FREE-RANGE KEEPING OF AMERICAN DOMINIQUES
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- #92
I have an A-frame as well used for bloody hens with chicks. It is not strong as I like. ALso heavy.
broody I take it
Getting hawk losses around here still and realizing that all my losses lately have been Black Australorps. The "hawk colored" Doms as well as my other birds I think are safer.
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- #94
Size of birds and location in yard can also influence pattern of losses.
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- #95
NEED IMPROVEMENTS TO DOG NOT MINE MANAGEMENT
Over thanks giving we left town for Indiana about 5 hour distant. Immediately prior to departure we noticed to dogs come in and my dogs than them off. We had a young neighbor with no prior chicken experience take care of the birds and dogs. Since in off-season I instructed her to keep our dogs locked up except at night. On Thanksgiving day two game cockerels were found in yard. The assumption based on phone conversation was they had been fighting which did not seem likely since they just went through a round of that to re-establish the pecking order. The next day our neighbor brought some of her young cousins over to see the chickens and then observed two strange dogs come in and start chasing chickens down and kill them. Six birds in all were lost, two American Dominiques from flock of concern, 3 American Game juveniles from front porch flock (not all that valuable except for observations), and a Missouri Dominique hen that represents the cream of two years effort after culling 40 of her sisters to pick her out. Most difficult loss to replace will be her which will require two more years, feed to raise replacements and the culls, and did I say time. Owner of dogs gave me $100 for losses which is more than birds are worth if simply replaced with hatchery stock but known are hatchery stock. If dog had gotten into my breeding pens, then I would have killed dog on his front porch and still considered myself owed. Part of what made this particularly aggravating was that dogs where just acquired and simply allowed to roam without introductions, training, or break in period. Now I must figure how to invest the $100 to improve management of dogs not mine.
Over thanks giving we left town for Indiana about 5 hour distant. Immediately prior to departure we noticed to dogs come in and my dogs than them off. We had a young neighbor with no prior chicken experience take care of the birds and dogs. Since in off-season I instructed her to keep our dogs locked up except at night. On Thanksgiving day two game cockerels were found in yard. The assumption based on phone conversation was they had been fighting which did not seem likely since they just went through a round of that to re-establish the pecking order. The next day our neighbor brought some of her young cousins over to see the chickens and then observed two strange dogs come in and start chasing chickens down and kill them. Six birds in all were lost, two American Dominiques from flock of concern, 3 American Game juveniles from front porch flock (not all that valuable except for observations), and a Missouri Dominique hen that represents the cream of two years effort after culling 40 of her sisters to pick her out. Most difficult loss to replace will be her which will require two more years, feed to raise replacements and the culls, and did I say time. Owner of dogs gave me $100 for losses which is more than birds are worth if simply replaced with hatchery stock but known are hatchery stock. If dog had gotten into my breeding pens, then I would have killed dog on his front porch and still considered myself owed. Part of what made this particularly aggravating was that dogs where just acquired and simply allowed to roam without introductions, training, or break in period. Now I must figure how to invest the $100 to improve management of dogs not mine.
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Ugh!
I am sorry for your losses. Two years of work gone on that hen.
I am sorry for your losses. Two years of work gone on that hen.
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- #97
Losses will be made up for. That is one of the advantages of breeding your own. Already have in works.improvements on core area.
Sorry about your loss, both time and money. Will the man make any changes with the dogs?
Scott
Scott
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- #99
When he delivered check he said he invested already about $500 in an invisible fencing system and that dogs where already learning boundaries. He has subsequently offered to give me some nest boxes. This I think is being done to protect his dogs. He has acquired dogs on two prior occasions since moving in about three years ago and lost them to roaming and not coming back. One was problematic for one of my roosters that came down with Mareks at same time so loss there was inevitable even without dog. That dog was imputes for acquiring Scoob when I did.
If his fencing fails I think dogs will be dispatched fairly quickly as after only three days of running they already made quit the un-fan club. He needs some livestock himself so he becomes sensitized to problems dogs can cause if not properly managed. If he did that, then he can also be the front-line between dogs down in the valley and me.
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- #100
PREPARING TO GO 100% CONFINEMENT FOR WINTER 2013-2014
I will be making lots of work related trips this winter and my wife will not be able to do a lot of extra helping because she works, sometimes on the road, and we have two small children. As of tonight all birds will be confined and electrified fencing will be upgraded. Dogs will have to be taught new access points so they can get in to deal with owls working pens. This will provide opportunity to prep ground for the next production season since pens will be run over the dense cheat grass patches that seems to die after birds work on it for a few days. Pens will be tightened up in a line to prevent a smart fox from working perimeter and also make a choke point so dogs have much better odds of catching him if he tries. I will also be upgrading the production season roosts for the American Dominiques so more of the hens can be used as broodies this coming year. I want to have six hens devoted to rearing chicks so objective is to get 60 hen reared American Dominiques by fall of 2014. I have roughly twice as many pullets to provide eggs during same interval and a couple of expendable dom cocks to keep hawks off chicks. Hens will on average have to do slightly over 2 broods to get desired results based on success rates for last three years. I have got to improve hatch / survival rates. The games do 2 to 3X better.
I will be making lots of work related trips this winter and my wife will not be able to do a lot of extra helping because she works, sometimes on the road, and we have two small children. As of tonight all birds will be confined and electrified fencing will be upgraded. Dogs will have to be taught new access points so they can get in to deal with owls working pens. This will provide opportunity to prep ground for the next production season since pens will be run over the dense cheat grass patches that seems to die after birds work on it for a few days. Pens will be tightened up in a line to prevent a smart fox from working perimeter and also make a choke point so dogs have much better odds of catching him if he tries. I will also be upgrading the production season roosts for the American Dominiques so more of the hens can be used as broodies this coming year. I want to have six hens devoted to rearing chicks so objective is to get 60 hen reared American Dominiques by fall of 2014. I have roughly twice as many pullets to provide eggs during same interval and a couple of expendable dom cocks to keep hawks off chicks. Hens will on average have to do slightly over 2 broods to get desired results based on success rates for last three years. I have got to improve hatch / survival rates. The games do 2 to 3X better.
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