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

[montverdechick]

Another Floridian. 

A transplant from nothern middle TN, married to an authentic after we both traveled around the country in the USAF. 

Live between Groveland and Okahumpka in Lake County. Central FL. 

On 4 acres surrounded by thousands of acres of ag land. Cattle, a tree nursery, a bit of vegetable production(melons), and an orange/tangerine grove of 600 acres that I have full access to. That last part makes me very happy this time of year. 

Had chickens the first 20 years of my life in TN... had geese here last season that I hand raised and adored completely. Lost them just before Christmas to a pack of coyotes in the middle of the day. 

Going to increase my fence quality(because two sides of my back pasture are 4strand where the former occupant just kept a steer or two) and try again with Brown Africans and American Buffs. 

That whole 'excrement happens' thing. 


Looking forward to having geese again, and adding some chickens as well. 

Welcome! We are just outside of Clermont...

 

[ddpittman]

Ok - what exactly, is this thing?

Our neighbor uses them, & she has had terrible predator problems before & since. Maybe it would be worse without them, but there is no telling. We let our dogs out before we go to bed (and bring them in), & in the pre Dawn hours & land predators have not yet been our problem. Hawks are another story. Gotten two of ours in the last month. Help on that?

 

[AlHawk]

Welcome GooseGrrl,

I'm also a midwesterner, USAF ret, central Floridian. Im on the east coast but we share the same weather

Looking forward to seeing your insights and posts.

 

[cmom]

Quote: I don't know if I can be of much help. I have not lost a bird to a predator in a very long time. I have put electric up around my coops and pens to discourage and diggers. I have put heavy duty netting over my pens to discourage hawks and owls. I do leave the pop doors to the coops open so the birds can let themselves out in the mornings. They do go into the coops before dusk in the evenings on their own to roost for the night. I do have night lights in all of the coops. I have heard predators touch the electric wire and once they get a good shock they don't come back to try it again. I have touched the wire when I have forgotten to turn it off and it made my heart skip some beats. Netting can be expensive. I saw some on ebay and put a max bid of $100. and to my surprise I won the bid. I had put bids on some other also but lost. I didn't bid on them at the same time. When I lost a bid then I found another to bid on.

Here is what I have. The pens are total 60' x 200' divided for each coop. The netting is a one big piece that covers all of the pens.

The white cord is poly cord which carries the electrical current.



It's very strong.

 

[Red Banks]

I don't know if I can be of much help. I have not lost a bird to a predator in a very long time. I have put electric up around my coops and pens to discourage and diggers. I have put heavy duty netting over my pens to discourage hawks and owls. I do leave the pop doors to the coops open so the birds can let themselves out in the mornings. They do go into the coops before dusk in the evenings on their own to roost for the night. I do have night lights in all of the coops. I have heard predators touch the electric wire and once they get a good shock they don't come back to try it again. I have touched the wire when I have forgotten to turn it off and it made my heart skip some beats. Netting can be expensive. I saw some on ebay and put a max bid of $100. and to my surprise I won the bid. I had put bids on some other also but lost. I didn't bid on them at the same time. When I lost a bid then I found another to bid on.

Here is what I have. The pens are total 60' x 200' divided for each coop. The netting is a one big piece that covers all of the pens.

The white cord is poly cord which carries the electrical current.



It's very strong.

Looks great!

 

[cmom]

It has been brought to my attention that some of the BYC members from the Jacksonville area, Duval county have their names under Franklin county. If you are from Duval county but you name is under Franklin county, please send me a PM so I can correct it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/florida-always-sunny-side-up

 

[ddpittman]

Wow! That chicken yard is impressive!

 

[Goosegrrl]

I feel your pain. We lost our ducks and a lot of chickens to coyotes and a bobcat. We also get bear, fox, raccoons, etc. It's much different than NH that's for sure.

I know that we have at least one bobcat on the back 600, as I see it's tracks and on rare occasion the cat itself back in the grove where there is a good population of rabbit and quail. Since we on this 4acres, and the back 600 in addition, are bordered along once side by the Palatlakaha, and there is a significant swampy area, I know that there are also likely a good number of raccoon and opossum back there. Not spied any fox as of yet. Nor bear, as those tend to be further north in the county I really don't expect to see any. Lots of hogs though... which ARE on my sniping list, because they are delicious and too destructive to allow to keep breeding so prolifically.

One thing I already started doing is encouraging my local flock of crows to hang out by making them a platform feeder. The more they are around the fewer hawks I see. And a pair of Florida Scrub Jays has also taken to visiting it, which I find very exciting.
But they don't do a thing about the owls at night of course.

I'm very sorry for your loss. Hopefully the fence will prevent it from reoccurring.
I'm formally from Knoxville. Now in Tampa and looking for a home with a couple acres before we get poultry.

A few acres, sunshine, and some poultry... It's good for the soul.

Welcome! We are just outside of Clermont...

I've very familiar with Montverde. My MIL used to own a hair shop there.
We still hit Montverde day every fall.

And my husband is a Lake County deputy so he has gotten me familiar with all of the Lake county back roads.

 

[CluckznDuckz]

I know that we have at least one bobcat on the back 600, as I see it's tracks and on rare occasion the cat itself back in the grove where there is a good population of rabbit and quail. Since we on this 4acres, and the back 600 in addition, are bordered along once side by the Palatlakaha, and there is a significant swampy area, I know that there are also likely a good number of raccoon and opossum back there. Not spied any fox as of yet. Nor bear, as those tend to be further north in the county I really don't expect to see any. Lots of hogs though... which ARE on my sniping list, because they are delicious and too destructive to allow to keep breeding so prolifically.

One thing I already started doing is encouraging my local flock of crows to hang out by making them a platform feeder. The more they are around the fewer hawks I see. And a pair of Florida Scrub Jays has also taken to visiting it, which I find very exciting.
But they don't do a thing about the owls at night of course.

A few acres, sunshine, and some poultry... It's good for the soul.


I've very familiar with Montverde. My MIL used to own a hair shop there.
We still hit Montverde day every fall.

And my husband is a Lake County deputy so he has gotten me familiar with all of the Lake county back roads.

There is a plus side. It helps with my photography hobby. lol

 

[cmom]

I know that we have at least one bobcat on the back 600, as I see it's tracks and on rare occasion the cat itself back in the grove where there is a good population of rabbit and quail. Since we on this 4acres, and the back 600 in addition, are bordered along once side by the Palatlakaha, and there is a significant swampy area, I know that there are also likely a good number of raccoon and opossum back there. Not spied any fox as of yet. Nor bear, as those tend to be further north in the county I really don't expect to see any. Lots of hogs though... which ARE on my sniping list, because they are delicious and too destructive to allow to keep breeding so prolifically.

One thing I already started doing is encouraging my local flock of crows to hang out by making them a platform feeder. The more they are around the fewer hawks I see. And a pair of Florida Scrub Jays has also taken to visiting it, which I find very exciting.
But they don't do a thing about the owls at night of course.

A few acres, sunshine, and some poultry... It's good for the soul.


I've very familiar with Montverde. My MIL used to own a hair shop there.
We still hit Montverde day every fall.

And my husband is a Lake County deputy so he has gotten me familiar with all of the Lake county back roads.

That is why I put netting over all of my pens. I have a couple of coops that are open on one side and I had an owl kill several of my birds before I put the netting over the pens. I discovered it was an owl because I thought what ever was killing them had to be going over the fence so I put my game camera and got the owl on video killing.