even earned the nickname "teddy bear."

"Teddy Bear"

Upon my appearance, Walnut always came running in hopes for its favorite treat, scratch. In fact, when the flock free-ranged, Walnut would often race into our shed simply since that's where the scratch was kept. It would look hopefully up at me, begging in its own chicken way. I could hold and pet Walnut as much as I wanted as long as my other hand held scratch. I still remember feeling those amazingly soft chin feathers on my hand as Walnut ate. And, always, Pinecone would be in the background, looking for a chance to grab a few grains without getting too close to human hands!

Birds of a Feather

In this not-so-clear picture, Walnut stands watchfully by while Pinecone takes a dust bath in our garden last summer. No doubt, it had its turn in the dust hole as soon as Pinecone was done. Of all the chickens I lost, I think I miss Walnut the most. I will never forget my 'teddy bear' twins; but if they had to go, I'm glad they could go together.

Pretty Pinecone

Backyard Poultry

Goodbye, Pinecone

Pinecone was a nearly-three-year-old Auracana, or 'Easter egg,' hen. It came in our second batch of chickens, a total of about twenty, in 2011. Pinecone's beautiful feather pattern was like none I had seen before: coal black framed a rich gold "mane" which cascaded down onto misty gray and finally black tail feathers. I treasured the opportunities to hold Pinecone since it was very shy and usually raced away from our hands. Its little beady eyes and rose comb always had a very suspicious look.

Hidden Nest

Last summer, we had major problems with our chickens escaping to lay their eggs outside our coop. It took nearly a week to discover Pinecone's stockpile, in the center of some dense brush and grasses. If only the eggs were fertile--and the hen had intentions of setting on them--I was almost tempted to let Pinecone raise its own clutch of baby Auracana chicks! Of course, Pinecone was soon forced to revert back to the nest boxes, where it faithfully laid us a blue egg almost every day for two years.

Auracana Friends

 Pinecone was best friends with both Birchie (above) and Walnut. In fact it acted like sort of a mother for "Baby Birchie." No matter what Auracanas I get in the future, I will always miss my beautiful Pinecone.

Henhouse Casualties

Backyard Poultry

Twin Chickens

The shock of that first look into your chicken coop after an unexpected visit from a predator is unforgettable. The feeling of helplessness and remorse can't even be described. Perhaps the best description is it's all over now. I know because I went through it last week.

 

During my nearly four years of raising chickens, I'd lost very few of them. Sure, a few natural deaths here and there, sad but to be expected, as well as one encounter with a hawk (see poor Birchie's story here). Certainly my painstaking precautions to protect my flock were a benefit, as we've spotted raccoons, skunks, possums, and dogs around the property repeatedly. But never did I imagine a predator small enough to get through a hole 1" in diameter, strong enough to grab a full-grown chicken, and mean enough demolish an entire flock before it was through.

 

It was a mink. A very skinny animal about two feet long with the tail, sharp teeth, and very sharp claws; an otter is the only thing I could compare it to. My chickens were confined to their coop and plastic-enclosed greenhouse that morning, a week ago from Monday. The mink ripped a 3" hole in the plastic wall and climbed in. I hate to imagine the scene from there on. Six chickens were killed, from my flock of sixteen. Honestly I don't know what saved the others. Minks usually won't stop til all are dead. Either I came out in time, or they found safety on the highest roosts of the coop.

 

For some reason, it always seems that your favorite chickens are the ones you lose. This was partly true for me -- most of my older hens of more unusual breeds were lost. On the other hand, all seven of my year-old Golden Buff pullets survived (which I was not as attached to as my older chickens, but is good on the economic side). I do still have two of my Buff Orpington favorites, for which I am very thankful.

Velvet and Pepper

The "twin" Auracanas in the top photo, Pinecone and Walnut, will always have a special place in my heart, as well as the Barred Rocks I lost in the bottom picture. To remember each of the six chickens, the unique lives they lived and the joy they brought to me as their keeper, I will be doing an individual post for each of them. I only wish for one last time to cuddle each hen.

Acorn's Escape

Backyard Poultry

Escape from the Coop

Destroying the grass isn't the only problem we had with our new pen. All those runs were made with wooden frames at the top. And to a chicken, a horizontal piece of wood equals a perch. Chickens have wings, after all, and they can easily fly five to six feet high if they have somewhere to land. So, essentially, we had fenced in our flock with a ring of perches. However, interestingly enough, six of the chickens did not even catch on to this idea at first. Only Acorn, the little adventurous acrobat, decided to try out the new perches. Did you spot Acorn in the photo above?

Acorn the Acrobat

Once up on the frame, a bird could easily tightrope it all the way around the run, and jump off the other side to . . . freedom! In fact, Acorn seemed to take great enjoyment simply in pacing the various bars on the tops of the runs, as though keeping watch on the rest of our flock. But soon enough it got down on the other side, off to make mischief elsewhere in our garden or flower beds. Still have a ways to go with this idea . . .

Chicken Leash

Backyard Poultry

Chicken on a Leash

Dragging those chicken runs around was not getting to be any more fun the longer it went on. Neither was the size of the runs getting any larger. In fact, we were beginning to wish the chickens could have more space in which to run while we could do less work. Dogs and cats use leashes; horses and goats have tether ropes; even cows and sheep can be tied. What about chickens? So my sister and I proceeded to cut long, thin lengths from sheets ("leashes") and attach them to the handy chicken saddles the hens already wore. What could work better?

Leash Pinned to Chicken Saddle

Well...not so fast! Birds, it seems, are not nearly as accustomed to being restrained from behind as other animals. The poor test chicken (Pepper) proceeded to flap, struggle, run wildly about the yard, and nearly tear off its saddle! It certainly was not facilitating any grazing. Exercise, yes, but only in equal proportion to the person on the other end of the leash! So much for that idea... 

