FLORIDA!!!!!ALWAYS SUNNY SIDE UP!!!

[gatorshark75]

Florida panhandle near panama city fl

 

[nikkers390]

I found a Valley Hatchery on the internet. It appears to be in N. Carolina. They ship worldwide. Their selection ins not extensive but prices and shipping are reasonable. Anyone have any experience with them? They are registered on BYC but have never posted nor is there a profile. I would like to order from them since they have some of the chickens I want.

 

[FloridaBasser]

I find I'm much better off with a roof with open wired sides. This way I don't have to worry about the heat if I'm not home for a day or two. I don't worry about the winter at all, the chickens all tolerate "Florida cold". I make a small covered box or a dog house for egg laying.

For that much money you could build a huge covered pen and have a sheltered area around the roost. Down here I would truly think open and not closed in. I like those carports they sell here. You can have enough shelter by making the sides longer, then putting some sturdy hardware cloth walls to fill in.

and with the open sides they get ventilation making the coop smell much better, my experience has been very similar. Of course I only went with half sides, the top half is plank and the bottom half wire to no critters getting in around the roof , and if it gets super cold you can always tarp it.

 

[Shawneegyrl]

Follow up with two really bad days for my chickens. One drowned in the pool yesterday, and this morning after finding that hubby had failed to close them up for the night, one was missing and another had a big bald area on her back. We chased a predator out of the yard last night after my young daughter was awakened by a ruckus outside her window.

Came home from work this afternoon and noticed feathers in the pool and expected the worst, but no chicken. Then noticed more feathers in the yard being blown about and a few clumps. Ran to the coop and there was the chicken that had been missing this am!

DH picking up a trap tonight for the coon ( found prints in the freshly tilled garden area).

Anybody have any further suggestions?

When you catch the coon, put the cage with coon in it into a garbage can and fill it with water!!!

 

[cmom]

Quote:
If you use a live trap, they like marshmallows.

 

[MrsM]

Oh Kwol, I'm so sorry to hear about your recent bad luck with losing your girls. I hope you can nab that darn Coon.

As angry as you are at it, it's just trying to survive as well. Please don't drown it like Shawnee suggests. We humans have morality for a reason.


Again, I'm so sorry!

 

[gatorshark75]

No dont drown it that takes to long just take 22 and pop it once in the head its fast painless and the most humaine way to get rid of one if you cant do that dont trap it and with a coon he probably wont be in the trap even if he goes in it he will open it up and get out they are smart we just bait them in and shoot them when they start to cause problem here on the farm

 

[MrsM]

You could always call animal control, or a pest trapper.

 

[VegaJones]

For sale or trade. Red columbian from millie project bantam cochin. In bartow fl

 

[kwol]

Thanks for all the ideas about disposing of my predator.

We baited the trap with the leftover rotissure chicken my family now will not eat. The trap was tripped and most of the chicken gone. Second night we had left the trap closed and not emptied the leftover bait out and something rolled the whole trap around in an unsuccessful attempt to get at the bait. Will try again tonight. My husband plans to use a .22 on the predator. We know he will return if he is not relocated a great distance, and even then I may be dropping another predator with a taste for chicken near somebody else's coops. Hubby is also leery of opening the trap to let it go. We may have to sit up and peg it one night as it goes for the bait as gatorshark 75 says.

Injury update: Violet Blaze (the chicken with the skinned back) is apparently her normal self. She is out to pasture with the other healthy chicken and we couldn't catch her for a wound check this am.

Nugget is the neck injury I had posted. More active today. Eating mashed layer pellets with water and corn syrup on her own, drinking water out of a dish on her own. She is still in the coop alone during the day and plan to keep her in the carrier at night. No signs of wound infection

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