Dixie Chicks

[Ravynscroft]

Beautiful pics, Outpost!

Congrats, Deb!

 

[Amberjem]

great photo's !

wow 100 @perchie.girl thats awesome glad you guys had fun hope you recover speedily..! my grandma made it to 98

 

[Outpost JWB]

[@perchie.girlThat is awesome! Sounds like you come from a strong bloodline!

I've been playing defense all week. Lost a handful of chickens, then last night I lost another one! Crested cream legbar pullet. Happened sometime between 11pm and 3am. She was in the coop, in a large dog crate with my youngest pullets, they ripped off her head & wing, and left her body dipped in the water container. Pretty typical of raccoons. Ugh!

 

[Outpost JWB]

On the bright side, I seen black headed buzzards in the back ripping apart an opossum yesterday. Maybe nature is trying to help me with flock management! Hey, I'll take all the help I can get.

 

[Alaskan]

For those that don't read the old folks home thread:


Just.........


Just........

Horrid bad.

So, my veggie yard coop, that I have been using for years with ZERO losses... Nice fence, and I have a net over the top... It is also solid weeds, so great cover.....

Turns out "something" (I think a great horned owl), took 26 grow-outs out of that pen before I noticed.... Left me 6, only 2 girls. There goes the money I was gonna make this year to help pay for feed........

Then, Friday night, that same owl (I am guessing) wedged itself through the tiny open vents on my pond coop, and ate our sweet broody mama and her 4 chicks one month old (two females of a wonderful color), and then this morning I go to the bantam coop and find 3 (the least loved, and least valued, and least valuable) chickens standing up on the high beam that is in the run.

I look around, and all of the beloved (a few 4 year old pets) and highly valuable (my breeding stock from pips and peeps -wheaten Ameraucanas) and beloved chickens and rooster.. All on the ground, here and there, dead.

A stoat (tiny weasel) got in through the 1" by 2" wire fence, bit their throats, drank their blood...then killed the next..... Except for on girl that it ate a bit of, and tried to drag through the fence.....

My three most lovely bantam wheaten girls, two had perfect coloring.

My bantam wheaten rooster....

The tiny little d'anver girl that my kids adored....

Their 4 year old pets that I had promissed that we would keep forever......

All gone.


AND I had just gotten rid of ALL of the grow-outs yesterday.....

I texted the guy that took the bantam wheaten ameraucana cockerels..... An hour after he finished butchering the last one....

Yep... No One else has them in the state of Alaska.

Now I am wondering how I am going to catch the stoat.... Wondering how I can keep the great horned owl from my stock......

I have a mass of baby muscovy ducklings right now...... Today...... Maybe not tomorrow.

That bantam coop was a great coop...it withstood a black bear last year.... Those stoats though, can get in a gap that is one inch square....
Edited by Alaskan - Today at 3:22 pm

 

[Peep_Show]

Nooooooooo!!!!!

So sorry to hear of this catastrophe. I hope you can rebuild your flock soon.... And figure out and fix what's going on. What a nightmare.

 

[perchie.girl]

@deb... I know you are very tired, but I bet it is a good and happy tired. So glad you were able to celebrate a century of life on earth with your grandma. Hugs all 'round.

B

thanks we are still giggling

deb

 

[perchie.girl]

For those that don't read the old folks home thread:


Just.........


Just........

Horrid bad.

So, my veggie yard coop, that I have been using for years with ZERO losses... Nice fence, and I have a net over the top... It is also solid weeds, so great cover.....

Turns out "something" (I think a great horned owl), took 26 grow-outs out of that pen before I noticed.... Left me 6, only 2 girls. There goes the money I was gonna make this year to help pay for feed........

Then, Friday night, that same owl (I am guessing) wedged itself through the tiny open vents on my pond coop, and ate our sweet broody mama and her 4 chicks one month old (two females of a wonderful color), and then this morning I go to the bantam coop and find 3 (the least loved, and least valued, and least valuable) chickens standing up on the high beam that is in the run.

I look around, and all of the beloved (a few 4 year old pets) and highly valuable (my breeding stock from pips and peeps -wheaten Ameraucanas) and beloved chickens and rooster.. All on the ground, here and there, dead.

A stoat (tiny weasel) got in through the 1" by 2" wire fence, bit their throats, drank their blood...then killed the next..... Except for on girl that it ate a bit of, and tried to drag through the fence.....

My three most lovely bantam wheaten girls, two had perfect coloring.

My bantam wheaten rooster....

The tiny little d'anver girl that my kids adored....

Their 4 year old pets that I had promissed that we would keep forever......

All gone.


AND I had just gotten rid of ALL of the grow-outs yesterday.....

I texted the guy that took the bantam wheaten ameraucana cockerels..... An hour after he finished butchering the last one....

Yep... No One else has them in the state of Alaska.

Now I am wondering how I am going to catch the stoat.... Wondering how I can keep the great horned owl from my stock......

I have a mass of baby muscovy ducklings right now...... Today...... Maybe not tomorrow.

That bantam coop was a great coop...it withstood a black bear last year.... Those stoats though, can get in a gap that is one inch square....
Edited by Alaskan - Today at 3:22 pm

I know you and your boys are hurting but take this time as an opportunity.... - I lost all mine so I know what you are feeling.... and how angry it makes you.

 

[Outpost JWB]

@Alaskan Oh no. I am so sorry. I am sitting out here on my screened in porch, knowing I have to get up at 4am & go to work. I am absolutely exhausted from getting up at 3am this morning but I am so scared they will hit my coop again tonight. We all worked our butts off at the coop. Stapling, nailing securing everything we thought may be a possible access point, we put up wind chimes, cut nearby tree branches. I feel so bad for you & the boys.

 

[Outpost JWB]

@Alaskan we both need propane guns!