2018 Newbie Chat!

[Anna Ranieri]

You know what I need as I sit outside watching for raccoons? I need to put something on the top of the fence that is slippery but doesn't smell and won't attract anything, just make them slip if they try climbing. Any ideas?

Anti-climb (non-drying) paint? Don't know if you know of this, it is a non-drying paint, - extra slippery - people here use it a lot to prevent burglars climbing fences, drain pipes etc

 

[CannedMonster]

Anyone ever use barbed wire on top of enclosure? Will that keep raccoons out?

I’d post in the predators forum.
Most people here are newbies and probably haven’t had a lot of predator issues.
I’d shoot every one of them.
They’re just going to breed and every year you’ll have to deal with more.

 

[CannedMonster]

Anti-climb (non-drying) paint? Don't know if you know of this, it is a non-drying paint, - extra slippery - people here use it a lot to prevent burglars climbing fences, drain pipes etc

What’s the effect on non predatory wildlife?
Would animals eat it?
Is it toxic?

 

[Anna Ranieri]

What’s the effect on non predatory wildlife?
Would animals eat it?
Is it toxic?

There are no reports of animals ever eating it and it is supposedly non toxic however it is near on impossible to remove it if gets on your clothes etc - have been reports of cats getting it on their fur and the only way to remove it is to either cut or shave off the fur - haven't heard nor found any reports about birds though

 

[CannedMonster]

@llombardo
Have you heard of roller bars?
People use them to keep their cats and dogs in the yard.
They also keep coyotes out.
I’m not sure if they work on raccoons.
I think if you google “fence roller bars” you’ll get some information about them.

 

[Anna Ranieri]

@llombardo
Have you heard of roller bars?
People use them to keep their cats and dogs in the yard.
They also keep coyotes out.
I’m not sure if they work on raccoons.
I think if you google “fence roller bars” you’ll get some information about them.

We have anti-climb roller spikes here - I imagine raccoons are agile enough to get through barbed wire and fence spikes - I'm thinking roller spikes would be a lot more difficult - they are as they are described, spikes which rotate.

Britain is on a high raccoon alert - there have been sightings of raccoons in England and other parts of the UK - they are reported to be escapees from zoos and people having had them as pets - the worry is that they will breed and establish themselves over here as is what happened in Germany - the "lost" pets reported so far have been singular, so unable to breed unless they meet another opposite sex escapee, so is less likely however it has not yet been established whether or not the zoo escapees are in pairs or groups or not. I don't like harming animals but I have to say if they ever reach my area I will be setting poison traps for them and I'd get every deterrent I could find, including rolling spikes!

 

[llombardo]

@llombardo
Have you heard of roller bars?
People use them to keep their cats and dogs in the yard.
They also keep coyotes out.
I’m not sure if they work on raccoons.
I think if you google “fence roller bars” you’ll get some information about them.

Yes. I was just looking at them. I'm only worried about that one side. I don't want to hurt any animals. I'm thinking I can do a combo here. The roller bars on the enclosure and this sticky bird gel stuff I found on the top of the fence. Thought process is if their paws are sticking and they try to jump, they won't have enough power and will barely make the enclosure, but will hit the rollers. That might just work.

 

[CannedMonster]

We have anti-climb roller spikes here - I imagine raccoons are agile enough to get through barbed wire and fence spikes - I'm thinking roller spikes would be a lot more difficult - they are as they are described, spikes which rotate.

Britain is on a high raccoon alert - there have been sightings of raccoons in England and other parts of the UK - they are reported to be escapees from zoos and people having had them as pets - the worry is that they will breed and establish themselves over here as is what happened in Germany - the "lost" pets reported so far have been singular, so unable to breed unless they meet another opposite sex escapee, so is less likely however it has not yet been established whether or not the zoo escapees are in pairs or groups or not. I don't like harming animals but I have to say if they ever reach my area I will be setting poison traps for them and I'd get every deterrent I could find, including rolling spikes!

That is frightening. Truly.
Animals that are invasive to your ecology can have devastating consequences.
I’m often disgusted by people’s inability to educate themselves and understand that you are responsible for animals that you keep.
I rarely visit zoos...but I know that they may be the only “home” for certain wildlife who no longer have homes.
As long as the native animals can handle the predation it may work out but raccoons are extremely smart and agile creatures.
I have latches on my coops that I lock with a carabiner.
It’s one of the few things raccoons can’t operate.
They can figure out those barrel locks.

 

[CannedMonster]

Question:

Do any of you track your chicks ages...maybe on a calendar?
Do any of you track your hens egg laying?
I write on our calendar my chicks ages in weeks until they start laying.
Then I track the egg weights, also on the calendar, for several months.
After that I track number of eggs laid each day with a mark for each.

So far I’ve only tracked eggs for my 4 older girls who are a year old this month.
Red, my gold sex link, has always laid jumbo sized eggs.
The Wyandottes lay smaller ones and not always every day.

 

[llombardo]

Question:

Do any of you track your chicks ages...maybe on a calendar?
Do any of you track your hens egg laying?
I write on our calendar my chicks ages in weeks until they start laying.
Then I track the egg weights, also on the calendar, for several months.
After that I track number of eggs laid each day with a mark for each.

So far I’ve only tracked eggs for my 4 older girls who are a year old this month.
Red, my gold sex link, has always laid jumbo sized eggs.
The Wyandottes lay smaller ones and not always every day.

The only thing I did was text their. Hatch dates to myself, so I always have it. One of the ducks lays daily, but I don't know which one. I think the barred rocks eggs are slightly darker then the RIR. They both lay eggs that are on the small side and are laying daily in the same best box. I'm sure it will get more hectic once the othef 4 start laying.