I had no idea! And ONCE we did maple syrup, delicious, but it's 50 gallons of sap to one gallon of syrup. Took a long time and lots of fire wood, and since then we buy it instead.
I will look up the sycamore syrup though.
Mary
Just don't plant a sycamore tree in your yard! We have one here, and it's big and beautiful. It drops branches, sometimes big ones, every time a wind blows. And it drops leaves at least nine moths of the year, really big leaves! It's beyond messy, and never stand under it in a breeze...
Mary
x2! I might mow one time later this fall, to chop them up a bit. Or not...
Years ago we had an ice storm fairly early, and all the maple and oak leave fell on our lawn at once. It was then impossible to either chop them or rake, 2" deep everywhere! I thought we'd be reseeding in spring, but...
Worrying about what two big dogs can do is why we have the hardware cloth and woven wire both, and very well attached. Electric fencing when bears arrive!
Once we had ten free ranging hens killed in the afternoon by a sick mangy fox (seen by workmen next door!). I let all the neighbors know...
Welcome!
Here we need building permits for any such structure, and it matters, especially when the insurance company cares. And they do! Again, here we need a farm policy, not home owners, because chickens are livestock, and we also have horses.
Yes, big roof overhangs, for shade and weather...
And talking politely to the neighbors is always a good idea, our closest neighbor said she likes to hear the roosters! And we are rural, so totally legal to have them.
Mary
And it's been over thirty years of learning from bad experiences! A few years ago, rats invaded the coop as that old concrete foundation is cracking apart in places. And our hardware cloth skirt isn't perfect by now either.
Nothing is permanent, fixing issues just needs to keep happening...
Recently I found a local dog trainer who would actually be happy to have my pit bull terrier in her classes! Now that she's almost eleven years old! She was an abuse case, dumped at a shelter with infected wounds and seriously malnourished, a fighting dog reject. We've had her for eight...
Welded wire isn't as strong as woven wire, and that run isn't secure at all, sadly. Bobcats were your first disaster, other critters can do the same thing, or worse.
We don't have bears here (yet) but do have many other predators, and have learned the hard way how to make our coop/ run...
Canine distemper usually causes siezures, not the sort of aggression rabies can produce. As mentioned, cornering any critter can be a bad idea!
Just don't get bitten, and if you do, killing the critter without damaging it's head would be best, so it can be tested for rabies. Never mess with a...
In addition to all the above comments, I need to add more information.
Chickens originally came from SE Asia, and were jungle animals, small, and produced maybe thirty eggs each year.
Most of us don't live in a jungle environment, or Miami or Hawaii, and aren't keeping either jungle fowl or...
There's no way I will be out there at early dawn to get the birds out of their coop, and so there's always water, on a heat plate in winter in the coop areas. Good ventilation matters!
I also have a thermometer/ hygrometer in each coop area, so I know how the humidity is compared to outside...
Already good advice, and I'll add to the 'must have good ventilation' advice, closed coops with heat are a bad idea!
Also, open 'dog bowl' type water dishes are not good in freezing weather, two reasons: some birds will put a foot in the water, and freeze toes or feet, and those big rooster...
Venting about ticks!
We have them here, in our yard, don't need to wander in the woods at all. Within the last year, I've had five deer ticks attached to my delicate self, had them all tested and two were negative for the five nasty diseases they commonly carry. Three 'only' had Lyme disease...