Sassafras_Tea
Chirping
- Mar 12, 2024
- 29
- 70
- 59
Hello! USMC family with 4 homeschooled sons who’ve raised our flock by hand & taken pains to ensure each hen is as domestic as a spoiled kitten. We do not currently have a rooster, but would love advice on breeds.. We had 20 adult hens, but a mink has killed 4 (2 were killed 2 weeks ago, and 2 yesterday). So, now we’re down to 16 adult hens & 1 of those is injured currently. We have traps and satellite trail cams out for the mink, prayers appreciated!! We have a horse barn turned coop & run that our girls roost in each night & during the day they free range inside a 2 acre yard that’s enclosed by a 6 ft. fence. The mink was undeterred by the fence & our Australian Shepherd who is very docile and protective over the chickens (she was raised from a puppy along side them, never has tried to hurt them and is usually patrolling the yard, but can inside for 1 hour when the attacks occurred in broad daylight yesterday 
).
We have a mixture of 6 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Blue Cochins, 1 Buff Laced Polish, 1 Dark Brahma, 1 Delaware, 1 Brown Leghorn, 2 Bielefelders, & 1 Blue Andalusian. We recently acquired 4 baby Ameraucanas & 4 baby Barred Rocks, they’re in our big brooder inside now, but looking for flock intro tips in the future. I posted an inquiry on my Buff Orpington’s wound a few minutes ago and am looking forward to any advice. Good to be a member here
). We have a mixture of 6 Buff Orpingtons, 3 Blue Cochins, 1 Buff Laced Polish, 1 Dark Brahma, 1 Delaware, 1 Brown Leghorn, 2 Bielefelders, & 1 Blue Andalusian. We recently acquired 4 baby Ameraucanas & 4 baby Barred Rocks, they’re in our big brooder inside now, but looking for flock intro tips in the future. I posted an inquiry on my Buff Orpington’s wound a few minutes ago and am looking forward to any advice. Good to be a member here
and Welcome to Backyard Chickens.
to have you here with us. Enjoy your time here at BYC!
You definitely need to keep your birds in a secure coop and run. If its not a mink, it will be something else, everything eats chicken unfortunately. 
