Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[BY Bob]

I get two blue eggs and one brown from mine .

 

[Ponypoor]

Gaahhhhh Mr Rat is back

 

[Ponypoor]

Rub it in.........

Don’t feel bad, all my blue and green layers are broody, moulting or getting old. I get mostly brown eggs now.

 

[Ponypoor]

Shirley's offspring should be 50% headspot (striped), 50% not striped. They will NOT be sex linked as the hen must be striped to do that. Could be pullet or cockerel. If any of their hens are barred, then a double barred cockerel is a possibility.

It is my hope that one of the eggs is from their BR

 

[BDutch]

Gaahhhhh Mr Rat is back

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Nasty buggers. Do they only visit in the night?

Recently I saw someone post a review on a feeder silo with a timer that closed the feeding-station in the night. It didn’t work bc the chickens spilled a lot of food.

It made me wonder. If you make/buy a rat proof food cabin and install an auto pop door with a light sensor on it, it is a way to give the chickens access to food during the day.

You need a big wooden box like a garden box for pillows, with a lid for access to the feeder. The example on the photo is 50cm3 and costs €75,-.

buy a cheap chicken house door with light sensor (€35) like the one on the photo. Make an opening as in the instructions and screw the auto pop door on the box.
This way the food is unaccessible during the night.

Even better seems to be a special manufactured treadle feeder, but it takes time to learn the chickens how to use it, and not being afraid of the noise.

 

[RoyalChick]

Nasty buggers. Do they only visit in the night?

Recently I saw someone post a review on a feeder silo with a timer that closed the feeding-station in the night. It didn’t work bc the chickens spilled a lot of food.

It made me wonder. If you make/buy a rat proof food cabin and install an auto pop door with a light sensor on it, it is a way to give the chickens access to food during the day.

View attachment 4224775You need a big wooden box like a garden box for pillows, with a lid for access to the feeder. The example on the photo is 50cm3 and costs €75,-.

View attachment 4224776 buy a cheap chicken house door with light sensor (€35) like the one on the photo. Make an opening as in the instructions and screw the auto pop door on the box.
This way the food is unaccessible during the night.

Even better seems to be a special manufactured treadle feeder, but it takes time to learn the chickens how to use it, and not being afraid of the noise.

I got rid of rats using a feeder (among other things). Most of mine learned the feeder in a couple of hours. One took a couple of days to be comfortable with it.

 

[Ponypoor]

Nasty buggers. Do they only visit in the night?

Recently I saw someone post a review on a feeder silo with a timer that closed the feeding-station in the night. It didn’t work bc the chickens spilled a lot of food.

It made me wonder. If you make/buy a rat proof food cabin and install an auto pop door with a light sensor on it, it is a way to give the chickens access to food during the day.

View attachment 4224775You need a big wooden box like a garden box for pillows, with a lid for access to the feeder. The example on the photo is 50cm3 and costs €75,-.

View attachment 4224776 buy a cheap chicken house door with light sensor (€35) like the one on the photo. Make an opening as in the instructions and screw the auto pop door on the box.
This way the food is unaccessible during the night.

Even better seems to be a special manufactured treadle feeder, but it takes time to learn the chickens how to use it, and not being afraid of the noise.

I remove all food and water at night. But there is still feed that has been spilt. I don’t see the rats at night, as the chooks hunt them during the day.

When I just had the horses I would use poison to control them; of course now with the chooks I can’t do that.

I have had luck with the electric zap traps and those black plastic snap traps (hard on the fingers though!).

Tonight I will see about putting out my snap trap.

Edit:

Meant to type ‘I don’t see
Them during the day, only at night’.

 

[BY Bob]

Gaahhhhh Mr Rat is back

View attachment 4224750View attachment 4224751View attachment 4224752

Noooooooo!

You need to borrow one of these two.

I had a mouse head in bathroom yesterday morning and a carcass outside the back door as well.

Tax:

Hattie is in full molt. I'm glad she is going early this year.

 

[BY Bob]

Don’t feel bad, all my blue and green layers are broody, moulting or getting old. I get mostly brown eggs now.

That makes me sad for you as well.

 

[BY Bob]

I got rid of rats using a feeder (among other things). Most of mine learned the feeder in a couple of hours. One took a couple of days to be comfortable with it.

You did really well getting rid of them. Great problem solving.