Anyone have luck catching a feral chicken?? UPDATE: Rooster caught, no hen

[rjohns39]

You'll appreciate this... I was in stationed in Korea and had friend bringing me an engine from Alex... I managed to get him to also bring me 200 pounds of mud bugs and 5 pounds of Community Coffee. We had a feast that night.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Thank you @theuglychick and @rjohns39. He has a really good vet so I am hoping he is OK.

You all should a seen him as a pup. he looked like a little stuffed toy. He used to hide under my rocker when he didn't want to listen.

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Found the poop. It's embedded into my shoe laces.

Well, that's easier than cleaning your pants!

 

[Ursuline Chick]

Awww, Vinnie is handsome. I'll say a little prayer for him and your son. Hoping it all goes well!

X 3

 

[apryl29]

Daughter has a long sleeve white t-shirt that has black print that says shirt on it. when she first brought it home, I looked quickly, than had to say, "wait let me see what that says". She thinks it is terribly funny.

My favorite shirt says 'Remain calm this is only a drill' and has a drawing of a drill on it. Once a woman said she was surprised my boss would let me wear it to work.. apparently she thought the drill was a gun. smh. It's now my chicken shirt, covered in paint & full of holes from chicken wire.

Mine tricked me last night.
So like an idiot I offered my finger to him and he grabbed it, pulled it toward him and bit the crap out of me.

My friend's mom has a scarlet macaw. The damn thing is evil. It literally chased me up the stairs while laughing evilly. It absolutely hates me.

I suppose I could run an extension cord out to their house...
But I wouldn't really mind if their bodies needed to take a break.

I also have an extension cord out to my coop. We buried it so it wouldn't get run over, then my dad proceeded to chew it up with the rototiller. I don't live there so I need to keep it above freezing in the coop so their water doesn't freeze.

Mine were born in feb and started laying in jul like yours. Australorp, BO, BR, AND EE. I had a LED Light in the coop when days got short so they could see to eat. 12 hrs, 6a - 6p. No heat in coop and they layed pretty well all winter, not quite as much as summer- maybe 60%?
The Aussies had a partial moult, mostly the neck area, inNov I believe.

Is there a reason you chose 6-6 as opposed to 7-7? Just wondering. If it's still dark outside when the light comes on, do they just hang out inside the coop or do they try to go outside?

The cold snap here got me thinking. I don't heat my coop because, well, fire! I've also seen how it can be a problem if they are used to heat and you lose power. They haven't acclimated to being cold so it goes all sorts of bad.
I'm worried because all I've heard is how awful winter is going to be. I wondered about a heater that would only come on when it gets really cold. Keep the coop at 10 degrees or something. I have a heat bulb if I really need it but there's no way to regulate that temp.
View attachment 1163013 Is one of these safer? Has anyone used one?

Right now I have a heat lamp that's plugged into a ThermoCube I got from TSC. It turns on when the temp gets down to 35 degrees and turns off when it hits 45 degrees. I put a couple screws through the clamp of the heat lamp just in case it suddenly fails. I'm more concerned about my water freezing at this point, but Sunday when it was in the 30's overnight I closed to front flap of the coop and Monday evening (I only go over after work) and the coop was pretty warm during the day. I left it open last night, but I'm wondering if it might be too much of a breeze. It's hard when they can't really tell you what they need.

I use a cheap little Walmart heater with a temp sensor that kicks it on when it gets too cool. I keep it on the lowest setting to keep the chill out. Last year we had no chill. It's chained to a board on a wall so chickens can't get near it or roost on it.

Do you happen to know what brand it is? I got a ThermoCube, but the reviews on it were spotty at best. More people saying it failed & I'd hate for it to stop working and not realize it. Of course, I plan on visiting their coop every day to collect eggs/ replenish water/ food anyway.

Ugly Chickens
Do any of you have any less than nice-looking birds?
I have a super blue egg layer pullet named Karen who is going to her new home this week.
She is my homeliest chicken.
I don't even know what color to call her except dirty white.
View attachment 1163027
I'm hoping she's going to be an ugly duckling/beautiful swan situation.

When my chickens were younger I had several that were ugly. Now they're all very beautiful... except the spots where they have tree sap on their feathers and dirt stuck to them.

For the most part it's not awful in the coop. It's not insulated but solid tongue and groove boards. It's also raised off the ground so I plan on stuffing some straw bales under it.
I just worry.

My coop is also not insulated. I'm so worried that I didn't do enough to protect them from the elements. The coop is a dark gray/ stone color so it does absorb heat well, but I'm not sure about windows/ drafts/ ventilation. I put up a board to block the wind from coming from the west into my chicken door that faces south. Not sure if I should block it in more or not. I'm worried snow will drift right in. I probably will though.. it's the door my cockerel is housed off of and his space is very small. I worry that I'm going to freeze him to death b/c he can't get up higher. I know he's cold hardy, but I still worry.

Ha Ha my third! I still worry. I also have 2 bantams in with the big kids. One roosts with everyone and the other is a bit of a loner. I'm sure if someone is cold they will snuggle in. Always looking for the best for my kids.

