Chickens for 10-20 years or more? Pull up a rockin' chair and lay some wisdom on us!

[stonykill]

I was wondering the same....who in the world buys rubber bullets except cops? When I think of bear, my mind just does not go to rubber bullets.

rubber bullets are just used to scare them off. We once had a mama bear and cubs at my moms house. The game warden gave me rubber buckshot. I shot the bear in the butt cheeks. She left the area. Never saw her and her cubs again. It works.
With that said it was a strange experience. I have never pointed a weapon at anything I didn't kill.

 

[Mountain Momma]

Why rubber bullets?

Because when he called the department of wildlife that is what they told him he had to use. If a bear in our area is tagged three times (they move them out three time as well) they put him down. So, basically if he keeps coming back -which he will since he met some success- then the DOW will hunt him with professionals and tag him. Third tag and he's out. One of our bears was put down this summer. Third tag. My DH says that if they are attacking livestock, like chickens, then you can shoot to kill, according to the Colorado Statutes, however you cannot kill to protect property like a dog or a car. Only livestock. A guy killed a momma and a baby bear that were trying to get into a home a few years ago. The woman was alone with her infant and called her neighbor and he shot them both on her deck. There was damage on the door and window etc. Obvious the bears were trying to get into the home. He spent 90 days in jail. He didnt have a good attorney but he is in everyone's mind when it comes to bear attacks. We have had a lot of big fires around us and those bears migrated to our area so there are more this year than usual. So the whole PETA ideology is rampant here even in the highland areas and even among the dept of wildlife. Like many cops- they have no idea what the law says they make judgements based on their own ideas.
Rumor has it that The other two bears, our old momma and her this year cub are dead. She died near her cave and someone killed the baby. Possibly our neighbors, very quietly. The mix of people being responsible and people feeding them is very close up here. Two diverse view points side by side and a neighborhood filled with kids. If my neighbors did indeed kill the yearling then I applaud them. The bears were out and about in the daytime, taking roasts off of counter tops and sniffing around garages all summer. Enough was indeed enough.

My Dh Was totally prepared to take out the mountain lion. We cannot have that with kids, teenagers that know everything, walking home from the bus stop with their headphones on. He went up on the rock outcrop one night in the middle of the night. We heard an animal dying and being dragged up there. He had a flash light and a 9mm. Couldnt find a thing though. Even the next day we saw no blood or anything. It had to be the lion. But we havent seen anything since. There are hunters and old timers almost every other house. A good chance a very secret hunt went down and the problem is solved. I find it hard to believe that my chickens would have survived otherwise.

So right here in the West out on the front range where "make my day" still counts in court and you have to fence out cattle- in this little neighborhood -a silent battle is being faught.
And the straw that breaks the camel back is seeing a bear sitting on a deck eating the biggest nicest apple in the County.
That hapened and suddenly the bears were gone and rumors was all you could find out.

Brings me back to Kentucky walking in the woods with Grandpa and coming up on a pile of dead dogs. "bad dogs" grandpa said, "dont ever cry for bad dogs."
L

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
Your grandpa sounds like he was a wise man. I love his phrasing and I may have to borrow that one one of these fine days...."don't ever cry for bad dogs..." How true and words to live by in more ways than one!

 

[bobbi-j]

We have coyotes, coons, fox, skunks, mink, weasels, hawks, eagles, possums... not a big problem with stray dogs, though. We are out in the country - about 20 miles from the nearest town, but neighbors' dogs aren't much problem. Anyway, my predator control is the dog outside during the day while they free range. Usually, we open the coops in the morning and let them run whether we're home or not. (Right now they're locked up for a week or so to recalibrate them so they start laying in the nest boxes and not wherever their little chicken hearts desire) At night, they're in the coops with attached runs. The runs are made of 2x4 welded wire on the sides and top, with hardware cloth around the bottom 24". So they are safe from the bigger predators at night, but would be vulnerable to mink or weasels. We haven't had any problem with them for a few years, though. During the day, they have plenty of cover from birds of prey, but the hawks don't seem to bother with them anyway. Maybe because we have plenty of other wildlife for them to eat?

 

[Rachel'sFlock]

Just joining this thread, I learned of it in the Road Less Traveled thread.
Thanks, everyone, for sharing your wisdom, here!

