California - Northern

[CackleJoy]

Hi guys!! Hope everyone is well! I think its been like 6 months since I've been here. So busy! We have a fox and a bobcat that have wiped out half my chicken flock the past several months. Took my Black Betty and all but 2 of my Buff Orps. Took out our banty roo, Foghorn who died protecting his ladies. ALL my silkies gone. 1 sizzle left. A few others killed along the way. My only Cream Legbar pullet who had hit the POL- fox took her last week. Very heartbreaking. We bought a huge $200 live trap and baiting it with live bantam roosters currently. So far we keep catching our own chickens haha!

I hatched 2 sizzle x cream legbars NYD. I only have CL roos and they cover my remaining girls. Last night I hatched a small batch of EEs I made. A Naked Neck, Leghorn and a dark dark brown egg laying EE- with cute results. Puffy Leghorn looking chicks (hoping for super blue egg layers), NN egger (so cute with her naked neck) and some more Dumpling chicks. I have a hen we call Dumpling. She is an EE but lays these gorgeous warm dark brown eggs with espresso color speckles. I hoard her eggs and hatch them when I have about 6 built up. I have one pullet from her already and she look a lot like a CL pullet with less colors. I'm hoping for olive eggs from her.

I sincerely hope no one else is having the predator issues we are having!

Wow, a really tough run

Hope it gets better soon! Have you considered an LPD?

 

[Happy Chooks]

my pullet from my EE Dumpling hen X CL roo.

From this months hatch of EEs.




The top Pic is my banty sizzle EEs. The bottom is my NN x CL. The yellow chick is my CL x leghorn.

Beautiful pictures and chicks. I'm so sorry to hear of your predator issues. Maybe a livestock guardian dog would help?

Found my sweet girl. Probably a hawk. So, so sad. If I didnt care so much it wouldn't hurt so bad. I am going to try and distance myself. This is too stressful.

I'm so very sorry. It's always the favorite and I know the feeling all too well. My favorite hen ever was taken by a bobcat.

 

[Hangtown Farms]

Beautiful pictures and chicks. I'm so sorry to hear of your predator issues. Maybe a livestock guardian dog would help?



I'm so very sorry. It's always the favorite and I know the feeling all too well. My favorite hen ever was taken by a bobcat.

Its always the sweet nice chickens that get picked off.
You need some flighty alert penedesenca's

 

[juststruttin]

We named them after Chinese dishes in an effort to be able to eat them and not be aattached.this failed! No no2 and no 3 ( now Josephine the little strumpet (

Can I steal your name of no 2 head drake?

Of Course!! Dicky would be honored, not to mention immortalized

 

[juststruttin]

Here are a couple photos of our latest ducks Paaca and Jasmine, sadly they are no longer with us. They were originally named Paco and Dicky but they both turned out to be girls so their names were changed.

 

[8machines]

Thank you for all your sympathies of my girl. I had a difficult time sleeping last night but your stories of your losses helped me so much. What wonderful people you are!! Thank you for taking the time to reply. It helps with our healing.

 

[8machines]

Its always the sweet nice chickens that get picked off.
You need some flighty alert penedesenca's 

I will do that Ron. Maybe when you have 2 girl chicks? Thank you for your kind words. I will do what is necessary.

 

[lawatt]

rain!!!!!

(well, sprinkles, but still -- water from the sky!)

 

[farmhand]

Its always the sweet nice chickens that get picked off.
You need some flighty alert penedesenca's

I love having a small flock of chickens free range around the place. But always seems like after a month or two some dog comes from who knows where and kills them all so I keep them all caged up. I'd like to get a breed that could handle this situation. I live in the middle of a peach orchard so there's plenty of places to escape.

 

[WendyJeepchick]

Thought I'd share a picture of Thor, my 5 month old Jersey Giant roo. He's hard to get pictures of, but he found this spot on my picnic table where he could watch me while I'm on the treadmill in the house.