Recent content by Billy Hill

I couldn't put them in the house, no way. The smell, the noise, I'd sleep in the garage with the motorcycles and the machine shop myself LOL!

I can get some tonight, leaving for work now. It's a raised deck with 4 or 5 steps up then pillars to attach the gate to. I have several fences about this high and they don't jump them nor fly out of the yard.

They were in the garage. :)

The double acting hinges might be the best idea. Two or three hinges per side would probably be enough to keep the birds out and let the dog in. I can make some doors to hang on them out of just about anything. Thanks for the tip. I've got one of those nets going into the house and dog ripped...

Our last group of chickens is down to 1 left. We got 3 more a few months ago. Two weeks ago we moved them outside and this week introduced them to each other. I put my dog's kennel next to the coop and put the new chickens in the kennel. After 3 or 4 days I let them out so Big Bird could come...

I free-range my chickens and they like to get on my back deck. I don't want them there because, well, pewp on deck! Dog doesn't pewp on the deck so he's allowed on. Is there a gate design that auto-closes both directions (spring loaded) but can be pushed with a dog's snout or a toddler's hand...

I believe it's all in the training. I've introduced my white lab when we first get them as chicks and he is shown immediately that they are part of the pack and that he is to protect them. Worked both times so far.

Hate to bring up old threads but this looks like the bet place to ask... I'm down to 2 girls now and only 1 seems to be laying (the leghorn). I float tested a few of her recent eggs (week old at most, unwashed) and they all bobbed with about 1/4" above the water. They're small eggs to begin with...

Pellet gun. Same thing I use on the squirrels. I'm counting on them being smart enough after one or two are dismissed that the rest will stay away. Worked for my neighbor who's dog caught one last year. The whole clan was there to watch it get mauled by the dog and now they stay out of his yard...

I let my girls free-range most days and yesterday before I let them out I saw a crow carrying something white, then dropped it and started eating it, but he was tipping his head back to swallow, just like birds do when they are drinking water. Made me wonder so I went to investigate and sure...

My girls love them and I don't think there are any issues. Earwigs too (pincher bugs). Both are extremely abundant this year, so when my girls see me in the yard moving stuff they haul butt to get the rewards under whatever I'm moving.

This!! ^^ Did you de-feather the area(s) so you could see the condition of the skin? Also, what are you going to do about the dog? The chicken got out of the coop, the dog broke it's chain. Sounds like those are the only two things you have implemented to keep them apart. Sadly, the chance...

I've kept food and water in the coop since they were chicks. They have access to both 24/7.

Squirrels = bushy-tailed rats that dig holes in my yard. Can't stand the little buggers. Consider getting a squirrel-inator and bait it with eggs. It's basically a small metal trap that they can get into but not out of.

James, sorry to hear about the loss. Coyotes can jump much higher than 4'. I've got 2 fences 1 foot apart, one fence is 5 feet tall (closest to the house) and the one a foot behind it is almost 6 feet tall. Last year there was a coyote trying to get at one of my cats, who ran onto the back...