EDUCATIONAL INCUBATION & HATCHING CHAT THREAD, w/ Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs

[Pensmaster]

Yet another smoky photo

 

[Christinecam]

I had a sudden death on one of my best hens I had shipped here last year. Just found her laying in the coop. Benny gave a good link for sudden death. Beats me though. Sorry for your loss.

I to had a sudden death, my polish hen was fine when I tucked them in. By AM, passed.

 

[Pensmaster]

I am glad he is ok for now. Is he leaving?

Staying for now.

 

[Christinecam]

Yet another smoky photo View attachment 1157821

So scary! I remember driving through NM, and CA 15 years ago and the sky was just insanely colored from the fires. I lived in Colorado also about 15 years when the wild fire burnt my best secret fishing canyon:,(. Some wildlife worker woman burnt a love letter and caused it. Ashes were falling even in town. Had to wear a mask. Wild Fires are so very tragic! Keep safe!!

 

[hippiestink]

@Jessimom Our new neighborhood has rats too, but most everyone has pet cats and dogs so it's not overrun with rats. We get the occasional rat but my in-laws' collies usually get them before they get to the feed or crops.

 

[daxigait]

Yet another smoky photo View attachment 1157821

Yuck

 

[hippiestink]

On another note, not only did my fabric and notions arrive but so did a baby gift from a family friend back in Texas! Darling little 6 month old clothes, including a little dinosaur costume.

 

[Akrnaf2]

Me like you not!

 

[Christinecam]

Okay, so my bearded d’uccle are almost two weeks old and seramas one week. They are so spoiled. I taped little plastic containers to the side of the brooder and put their food with water (electrolytes and probiotics) and gro gel. They loved it. Well last night I put a container in with dry, but smashed food. They kicked it all out and went on food strike!! As soon as I refilled the containers and they watch me take a syringe fill it with their water and into the food, they ate like never before. But they are to cute, I must obey.

 

[Akrnaf2]

Hey there! No good stories, this page just moves so very, very fast.....

But I do want advice.....After 8 years or so of owning chickens, I think I now have more rats than I do chickens. Found out the entire neighborhood is overloaded with these critters. We've been having fun pinging them with pellet guns. We have the water bucket traps. Snap traps. They are reproducing faster than we can dispatch them. Our local animal shelter traps or takes in feral cats, spays and neuters them, then they adopt them out as barn cats. I'm thinking of picking up a few. They have the feral cats living out at the shelter with farm animals, living in the barn with the chickens. I know my indoor only cat will bolt outside if you aren't careful and will head over to the coops and will snag a rat - that I have to kill. So, I'm hoping any barn cat I adopt will also be interested in taking out some of these. Does anyone else have barn cats? If so, how much do I feed them? If I feed them the same way I feed my indoor cats - will they hunt the rats? Anyone have downsides to having barn cats? By the way, I don't have a barn, we are going to set them up in my basement.

If you want them to be effective hunters don't feed them! If you feed them they won't hunt seriously.