Chicken Photos Thread

[SHERRING7712]

Thank you I'm pretty upset and actually my teenage son had really bonded with our duck Webby and is quite upset. He instantly grabbed the gun and went "hunting" for them.

 

[chicken4prez]

Thank you I'm pretty upset and actually my teenage son had really bonded with our duck Webby and is quite upset.  He instantly grabbed the gun and went "hunting" for them. 

Ha that's good

it's good that you are getting more chickens, though. They help take away all the sadness

What I sometimes do is name the new hens after some loved ones. Example: My hen Hannah died and a few months after that we got some chicks and in honer of Hannah we named one of the chicks Hannah

 

[chickrunfun]

Well sad news! We went camping for the Fourth of July weekend and upon returning found out that our neighbor who was supposed to be taking care of our chickens didn't at all and something (raccoons, we think judging by the fur left on the gate) got in and got 5 of my 5 month olds and my duck Webby! Only one of our Roosters is left. Very sad weekend for us.

Luckily the babies, SFH's, Cream Legbars, and RIR's were in a separate pen and are fine. We set the live trap last night right outside the spot they got in and we had a skunk in it this morning, so now it's stinky too!

Looks like I will be ordering more chickens this year after all.

We've had the same problem with our chicken sitters. No casualties thank God but we've come home and they'd be outside unable to get in (full on dark out) because the door to the coop was closed. I found Jeanie one time in the tightest ball of feathers as she could make herself, up on the window ledge to the bedroom. She came right up to me when I found her and took her to the barn. Pet sitters are hard to find and harder to trust they'll take care of your critters, that's for sure. But for us it includes 2 dogs, 3 cats and a lizard. PLUS now a guinea pig. Sad but now it's all about racing the sun when we do things away from home. Also, the short getaway coming in August is NOT going to include me. I'm staying at home with the zoo. SO so sorry about the chickens getting done in. I'd be pretty P.O.ed if we lost ours due to the folks we trusted to do the job.

 

[Lisa Wood]

Neighbors and pet sitters can suck. I am so sorry, and I would be livid at neighbiors which of course does no good.
I always hunt for young girls working in my vet's office who want to go on to vet school, and want assorted jobs to add to their resume. If they have done any kind of research, they know that experience is hardest thing to add to resume.
However, I have also had them disappoint me.
Lisa

 

[SHERRING7712]

That's a good idea Lisa, unfortunately I live in a town of 26 people and all of them are over 60 except one and she's definitely not the reliable sort, and the town is about an hours drive from anywhere so I'm kind of limited as far as my pet sitters go. I do have one gentleman that I think I could count on but he had just had foot surgery so I didn't want to ask him.

 

[uzisuzuki]

You are serious? Do they really look when you snap? My dogs would, but my chickens ignore me! Maybe because they are babies and have short attention span!? LOL

LOL yeah, it doesn't work on the Polish hens since they can't really see, but for everyone else it's been working. I'm kind of an obsessive picture taker since my memory is terrible (I have a traumatic brain injury) & I don't want to forget stuff. I guess I "train" them early to follow my hand. But, like with little kids, it doesn't always work! My d'Anvers is super reluctant to work with me & my iPhone camera.

 

[Lisa Wood]

That's a good idea Lisa, unfortunately I live in a town of 26 people and all of them are over 60 except one and she's definitely not the reliable sort, and the town is about an hours drive from anywhere so I'm kind of limited as far as my pet sitters go.  I do have one gentleman that I think I could count on but he had just had foot surgery so I didn't want to ask him.  

I feel ya. It makes it so one person stuck at home. I dont inow what we will do if we are called out of town for a funeral or something.......Did your neighbor say anything to you afterwards?

 

[Lisa Wood]

LOL yeah, it doesn't work on the Polish hens since they can't really see, but for everyone else it's been working. I'm kind of an obsessive picture taker since my memory is terrible (I have a traumatic brain injury) & I don't want to forget stuff. I guess I "train" them early to follow my hand. But, like with little kids, it doesn't always work! My d'Anvers is super reluctant to work with me & my iPhone camera.

Feel ya here too. I am diagnosed PTSD and cant remember stuff. But aI am encouraged you are tsk8ng those excellent shots on a phone camera!

 

[SHERRING7712]

Nope we still haven't seen her. She hasn't been in town since we got home. Her dogs are there running loose...probably not being fed either. We found out from another neighbor that her and her son were reported to fish and game for her sons dog killing fawns this spring. Last night the predators came back and got my last Roo. We had fixed the gate where they got in so this time they climbed up the back of the coop, got on the roof, chewed through the netting that was over the top of the one run and then through the plastic chicken fence that separates the two runs to get at him since they couldn't get through the wire fence that is around the outside. Luckily the babies have a house that has a small enough entry hole it couldn't get in. They have been moved back into their temporary kennel that is made out of rabbit wire and plywood. The war is on now, every raccoon in a five mile radius is going to die!!!! My husband is borrowing some traps from a friend and we will be running an electric fence on the outside of the coop as well if we can.

Does anyone have any other recommendations of what we could do to deter them? Obviously we are going to be doing some major reconstruction on the runs this weekend. Their coop does allow them to get out into the run at night, should I revamp that and lock them in completely at night. The coop is fairly small 4' x 8' x 4' high and I felt bad locking them in there at night but I'm thinking I may have to. Thanks to everyone for the advice and insight they could provide!

 

[NickChillPhoto]

Happy chickens on their new perch.