Hello all,
haven't been able to post as much since my home 'puter is down. I butchered 4 big roos and 3 bantams on Labor Day, it gets easier & faster each time. Still willing to tutor any BYCer wanting to learn. Then you'll never ever have to wonder what to do with your extra roos.
I am sorry about the silkie that drowned, of course Murphy's Law of Chicken Depredation rules that it's always your favorite bird that gets it. Poor lil' thing.
And I'm reallyreallyreally sorry about the gone goose! We seem to love our 6 Embden geese the most, and know we'd be devastated if something like that happened to any of them. But I wonder if it was really a raccoon, perhaps it was something bigger like a coyote or bobcat. Have you posted on the Predators section of the forum about it?
I set my traps with the bait underneath. There are lots of fire ants in our yard so I have to put the can of bait in a little bowl of water, so there's a moat around the can. I dig a hollow in the ground to fit the bowl, and set the trap on top. Then I place a cinder block on top to weigh it down, so the trap doesn't tip over.
I also try to camouflage the trap by placing branches or brush over & around it. I'll even cover the wire bottom with sand, especially around the front -- but not enough to keep the door from snapping firmly shut. For bait I use smelly canned cat food or sardines in oil. I wish you success in trapping the culprit!
haven't been able to post as much since my home 'puter is down. I butchered 4 big roos and 3 bantams on Labor Day, it gets easier & faster each time. Still willing to tutor any BYCer wanting to learn. Then you'll never ever have to wonder what to do with your extra roos.
I am sorry about the silkie that drowned, of course Murphy's Law of Chicken Depredation rules that it's always your favorite bird that gets it. Poor lil' thing.
And I'm reallyreallyreally sorry about the gone goose! We seem to love our 6 Embden geese the most, and know we'd be devastated if something like that happened to any of them. But I wonder if it was really a raccoon, perhaps it was something bigger like a coyote or bobcat. Have you posted on the Predators section of the forum about it?
I set my traps with the bait underneath. There are lots of fire ants in our yard so I have to put the can of bait in a little bowl of water, so there's a moat around the can. I dig a hollow in the ground to fit the bowl, and set the trap on top. Then I place a cinder block on top to weigh it down, so the trap doesn't tip over.
I also try to camouflage the trap by placing branches or brush over & around it. I'll even cover the wire bottom with sand, especially around the front -- but not enough to keep the door from snapping firmly shut. For bait I use smelly canned cat food or sardines in oil. I wish you success in trapping the culprit!
