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

[BantyChooks]

Could you use the body as a bait to catch the predator?

"The"? I think CC needs to come back and give lessons.

If it's not whatever got her that time, it'll be something else the next. This place is chock full of predators---I really don't think killing them off will solve much.

Plus I don't have traps for anything larger than a skunk or weasel. I haven't needed to remove too many predators.

I'm going to be prompt about locking birds up and headcounts. If whatever it is starts doing daytime raids, well, then it's war.

 

[Jessimom]

View attachment 1157927 I just found my SH hen dead by the lumber pile with her back ripped open. Few feathers, meat not eaten off bird. Not sure what got her, I suspect she stayed out last night---condition of carcass is about right for a 12 hr dead bird.

She was probably one of the 6 birds in my entire flock that were lifers. Kids' pet too.

No, benny, it wasn't a housecat.

I'm sorry you lost her. That is not easy when it's one of the favorites. That's what happened to one of my Ayam Cemani's. Nobody saw her outside the fence, next morning she was dead, but not eaten.

About a year ago, we had a rooster in a locked dog cage, just off our porch for one night - he was going to be slaughtered the next day. All we found the next morning was an empty cage and a LINE of feathers, and a dead roo at the end of the line. Mostly eaten. I figure a raccoon is the only animal smart enough to open that cage. Do raccoons actually eat the birds, or do they just kill them? Other than the Hawks, an owl, a baby Opossum, and 1 coyote, I haven't seen any other predators here.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

What's wrong with the buck?

anemic for sure.. being watched.

Got three more sheets of T1-11 up yesterday. It's really looking like a coop.

Hi!! Long time since we've crossed paths.

I'm hoping the dogs will actually go up in the tree where we see most of the cute hugable rats.

I just found my SH hen dead by the lumber pile

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Got a jumbo Jersey Giant missing... rut row

 

[Wickedchicken6]

View attachment 1157919

What IS that type of cat.

No, but remmber that they will kill every chicke and young pullet they can find.

Not always. I've only lost one and I'm not sure it was one of the cats. The cats don't bother the chickens, even when they're are free ranging baby chicks.

The dog has killed only one; the very first chickens we got. He got reprimanded severely. He's completely trustworthy with them. He's left with them all the time by himself while they've been free ranging. We hurt his feelings so badly he won't even look at them f I hold one up to him. He turns away.

 

[daxigait]

We found a chick who can't walk - well its half grown. I dont' know what happened to it's leg, I assume it broke it's leg or something to that effect, it's otherwise "fine" besides not standing/walking. oldest daughter brought it inside and won't let her father cull it - so she's got it living in the brooder with 2 of the silkie chicks she rescued from broodies that rejected them when they hatched. She feeds it water/food everyday and makes sure to move it around enough to not get sore. I don't know if it will ever walk again, but as long as I'm not the one taking care of it, I really don't care. LOL her dad finally just went "meh, well see how it does I guess." lol He's such a push over with our chickens these days ^.^

I had one get got by a cow he was trying to steal grain from the bull the cow was eating out of. It was not intentional just one cow moving for another more dominant cow with a chicken in the way. She could not use one leg. I brought her back into the coop and put her in a corner out of the way with food and water near her (usually not inside). She was relitively immobile for a couple of weeks. Then she rejoined everyone and you don't notice it now.

 

[daxigait]

chicken and cats don't mix!

My barn cat never bothers the chickens. An old timer said if you have one looking at chickens just throw a handful of scratch by the cat when it is near a bunch of chickens. When they converge on it watch the cat freak and run. They learn quickly.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

If you want ot kill small rodents, get a small terrier breed, and train them to only go after rats and mice. They will be better mousers, than most cats. The nice thing about dogs with a job - is you can train them to leave the chickens alone, better than most cats.
3/4 of our cats, don't bother the chicken, but I have 1 barn cat, i've been tempted to shoot because he intentionally kills chickens, just for the sheer fun of it. The dogs have kept him out of the yard after watching him kill one of the baby chickens my great Pyr was raising. She took it personally and no longer allows him in the yard, so he lives by our dumpster now right outside the fence. LOL

We'll have two Pyrs left after Max is gone. We've already decided that we're old enough that we probably won't get another dog after those. "Unless" I take someone's old dog in. But I'm cutting down on that too...getting to be too much work. By that time if the boy's still here, he'll have his own dog/family. The two houses are too close to maintain separate pets...lol. However the bunnies won't likely be going anywhere. They're a family favorite...lol.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

"Unless" I take someone's old dog in.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Got a jumbo Jersey Giant missing... rut row

Either she iz broody in the bushes or skull and cross bones.. I searched.. not within the range of VIP population. She is big as a turkey.