Consolidated Kansas

[Trish44]

Prairie Fleur your GP is a puppy & should not be trusted with the chickens without supervision. They have to learn like any other puppy what the rules & boundaries are. Getting through the puppy stage is hard & you haven't even gotten to the teenage part yet. I wanted to strangle one of mine before we got through that but like I said they aren't fully mature till 18 months.

 

[KsKingBee]

Well it looks like my GP puppy has found out the joys of killing chickens. Lost one yesterday and another today. DH caught him playing with the dead chick yesterday and today he was caught eating it. He's been punished severely both times but it looks like he's not safe with them. I think he killed my roo too. And I got him for the purpose of protecting them. I'm NOT happy!!!

That is what I thought when you posted about loosing your roo, 'The dog did it', no one likes to hear that news. Sorry about that,

I hope some of the dog owners here can give you some tips on how to break him from killing your birds.

I tried to post this little story a few days ago but when I hit send it disappeared.

I will try again.

A few days ago before Prairie Fleur lost her roo, Okie Queen Bee and I noticed the birds making a racket, we went to the window and watched a hawk dive to the ground beyond our coop. The older guineas took after it and the hawk flew to a near by fence post where it sat for a few minutes as the guineas squawked at it. The hawk decided that it should reclaim it's kill and flew back to the point where it had landed before only to have the guineas chase it again. This time it sat on the fence post quite a while before getting annoyed by the guineas and flew off leaving the area. We suspect that it had killed a mouse or rat and the guineas took it from it and kept it for themselves. Hopefully next time it will take a guinea instead, they are vile creatures and need thinned out anyway.

We raised some white ones for owl bait, I am hoping that the owl will take them instead of our free ranging turkeys or peafowl.

 

[chicken danz]

Prairie Fleur the puppy stage isn't a stage of killing birds. It's a stage of being pack rats and a little skater brained. Just make sure you are correcting him firmly and he will get the idea. I look at my dogs from a different training perspective than some and have excellent results. Contrary to some other opinions, I raise them with love and attention, get their respect, but correcting them firmly, and they go all out to please me which includes protecting what belongs here. I think if it were me I'd buy a prong collar, place the dog in a kennel or other pen with a chicken and wait for it to go for it. When it does give a hard jerk with the leash and each time it goes for the chicken do the same. At the same time give a firm "No!"
KSKingBee, I think those guineas are doing a service if they are chasing hawks. I think you should keep them around. I do get disgusted at mine because they like to chase my turkeys. It seems to be more of the male guineas chasing the Toms. A good shot with the hose seems to curb that activity at least for the time. I sold 4 more of my males a couple days ago. I still need to get the rest sexed and just try to keep females. I have 5 boys that free range and no females.
You can sure tell the time is changing. My turkeys were ready to go to bed by 5:30 last night. I didn't even have to do any herding. I just called them and in they went. I always carry the bucket when I call them in so even if they spend the day out eating grasshoppers they think they are getting a treat. I don't obviously have room to keep them in the building but I sure wouldn't consider getting rid of them. I love the turkeys. They are great.
Yesterday I hatched over 30 chicks. I had about 5 hatch early the day before and there were still some eggs pipped last night. I haven't checked yet this morning. I didn't even know I had that many eggs in there. Most of them are English orps. I hatched some more barred rocks, and a few sussex. I've sold every sussex I've hatched and I really do need a few more females so I can replace some of my older girls next year. I have enough barred rocks that I think I am done with those until spring. I've got quite a few chicks out there.

 

[KsKingBee]

KSKingBee, I think those guineas are doing a service if they are chasing hawks. I think you should keep them around. I do get disgusted at mine because they like to chase my turkeys. It seems to be more of the male guineas chasing the Toms. A good shot with the hose seems to curb that activity at least for the time.

Yeah I gave a couple of them a good shot, one with a stick and the other with a .22lr. Both went into the crock pot and went swimming with the noodles.

Tearing up the turkeys was bad enough but once they started with my peas, that was enough to buy a ticket to noodle-land.

I don't mind them chasing the coyotes or deer, the deer get annoyed but stand their ground, the coyotes get dead if I can get to my rifle soon enough. I just take it that the guineas are a necessary evil whose antics are sometimes hilarious. I was impressed yesterday when my precious little SweePea, who was following me about the yard, wouldn't take any guff from those nasty birds. If they got too close she would take right at them even being a four month old chick she showed them who was boss.

 

[HEChicken]

I've read to use the dishsoap with a little cooking oil to help it be more fluid and stick better. It actually suffocates the bugs. They breath through pores in their skin, not like lungs on mammals. The soap and oil plug the pores and they die.

I meant to respond to this and forgot to multi it - had to go back quite a few pages to find it….

I've read about using Neem oil combined with the soap but since I didn't have oil, I tried just the dish soap and if its that effective on its own, I can't see the point of adding the oil, since the oil probably isn't that good for the soil.

I've also heard the suffocation theory multiple times but it still doesn't make sense to me, because insects can hold their breath far longer than mammals - ever tried to drown a flea? I would say from the time I poured the soap until they started to drop off dead was only about 10 seconds, and almost any animal should be able to hold its breath that long, so it seems like something else is going on. I am thinking there must be some substance in the soap that is toxic to them and that worries me a little since we all inadvertently ingest small quantities of it all the time….

