Eastern Tennessee Thread

[Talbott Poultry]

We just got back from camping..it was wonderful but....lost another juvenile polish.

But...am pretty certain on what has been getting them. (20) I have an older chick brooder that is made from a bathroom vanity. It works great....the chickens head was pulled behind the brooder. I pulled it out and it has a 5 in. space to access underneath it. It was packed with shavings...egg shells and a nest from hay out of the nesting boxes and very big rat poop. I racked it all out. Covered the place going underneath the brooder and then started setting traps. I took carriers and butted them together with traps inside them..they can get in but the chickens can't. All the Juveniles went in cages. But...of all 20 that I have lost 15 where Polish. Everyone is getting a haircut in that house too. Nothing messes with the adult Polish...course I would say they are afraid of them...especially Chaos. But..it has only been in the bantam side where I also grow out chicks before they go into their breed specific pen. Tommy...I may need your advice.

@tnchknut...I am ready...just let me know when to send you the funds.

I am starting oat fodder tomorrow..if I get caught up. I am anxious to start it. It cost me $13.95 for a 50 lb. feed. I am going to grow it in my greenhouse. I think between the mealworms and fodder my chickies are going to love me.

Sorry to hear that you have lost another one, but super glad that you finally figured it all out.

Glad to hear the last camping trip of the year turned out to be a good one.

Ya rub the green house in, you know I wish I had room for one.

I hope to get my fodder started this week, I am going with a 4 shelf set up so there would be bricks instead of blocks.

I hope to get the shelves drilled today and actually have it all set up "BEFORE" I start.

I am hoping to use rye, wheat or barley in mine.

Today, going to send mom to see what she can find.

I am surprised that you decided to go with oats, so many have said the oats tend to become mush or tend to mold more.

Ya, like they don't love you already.

The meal worms take less work but the fodder have quicker results.

 

[Talbott Poultry]

Quote: You know sometimes I'm about as bright as a burnt out light bulb.

I read the post three times and could have sworn it said, reserve it was not till the fourth time that I realized it said reverse.

Ok someone

me good and straighten my brain out.

 

[pickledchicken]

Entire flock for sale....Blue and Black English Orps from two different lines...Lav Orps.....Cuckoo Marans....Golden Cuckoo Marans....Blue Barnevelder....and 25 Iowa Blue's in lockdown. Pm if interested

 

[dncarr09]

Entire flock for sale....Blue and Black English Orps from two different lines...Lav Orps.....Cuckoo Marans....Golden Cuckoo Marans....Blue Barnevelder....and 25 Iowa Blue's in lockdown. Pm if interested

Sent you a PM with some questions.

 

[chigger bait]

Hey y'all.

Sorry I've been gone but it's deer season.

But during my absence I've attempted to do good by poultry.

The other morning I had just walked to the house from a morning hunt on the property, had taken my boots and jacket off, unloaded my rifle and had set down to enjoy a cup of coffee, when I hear my beagles, in their kennel, start cutting a shine, like get out here something is going down shine.

I look out the kitchen window to see what has their attention and there is a dog do that I don't know from Adam, up at my wife's aunts house, trying to get into a pen of pen raised quail.

I gab my BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) insert the magazine, chamber a round, and take off up there in my house shoes.

The dog didn't even see me, since he had target fixation on the birds and I couldn't shoot him because he was between me and the in laws house.

He then gets under the pen to try and pull the wire off the floor and say I have you now, but about the time I pull the trigger here comes a gal with tears in her eyes, and has a collard and a lead.

I ask her if this is her pit bull and she says it is.

I tell her to gain control of it or I am sending it to meet its maker.

I ask why in the "hail" did she turn this beast loose when there are birds here and I have free range chickens down at my place?

She said she didn't, they did and I look up the hill towards her place and there are 4 Washington County Sheriff cars in her drive way and they are all looking towards me.

I remove the magazine from the rifle, take the round out the chamber, and leave the floor plate of the rifle open and the bolt, racked back in the open position and walk towards them to find out what is going on.

As I get near them, one of the deputies puts his hand on his side arm and ask me to lay my rifle down.

I told him that I am a quite and peaceable citizen and that my weapon was not loaded and had been rendered safe.

Come to find out, they are there for a drug bust, and was going to haul that gal off to jail for that and also child neglect since there was dog poop everywhere in the house so bad that it would take your breath away.

The deputy told me if I every saw that dog out and bothering any thing, I had his blessing to do away with it.

I told him to do what needs to be done, but could I pick up my rifle and go home?

He said yes I could.

So I got the hail out of there and let them tend to that white trash.

 

[TNBarnQueen]

@AJ......you have to stay on top of oats and with it being winter they should not tend to mold as bad as summer. But I think if you fluff them every day letting air in they should be fine. I am going to start with small amounts in the tray til I see just how much I will need to safely do. I have even thought about trying a tray of soil/sand mix and growing some in it..then just put the tray in there and let them go at it.