I also have 2 bantams.. and my bantam cockerel sleeps alone on top of the feed bin in the corner by the door. Always has, I think he thinks he's guarding them. Oddly enough, my leghorn cockerel would sleep w the ladies, in the middle, but w his back to the door.

Just curious, what type of coffee do y'all drink?
I was raised on Community Coffee (that's actually the name), and that is what everyone that I knows drinks.
Just curious as to what the rest of the world drinks.

I drink whatever coffee is cheapest, I have a kuerig so I look for stuff that's $5 or less for a box of 12. I've tried the refillable pods, but didn't have much luck w/ them (messy)... Whatever I get, it's usually light/ breakfast blend.. stronger stuff gives me heartburn now. And it's black.. But I do love me a vanilla iced coffee.

 

[theuglychick]

That's the best story! I hope they arrived still alive and kicking!

I sincerely thank you for serving our country!

You'll appreciate this... I was in stationed in Korea and had friend bringing me an engine from Alex... I managed to get him to also bring me 200 pounds of mud bugs and 5 pounds of Community Coffee. We had a feast that night.

 

[theuglychick]

Lol, this is true!

Well, that's easier than cleaning your pants!

 

[staceyj]

We drink Folger's here. Yup good ole Folger's.


My sons Malamute is going into surgery very soon. He is losing many of his teeth. Poor guy has some seriously bad genetics. I am worried. He does not handle anesthesia well at all. Even mild make em sleepy stuff makes him a mess for days.
My son will be devastated if his dog passes. The dog is 8+ the son is 28. No wife or kids just him and the dog.



View attachment 1163236
This is Vinnie.

Prayers for Vinnie!
Totally understand.
My 26 year old son has only a dog in his life too.
They are best buds.

 

[theuglychick]

I'll look when I get home this evening.

My favorite shirt says 'Remain calm this is only a drill' and has a drawing of a drill on it. Once a woman said she was surprised my boss would let me wear it to work.. apparently she thought the drill was a gun. smh. It's now my chicken shirt, covered in paint & full of holes from chicken wire.


My friend's mom has a scarlet macaw. The damn thing is evil. It literally chased me up the stairs while laughing evilly. It absolutely hates me.


I also have an extension cord out to my coop. We buried it so it wouldn't get run over, then my dad proceeded to chew it up with the rototiller. I don't live there so I need to keep it above freezing in the coop so their water doesn't freeze.


Is there a reason you chose 6-6 as opposed to 7-7? Just wondering. If it's still dark outside when the light comes on, do they just hang out inside the coop or do they try to go outside?


Right now I have a heat lamp that's plugged into a ThermoCube I got from TSC. It turns on when the temp gets down to 35 degrees and turns off when it hits 45 degrees. I put a couple screws through the clamp of the heat lamp just in case it suddenly fails. I'm more concerned about my water freezing at this point, but Sunday when it was in the 30's overnight I closed to front flap of the coop and Monday evening (I only go over after work) and the coop was pretty warm during the day. I left it open last night, but I'm wondering if it might be too much of a breeze. It's hard when they can't really tell you what they need.


Do you happen to know what brand it is? I got a ThermoCube, but the reviews on it were spotty at best. More people saying it failed & I'd hate for it to stop working and not realize it. Of course, I plan on visiting their coop every day to collect eggs/ replenish water/ food anyway.


When my chickens were younger I had several that were ugly. Now they're all very beautiful... except the spots where they have tree sap on their feathers and dirt stuck to them.

My coop is also not insulated. I'm so worried that I didn't do enough to protect them from the elements. The coop is a dark gray/ stone color so it does absorb heat well, but I'm not sure about windows/ drafts/ ventilation. I put up a board to block the wind from coming from the west into my chicken door that faces south. Not sure if I should block it in more or not. I'm worried snow will drift right in. I probably will though.. it's the door my cockerel is housed off of and his space is very small. I worry that I'm going to freeze him to death b/c he can't get up higher. I know he's cold hardy, but I still worry.


I also have 2 bantams.. and my bantam cockerel sleeps alone on top of the feed bin in the corner by the door. Always has, I think he thinks he's guarding them. Oddly enough, my leghorn cockerel would sleep w the ladies, in the middle, but w his back to the door.


I drink whatever coffee is cheapest, I have a kuerig so I look for stuff that's $5 or less for a box of 12. I've tried the refillable pods, but didn't have much luck w/ them (messy)... Whatever I get, it's usually light/ breakfast blend.. stronger stuff gives me heartburn now. And it's black.. But I do love me a vanilla iced coffee.

 

[theuglychick]

That's adorable!

My experience with Mals has shown me that they can be a tad stubborn (and sensitive!) so I imagine he resorted to your rocker quite a bit

He looks still looks like a (giant) stuffed animal to me!

I wish I could have a big hairy dog here and it wouldn't suffer in the oppressive heat and humidity :/

Thank you @theuglychick and @rjohns39. He has a really good vet so I am hoping he is OK.

You all should a seen him as a pup. he looked like a little stuffed toy. He used to hide under my rocker when he didn't want to listen.