Hey friends!
It's that time of year to teach my students about the wonderful thing we know as life, and life cycles. I am trying to find some folks who have fertilized eggs in/near Central Texas. I live in Austin.
I have had chickens in the past and help run our current coop at the school so...
So on Saturday, after much ruckas from the other hens. I found one of my 6/7 month of BLRW laying on the coop floor with her legs straight behind her with her bottom "pulsating" did the research and figured she was egg bound so I soaked her in warm water (didn't do anything) but her under a heat...
So I went back and forth on this guy when he was little. I'm leaning towards rooster, as "he's" very skittish and squawks more randomly then my hens. "He" is about 5 months old. I haven't had any crowing yet. Also, when I was letting them roost in the trees "he" went to the highest branches that...
I'm not sure I trust myself with a gun......but live traps I can set. This guy looks pretty big though, what size trap would he need?
'possums I can handle killing as they don't fight back too much (just really hard to kill with a shovel). I'm not wanting to pick a fight with a 'coon though...
But do owls leave a trail of feathers? The two bodies we've found basically have a trail around the yards, as if a sign of struggle.....about 3 different spots in both attacks in both yards. Then, in the end a big "pillow" of feathers. Though I guess if the owl killed it, ate it's fill, then the...
Well the night camera proved that I have both a 'possum AND a (good sized) raccoon. For some reason it won't upload the picture of the raccoon but here's the 'possum. Hope he's too big to fit through that wire gauge around the run 'cause I don't have the funds to purchase anything smaller right...
My run has a top on it (which is why one of the hens slept on it. I think she was too fat to get into the trees with the others). You'd just think they would have gone after the easier hen, who was always inside the open coop, by herself.
I will be getting some traps, the camera was just a way...
Thanks guys.
I am herding them into the coop at night (with the help of the sheepless border collie of mine), as well as clipped some wings. I guess one didn't get clipped short enough because just as I was going out to put them up tonight she jumped into the tree....had to hose her down and...
Okay, something has done away with 4 of my hens now. I have NO clue what it is. All I know is that it is attacking the hens that are roosting on top of my run at night or in the branches in the trees.
The hens all thought they were smart to start roosting in the trees (some have been doing it...
Whelp.....I found the critter tonight (I closed the coop door) so all it had was the run.
It was a juvenile opossum. Smaller than a cat (almost) but bigger than a baby. Now, I've heard they can squeeze through small areas....never in my life did I dream that one could squeeze through wire gauge...
So one by one my baby chicks have been disappearing. Now I will admit some of it is my fault as many of them were free ranging (along with the chickens and teenager pullets) while I was on bed rest at my parent's house post surgery. ( We came up and checked on them during the day, I didn't just...
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Mine doesn't bother them at all unless I've asked him to. He's much more interested in the squirrels that he thinks shouldn't be in the yard than chickens or birds. But I also know not all dogs are this way.
So I'm in need to know if this little bugger is a rooster. One by one my chicks have gone missing. Most were free ranging, 2 were new babies in the coop. So I had 2 left. One was about a month and a half and then this guy whom I got from someone who got it from someone else. Maybe a little over...
This may be a little too late but I figured I'd put my 2 cents in anyone, being a border collie owner and whatnot.
As with ANY dog, training from the start is always best for the most well behaved dog. Adopting and older dog is great and with some training problems that are currently around...
oh, also....I'm can't right out remember the breed this one is, as there is a mix. It's a light/tan egg, The chick is black with slight yellow feathers (still drying) but it already has a ridged comb, any ideas on what kind of chick it is?! Black sex-linked maybe? I've never seen them born with...
So this is my first time a broody hen. I put fertilized eggs under her and they started hatching today, only problem is my other cuckoo maran decided to go broody. they're both trying to sit on the nest, I found one pipped and crushed egg and had to help a second chick out of it's fully zipped...
Haha! My cuckoo maran just went broody too! Must be the weather we're having. I have 13 eggs under her....2 of them are her own unfertilized eggs...and she kick a "fertilized" one out of the nest today. The 13 fit but I wouldn't put anymore under her. I guess it depends on how big and "flat" she is.
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I think one of the reasons I didn't realize she was broody is because she comes out with the other hens to eat and dust bathe. Since I have my spring garden up and running they are only allowed to free range when I get home (or there is no garden for me....fencing and all they figure...
So, I think I just figured out that my screeching cuckoo maran is broody. I don't know why I hadn't seen the signs until looking up "screaming chicken" and came across a lot of broody hen posts. I just thought I had a chicken who liked to lay in the shavings at night. I'm not sure how long she's...