ALABAMA!!

[Mimi13]

Hi, y'all! I am in Coffee County, between Elba and Brantley on Hwy. 189.
Two nights ago we had some excitement. One of our chicken houses was on fire. Fortunately we were able to put it out. The seven silly birds in it did not try to get out. They are afraid of the dark. The next day I realized that the cord of one of the heat lamps had been chewed probably by a squirrel and had shorted out, setting one of the posts on fire. Amazingly I did not find an electrocuted squirrel in the vicinity. Mystery! Anyhow, the chickens are fine and the house is still OK. I'd like to catch and relocate some of the squirrels (there are a lot of them) but none of the baits I tried worked. I might end up having to shoot some of those bushy-tailed rats. Everyone tells me they are excellent fried and smothered in gravy, but I am not too sure I want to eat rodents that are probably full of fleas, ringworms, botfly larvae, and ticks.

I remember when my granddaddy would go squirrel hunting there were certain times of the year that that “wolves” were really bad. I have no idea when that was, but I do know how disgusting the “wolves” were. I was just a kid then and I still remember watching him pull that “thang” out of the squirrel’s neck. OMG!

Yes, squirrels are rodents. I believe the only people who like them are the ones who visit parks. Not people who have to deal with the damage squirrels cause.

 

[rainee63]

You mean like, wolf worms? I've pulled a couple out of kittens. Just awful! We have alot of squirrels here, but I can deal with them. It's the dang foxes killing my hens that I'd like to take a rifle to!!

 

[RollTideChicken]

I live down the mountain from you, in Laceys Spring! I am currently trying to reconfigure my flock, as I've lost three of my hens to a fox. Now there are too many roosters and yesterday someone drew blood on the only one I want to keep. Anybody nearby need a very pretty lavender orpington roo? I have two that I need gone. And also two humongous 'rescued' Cornish cross meat birds that are 9 months old and probly too tough to eat! (maybe. I only got them by accident and I've never raised meat birds before.)

I grew up in Lacey!

 

[Mimi13]

You mean like, wolf worms? I've pulled a couple out of kittens. Just awful! We have alot of squirrels here, but I can deal with them. It's the dang foxes killing my hens that I'd like to take a rifle to!!

Yes, that is what I mean. They were also really bad in rabbits. And as a matter of fact I’ve seen him pull some from the barn cat’s kittens too! It’s gross that stuff like that even exists.

Our property is surrounded by the paper mill’s timberland. I have not seen foxes, although I’m sure they’re out there. We have coyotes, hawks, owls, and raccoons for sure. I’ve heard the coyotes (my son has seen them late at night), seen and heard the hawks (there is so much farm land that they stay perched on power lines surveying the fields), heard the owls occasionally, and I’ve only seen coons dead on the road.

My actual yard surrounding the house is fenced in field fence with a gate across the driveway, initially set up that way to keep our dogs. My coop/run is in the upper back yard. Our outer pasture fence is only fenced in field fence about 3/4 of the way around. The other 1/4 (of course along one side of the timberland) only has barbed wire up. This last batch of chicks that I got love to go over into the barnyard and barn, go figure, which scares me to death because they are not protected over there. But they love it so. The coyotes can’t get them in the barn. The coons could, but hopefully the chickens are already on the roost before they might surface.

In my 3 years of chicken keeping, I have been very, very fortunate that I haven’t had any losses. I know it’s just a matter of time though.

 

[Mimi13]

Now there are too many roosters and yesterday someone drew blood on the only one I want to keep. Anybody nearby need a very pretty lavender orpington roo? I have two that I need gone.

I’ve got a 9 mo SLW cockerel that I guess I’m gonna process as I don’t need him. I don’t think there are too many takers for roos much. My DH has promised one of his coworkers that we would take his 5 mo BO cockerel since he can’t keep them (Piedmont city limits).

I also have the odd Maran and Dominique hen. Some Bielefelders hopefully hatching Monday.

I do want a few more BCM and I want to get some Bielefelders. I have been reading about them and they are so beautiful.

 

[Alabama Fly]

The weather's been very wet here on Sand Mountain. Drying up a little today. Was happy not to have to break ice this morning also. We have been really battling the Predator's this past year after several years in a row with very few incidents. Several skunks in the summer, mostly a lot of egg eating but also a few kills. Eliminated that problem. A lot of possums, and several losses to a hawk. Had lost a few chicks to a hawk summer before last so we covered what I refer to as the silkie run with bird netting. Unbeknownst to me a one by one tear occurred in one corner of this very large run. Surprisingly the hawk was able to navigate through the hole and back out killing two chickens in 2 days. On his third attempt I was able to witness him flying out of the hole luckily without a kill because I surprised him. Also he came at the same time each day between 2:30 + 3. So I was watching for him. Although at that point I was not aware of the hole and didn't know what was killing the chickens . Of course he only took my favorites. 1 a very sweet little one-eyed cross beaked bantam that was very much a pet. Still heartbroken. On a good note my silkies are performing like the little work horses that they are, churning out eggs and hatching chicks like clockwork. My polish have also started laying and I've been able to hatch a few, along with some frizzled silkies and show Girls. Looking forward to the first eggs from my faverolles also.

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@herman 48 - First off, so glad you got that fire out and everyone including the hens are safe!
I'd get a .22 to those squirrels and fry them up. Unfortunately yes, they have fleas even in Winter but rarely do I see worms under the skin or ticks in the fur when we hunt them. (I more often see them injured from a fight with another squirrel or predator.) Also check for rats/mice to be the potential culprits.

 

[rainee63]

I grew up in Lacey!

Me too! And now my grandson goes to Laceys Spring Elementary school. It's crazy!!

 

[rainee63]

I am seriously thinking I'm going to have to process my roosters too. I'm keeping them separate right now, but there's not enough hens for them all. So now they're harassing my hens and hurting my beautiful lavender English orpington guy who is the only one I want to use for breeding The other two have more of an American orpington body shape. I've never sent anybody to freezer camp. I don't even really know how. But I need to get my flock back to a safe balance, where nobody is getting hurt!

 

[Lookin4GoodLife]

Everyone tells me they are excellent fried and smothered in gravy, but I am not too sure I want to eat rodents that are probably full of fleas, ringworms, botfly larvae, and ticks.

Everything always seems to say cook to over 160 degrees for any wildlife and you're safe. I'm in the same camp, not sure I want to try them, but I'm going to at some point. Glad your coop was not damaged too bad by the fire!