Araucana thread anyone?

[poularde]

Nice auction smoothmule. I wish I could get some eggs right now. I think all of those hens are quite lovely. Nice offer. Someone should nab those up.

 

[KirstenJL]

I feel the same way. I have lost several birds this year to whatever when we have allowed them to free-range and we are gone to work. The last one was my two year old NH Red - didn't find one feather! So now I only let them out when we are at home. I want to build some long runs so they can be "out" but safe when we are gone. Last week I was near the fence line between us and our neighbor Their dog sees me and comes over toward me. Darned if my really nice Araucana cockerel flies over the fence and "attacks" her. Well, one bite and he was squished. She is a bird dog so it was instinct that she clamped down hard and killed him. Who knew??? that he would do that???

That is so cute how your LF Salmon Favorelle takes care of "his" girl.

Vickie et al
Kelso, WA.

My (only possible) solution to this is electronetting. It is expensive, but worth every penny. It's not quite free-range, but one charger can charge two 174 ft. lengths, so it's close. My birds never seem to pine for greener pastures (I've only had to clip my Sussex roo his first year). The only four-footed predator loss I've had since I started with chickens (winter, 2010) was to a raccoon that got in when a wire came off the charger and I didn't notice it. I've seen a dog nose it and learn to fly! It sure beats trying to eradicate your predator population. My sense is they are all trained to it and stay away. I'm gone all day working (and in the winter I leave and come home in the dark) and I don't worry at all about the chickens.

Kirsten

 

[greenhens]

Smoothmule, do you sell hatching eggs on a regular basis? My incubator has not yet arrived, or I would snatch those eggs up!

 

[smoothmule]

I never sell hatching eggs unless I'm over run. I'm hoping to get a cabinet type incubator and use my home made one as a hatcher soon. That doesn't mean I never sell them, I just hate to not hatch them all myself. Hatch rates on shipped eggs are not that horrible but they're not as good as doing it myself then I sell started chicks later

 

[Puddin Fluff]

My (only possible) solution to this is electronetting. It is expensive, but worth every penny. It's not quite free-range, but one charger can charge two 174 ft. lengths, so it's close. My birds never seem to pine for greener pastures (I've only had to clip my Sussex roo his first year). The only four-footed predator loss I've had since I started with chickens (winter, 2010) was to a raccoon that got in when a wire came off the charger and I didn't notice it. I've seen a dog nose it and learn to fly! It sure beats trying to eradicate your predator population. My sense is they are all trained to it and stay away. I'm gone all day working (and in the winter I leave and come home in the dark) and I don't worry at all about the chickens.

Kirsten

Well, most days someone is home. My hubby is retired and I work part time. We have a totaly enclosed "aviary" (we call it) attached to the coop and they can come & go in it when they get up in the mornings and when we do leave them totaly closed in if we are gone overnight. So far, knock on wood, the only preditor that has gotten in that was a 6 ft. rat snake that decided a 12 week old looked like a good snack. He won't be snacking any more.

When we "let them out" for the day, they have a fenced but not covered run. We raised a couple of low places this week and so far the girls are staying put. We did free range them without supervision but after losing one to a hawk (witnessed) and another to either a fox or a lone coyote they now have company when they go out to the greener grass.

 

[beausonge]

My (only possible) solution to this is electronetting. It is expensive, but worth every penny. It's not quite free-range, but one charger can charge two 174 ft. lengths, so it's close. My birds never seem to pine for greener pastures (I've only had to clip my Sussex roo his first year). The only four-footed predator loss I've had since I started with chickens (winter, 2010) was to a raccoon that got in when a wire came off the charger and I didn't notice it. I've seen a dog nose it and learn to fly! It sure beats trying to eradicate your predator population. My sense is they are all trained to it and stay away. I'm gone all day working (and in the winter I leave and come home in the dark) and I don't worry at all about the chickens.

Kirsten

I get a newsletter from McMurray's and they had this nifty "portable" pen in it this time:

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/peck_and_play.html

I ordered one but it is on back-order. When I get it and use it, I'll let you all know how it works.

Vickie et al
Kelso, WA.

 

[KirstenJL]

Here's my current set-up. We put the A-frame on wheel casters so it can be easily moved. It's surrounded by a 100 ft. length of electronetting. The shed coop is right in my backyard as you see and it is surrounded by 2 x 164 ft. lengths of netting. The coop cannot be moved, but the netting can be placed in different configurations. In the winter when there's less cover, I just put one length around it to keep the chickens closer in. It's not raptor-proof, but I've hung string with flagging tape around the coops. I also have a resident family of crows which I think keeps the hawks at bay. I suspect I lost a 4 week old chick last fall to a Cooper's hawk, but don't know for sure--came home and it was just gone. Otherwise the birds of prey have left us alone.







Kirsten

 

[beausonge]

Quote "... I also have a resident family of crows which I think keeps the hawks at bay..." ~ Kirsten

I did not realized crows kept hawks away. I wonder if that fear of crows translates to a fear of black chickens?

Vickie et al
Kelso, WA

 

[KirstenJL]

I

Vickie et al
Kelso, WA

I don't know if they really do or not, but I'm a bird watcher and I see crows mob hawks all the time. I suspect a hawk pair would think about nesting elsewhere if crows were around, but I don't have any actual proof. I also have turkey vultures that roost in the woods in the summer. I don't know if they affect hawks or not, but at some point I would think all the available habitat would be used.

I doubt if hawks would mistake black chickens for crows, but light colored chickens would probably more easily draw their attention.

Kirsten

 

[hennesseyt]

Enjoying the sunny WA weather. I hatched these three out this last fall. 2 boys and one girl. Named by my daughter.


Blueberry

crooked toed Lavie

Partial tail Blackie-boo