Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

I would hate to shoot a cougar. I think in general if you look big and don’t get in their way most wild animals stay away. But I would probably lock the coop before it was fully dark!

Me too. Unless it was attacking the girls or another human, I could not just kill it. I would want it relocated.

 

[BY Bob]

Ok. So maybe I'll do 6 or 8...

 

[BY Bob]

We are actively working on reducing the deer population here... so far we have been lucky on our island but two neighboring ones have been hit with a nasty deer virus. I think we are being spared because we do try to actively limit the deer population here. Almost everyone on our island is pro hunting (I can think of two exceptions, and one of those came from Mayne island, the hardest hit by the virus, where there is no hunting allowed at all) because we have no large predators here to control the population it’s a necessity.

My chickens do see the deer as a threat though. The silly things alarm when they show up, almost every morning.

Those killer herbivores are too be avoided at all costs. It's on beakbook how dangerous they are. Phyllis told me. If it's on beakbook it must be true!

 

[BY Bob]

They encourage hunting around me in order to control the population. I don’t hunt myself (don’t think I could do that) but I am a hypocrite and have a freezer full of venison.

I would love a freezer full of venison.

 

[BY Bob]

It would probably take a fairly strong jolt to keep a bear out, especially if they are hungry! We had problems with black bears in North Vancouver. My roommates put the garbage can outside in the car port, I heard som odd noises and went to investigate. I slammed the door closed pretty darn quickly As there was a big black bear with its head in the “bear resistant” garbage can. I came back with a pot and spoon and scared it off fairly easily, but it took my garbage can with it! I finally found it in the wooded area behind the house about a week later, he had stepped on the middle of it trapping some trash in the bottom of the can, so he tore through the bottom of the heavy plastic can to get to it.

My uncle sometimes has issues with grizzlies up North (Dawson creek) and they have left muddy paw prints on the doors. It’s been better since he got a pair of dogs that live in the yard, but that scares me.

My mom has had a black bear standing at the patio door tapping its claws on the glass as she came into the kitchen to make breakfast. They don't normally mess with humans but it is very unsettling.

 

[RoyalChick]

I would love a freezer full of venison.

It is pretty good I must say. The guy gives me steaks and ground meat which is great for spaghetti sauce. He also makes really yummy venison sausage.

 

[RoyalChick]

My mom has had a black bear standing at the patio door taping is claws on the glass as she came into the kitchen to make breakfast. They don't normally mess with humans but it is very unsettling.

A couple of years ago a friend of mine who lives near me had a birthday party for her toddler and couldn't figure out why the back doorbell kept ringing because the front door was wide open. It was only after all the guests went home that she went down to the back door (house on a hill so the back door is a floor lower than the front door) and realized from the paw prints that it was a bear standing up and pressing the bell!

 

[Cynthia12]

OMG they are so cute!

Thank you!

 

[LozzyR]

They are beautiful!

I have always wondered, do they have issues with the feasted legs getting dirty? Do you ever have to clean the legs for them?

No, I think they manage pretty well. I check for mites when I do a general mite check but the Pestene and Neem Leaf dust seems to keep them in check.

 

[featherhead007]

Is it possible that chickens can fall out of love with me? I don't seem to get the same responses, that I used to get? No interest in lap sitting, and the hens seem more stand offish than usual. It feels like, they don't want to be touched. (But they still eat from my hand)
Very unusual for my flock to act this way.