Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

Good advice. Tonight will be ‘shock and awe’ if you will forgive the phrase!

Good deal and good luck Rodenteer RoyalChick!

 

[Anonymous Chicken]

Who wants Chicken Mug Monday?

 

[RoyalChick]

I was looking for pictures of Dolly the other day and realized I have so few. I was quite sad to think that I had not adequately captured our time together. It's good to take a moment now and then to appreciate them.

View attachment 2419607

Mighty fine looking hens!

 

[ChicoryBlue]

Do I qualify to be a rodenteer? My season total score so far is quite impressive!

Oh yes, I was thinking of you both. Also wondering if may be a regional Northeast thing as you both have this problem around the same time. Soon it will be here too?

I am one already though - the last two years were an impressive one for us with the number of mice caught in a certain kitchen drawer. For 38 years now we've had to dedicate that drawer as a mouse killing field. It does stop them from going further, at least. We cannot, for the life of us - steel wool, repairs to nearby sink plumbing paths, new under-house sheathing, replacing house parts, etc., eliminate this problem there. I wonder if rats are going to be a second wave? Gaaah! I haven't seen one but am bracing myself for it. This part of our house was built mid-70's by the previous owner from wood salvaged from the oldest house in Schoharie County (New York State) which was being demolished (too bad!), with uneven hand-hewn timber framing and old telephone poles for posts. He also did the work with a chainsaw - no generator. So the engineering has big tolerances, to say the least. Rats would not find it hard to move in.

One interesting side note on this, is that also last year we suddenly stopped catching mice in the drawer traps. It was great! We found out why eventually: one night Big Boy (fur chicken) cornered a least weasel inside, behind a door near the wood stove. It was beautiful white, with a black tip on the tail, a tiny winter mink! We think it was catching all the mice outside, then under the house, in the floor and insulation, and eventually it followed the hunting trail into the house.

We gathered up Big Boy, and we left it alone. The next morning it appeared dead, but it turned out to be playing dead, for it suddenly blasted out and practically flew down into the wood pile. We never saw it again, but the mouse situation remained zero for a long time after that. Hmmm. Having failed to eliminate mice from coming up here, maybe the solution is to have a weasel for a tenant down there?

 

[BY Bob]

Who wants Chicken Mug Monday?

I can play that game!

 

[Kris5902]

I would place more traps to try and get ahead. At least for a while. Once you are ahead you might be able to scale back.

Yes, @RoyalChick I agree! Get a few more traps going out there. I’ve honestly had more issues with mice in our own trailer since bringing my cats up to live with us. (I was trying to spare them the joys of living in the trailer... but things didn’t go so well with my mother taking care of them after a while down with the heat and electricity and running water) the mice are attracted to their kibble, and my cats aren’t the most effective mousers, although with just over a year of practice, Charlie finally got a bit better at it. One night we caught six in a row between the two of us, with just two snap traps in the space of a few hours! Although I do think that as it was before Charlie started killing them, he may have caught the same mouse multiple times... it was super soggy with drool after the second catch! Catch and release outside doesn’t work, they run right back in, and in this case straight back to the feline! I’ve also gotten the occasional “to for the price of one” this always amazes me.then there was this... not what I wanted to wake up to!

Spoiler: Present

Yep, that is my pillow... right next to my head, instead of in his usual presentation place near the door, I’m just thankful it was only lightly chewed and didn’t have a bot fly larvae (Now that Mouse Charlie did a favor by putting it out of its misery!)

My lazy fur chickens...

 

[BY Bob]

Mighty fine looking hens!

They really were.

Sadly both had very short lives. It took us 2 years to get a stable flock. Not something of which I'm proud.

 

[BY Bob]

Oh yes, I was thinking of you both. Also wondering if may be a regional Northeast thing as you both have this problem around the same time. Soon it will be here too?

I am one already though - the last two years were an impressive one for us with the number of mice caught in a certain kitchen drawer. For 38 years now we've had to dedicate that drawer as a mouse killing field. It does stop them from going further, at least. We cannot, for the life of us - steel wool, repairs to nearby sink plumbing paths, new under-house sheathing, replacing house parts, etc., eliminate this problem there. I wonder if rats are going to be a second wave? Gaaah! I haven't seen one but am bracing myself for it. This part of our house was built mid-70's by the previous owner from wood salvaged from the oldest house in Schoharie County (New York State) which was being demolished (too bad!), with uneven hand-hewn timber framing and old telephone poles for posts. He also did the work with a chainsaw - no generator. So the engineering has big tolerances, to say the least. Rats would not find it hard to move in.

One interesting side note on this, is that also last year we suddenly stopped catching mice in the drawer traps. It was great! We found out why eventually: one night Big Boy (fur chicken) cornered a least weasel inside, behind a door near the wood stove. It was beautiful white, with a black tip on the tail, a tiny winter mink! We think it was catching all the mice outside, then under the house, in the floor and insulation, and eventually it followed the hunting trail into the house.

We gathered up Big Boy, and we left it alone. The next morning it appeared dead, but it turned out to be playing dead, for it suddenly blasted out and practically flew down into the wood pile. We never saw it again, but the mouse situation remained zero for a long time after that. Hmmm. Having failed to eliminate mice from coming up here, maybe the solution is to have a weasel for a tenant down there?

I would never tolerate a weasel. They will decimate your chickens. I know this from personal experience.

 

[BY Bob]

Yes, @RoyalChick I agree! Get a few more traps going out there. I’ve honestly had more issues with mice in our own trailer since bringing my cats up to live with us. (I was trying to spare them the joys of living in the trailer... but things didn’t go so well with my mother taking care of them after a while down with the heat and electricity and running water) the mice are attracted to their kibble, and my cats aren’t the most effective mousers, although with just over a year of practice, Charlie finally got a bit better at it. One night we caught six in a row between the two of us, with just two snap traps in the space of a few hours! Although I do think that as it was before Charlie started killing them, he may have caught the same mouse multiple times... it was super soggy with drool after the second catch! Catch and release outside doesn’t work, they run right back in, and in this case straight back to the feline! I’ve also gotten the occasional “to for the price of one” this always amazes me.then there was this... not what I wanted to wake up to!

Spoiler: Present

View attachment 2419618
Yep, that is my pillow... right next to my head, instead of in his usual presentation place near the door, I’m just thankful it was only lightly chewed and didn’t have a bot fly larvae (Now that Mouse Charlie did a favor by putting it out of its misery!)

My lazy fur chickens...View attachment 2419625

I don't know what I will do for a mouser cat once Isabel dies. Davis is friends with them all.

By the way, I appoint you lead Rodenteer with all the duties and privileges that come with the office.

 

[ILoveDaffy]

Awww. I'm sorry, I only lost Daffy at 12 weeks, but thanks to you and all the others on BYC everything is going great, but STILL no eggs.