Recent content by Big Bubba

  1. Big Bubba

    Could a Fox Have Done It?

    Thanks for all the responses. Yes, very sad for this one in particular. She managed to avoid so many attacks. But, she did reach the late age of 6. I'm leaning toward thinking it was a coon. Head off and just left there. Rigor mortis had set in already so it wasn't like I scared it off in...
  2. Big Bubba

    Could a Fox Have Done It?

    I started the week with 2 girls. When I came home Monday afternoon and let my dog out she ran after a fox that got away. I go into the coop and there is one dead girl. The remaining one was quite distraught and wasn't planning of coming out of hiding. I had arranged for someone else to take...
  3. Big Bubba

    My Neighbor shot at Me and My Chickens This Morning

    I wouldn't get rid of the roosters. These guys are just crazy and they'll find something else to get angry about. In fact, now that the police have been involved there really is no turning time back. They're going to try to figure another way to get back at you. You might want to consider a...
  4. Big Bubba

    How to prevent squirrels from getting into run

    PastaChickenBoo - There really aren't ground squirrels around this area (I live in Silver Spring) except for chipmunks. After reading through this thread I'm almost certain it is rats. And rats, you will soon learn, are very hard to control. The best thing you can do is make sure there is...
  5. Big Bubba

    How to prevent squirrels from getting into run

    Hi, I live nearby. Definitely take advise listed about keeping the squirrels out. However, it seems very odd that squirrels would be bothering your chickens. Squirrels for the most part are vegetarians. I've got squirrels around, and outside of stealing food, they don't bother my girls at...
  6. Big Bubba

    What could kill 4 week old chicks? (Pictures of injuries)

    By the fact they are puncture wounds I'd have to say it was a hawk. I've never heard of a Robin attacking anything more than worm. It just seems a bit far fetched. But, yes, you definitely need to cover that pen. If anything gets in there, there isn't a place for the girls to hide.
  7. Big Bubba

    Rats, Help!!!

    Killing rats is just going to exhaust you and, at the end of the day, accomplish nothing. You need to just make sure there is no food available for them. When you get that under control there will be no reason for rats to frequent the area and they will be gone.
  8. Big Bubba

    GREAT NEWS in Montgomery County, MD!

    PastaChickenBoo - there are others who can better answer your question than me. My basic understanding is that it depends. As I understand it there is nothing illegal about having chickens. The problem lies with having a coop. The coop needs to be 100 feet (I'm not sure about the actual...
  9. Big Bubba

    My Solutions

    So, through the years it seems to be one thing or another. For the last 3 years I decided to free range my girls. Never had a problem until recently where I had 2 girls killed by a hawk. I decided I had to put the girls inside which is basically a run and a coop. Well, they didn't care for...
  10. Big Bubba

    How Many Chickens Will I Lose Free Ranging

    I appreciate all of the replies. The thing that gets me about the whole thing is I've seen the hawks try to attack my girls and they always seemed to have a beat on the hawks. There was too small an area for such a big, fast animal to catch them. At least, I thought. And my girls had tons...
  11. Big Bubba

    How Many Chickens Will I Lose Free Ranging

    I've had 5 girls for about 5 years now. I free range. I've lost 2 girls in the last month to hawk attacks. The remaining gang is going to be kept inside the coop for the time being. My backyard, where I keep them, is pretty small. The backyard is, maybe, 40 yards by 20 yards and is...
  12. Big Bubba

    Rats

    Build, or buy, a treadle.
  13. Big Bubba

    Rats

    If your plan is to kill every rat out there you will become frustrated very quickly. As Folly said rats are very smart. If they suspect something is a bit off they won't touch it. I've caught rats in traps, but by and large these were the younger ones. The surest way to get rid of rats is...
  14. Big Bubba

    Do you bring your hens' feed indoors each night?

    I've problems with rodents in the past. So, one of the things I do is feed them outside their coop. Bringing feed in at night is a necessity. Although, in my case, I have a treadle so I installed a lock on it so absolutely nothing can get in. The other thing is this; you'll end up with some...
  15. Big Bubba

    Rats

    I thought the rats were the end of me and chickens. It got bad, real bad. But, when you start making sure there is no way they can get the feed they go away pretty quickly. Every day now I do a check to make sure they aren't there. Hang in there. Just make sure you are doing everything...
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