On the subject of guineas…..it doesn't surprise me at all to hear they are chasing other animals. My own guinea experience lasted only a few months. I raised them from keets and all was good until one July day when they chased my rooster to the point I was concerned he'd die of heat exhaustion. I guess I cared more about him than them because I advertised them on CL that night and had someone come and pick them up shortly afterward. I had got them for tick control but apparently the chickens, turkeys and ducks do an adequate job of tick control as I haven't had to treat my dogs or cats the past two years and haven't seen a single tick at all in that time either.

KsKingBee, I think its pretty cool they chased the hawk, though if the hawk is going after mice and rats and not your birds, I wouldn't mind it being around either.

I woke up to hear it raining and it is cold and windy out there. I was supposed to be gone this morning but got an early call that the appointment was canceled due to the weather - yay. It is a good day for baking today so I may get the oven going and some lovely smells happening.

 

[TaraBellaBirds]

Good morning, if you can call a dreary cold Monday good! The weather is not allowing me to butcher my CX pullets, I guess they will keep but boy are they costing me. If anyone wants some meat birds give me a holler, I still have some pioneers too!!!!

Well I gave Rebel Dottie one of the newly hatched chicks to see if she would accept them with her two that are a couple of days old. This morning she didn't even seem to have noticed her babies multiplied! So I think I will put the other 3 that hatched last night in there tonight. She seems to be a good broody so far.


Dottie and her first two



Newbie is in the middle

Thought this was cute! Newbie was sticking close to Mama.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Well it looks like my GP puppy has found out the joys of killing chickens. Lost one yesterday and another today. DH caught him playing with the dead chick yesterday and today he was caught eating it. He's been punished severely both times but it looks like he's not safe with them. I think he killed my roo too. And I got him for the purpose of protecting them. I'm NOT happy!!!

Prairie Fleur, so sorry to hear this. I've been there and done that. My GP pup got into the chicken pen (someone accidentally left it open) and killed some of my birds. She is now over a year old but I still will not let her go into the pen unless I'm in there and have direct sight over where she is and monitor what she does. GP usually does not mature until 2 years of age and they need to know their boundaries just like Trish said. Even now, when my GP would sometimes trot (as in lightly run) towards my birds, I would issue the command to tell her to stop and come back to me. She usually realizes the mistake right away and head back towards me very quickly. If I catch her eyeing the birds, I firmly told her No and lead her away from the birds. Right now the birds don't have problem hanging around her, pecking the ground around her. But I do still keep a close eye on her whenever possible. She is still a puppy after all. I never let her go into the pen alone. My GP also gravitates toward the baby birds' chirping sound so that is something I keep in mind when I have babies in the dog kennel.

I hope this info helps you and your GP.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Good morning, if you can call a dreary cold Monday good! The weather is not allowing me to butcher my CX pullets, I guess they will keep but boy are they costing me. If anyone wants some meat birds give me a holler, I still have some pioneers too!!!!

Well I gave Rebel Dottie one of the newly hatched chicks to see if she would accept them with her two that are a couple of days old. This morning she didn't even seem to have noticed her babies multiplied! So I think I will put the other 3 that hatched last night in there tonight. She seems to be a good broody so far.


Dottie and her first two



Newbie is in the middle

Thought this was cute! Newbie was sticking close to Mama.

Tarabella, beautiful bird pictures as usual. So glad your broody mama accepted the little one. It is always nice to see that.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

That is what I thought when you posted about loosing your roo, 'The dog did it', no one likes to hear that news. Sorry about that,

I hope some of the dog owners here can give you some tips on how to break him from killing your birds.

I tried to post this little story a few days ago but when I hit send it disappeared.

I will try again.

A few days ago before Prairie Fleur lost her roo, Okie Queen Bee and I noticed the birds making a racket, we went to the window and watched a hawk dive to the ground beyond our coop. The older guineas took after it and the hawk flew to a near by fence post where it sat for a few minutes as the guineas squawked at it. The hawk decided that it should reclaim it's kill and flew back to the point where it had landed before only to have the guineas chase it again. This time it sat on the fence post quite a while before getting annoyed by the guineas and flew off leaving the area. We suspect that it had killed a mouse or rat and the guineas took it from it and kept it for themselves. Hopefully next time it will take a guinea instead, they are vile creatures and need thinned out anyway.

We raised some white ones for owl bait, I am hoping that the owl will take them instead of our free ranging turkeys or peafowl.

Sounds like your guineas was doing a good job at chasing the predator away. I didn't realize they could be that mean but if they chase the predators away then they definitely earn their place in the animal kingdom.

 

[tweetybaby2005]

Good morning peeps. It is dreary and cool outside. Been raining all night and still raining out there as I type. I didn't sleep well at all last night because of some sinus issue. Guess the weather really affects it.

I could tell that the ducks were really happy this morning. They were making all kinds of happy noise flapping their wings enjoying the rain. But I'm tired of the mud. It was wet and muddy so I slipped and slided towards them and back. Phew... what a mess. It will be a while before it dries out since the forecast said it will rain till this afternoon.

Sad news from my office. A co-worker was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She sits next to me and we were close. Then got news first thing morning about my other coworker's son died in a car wreck. I think he is either in his late 20s or early 30s. Such devastating news. I saw a blip of this info on the local news site. I will keep them in my thoughts and prayers.

It is going to be a long day because I've to attend an online security training class. Actually, I've to take 14 hrs of online training course before 12/6 as part of my continuing education. Just don't have enough time to do everything...

Have a great day.