- Nov 23, 2013
- 1
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- 7
Good Afternoon!
My name is Paulette and instead of being a crazy cat lady, I am going the chicken route instead. I have 2 adult ducks, 3 adolescent ducks... I was hoping for a drake, 7 adult hens, 2 adolescent hens... at least I think they are hens. It's still a bit early to tell. I have been using this website like crazy lately since I think my adolescent chickies have marek's. It seems the rest of the batch (my adults) have already been exposed to it and are fine, but my babies didn't do so well (I used to have 4). Anyway, I've been on here so much looking at old forum posts that I thought I might as well join already.
So, my ladies...I let my ladies free roam, and all the neighbors talk to them (yes they talk to my chickens). My chickens come when I call... sometimes, unless they are very busy digging up the neighbors yard. They are not afraid of dogs much, and for some reason most dogs won't bother them. It's probably my guard ducks. They quack like those old Ah-oooo-gah horns whenever people or whatever come up to the house. Plus the ducks tend to go after dogs. Although one night I forgot to close up the coop and a fox got in and bit my duck on the neck, and I'm sure it was because she was guarding the coop. Luckily, my cousin was up drinking with friends and heard the duck quack with terror, and she scared the fox off. A little neosporin and a duck bandage around her neck and she was fine. Although now they really appreciate their coop, and will quack at night if I forget to close the door.
I was thinking about getting geese but am not sure if they could handle the lifestyle that my ladies currently enjoy. I mean, I don't think my neighbors would like it much if they come out to say hi to the geese and the geese attack them. I have never had geese, and am still a chicken novice really, so am looking for some advice, some how-to's and some lovely chicken stories.
Anyway, here are some of my ladies. Blacky Lawless is driving me to the store right here. There is one of my duckies. My backyard, well at least the part not reserved for chickens. My dog, who is slightly afraid of the chickens. And the last one is the coop I built that extends a foot and a half into the ground and yes I body slammed it just to make sure it would work, and my chicken run. Every morning I let them out of the coop before I go to work and every night they just go into their coop on their own and I shut the door.
My name is Paulette and instead of being a crazy cat lady, I am going the chicken route instead. I have 2 adult ducks, 3 adolescent ducks... I was hoping for a drake, 7 adult hens, 2 adolescent hens... at least I think they are hens. It's still a bit early to tell. I have been using this website like crazy lately since I think my adolescent chickies have marek's. It seems the rest of the batch (my adults) have already been exposed to it and are fine, but my babies didn't do so well (I used to have 4). Anyway, I've been on here so much looking at old forum posts that I thought I might as well join already.
So, my ladies...I let my ladies free roam, and all the neighbors talk to them (yes they talk to my chickens). My chickens come when I call... sometimes, unless they are very busy digging up the neighbors yard. They are not afraid of dogs much, and for some reason most dogs won't bother them. It's probably my guard ducks. They quack like those old Ah-oooo-gah horns whenever people or whatever come up to the house. Plus the ducks tend to go after dogs. Although one night I forgot to close up the coop and a fox got in and bit my duck on the neck, and I'm sure it was because she was guarding the coop. Luckily, my cousin was up drinking with friends and heard the duck quack with terror, and she scared the fox off. A little neosporin and a duck bandage around her neck and she was fine. Although now they really appreciate their coop, and will quack at night if I forget to close the door.
I was thinking about getting geese but am not sure if they could handle the lifestyle that my ladies currently enjoy. I mean, I don't think my neighbors would like it much if they come out to say hi to the geese and the geese attack them. I have never had geese, and am still a chicken novice really, so am looking for some advice, some how-to's and some lovely chicken stories.
Anyway, here are some of my ladies. Blacky Lawless is driving me to the store right here. There is one of my duckies. My backyard, well at least the part not reserved for chickens. My dog, who is slightly afraid of the chickens. And the last one is the coop I built that extends a foot and a half into the ground and yes I body slammed it just to make sure it would work, and my chicken run. Every morning I let them out of the coop before I go to work and every night they just go into their coop on their own and I shut the door.
We'd frequently have to launch the birds back over! 
and Welcome to BYC! Looks like Blacky Lawless is enjoying her Learners Permit. Sorry about your chicks, that Mareks can be nasty. Your birds have a nice area to roam.
