I had some roses arrive in the mail today. That is bare root rose plants. It seems awful early to be planting roses in southern Wisconsin yet. Can anyone advise me on this? We ordered them and they were supposed to come when it was okay to plant them but we're still getting down to the 30s and I don't want them to die.
Now for the other news. Ugh. We had a predator attack last night before lock up and bed check.
*******Warning this description gets pretty graphic!!
It would appear something actually entered the coop and drug out and killed a pullet right out front of the door. Note: it may have killed and then drug the pullet out.
The bird was intact except her head and neck had been pulled off. These lay beside her body. There was very little blood. We have in the past had problems with fox, coyote, possum, and one time with a raccoon.
Her crop may also have been taken I don't remember to be honest.
It was raining and it seems to be raining every time we have a mink attack but I'm not really sure. We set traps both leg hold and havaheart and hopefully we get something.
We will be building a mink trap asap.
We have seen our mink pick up and carry off carcasses. It also has never killed more than one bird a night if it still had access to the carcass of the first. Our raccoon attack was circumstantial evidence and only quail in a tractor coop were killed. We have very few if any resident raccoons as the area has been cleared for farming. I have only seen two raccoons while living here one of which was the sickly one that we suspect killed the quail that I put down last fall as it wasn't acting right and had no fear.
In truth I'm very frustrated and playing the if only game, though I'm trying not to. Like if only I had locked the birds up sooner but that isn't fully accurate because she may have been killed on her way to the coop. All I know is my flock is terrified.
Now for the other news. Ugh. We had a predator attack last night before lock up and bed check.
*******Warning this description gets pretty graphic!!
It would appear something actually entered the coop and drug out and killed a pullet right out front of the door. Note: it may have killed and then drug the pullet out.
The bird was intact except her head and neck had been pulled off. These lay beside her body. There was very little blood. We have in the past had problems with fox, coyote, possum, and one time with a raccoon.
Her crop may also have been taken I don't remember to be honest.
It was raining and it seems to be raining every time we have a mink attack but I'm not really sure. We set traps both leg hold and havaheart and hopefully we get something.
We will be building a mink trap asap.
We have seen our mink pick up and carry off carcasses. It also has never killed more than one bird a night if it still had access to the carcass of the first. Our raccoon attack was circumstantial evidence and only quail in a tractor coop were killed. We have very few if any resident raccoons as the area has been cleared for farming. I have only seen two raccoons while living here one of which was the sickly one that we suspect killed the quail that I put down last fall as it wasn't acting right and had no fear.
In truth I'm very frustrated and playing the if only game, though I'm trying not to. Like if only I had locked the birds up sooner but that isn't fully accurate because she may have been killed on her way to the coop. All I know is my flock is terrified.
Just try to secure everything the best you can...
DD's pretty upset & I'm feeling terrible. Sort of in shock actually. Between seeing all the fully formed dead chicks, the traumatic serama chick's death, and then not being able to share with people who would understand, made yesterday a long, rough day.