 

[delisha]

It is time of the Owl hunting season here. The Hawks and Owls. We just went through the coyote season, however they move on after all the geese in the swamp leave. We also have problems with coons, skunks and possums. I use tennis balls soaked in urine and Ammonia. They litter the edge of the property. I collect them an refresh at different times of the year. We have less loss than either chicken farmers on either side of us. Peeing outside is never discouraged around here and the young boys think its fun. I know it is not the dog, she is useless as a patrol dog. She is a 12 year old westie and a good mouser. She would make a tasty meal for an Owl or Coyote. I have convinced myself it is the balls. I get complacent and comfortable. I lost a bird to an attack from not collecting the balls for a year a while back. I do not do that anymore. These threads have made me more aware, less complacent, and I have been active in my animal husbandry more than normal. I am enjoying the challenge, the new ideas, the sharing. Thank you.

 

[galanie]

Incidentally, I've learned that it is male urine that helps. Has to be male. My son is encouraged to use the great outdoors when he comes by but since I'm in the city, he politely declines and uses a coffee can instead, then pours it around

 

[Miss Lydia]

Incidentally, I've learned that it is male urine that helps. Has to be male. My son is encouraged to use the great outdoors when he comes by but since I'm in the city, he politely declines and uses a coffee can instead, then pours it around

Around here you'd think we didn't have an inside bathroom, my husband prefers the great out doors for his urinal. [hope I can say that word without getting in trouble]

 

[loanwizard]

I am not an OT but since this spring I have not lost any to outside predators. 1st, I have a large dog that lives free on the farm. While not an LGD, she doesn't bother the chickens and has actually helped me herd hogs. Of course only when she wants to. Last night, she was barking on the perimeter of our 4 acres. 3 sides of it actually. Don't know if it was a deer, coon, or what, but she wasn't happy. My neighbor has been complaining about coyotes, and a few miles away, where the woods hits another road, there have been severe losses. She is our first line of defense backed by 3 other dogs, being a German Shepherd, a Boxer/Pyrenees mix, and an English Mastiff. Way I look at it, if she get's into it with something, the other 3 are set free and whatever it is will rue the day.

My flock is in a 75 foot barn that stays open, they free range, and the coop/stall doors rarely close. They share it with the feeder pigs. The side of the barn that is 50 yards away from the pond used to be brush laden but the pigs cleared it and coupled with the electric wire, have kept the coon and possum away. I also run a light shining out of the barn to the woods at night and there is a mercury vapor light and the beagle kennel at the other end.

I have a .22 loaded and a 12ga. loaded after this spring. Carla wanted none of that earlier in the year but after a summer working with the boys about guns and gun safety, she has relented about the loaded part.... sort of... I think she just let's me get my way....

Bottom line is, I expect to lose some because I let them free range. The hogs have stepped on a few and killed them while arguing over feed trough space. I have enough birds that some loss is acceptable, and I have not lost near what I did when I had them penned. That all said, mine are layers, I incubate, only 1 has a name... unlike Bee and her gnarly bunch...BTW Jules, I have some monogrammed diapers for them cheap if you would like .... I kid, I kid.....

My meat birds are in a 40x 40 Premeir electro netting and has kept them completely safe.

We have probably 10 barn cats that ignore them as well as all the dogs, beagles included.

My chickens, and I have a big mouth and have been known to be free of hand if a pup grabs a chicken, though I prefer the collar for lessons.

Now, baby rabbits... Can't protect them, but I don't feed them either.

 

[Kansas Prairie]

Fox, coons, hawks, stray dogs, bobcats and snakes. With the drought the last two years the predators are more persistent than ever, their rabbit, pheasant, quail food supply is the lowest I remember. With the drought there is little if any cover for the rabbits, pheasants or quail to hide or water to drink. Hawks are protected by the government so they are over populated. We have a large barn/coop, 1/2" hardware cloth over hog wire panels attached to welded pipe corrals, a chicken tractor/ brooder with 1/2" hardware cloth. I also walk the dogs around most of the perimeter looking for signs and they urinate marking their territory. DH has two high powered bird dogs that have elect collars and what seems like endless energy, we keep them away from the chickens and turkeys, they run and hunt the south pasture anything moves there and they're on it. Patrolling gives them something to do since the birds they are breed to hunt have been devastated by the drought. We have 2 dachshunds (weenie dogs) that think they are protecting us and the birds, they do a pretty good job. They don't like stray dogs, stray cats and have bark offs with coyotes, they also don't like hawks. I'm a good shot with my 20 gauge and 223. I think that a fox raising a den of kits is really cute and fun to watch, however I realize if they survive my chickens will die.