Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[JeffOeuf]

What do you "air gun/pellet gun experienced" think of these?

http://zxgun.biz/catalog_detail.php?product_id=16188

http://zxgun.biz/catalog_detail.php?product_id=11650

Without going back through the posts, what exactly are you wanting a gun for? Shooting predators? Have you ever owned or shot a rifle? An accurate rifle is only accurate if you train with it. If you are restricted by law from firing firearms on your property, then I get it, but if you're out of town, forget that pellet gun and get a single shot 410 shotgun. You can get one for half what that pellet gun costs and a scatter gun doesn't require the skill required to hit something with a rifle.

Another point is that actually killing an animal with a .177 air powered pellet takes a truly exceptional head shot. A chest shot is very unlikely to penetrate deep enough to do lung and heart damage, leaving a wounded animal to either, recover, fall to a predator, or die a long and miserable death from blood loss or infection. Do the job, but do it right.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

Just to be rude and just jump in here, but please check your law as a pellet gun is also a firearm and would be just as illegal to discharge. Careful with solutions.

 

[Leahs Mom]

What do you "air gun/pellet gun experienced" think of these?

http://zxgun.biz/catalog_detail.php?product_id=16188

http://zxgun.biz/catalog_detail.php?product_id=11650

Without going back through the posts, what exactly are you wanting a gun for? Shooting predators? Have you ever owned or shot a rifle? An accurate rifle is only accurate if you train with it. If you are restricted by law from firing firearms on your property, then I get it, but if you're out of town, forget that pellet gun and get a single shot 410 shotgun. You can get one for half what that pellet gun costs and a scatter gun doesn't require the skill required to hit something with a rifle.

Another point is that actually killing an animal with a .177 air powered pellet takes a truly exceptional head shot. A chest shot is very unlikely to penetrate deep enough to do lung and heart damage, leaving a wounded animal to either, recover, fall to a predator, or die a long and miserable death from blood loss or infection. Do the job, but do it right.
-Yes...I'm looking for something for predators on this particular gun.
-I'm on 12 acres but neighbors are close on 2 sides.
-I plan on taking formal lessons with any gun that is more "serious" like a hand gun, 22 rifle, etc.
-Will do target shooting on the property with the "lesser"guns with someone more experienced to guide and teach.
-Probably would never be able to take a shot to the head (not sure but I'm guessing my aim wouldn't be that great..never know, however) - want something that will do the job for predators with a range suitable for the are I'm in.


PS: Would be great if it wasn't very loud but...

 

[JeffOeuf]

Then I will repeat my suggestion that you look at a shotgun, rather than a rifle. Their range is short and they don't require a great deal of training or experience to be effective.

 

[Leahs Mom]

Then I will repeat my suggestion that you look at a shotgun, rather than a rifle. Their range is short and they don't require a great deal of training or experience to be effective.

So now I'm going to ask you one more thing. The website that I posted links to above is a local gun store that I can walk in and purchase from. Would you be willing to suggest a couple that you'd recommend from that site?

 

[normanack]

Many thanks for all the help with mites! I don't feel quite so helpless (or itchy) anymore. ;-)

DH gathered the wood ashes he made yesterday. My daughter and I hit the nest boxes: out with the litter, sprayed with pyrethrin, put in fresh litter, threw ashes all around inside.
Then my daughter caught the broody hen (not difficult -- she's a Silky) and admired the heavy sprinkling of red pepper dots throughout her feathers.
For .001 second. Then we doused her in ashes. Turned her sideways, upside-down, lifted up the wings, got the bum really good, then a little extra on top.
Of course the silly hen decided her cleaned box was scary and wouldn't go in to sit on her eggs. After half an hour -- and it's cold, sleeting outside -- we decided to stick the eggs under the other Silky hen. She has been roosting/nesting/whatever in the corner of the coop, on the floor in the deep litter bedding. Not on eggs, just her own little self. She didn't seem to mind.
I checked an hour later and Floor Silky hasn't moved. Buggy Silky has gotten into a different nest box with two freshly laid eggs in it.
No idea what will happen with the eggs. [edited to add: the original eggs. The new-laid ones will be collected and eaten.] If the hens don't eat them or abandon them, I'll consider moving them back under the original hen, as she's been sitting consistently for 18 or 19 days, and Floor Hen lives in her own little world, dancing to the beat of one crazy drummer.

A quick video of Floor Hen:

 

[Mountain Momma]

Then I will repeat my suggestion that you look at a shotgun, rather than a rifle. Their range is short and they don't require a great deal of training or experience to be effective.

Jeff I agree. Bullets go until they hit something. There are cases of people shooting straight up and the bullet traveling over a mile and killing someone on a bench at a playground.
Also shooting with a hill or berm behind the target is wise incase you miss the bullet will go into the dirt.
Get some hours of gun classes and target practice....... be ultra careful and conservative on this, know what you are doing before you need to know.
L

 

[NanaKat]

The floor silkie sounds a little broody too.

 

[fowlman01]

What do you "air gun/pellet gun experienced" think of these?

http://zxgun.biz/catalog_detail.php?product_id=16188

http://zxgun.biz/catalog_detail.php?product_id=11650

Any air rifle that shoots up to or above 1000fps is going to sound like a 22 rifle. They are not particularly quite. These two have noise suppressors though, so should be OK.

Walt

 

[MagicChicken]

Two questions for the OT's:

1. How big should a pop door be for large fowl to be comfortable going back and forth, while keeping out larger predators (such as loose dogs)?

2. Would it make sense to have two pop doors - one on each end - so if a predator does get into the coop the birds have another way out? It sounds like many predator issues are due to the birds being trapped in an enclosed space.

Right now my coop/run has no pop door. Wasn't planning on letting the birds out of the enclosed run when I built it. Now I just leave the people door open when the birds are out. New coop will have both kinds of doors.

Sarah