Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ValerieJ]

How are you doing , Bob? And how are the other hens doing?

 

[BY Bob]

That door is much better now. And I like the double layer on the soffits too.

It's an overall improvement in the door. It is more stable, swings better, seals better and frankly should have been done a while ago. It was an incomplete design that I let go.

I firmly believe the coop is bullet proof at this time.

In the spring I will do the other door. I rarely use it. Mostly when cleaning the coop. I can use a push broom and push everything out the other side. For now a rake will do.

 

[Kris5902]

Maybe it is different where Bob is (nearer town maybe?) but I would not assume there is just one 'nasty' out there. For example, since I lost Scary I have seen no fewer than 3 different foxes go past my window (easily identifiable by size and coloring) and only one of them has a blue butt from the paint gun. @BY Bob I think you should point that wonderful camera of yours to outside the run for a week and see what predator traffic you really get. It might help you with the right hen safety strategy. I know you need revenge but that won't really solve things in the long run.

Trapping and “removing” the weasel permanently is probably the best way to go if possible. It’s less about revenge and more removing a predator that knows how to get into the run. It will keep coming back over and over, and they can come out before dark as well, so if it can get into the run before the auto door shuts... the girls won’t have a chance, they will be trapped by their own protection.

@BY Bob, love the coop upgrades! Ugly or no it’s about function right now over everything else. I have heard that most weasels like stinky cheap cat foods, just make sure that the fur babies are all locked in safe and sound before putting out the bait!

 

[BY Bob]

How are you doing , Bob? And how are the other hens doing?

Physically I am doing better. Ate some real food tonight for the first time since I fell sick. I had to travel for work and will not be home until Wednesday night. I wish I could start the hunt and more importantly be with them right now.

Watching them on the camera they are getting along surprisingly well in the confined space. They have a sliced up cabbage in a feeder, mealy worms, and corn on the coop floor. They seem contented.

 

[BY Bob]

Trapping and “removing” the weasel permanently is probably the best way to go if possible. It’s less about revenge and more removing a predator that knows how to get into the run. It will keep coming back over and over, and they can come out before dark as well, so if it can get into the run before the auto door shuts... the girls won’t have a chance, they will be trapped by their own protection.

@BY Bob, love the coop upgrades! Ugly or no it’s about function right now over everything else. I have heard that most weasels like stinky cheap cat foods, just make sure that the fur babies are all locked in safe and sound before putting out the bait!

Good advice @Kris5902 . If I was in this for revenge I would kill the weasel. I will relocate it. It is a living thing that is only doing what it does to survive.

Run improvements must occur before they can come out again without me standing next to them.

 

[ValerieJ]

Physically I am doing better. Ate some real food tonight for the first time since I fell sick. I had to travel for work and will not be home until Wednesday night. I wish I could start the hunt and more importantly be with them right now.

Watching them on the camera they are getting along surprisingly well in the confined space. They have a sliced up cabbage in a feeder, mealy worms, and corn on the coop floor. They seem contented.

That's all good news! Sometimes the hens get pretty traumatized when one is attacked like that. Happened in my flock.

 

[Kris5902]

Good advice @Kris5902 . If I was in this for revenge I would kill the weasel. I will relocate it. It is a living thing that is only doing what it does to survive.

Run improvements must occur before they can come out again without me standing next to them.

Just make sure you relocate it in a legal manner for where you are. I had to say it... sorry. I’m usually quite against relocation, but I believe you will do it responsibly and legally, whereas some people don’t think things through and just dump it far enough away that “it isn’t my problem any more”.

 

[BY Bob]

That's all good news! Sometimes the hens get pretty traumatized when one is attacked like that. Happened in my flock.

I would say they don't know what happened. They were all in the coop at the time. To them Maleficent is simply gone.

 

[BY Bob]

Just make sure you relocate it in a legal manner for where you are. I had to say it... sorry. I’m usually quite against relocation, but I believe you will do it responsibly and legally, whereas some people don’t think things through and just dump it far enough away that “it isn’t my problem any more”.

I appreciate your confidence in my ethics. I promise not to let you down.

 

[ValerieJ]

I appreciate your confidence in my ethics. I promise not to let you down.

IMHO, it's better to relocate. I agree it shouldn't have to die for doing what it needs to do to survive. But, if it were me, I would drive far enough out to find a place where there are no local houses. Once an animal has been trapped, it is trap savvy, and that can create a problem for some other unsuspecting person. I know it's illegal in some areas, but in my area, no authorities would enforce such a law.