Colorado

[Percheron chick]

2 free goslings on denver cl. Easter cutness is over.

 

[katie5668]

Yep..looked like it was a good coop & a strong house, but once the bear got scent of food...twas over!
This early in the year they will be starving & going strong for anything they can get!
so sorry that your neighbors lost all..tis a hard lesson to learn..even electric won't be enough if you have a really hungry bear..
you will just then have a ****** off bear..

motion lights & noise type alarms work. one of the members posted about putting a drill in a tin trash can that activates when the motion lite comes on...
works for deer ..the noise "might" work for a bear..it will be back..it found easy food. but of course you already know that..

 

[saellis]

So I've had my broody and her chicks in the coop for 3 weeks now and I'm wondering when I can take out the chicken-wire partition to allow them access to the run and more room to roam? The rest of the flock has been able to see the chicks every day and have even free ranged with them in the backyard a few times with no one showing aggression. The broody is showing signs that she won't tolerate being cooped up much longer.

 

[Mtn Margie]

So I've had my broody and her chicks in the coop for 3 weeks now and I'm wondering when I can take out the chicken-wire partition to allow them access to the run and more room to roam? The rest of the flock has been able to see the chicks every day and have even free ranged with them in the backyard a few times with no one showing aggression. The broody is showing signs that she won't tolerate being cooped up much longer.

That is what I have done. Everyone got along while free-ranging and then everything went smoothly in the coop. I did get up pretty early the first morning and checked on them, and all was well. Good Luck.

 

[Pennoppom]

Mtn Margie, Pozeez and Maggiemo - I think you hit it on the head- there's no sure answer. I placed one of the chicks from the garage in with Nugget (the broody) and her chicks last night after dark. I checked back after a few hours and she seemed to be tucked in, so I was hopeful. This morning when I let them out everyone came barreling out of the coop except the garage chick. She was still in the nesting box where they'd slept. I brought her out and set her near Nugget, but she chased her off. So, alas, I put the chick back in the garage brooder and I won't try that again. It's getting warmer and in a few weeks they'll be outside anyway.

Thanks again!

 

[trsturself]

Interesting. Too bad she didn't take them.

2 eggs have been broken under our broody.

I don't think it's her though. The other girls are laying their eggs in there somehow. I saw our BR in there this morning after the broody came out to eat. I had to kick her out and put her in the nest box next to that. She had already laid her egg but was just sitting there like she was going to go broody. I found the first broken one then and then just now our BA egg was in there and I think she broke the second one. How do you keep them from laying eggs in that nest box? I moved the BA egg to another box hoping the other girls will lay there. Maybe I just need to keep some eggs in another box all the time so they'll add to that instead of trying to get in with the broody? I'm wondering if the broody is moving for them, they are kicking her out, or just taking advantage of her leaving. I only see her leave it once a day.
I think the broody is craving something that is in the dirt and not in their food. She ignores the bowl of food in the morning and scratches around for something. Any ideas what she's looking for? It's not usual for any of them to ignore the food (fermented grains/seeds).

 

[NurseChicky]

This is my "exotic" extra from McMurray. Any clue as to what breed she is?

 

[DeerFangRanch]

Yep..looked like it was a good coop & a strong house, but once the bear got scent of food...twas over! This early in the year they will be starving & going strong for anything they can get! so sorry that your neighbors lost all..tis a hard lesson to learn..even electric won't be enough if you have a really hungry bear.. you will just then have a ****** off bear.. motion lights & noise type alarms work. one of the members posted about putting a drill in a tin trash can that activates when the motion lite comes on... works for deer ..the noise "might" work for a bear..it will be back..it found easy food. but of course you already know that..

We have electric all over the coop and run. We have a friend who is the "bear guy" for Fish and Wildlife take a look. He thought it was really well protected.
One thing to remember is use the proper fence charger. You need a very high shock - one that will stop a buffalo, not just the ones for sheep/horses.
We also have a baby monitor in our coop so we can hear if anything is happening.

Tough lesson for those folks to learn.

 

[Mtn Margie]

This is my "exotic" extra from McMurray. Any clue as to what breed she is?

Silver laced wyandotte?

 

[Mtn Margie]

Interesting. Too bad she didn't take them.

2 eggs have been broken under our broody.

I don't think it's her though. The other girls are laying their eggs in there somehow. I saw our BR in there this morning after the broody came out to eat. I had to kick her out and put her in the nest box next to that. She had already laid her egg but was just sitting there like she was going to go broody. I found the first broken one then and then just now our BA egg was in there and I think she broke the second one. How do you keep them from laying eggs in that nest box? I moved the BA egg to another box hoping the other girls will lay there. Maybe I just need to keep some eggs in another box all the time so they'll add to that instead of trying to get in with the broody? I'm wondering if the broody is moving for them, they are kicking her out, or just taking advantage of her leaving. I only see her leave it once a day.
I think the broody is craving something that is in the dirt and not in their food. She ignores the bowl of food in the morning and scratches around for something. Any ideas what she's looking for? It's not usual for any of them to ignore the food (fermented grains/seeds).

Good luck with your broody. You should isolate her nest from the others to insure that eggs don't break and then cause others to die and basically just stink and muck the nest up. That being said,

, it depends on the broody as to just how easy it is to move her and her nest or to wall her nest off. I had one that loved being separated (good hatching mamma) and another that was a freak even when I moved the entire nesting complex and caused more mayhem than you could believe. She was not successful at hatching and eggs were getting moved all over the coop. I just took to candling every egg collected after finding embryonic eggs in other nests on the other side of the coop. Highly irritating! The sooner she is separated, the less stressful it will be on you.