Recent content by DoozyWombat

I'm not sure if you mis-typed there, but raised CX are absurdly cheaper than store-bought chicken. In my area (Shenandoah Valley, VA) chicken in the grocery store runs $3-$5 per lb. Organic free-range chicken is $6 and up per lb. Even with losses to predators, my chicken costs with CX are almost...

That's amazing. My first year, I was plucking by hand and could not get to the CX fast enough. The processing was spread out over many weeks. My largest was 13.7 lbs dressed. I think the bird was 12.5 weeks at that point. I had several over twelve pounds. Every bit as tender and juicy as the 8lb...

Everyone chooses their own actions, based on what is most important to them. They can also swear out a legal complaint or warrant. There is probably no fee for doing that, and law enforcement might be sympathetic. MO laws might hold that anyone can destroy another's property without...

So call the sheriff's department and ask them what your options are. I'd be willing to bet that the owner is responsible for what their animal does on other people's property; I think that's one of those fundamentals. The deputy I talked to said, "If it were me, I'd just shoot him when he comes...

I see you're in NH, and that is in the range for wolverines. That hole looked too small for even a young bear, but a wolverine could easily rip through wood like that and get in and out. The hair also fits. You might look at the wood for claw marks, and show them to someone who knows the...

I'm guessing what you can do depends on the state, but in Virginia, a Sheriff's Deputy explained to me (after a dog came onto my property and killed some of my chickens) that (1) an owner absolutely has the right to shoot a dog that comes onto the owner's property and kills, attacks, or pursues...

Could well be. She actually fell over on her side without moving her wings, like she was a stuffed animal. She didn't revive until I dipped her beak in the water a few times and fed her some mealworms and cracked corn. She's still a young bird--only about 14.5 months, so I've been hoping she'll...

I'm glad I found this thread. I have a white Leghorn who stopped laying, after being the most active and prolific layer in the flock for six months. She's only fourteen months old, and she kept laying right through the winter solstice. But about April, she started hiding her eggs under an...

I'm going to try a variant on this, this year (2021). My CX chicks are coming around May 1, so in the next few days (around April 1), I'm going to stop collecting eggs, and see if I can get one of my Brahmas to go broody. (They did last Fall, unsuccessfully.) The idea is that I'll have chicks...

Yep, I think that's what 2009 means in 2021. Don't think chickens have changed that much, though.

Follow-up. After several days of tempting with treats, I now have all the flock foraging out on the snow. The White Leghorn was the leader, but after a couple of days, the others have followed.

I have seven Dark Brahmas and one White Leghorn. The Leghorn is by far the most curious and daring of the flock, and she has also been the most willing to go out on the snow. After several days of tempting them to go out onto the snow with cracked corn and mealworms, I've finally gotten the...

My Dark Brahmas are terrified of the snow. I got them to get a little bit onto the snow by trampling, then scattering pine shavings so only half the ground was snow, then scattering cracked corn. My one Leghorn got almost all the cracked corn the first day. Another odd thing is that they have...

Just don't mix them up. :D

The hen finally abandoned the nest. Three eggs started hatching overall. None got very far, and all died. I finally took all the eggs and tossed them. As of last night, the hen was back on the roost with the flock. I don't plan to let anyone try to hatch anything again before spring. Thanks to...