Spring At Last

Backyard Poultry

The Other Side of the Fence

Ever seen one chicken on both sides of a wire fence? No, I did not cut a larger hole in the wire, or touch any of the chickens. And yes, despite all that wonderful grass I described in my last post, the spoiled hens soon grew bored and began to look for snacks elsewhere. Peeper had a competitive advantage from the start since it had a naturally very small comb. This allowed easy passage through holes in the wire which would otherwise cut or trap a regular hen's taller comb. Dandelions seemed to be the first choice food once Peeper successfully had its head and neck outside to freedom. And I never even knew chickens like dandelions!

Enjoying the Sunshine

Acorn seems much happier outdoors than stuck in the coop. Or is that a bit of a mischievous look yet I see in those eyes?

Spring Grass

Backyard Poultry

Back to Grass at Last!

However, nothing can match the rich green grass of spring. Do you think the chickens were happier in their spacious house with specially-bought and prepared collard greens or out here in the elements eating self-producing weeds? Well, I'm not the one who asked for winter! Anyway, you can see that our hodge-podge collection of runs survived the winter and were ready to put to use on the field again. We discovered one time-saving change to make at this point: we used only one of the runs to take the hens back to their coop at night rather than dragging all three back every day . . . hummm, why did that take so long to figure out?

Indoor Treats

Backyard Poultry

Swingin' Greens

You may remember my last series of posts, detailing the boredom that chickens can experience through a long northern winter indoors. Well, I'm happy to say, the little chicken family we've been watching has almost made it through their first winter. But even when March temperatures have melted the snow outdoors, green grass can be hard to find. Cut greens from the grocery store make a good substitute. I hung them just above the hens' heads to encourage a little exercises. Chickens readily jump to get a good bite to eat - see an entertaining movie of spinning cabbages and chickens right here!

Of course, hens also love many other non-grain treats; I've already featured several such as corn, garden extras, cabbage, and even bananas.

The Grass Is Always Greener . . .

Even the most luxurious feast of greens doesn't seem to convince my adventurous Araucana chicken Acorn from trying to escape while the coop door's open!

The Bird in the Hat

Backyard Poultry

How Cute Is That?

See how perfectly the bonnet fit on Pepper's head? The back part was a little rectangle, maybe an inch by an inch and a half, held on by two separate tiny fabric ties. Once we fit the bonnet on, we wrapped the ties around and stitched them onto the back of the bonnet. Only thing was the wattles...well, Pepper would just have to get used to that.

No, Really, It Can't Choke You, Pepper!

Well, can't you tell how much Pepper likes this? This is the least violent of the moves this chicken made to try and free itself of the 'horrible' thing! It ended up almost choking itself before we regretfully removed the entire bonnet with scissors. Apparently our plan had failed. Oh well, I guess it's back to the vegetable treats and chicken toys to try to keep those sharp pecker beaks where they belong. 

A Chicken Bonnet

Backyard Poultry

Pepper's New Hat

If you thought that last idea (baby toys for the chicken coop) was a bit overdone, please prepare yourself for this next one! Yes, I admit to--one and only one time--sewing and attaching a fabric "bonnet" to a chicken's head. You see, a side effect of excessive pecking and feather-pulling behavior translates into bare chicken skin. And not just anywhere: this poor chicken's head had lost nearly all its feathers. I decided to spare you a picture of it, but believe me, it looks much better with the bonnet! I thought it fit well, but Pepper, the 'poor chicken,' did not. Stay tuned for some close-ups next (and detailed instructions in case you decide to make one yourself)!

Mirror, Mirror

Backyard Poultry

Good to Eat?

Finally, we see a little bravery here! With a chicken, the unfailing first thing to do when checking something out is to peck at it. And that's exactly what Buckeye did as soon as the toy appeared to be safe enough. Did you ever wonder what plastic tastes like? I don't know if chickens always peck just looking for some treat or scratch grain hidden in the corners, or if it's actually some form of interacting with the object. I have one hen that always comes up and pecks at my clothes when I'm in the chicken coop. I've never had scratch in my shirt, so I don't know what she's after!

Who's the Fairest of Them All?

Seeing their own reflections in the mirror seemed to really freak my hens out. They were like, Do I have a double or who is that chicken? The Araucana, Acorn, which you can also see in the picture above, could not seem to stop staring at itself. That's what chickens do when they're having a pecking-order who's-on-top contest. Funny thing is, this chicken didn't move unless Acorn did!

Getting Closer!

Backyard Poultry

The Brave One

Which brave chicken will take the risk and approach the intruding enemy? It's good old Cherry stalking warily up to confront that creature . . . bird . . . chicken? . . . in the mirror! Why, Cherry, did you ever see yourself before? These chickens sure thought it was strange to be face-to-face with themselves in that mirror! I can't tell you if they realized it was actually themselves or if they thought some new hens were visiting their coop. But you can be sure they are all crowded behind Cherry, watching with dread. Will any more chickens be brave enough to take a look?

Chicken Toys

Backyard Poultry



Coop Invador??

Well, if you thought that my long delay in posting meant that my chicken woes are over, I'm sorry to inform you differently. Just because chickens have the most luxurious house, treats fit for a king, and two hours of daily attention from loving keepers, doesn't mean they will stay out of trouble! And what trouble those little sharp beaks can cause. Turns out the feathers of other chickens are desired even over scratch grain by the biddies in my coop. And I am not just referring to loose feathers blowing around the pen. Do you get the picture? Anyway, I went to the thrift store and got a couple baby toys to amuse the hens. I took this picture just after hanging up one of the toys in the chicken run. The hens seem to think a UFO or some other extraterrestrial creature has paid them a visit!!