Illinois...

[Tortoise]

Glad your girls are safe. This is the hardest time of year. The camera sounds like a good idea. Usually cats learn to stay clear of full-sized chickens. We have a few that roam the area & I've seen them watch from a fence about 100' away. They have never come any closer and certainly never ventured into our yard.

I think with only having 2 the cat wont be scared off. I think the cat attack might have been more of a play time for the cat. If I wouldn't have seen all the feathers on the ground I wouldn't had known anything happened. I dont think the cat meant to do harm or I'm sure she would have been dead.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Plus her new bed needs the cover washed because I think it stinks as she has this habit of laying in the sun(she's black) until her insides cook and then coming in the house smelling and if roast dog smells like that hot mess than I can't imagine why any people anywhere would eat them. LoL

Only Spitzer is alive. She was standing over Double-Stuff's body making crying noises

Oh no! Not double stuff too!

If she gives me Spitzer, would you like her? (She was the best one we hatched this summer. )

Of course I'll take her. My only concern would be her integrating by herself. She may be ok if she sticks with the two spitz chicks. They are slowly integrating into the main flock. Its not jake or jasper, but rather the mean nasty hen antics. They like to nitpick at the younger ones. Jake is like yay I can handle another girl.....

Jaspers going to the indoor mini coop as soon as i can get it ready. With snow on the way I'd better get busy. But his time in the "wild" has done nothing good for his personality. I tried to pick him up and all i got was a mini cock fighter who scratched me. Its going to be a LONG winter. .

 

[Faraday40]

Jaspers going to the indoor mini coop as soon as i can get it ready. With snow on the way I'd better get busy. But his time in the "wild" has done nothing good for his personality. I tried to pick him up and all i got was a mini cock fighter who scratched me. Its going to be a LONG winter. .

I'm sure Jasper will go back to being your tame rooster again. He just needs to spend a few days inside to be reminded of the "good life." Once it's just Phoe & baby, he won't have to prove himself.

Even Teddy's personality is different inside vs out. When outside & in charge of the hens, he's Mr Big Shot & doesn't want to cuddle. When inside the house, he can't get enough quality time with DD.

 

[homeschoolin momma]

Sigh...my front yard. Luckily DS got it mowed before it all hit.

Hope jasper doesnt drown on the way back to the coop! Fly boy fly!

 

[Faraday40]

Sigh...my front yard. Luckily DS got it mowed before it all hit.View attachment 1944695 Hope jasper doesnt drown on the way back to the coop! Fly boy fly!View attachment 1944697
View attachment 1944698

I'll start to worry if your DH starts building an ark.

 

[Molpet]

About half of the turkeys went in the coop. Hope they don't get sick

Had a rat trap in a box to catch Chipmunks in the garden. It was in the yard this morning. A mouse leg in the trap and coon prints on the box.

 

[Faraday40]

Had a rat trap in a box to catch Chipmunks in the garden. It was in the yard this morning. A mouse leg in the trap and coon prints on the box.

But I bet the raccoon thought, "Thanks! A free boxed lunch!"

 

[Faraday40]

DD did well in her play tonight. (Her role was one of 2 angelic sisters.)

 

[Faraday40]

I hope everyone's drying out after last night's rain.

I was getting a bit nervous about Coge's eggs. I thought they were due Th night -Fri night, but the cold temps delayed them a little. The 1st chick out hatched last night around 10pm. (I went out to check on the chickens after DD's play.) Sadly, that little one was dead by morning, but a 2nd chick had hatched before 8am. Sometime this afternoon, a 3rd chick hatched. I moved the little mama, her 2 surviving chicks, & last remaining egg inside. I'm doubtful that the last egg will hatch, because one egg looked a little behind in development. However, we're happy to have 2 chicks for this 1st time mommy.

Her new cage for the next couple weeks:


Some pretty pullet pics


....and the new chicks.
Older one is yellow & fluffy. The younger one looks more white & slightly damp.



She's happily "talking" to her babies. I love hearing all their little noises, so for now I'm happy to have them in the house.

 

[Justso]

Hello all my friends

Night before last was a very bad night here. Sadly.

Unfortunately after months of being in the hardware cloth sided tractors that have always been safe we had what appears to have been a mink attack. The first one in as long as I can remember.

It was storming out(its usually raining when they attack from our experiences probably because they're semi-aquatic). After the storm we went out about 9 pm to lock up and do bed check chores.

Unfortunately the mink found a small crack the birds had made under the tractor even though we move them regularly. The tractor it got into was housing several juvenile chickens, my favorite rooster Buddy, and all of this year's juvenile turkeys.

There was still a turkey in the death throes when we got out there. 7 turkeys and 2 chickens all gone. Only one of this year's poults survived the attack.

Unfortunately the turkeys lost included the two calicos from this year.

The worst is that we were planning to empty the tractors out the next night as we had to postpone due to the rain.

DH has found some more slates to replace those we lost. If anyone has spare calico jennies please let me know.

Really, very sorry to hear about your loss. I too lost all adult hens but one in years past in almost the same situation. It's so very hard to think that we have mink running around, but there you go the proof is in the result.
I hope you can get replenished soon.