Well....after losing the 20th chicken this season to what I found is a rat...and found that a younger polish had a foot bitten and a bad place on the should part of it's wing....I pulled all the traps out. I I have a pretty good idea where it was getting in at. There was a space where it had been chewing on the 2x4 at the base of the stud. I stuck a tobacco stick in it and when I pulled it out it had chewed it in to a piece about the size of a pencil. I set one of the clamp traps (don't know the name of it) that trappers use..baited it with mashed up PB and bread and smushed it on everything as bait. Then took the bottom half of a per carrier over it to keep chickens from getting curious and butted this against the hole. Well...I was well pleased...look what I got. In case some of you do not like to see a dead animal...please scroll away.
















It is hard to tell just how big it was and it was heavy. Bad thing is it is a female and I know she has probably had kittens somewhere in the shed. Guess I will continue setting the trap every night. The trap had caught it's greedy little hand so I had to take matters in my own hands with a stick...remember I lost 20 chickens and it was costly. I do apologize if this upsets anyone. I brought the little injured polish in..gave her a good bath..checked her out and it was mostly blood. Her injuries where not as bad as I feared. She is enjoying being treated like a queen.

My columbian silkies go into LD tomorrow. I can't remember if AJ or Bario posted the site on hatching among other things. Everyone really should read all the info it offers...especially on shipped eggs..things to look for...questions to ask people you are going to order from and A LOT more. It is very educational.

Well...gotta change the fan in my Hovabator...I think I wore it out.
Later chickies!!

 

[TNBarnQueen]

@Chigger...it is sad when things like that happen. And the hard part is that the dog was probably starved but they are also very prey driven if not worked with. I would just about guess it has been raised as a fighter. I am concerned why the police did not have it confiscated. I would have done the same thing you did. My neighbors got a Siberian Husky over the weekend while we where gone. They already have a GS and little weanie dog mix that charges the fence every time you are out or someone drives up and gets out. I do not know how they get these pure bred dogs?? No one works and they are like your neighbors...white trash. The only way we could sell our home is either buy them out for a ridiculous price and burn it down or stay here til we are old as dust. So...now it is another dog to watch out for. They actually closed their gate to the fence...that makes me even more leary. I am familiar with this breed so..who knows where they got it..probably traded drugs for it as that is their usual habit.

 

[amenfarm]

http://nwga.craigslist.org/grd/3402323022.html looks like a good 'bator if any of you are interested. Busy getting ready for 14 for thanksgiving how did I get 200 replies behind?

 

[tnchickenut]

@AJ......you have to stay on top of oats and with it being winter they should not tend to mold as bad as summer. But I think if you fluff them every day letting air in they should be fine. I am going to start with small amounts in the tray til I see just how much I will need to safely do. I have even thought about trying a tray of soil/sand mix and growing some in it..then just put the tray in there and let them go at it.

Well....after losing the 20th chicken this season to what I found is a rat...and found that a younger polish had a foot bitten and a bad place on the should part of it's wing....I pulled all the traps out. I I have a pretty good idea where it was getting in at. There was a space where it had been chewing on the 2x4 at the base of the stud. I stuck a tobacco stick in it and when I pulled it out it had chewed it in to a piece about the size of a pencil. I set one of the clamp traps (don't know the name of it) that trappers use..baited it with mashed up PB and bread and smushed it on everything as bait. Then took the bottom half of a per carrier over it to keep chickens from getting curious and butted this against the hole. Well...I was well pleased...look what I got. In case some of you do not like to see a dead animal...please scroll away.
















It is hard to tell just how big it was and it was heavy. Bad thing is it is a female and I know she has probably had kittens somewhere in the shed. Guess I will continue setting the trap every night. The trap had caught it's greedy little hand so I had to take matters in my own hands with a stick...remember I lost 20 chickens and it was costly. I do apologize if this upsets anyone. I brought the little injured polish in..gave her a good bath..checked her out and it was mostly blood. Her injuries where not as bad as I feared. She is enjoying being treated like a queen.

My columbian silkies go into LD tomorrow. I can't remember if AJ or Bario posted the site on hatching among other things. Everyone really should read all the info it offers...especially on shipped eggs..things to look for...questions to ask people you are going to order from and A LOT more. It is very educational.

Well...gotta change the fan in my Hovabator...I think I wore it out.
Later chickies!!

I'll tell you now... where there is one there is 500.... I have fun shooting them with a air rifle,myself. They are all over three of my coops and the best thing to lure them out into the open with is water. One morning when I worked nights, I shot 12 in a hour just as the sun was coming up. Just ran a hose and they came out to drink the water. I use lead free pellets and a 1200 PSI air rifle.

Forgot to tell you... they are Norway Rats... and that one there you got is not full size... You could put a leash on them and walk them like a dog.

 

[tnchickenut]

Oh and if we are going to do cat and dog pictures... you better hope your internet speed can handle all mine. LOL.

I have to admit, I didn't read every word... hope I didn't miss anything too important. Terry... I'll PM you in a moment.