California - Northern

[Happy Chooks]

Quote: I found these last year around my coops (all 3 of them) - it's kinda freaky knowing your chickens are being stalked. But my coops are super secure, so I don't have to worry about night critters as much as day critters.




I've seen opossums dead on the road, so I know they are around, but have never seen one on my property. I have seen skunks (and so has my dog several times), foxes, bobcat and a bear on my property. Luckily the bear quit coming around when I got my dog.

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

Oooo. Yesterday my chooks alerted to something in the garden. I went over and there was a weasal with its head sticking out of a gopher hole! It wasn't scared of me... eep.

Quote: I found these last year around my coops (all 3 of them) - it's kinda freaky knowing your chickens are being stalked. But my coops are super secure, so I don't have to worry about night critters as much as day critters.




I've seen opossums dead on the road, so I know they are around, but have never seen one on my property. I have seen skunks (and so has my dog several times), foxes, bobcat and a bear on my property. Luckily the bear quit coming around when I got my dog.

 

[OR4-hmom]

I smell the possoms before I see them, really musky smell.
Make sure you lock up your nest box lids. Coons will keep trying till they figure it out.

 

[chiqita]

happy new year everyone!

 

[Miss Molly]

OMG, I just hatched my first quail. I can't believe how tiny they are... So dang cute. I will take picture later when I open the hatchery.
Thanks Deb!
Happy New Years! 2013 is going h be a good year!

 

[JerseyGiantfolk]

OMG, I just hatched my first quail. I can't believe how tiny they are... So dang cute. I will take picture later when I open the hatchery.
Thanks Deb!
Happy New Years! 2013 is going h be a good year!

Congrats hatching!!

 

[OR4-hmom]

Quail are so very,very cute. Read somewhere that trying to catch baby quail was like trying to catch bumblebees, left a funny image in my mind.

 

[juststruttin]

Happy New years as well. Deann you will never guess what I saw in the snow. Possum ,Racoon and bobcat tracks.

I am not suprised I have all of those guys here. The runs I am building are similar to what I have here. Really just need to worry about Air predators but I am thinking of putting up heavy duty netting like Kelly has.

Hi Jason,

Holy moly. Luckily the Possum and Raccoon will only come out at night after lockup, the bob cat on the other hand - they come anytime of the day or night and will climb anything. The bob cat that got my chickens climbed a 9 ft fence topped with hot wire. I resorted to a wire roof on that pen. The cat leaves the other pens alone cuz they are patrolled by the dogs.

 

[lawatt]

Hi Jason,

Holy moly. Luckily the Possum and Raccoon will only come out at night after lockup, the bob cat on the other hand - they come anytime of the day or night and will climb anything. The bob cat that got my chickens climbed a 9 ft fence topped with hot wire. I resorted to a wire roof on that pen. The cat leaves the other pens alone cuz they are patrolled by the dogs.

I've seen a HUGE bobcat prancing around my chickens' coop/run, but could not figure out a way in. hardware cloth + corrugated "SunTuf" poly-carb roofing.

 

[OR4-hmom]

I don't see our bobcat much, the neighbors call to tell it out there but it tends to hang out on the other side of our lot.

The racoon I see as early as 4 pm. He eats the neighbors catfood they leave out 24/7.

I complain about the cost of the run roofs but I sleep nights knowing nothing is getting in the coops or runs. I really don't mind roofing once the shingles are on the roof.