BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[bnjrob]

We have about the best 'bear proofing' available but they still come in once in a while. The one that was killed a few weeks ago was after the goats...I think but my dogs put him up a terminal tree.

I have 5 and 6 strand high tensile wire and the same type of charger that is used to hold big game animals in Africa but a hungry bear will take it if really hungry.

The two bear that were taken today didn't come through for food...the hounds were pushing them hard and luckily, a couple of the best dogs came through the fence too or they would have likely made a get-away.

I think I'll stick with my coyotes - they're more my size. LOL. A gun takes care of the coyotes and I run around looking like an idiot yelling and waving things in the air to get the hawks to move on. Thinking that wouldn't work well with a hungry bear.

 

[DesertChic]

Just curious...how many breeds and hybrids do you currently house....if you know.

Sorry, I just couldn't pass on the little green laughing character.

I really had to think this one through. If you separate my frizzled and smooth Easter Eggers, as well as the Cochin/NN from my first NN flock rather than just including them in the NN flock, the total comes to 16.

That was never my intention, but my birds are very....uh....prolific. And cute. Being cute works in their favor.

 

[DesertChic]

@hellbender I'm so glad I haven't had to deal with bears around here. Coyotes, hawks, rattlesnakes, javelina, bobcats, and even a few mountain lions, but the bears seem content to harass the Tucson residents all living close together in their "safe" communities and leave us alone out here. So far the coyotes have been our biggest problem and like @bnjrob said, they're pretty easy to take care of with a shotgun.

I watched my chickens freak out over a roadrunner that decided to pay them a visit today. One of my younger cockerels seemed intent on courting it, but my large Bielefelder cockerel finally chased it off and then chastised the young cockerel for his stupidity. Chicken entertainment never ends!

 

[dfr1973]

I wouldn't even begin to know how you bear proof a run / coop, especially in our heat so much of my coop is wire for air circulation.

Combination of electricity and luck. We aren't allowed to hunt or even wound a bear here in Florida ... except for two days this past October. Our area was slated for 100 bears killed, but during the two days 135 were killed. I just wish it was 136! My neighbors and I have a problem bear, who also shows her cub our livestock. I am now electric, but neighbor isn't yet (much longer fence line) and they got hit this year for one of their hogs that I planned to buy half of.

So far, (knock on wood!!) she's only hit my chickens once last December. When our house up in Tennessee finally closed on December 18th last year, the first thing we bought was an electric perimeter.

 

[varidgerunner]

If you are lucky enough to have a bear busting into your chicken coop, you are prepared to take backyard meat production into a whole new realm. Darned good eating, if you know how to prepare it.

 

[bnjrob]

If you are lucky enough to have a bear busting into your chicken coop, you are prepared to take backyard meat production into a whole new realm. Darned good eating, if you know how to prepare it.

 

[miss heny]

popping in to x2 that

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

Hey, guys, forgive me if this has been covered a lot and I've completely blanked it from my memory, but what sort of housing arrangements do you guys use as growout pens - either for those littles you are evaluating, or those you know are headed to the freezer? While the tractor has worked fine for me so far, I'm interested in other options, not sure that's ideal. I've heard of some folks using kennels...

Planing ahead for hatching next year. Next year I'm going to hatch some Cream Legbars - the pullets that are laying have been great producers of blue eggs, 6-7 per week, and good foragers and alert to predators, and I'd like to do some low grade work on improving the breed for my own uses, since I have a good cockerel. And of course, I will be hatching for evolution of my Naked Neck flock. While I'd love to add the German New Hampshires and Blue Copper Marans next spring, I'm not sure that won't be a little too much at once... Maybe later (or heck, maybe not at all, and I'll just focus on the CLs and NNs for a while). Housing is what I'm wrapping my head around. Hence the request for examples of growout arrangements.

- Ant Farm

 

[Fire Ant Farm]

There were two bears taken on my property...I guess that's production because my friends will eat the nasty meat...I'd rather eat the dogs. I have one pic and waiting for another. The second group let my daughter shoot the bear for obvious reasons...My land, my daughter but the primary reason is the fact that we don't want any part of the beasts and when my daughter checks it in, none of the primary group will have to go unarmed into the woods and every one of them will still be able to take another bear...they are looking for one over 400 pounds but Ariel didn't care, so long as it was legal.

I'm told the one she took was not bad for this part of the country.

Bear # 1...

You just scared the bejeezus out of me, thankyouverymuch....

- Ant Farm

 

[hellbender]

#2 Bear. Ariel took it out of a sycamore tree with the hunt-master's .444 Marlin. That's a whole lot of gun for a small woman but it would likely kill an elephant at very close range.

EDIT: This is NOT the bear they thought they were after. This one was in his prime and has a great jacket. Ariel begged them out of it (jacket only) and wants a rug for her bedroom. It will be ready in about 8 months to a year.