Devastated, lost my entire flock in one night.

[melroseladi]

Darlene, We have been here 2 years and are still mostly woods. Clearing a little bit at a time which makes it predator haven. We had Bronco put in our well. They did a great job and we have awesome water now. Another member here has emus and other animals up off of 315. We are getting 2 baby pigs from her, due to be born in a couple of days. Keystone is a friendly little town and we love living here. I am sure you are going to like it here. Let me know if you need any help or local info and I'll do my best to help you out.

Penny

 

[darleneferguson57]

Darlene, We have been here 2 years and are still mostly woods. Clearing a little bit at a time which makes it predator haven. We had Bronco put in our well. They did a great job and we have awesome water now. Another member here has emus and other animals up off of 315. We are getting 2 baby pigs from her, due to be born in a couple of days. Keystone is a friendly little town and we love living here. I am sure you are going to like it here. Let me know if you need any help or local info and I'll do my best to help you out.

Penny

we are on jenkins loop which is off indian trail, which is off 315. once you leave 315 it's all dirt roads. the further you go the worse the roads get. it never gets graded. every one is supposed to pay I think 25.00 per year for grading, but people wasn't paying and the grading ended.
Do you know the benefits of raising emus? . thank you for your offer and kindness
Darlene

 

[melroseladi]

Darlene I believe they are good predator protection during the day but I think at night they don't see as well so wouldn't be much help. I know out where she is there is a coyote problem. She sold off her flock of goats because she was fighting a never ending battle with the coyotes.

LOL @ dirt roads. I am 3 miles from a paved road and our roads are not graded. We are off of 100 but I can take the back (dirt) road from my house and end up on 315. We are on 5 acres of woods surrounded by acres and acres of woods.

I raise and sell guineas which are really good for alarming if a predator is around and mine have treed coons, chased off cats, and chased off snakes, and they eat the ticks on the property. Once you get them through the first year they are really good to have. They are not the smartest things for that first year though. I have lost a few things to predators, mostly fox, but I think I would have lost a lot more had it not been for the guineas.

Penny

 

[TW1Kell]

Yup, 'yotes are gonna be wherever there are goats. I stake out a young goat as bait for 'yotes when cattlemen hire me to hunt them. Keep the lil goat fed and watered and you can sit right there and keep the 'yotes off of him, all night long. We just make sure that no 'yote gets within about 40-50 yards of the lil one, or the bait will be gone! No, it's not cruel, as no harm has ever come to any of my bait goats, to date, and I've been doing this since the middle '80's. The goats actually like the extra attention, it seems.

 

[michellekelly10]

Something pried open the door to our coop and drug all my chickens into the feild. they had slash marks on their backs and feathers everywhere. they were killed for fun but they will be aveanged! I am having to start over. This time I'm going electric with cameras and traps too! And I will have signs posted that I will shoot any stray dog on my land

 

[bj taylor]

what awful, disturbing experiences some of y'all have had. really sorry for your losses. i'm grateful i don't have the predator load some of you have.
i' will be getting goats soon. my easy goin ways may soon end. i know the coyotes are close. my dogs have been holding them off.

 

[bluebirdnanny]

You do have red foxes down there and they will climb 7' fences and go in from the top.

 

[cobbcruiser]

First off, sorry for everyone's losses I've read about - I know we would be very sad to lose any of our little flock (5 month-old chicks). I appreciate everyone's posts as I am in the process of building my coop and run. I was planning on getting galvanized netting with 1" opening. Is that small enough to keep unwanted critters out? I live in North GA - about 45 minutes NW of Atlanta - in case that helps ID critter types. I know we have possums, foxes, coyotes, and hawks - not sure of any other potential predators. Thanks again to all.

 

[Sparrow]

Killing for fun, climbing tall fence and mangling deer netting at the top of the pen, targeting heads and necks, prying open doors...those are all exactly the things that a rogue raccoon did to destroy half of my flock last year, including an adult goose and turkey. It made an access hole right where the netting on the top met the hogwire fencing.

 

[3 NH reds]

First off, sorry for everyone's losses I've read about - I know we would be very sad to lose any of our little flock (5 month-old chicks). I appreciate everyone's posts as I am in the process of building my coop and run. I was planning on getting galvanized netting with 1" opening. Is that small enough to keep unwanted critters out? I live in North GA - about 45 minutes NW of Atlanta - in case that helps ID critter types. I know we have possums, foxes, coyotes, and hawks - not sure of any other potential predators. Thanks again to all.

I would think that 1" is big enough fro birds to stick heads out and become a target like poor Sparrow's flock.

Killing for fun, climbing tall fence and mangling deer netting at the top of the pen, targeting heads and necks, prying open doors...those are all exactly the things that a rogue raccoon did to destroy half of my flock last year, including an adult goose and turkey. It made an access hole right where the netting on the top met the hogwire fencing.

Raccoon can be cruel as can other predators. Getting an electric solar fence works and it is easy. I wondered if it could pack a punch but it does and it keeps animals away. My three dogs will not go within 15' of the fence.