Canadians check in here....

[Quailsong]

Anyone here currently breeding Swedish Flower Hens? I don't know if they're available in Canada yet, is why I'm asking. I'm raising quail this time around, but some time down the road I'd LOVE to try SFHs. They seem like an adorable breed in personality & function.

 

[SA Farm]

I've never heard of them, so I googled them and I'm wondering if my roo is crossed with one? The markings on him look extremely similar to some of the roos I saw.

 

[boyswillbeboys]

I just ordered my first chicks, 10 broilers and 10 white leghorn pullets from Rochester hatcheries, as I live within driving distance, I'm going to town today to pay for them, and pick up my supplies. Hatch day is June 19th, and I pick up on the 20th.

My coop is a hudderite built garden shed we are changing into a coop. I'm a but nervous about the wooden floor, and it's raised a few inches off the ground. We just moved to our acreage, and there are coyotes nearby, but that seems to be it for predators.

 

[Chadsky]

Never think thats it for predators they can showup anytime for a chicken dinner! I knew I had coyotes and foxes and coons so I was prepared and thought my girls were safe untill mr owl found a way in and that was the end of my girls, if the floor is raised be cautious of rats and mice as well as any member of the weasel family they would live nicely under the floor, you can never be to cautious. good luck with your chicks! .

 

[Quailsong]

Kathryne, if that's your pick then that looks like a SFH. Kudos.

boyswillbeboys, any gap bigger than a half inch is enough room for weasels, rats, & other small critters to get in. Mice, even smaller gaps, down to a centimetre. The latter will eat your feed, the former bunch may go for your chickens. So build/repair with that in mind.

Mites, ticks, chiggers, etc are a problem w/ a lot of bare wood & gaps. Caulk the gaps you have so they can't hide inbetween the thin gaps in the beams/wood. Lastly, wood ash & soil together are a great dust bath to offer for your chickens.

Best of luck!

 

[Mountain Wampus]

Do a search for predators on the BYC website. If you're on the Candian chat you must share many of my own predators: Coyote, dog, fox, Raccoon, cats, rats, weasel, mice, bear, wolves? and ALL manner of predatory birds. In my area I have literally seen Eagles and hawks hunting overhead with Owls chatting it up in the near area. The bird sightings are pre flock and are a common sight. by keeping birds we're putting a buffet out in wild. lol

BTW, you said you have coyotes. Coyotes are genius' and will get into and out of places w/a will and drive to survive that will astound you. If I could eliminate ONE possible predator threat it would be coyotes.

One good way to help protect your flock is a good dog. Most predators have a deep respect for not getting chewed up by your dog so even the smell in the area "helps". Now if I could get my black Lab to stop getting into the duck pen.. he's jealous of all the chopped up veggies they get so he sneaks in and steals some for himself sometimes! No he doesn't bother the ducks, they are all friends and were playing together since "George" had already finished what food was left in there. lol

Hope that helps, now if you'll excuse me I have some more concrete to pour at the duck pen! lol

Mountain Wampus~

 

[SA Farm]

Kathryne, if that's your pick then that looks like a SFH. Kudos.

boyswillbeboys, any gap bigger than a half inch is enough room for weasels, rats, & other small critters to get in. Mice, even smaller gaps, down to a centimetre. The latter will eat your feed, the former bunch may go for your chickens. So build/repair with that in mind.

Mites, ticks, chiggers, etc are a problem w/ a lot of bare wood & gaps. Caulk the gaps you have so they can't hide inbetween the thin gaps in the beams/wood. Lastly, wood ash & soil together are a great dust bath to offer for your chickens.

Best of luck!

Yeah, that's my roo, Foggy. If you're interested in his offspring, pm me. They won't be pure SFH obviously, but it's a thought. I have a few eggs of his in the bator right now, so I can share pics of what they turn out like. The mom is either a barred rock or this hen:

 

[Shellz]

I don't know what it is about my property, but the coyotes I have (eastern coyotes) never come out of the woods to dine on my free range chickens. The one & only coyote that did, was after ducks I had at the time. He was legally shot dead for his efforts. I've also had a pair of them (caught on trail cam) in my back woods since last fall. I think the smaller western coyotes may be more of a problem. They behave differently than the eastern ones. Now the last 3 years, the worst predator for us has been the fox. This year my dogs are trained enough to patrol & stay on our property (no fence). I've also noticed a boom in the populations of small game this spring. The result, no foxes seen on my cleared 3 acres. I only recently caught one on the trail cam in the woods. Looks like all preds are keeping their distance this year. Yahoo! It really pays to have a good dog or 2 & at least one trail camera to get the idea of what animals are on your property. I used to move it every other week until I found the wildlife highway! Nuisance preds can be a real challenge! Best of luck to you boyswillbeboys!

 

[Shellz]

Never think thats it for predators they can showup anytime for a chicken dinner! I knew I had coyotes and foxes and coons so I was prepared and thought my girls were safe untill mr owl found a way in and that was the end of my girls, if the floor is raised be cautious of rats and mice as well as any member of the weasel family they would live nicely under the floor, you can never be to cautious. good luck with your chicks! .

I totally agree! Had an owl swoop down on one of my ducks just before daylight a few years ago. Maybe a hawk? Just saw a blur & duck flew off & landed safely on the pond nearby. Close call! Had chipmunks going thru feed like crazy one summer. Don't have them around anymore. Ah, the challenges of raising poultry! Nature is so interesting & varied. Keeps us on our toes!

 

[SA Farm]

I totally agree! Had an owl swoop down on one of my ducks just before daylight a few years ago. Maybe a hawk? Just saw a blur & duck flew off & landed safely on the pond nearby. Close call! Had chipmunks going thru feed like crazy one summer. Don't have them around anymore. Ah, the challenges of raising poultry! Nature is so interesting & varied. Keeps us on our toes!

Absolutely!