I put the weight numbers in my chart from our chicken health check the other day. Everyone is still putting on weight (especially Magic, who has nearly removed all the mud from her feathers at this point). Feet and bands look good, no creepy crawlies under the wings, and everyone’s vents are clear. Yay! They are also adjusting to the heat. When I checked on them, the temperature was 93 degrees F, and no one was panting. It was 7pm, there was a slight breeze,and the sun was going down, but I’ll take it.
I had a little bit of a panic today. I was spot checking the chickens (pick up one or two out of the twelve at random and check under the wings), and on the second check, found that Magic’s under feathers were coated in muck and debris. I called my eldest for assistance (well, texted), and we did a full check of all the chickens. Magic was the only one with the mud in her feathers. We didn’t see creepy crawlies in there, and it smelled like mud. I dusted some diatomaceous earth under her wings and let her go with the others.
Mud bath results: muck and debris in her feathers (not the greatest picture, it was more felt than seen)
It did rain last night, for the first time in a month, and it looked for all the world as if she tried for a dust bath and instead got a mud bath.
Girls enjoying a fresh run after their health checks
On the evening check, most of the debris was gone from under her wings, so I think she did try for an impersonation of a mud hen. I’ll still keep an eye on her though.
It didn’t take long for the chickens to adjust to the changes after I leveled our Grandpa’s Feeder properly. We had a relatively cool day (the high was 95 degrees F), so I put the feeder in the full working position where the lid closes all the way.
What? Are we supposed to go under?
The step to the treadle is really high now. But I left the chickens to it, with the trail camera watching, and within an hour of shutting the lid, the chickens had figured out how to open it, and there was photographic evidence that all the chickens ate out of the feeder.
Fluffy Butt Brigade set 2
Well, Cloud and Cockatrice can open the feeder, then everyone else shoulders in to eat. At least they are all eating.
After moving the Grandpa’s Feeder into position two, we were having trouble determining if all the chickens were now eating in the new configuration. My eldest had the brilliant idea of setting up our trail cam to watch the feeder! Since all our chickens have leg bands, I set the camera up at leg band level, so we could see who was able to get food.
Fluffy Butt Brigade
I am happy to report that after reviewing the pictures (by the way, we had to sift through over 1,000 pictures a day; those are active chickens!) all the chickens are eating from the feeder! And three chickens are able to open the feeder: Cloud, Cockatrice, and Taco. Apparently the rest wait until it is open, then go muscle in. At least they are eating.
Trail cam took a picture of me moving bricks
I was concerned because my Grandpa’s Feeder wasn’t gravity feeding the way it should. Every time I checked the food level, I had to push some down into the tray. Turns out the bricks I laid down were not level (you can’t tell in the pictures, because the camera is crooked). So I pulled up the bricks, laid another layer of sand down (I did use sand the first time, but then added additional bricks, so the whole bricked area didn’t have sand), and then relaid the bricks. The gravity feed works much better now!
Leveled bricks for the Grandpa’s Feeder
Just in case, since I reset the bricks and the treadle was at a different level, we are keeping the week 2 configuration with the partially open lid for a few more days, just to make sure the chickens can eat.
Trail cam also caught a midnight visitor to the feeder: a frog on the treadle
I made some additions to our Grandpa’s Feeder. First I moved the lid into the second week position (the lid doesn’t close all the way, but has some movement when a chicken steps on the treadle, to get the chickens used to the movement). Then, because the movement of the treadle and lid is quite loud, I added rubber shelf lining to the bricks and to the screws that stop the motion of the lid so to deaden the sound a little.
Rubber mat added to deaden the sound somewhat, but we still have a problem
The chickens are very startled by the movement and sound of the treadle and lid. Cloud is still my bravest, and can step up on the treadle and eat, then once she has it stable, the other chickens come to eat too. The problem is that when the other chickens are eating, she also likes to climb on the top of the feeder. I caught another chicken actually leaning over the top to get the food inside, so I made a small awning from scrap wood to keep them off the top.
Grandpa’s feeder with stakes to block the sides, rubber shelf liner to deaden sound, and an awning to keep the chickens off the topAwning in up position
I installed the awning with a hinge so when it is time to refill the feeder, I can swing the awning up and out of the way.
The chickens are definitely hungry; they peck at me with a little more force than before. The run has been stripped of everything remotely green, and they are even more vocal when I go out to check on them. I hope this is a relatively short time of adjustment. Once they have figured out the feeder and are comfortable with it, it will make leaving them for a time much easier. That is the goal.
Critters and Craft 