Feeling like a total idiot

[Hennie Pennie]

I feel like a total idiot. After posting last night about successfulI outdoor brooding Iwoke up this morning to a massacre in my guinea keet brooder. Apparently 1\2 inch HWC is not small enough to keep out weasel hands. It's so small! There were two dead in the brooder with heads and limbs missing. Another was missing one leg and wing and was stuck in the HWC alive. I obviously put it out of its misery. It has been a whirlwind of emotion. The weasels must have stood on a plastic tote I have underneath storing wood chips. Then did their dirty work. I feel so guilty. BEWARE OF WEASELS. I got too comfy and they rocked my worlkd. I added plastic tiles to the bottom of the broode r and removed the tote. Hopefully that can keep them out. They killed my only pied keet and 2\3 lavender. Hard hard lesson.

So very sorry for you and your birds...its a heartbreaker...hang in there...blessings sent to you.

 

[Tre3hugger]

Thanks @Hennie Pennie

 

[Tre3hugger]

It may not be subjective depending on what the law is in each state.

Technically, I am a non violent criminal. I can live with that. Laws don't always equal ethics...

 

[Tre3hugger]

so in the midst of the great raccoon debate, unless I missed it, you've had no further attacks. Did you do anything diff to shore up security?
Maybe close up a section of brooder so you can lock them in at night as we do with coops? Himself argued that ours is build on sleigh runs that would require 10" of digging to get under, but I still ended up putting a board down for my own peace of mind. It makes it easier for me to walk on and do deep litter method. - Now that I'm cleaning it out, I probably should have put tile or something over the board, but it's still sturdy.
The run sides are open w/hwc, but he put salvaged steel pole barn siding on the sides of coop and roof so they're locked down at night.
That 2 wk period I mentioned when we had a run on raccoons, they were able to climb up hwc and walk on roof, but none found a way in.
Re the one he drove 20 mi away, no, I don't think she made her way back. For one, there's a lot of highway between here and there, and two, after staring at that many of them in a trap or tree right outside your window, you realize they don't all look alike. She had a sweet face and didn't get pissy until he picked up the trap. Some of them sounded ready to rip our faces off before we even went outside, and one was trying so hard we wld have put money on him tearing the trap apart to get out. Hopefully this will be the last of your attacks.

I added a floor to my brooded over the wire. SO far so good.

 

[neo71665]

I am not against killing the next ones if any that I get. Do you guys know of any way to use the raccoon so it's not just a waste? Worst case scenario there is always the compost pile.

Slow roasted coon is good. I like mine BBQ. There is also a market for the hides.

 

[Folly's place]

Haven't ever been hungry enough to eat one!
If there's a market for hides, where? And only in winter?
Here they are buried, or in the trash. Sometimes dumping one down a woodchuck hole is helpful too.
Mary

 

[neo71665]

Haven't ever been hungry enough to eat one!
If there's a market for hides, where? And only in winter?
Here they are buried, or in the trash. Sometimes dumping one down a woodchuck hole is helpful too.
Mary

A pig is a really nasty animal with a long list of diseases it can transfer to humans, you don't hear of anybody turning a plate of bacon down.

And yes there is a furbearer market. I can remember back in the 80s getting $25-30 for a coon pelt. The bottom fell out because everybody and their momma was hunting and selling. Here lately with all the pansy butt kids that can't even tie their own shoes much less hunt the demand has been increasing. Last hides I sold I was getting $10-15 a pop. If one knows where and how it's easy to get $20-25 for the meat to the right person.

 

[Folly's place]

Haven't ever eaten opossum either, and food preferences do matter to most of us. Here in the USA we are so lucky to be able to choose and be selective, never being actually hungry. And we have a safer food supply than many, another blessing, and advantage.
Personally, I also don't eat snails, and don't care for lobster. Preferences!
Mary

 

[M Brennen]

A pig is a really nasty animal with a long list of diseases it can transfer to humans, you don't hear of anybody turning a plate of bacon down.

And yes there is a furbearer market. I can remember back in the 80s getting $25-30 for a coon pelt. The bottom fell out because everybody and their momma was hunting and selling. Here lately with all the pansy butt kids that can't even tie their own shoes much less hunt the demand has been increasing. Last hides I sold I was getting $10-15 a pop. If one knows where and how it's easy to get $20-25 for the meat to the right person.

Our local game wardens used to put on a game dinner. It was interesting to try different meats as long as someone else was cooking. I can’t say I would go to the trouble of catching, skinning, and cooking myself. If I had to provide my own meat I could easily be a vegetarian. I can’t even bear to raise my own meat birds. If I take care of it, i become too attached. Fascinating conversation.

 

[Yep I Talk To Chickens]

Our local game wardens used to put on a game dinner. It was interesting to try different meats as long as someone else was cooking. I can’t say I would go to the trouble of catching, skinning, and cooking myself. If I had to provide my own meat I could easily be a vegetarian. I can’t even beat to raise my own meat birds. If I take care of it, i become too attached. Fascinating conversation.

I raise my own meat chickens, turkeys and pigs. But I don't butcher them myself i have a butcher do it. I used to do the turkeys and chickens myself, but I don't anymore. I just raise them.