California - Northern

[lawatt]

Chiqita has a Bobcat that comes by in the Fall. They do like to get them in the morning.

You might try Free Ranging only when you are home in the Evenings for a Month or so until the Predator move on.

i've got a bobcat that stops by in the mornings, too, but i've never seen it later than 5:30 or 6, and don't let the chickens out til 8 or so at the earliest -- but i think you're right, i might have to shift them to afternoons only again.

(which would probably be happening anyway, since the new semester starts next tuesday and i won't be able to work from home nearly as much... boo)

 

[Ali707]

Last week I processed ten roosters and yesterday my lady picked up sixteen roosters. (she also took one GIANT gobbler)

That's 26 less crowers in one week!




Unfortunately, it was still pretty noisy around here this morning, I need to keep chipping away at the numbers.

Thanksgiving is getting closer..........

I have 3 kids, a son 36, a daughter 34 and a son 32. And 4 grandchildren, ages 13, 2, 2 and 4 months. Here's the 4 month old. Got this today, can't resist sharing.

Football anyone? What a cutie.

G10 did not have any develop. The second w26 is about to hatch.

Bingo!

I've been wanting a BLRW hen for a long time. I ended up with all boys from that hatch.

. I have another bunch that are 6 weeks younger. It looks like I have *hopefully* at least 2 girls from 2nd hatch.

I wanted a couple DLBB's and CL's and in my hatch I got 4 DLBB's and 3 CL's and they were all boys. Let me tell you the CL Roos left early. They were pretty aggressive. Them and the MFL's.

lost another pullet to some sort of predator this morning, while they were out free-ranging first thing in the morning -- there's a pile of greyish feathers in my garden and an isbar missing. after losing an isbar/marans cross last week. i may have to stop letting them free-range for a while.

and that leaves me with only a trio of isbars, plus one isbar/marans. may have to get some more hatching eggs...

 

[lawatt]

oh no -- mystery solved, it is the bobcat -- he just got Daisy, my beautiful black australorp and best layer. i'm just heartbroken.

 

[ChickNmamma]

oh no -- mystery solved, it is the bobcat -- he just got Daisy, my beautiful black australorp and best layer. i'm just heartbroken.

I am so sorry.

Now that you know what you are dealing with you can change things, but why do they always have to pick the best birds?

 

[debs_flock]

oh no -- mystery solved, it is the bobcat -- he just got Daisy, my beautiful black australorp and best layer. i'm just heartbroken.

Oh Laura, I'm so sorry!

Predators are so frustrating. I realize they need to eat too..........................but find something else!

 

[chiqita]

Oh Laura I'm so sorry.

I always look at bobcat losses as sacrifices to the gods of the wild.

I'll fight skunks raccoons and possoms to the death (or the rehoming on the other side of mt hamilton) but I'm resigned to the fact sometimes the bobcats and hawks will win. ( rip Louie the most handsome rooster in the world)

I can't believe you chicken people are matchmaking already!

 

[lawatt]

Oh Laura I'm so sorry.

I always look at bobcat losses as sacrifices to the gods of the wild.

I'll fight skunks raccoons and possoms to the death (or the rehoming on the other side of mt hamilton) but I'm resigned to the fact sometimes the bobcats and hawks will win. ( rip Louie the most handsome rooster in the world)

i actually won't fight any of them, they're just doing their jobs in the world, and chickens are basically a universal prey item -- but clearly i'd gotten too confident that the chickens would be fine free-ranging all day, as long as i didn't let them out too early in the morning. also that the bobcat would keep its distance from the house -- it got the isbar pullet in my little garden this morning, and grabbed Daisy right underneath my deck, outside my (open) office door -- i ran out at the first commotion & saw the bobcat with Daisy in its mouth -- she was then dropped & it ran off, but her neck is broken and she died a minute or so later.

just so sad about Daisy -- she's the one in my avatar, one of the best. she will be missed.

 

[Ali707]

oh no -- mystery solved, it is the bobcat -- he just got Daisy, my beautiful black australorp and best layer. i'm just heartbroken.

I am soooooo sorry. Can you go chase him away with a pellet gun or rocks or something? Can you get the girls back in for the day?

 

[ronott1]

oh no -- mystery solved, it is the bobcat -- he just got Daisy, my beautiful black australorp and best layer. i'm just heartbroken.

That is so sad!

I would hate to lose my Australorps.

 

[chicksnthestiks]

oh no -- mystery solved, it is the bobcat -- he just got Daisy, my beautiful black australorp and best layer. i'm just heartbroken.

So sorry for your losses. Maybe you need a livestock guardian dog if they are going to free range. Do they free range out of your sight? Or at least a couple of barky dogs to alert.