Illinois...

[Faraday40]

My bee stings and bites have healed, but the arthropod population is growing like crazy. Two of my neighbors have had similar yellow jacket attacks with multiple stings. Nest door is having an epic battle with ants. I'm seeing a lot more grasshoppers/locust this year. The spiders are feasting and getting big fast.

Speaking of spiders.... I noticed they're trying for bigger prey.
Looks like one is trying to catch a child instead of insects.

DS thinks it's cool so doesn't want to wreck it.

 

[Faraday40]

My shadow. She likes to follow me around when I'm cleaning the coop. (Mostly waiting for me to fill the feed bowl.)

Best Buddies. This odd couple is always together. They have opposite personalities. One likes to forage, the other likes her food bowl. One likes to fly up onto tree branches, the other sleeps below them. Thankfully Orpingtons are sort of lazy and not very bright. A short simple fence is enough to contain orps. They can't fly over and don't want to squeeze under. By association, the Spitzhauben never leaves the yard. Both also like to cuddle.

* In the background is Tyrion= my 10 year old Easter Egger!!

 

[cavemanrich]

Nest door is having an epic battle with ants.

I control my ant issues with Borax.,,, (the laundry product).
Non toxic option, since I have chickens, and grandchildren. Insecticides, and herbicides are things that I do not use. I do not use Weed, and Feed, but Fertilizer only on my lawn.
So back to ant control.
I sprinkle a generous amount of it on top of ant hills. Also into the cracks of the cement drive,, where ants also emerge. Works great to control them. Works as long as Borax stays dry, and powdery. Once rain washes it away,, it needs to be re-applied.
How it works..
Ants run thru the white powder. They do like to clean themselves,, so they eat the powder off their legs. Some of that powder gets tracked into the ants' burrow. Some of that does eventually reach the ants,, like Queen,
Borax,, (boric acid) when ingested, causes gastro-intestinal gas. (FART) Ants are not able to express a fart,, so they pop.
In the grassy backyard, I would place a quantity of about 1 tablespoon on top of each ant hill. Keep reapplying ,, until anthill no longer active.
On larger mounds,, increase Borax amount to reasonable quantities.
This will control the ants,,, but not totally kill all of them. That is quite a hard thing to accomplish..

 

[Molpet]

Living now in Cooper Hawk Territory. This is an infant, that we rescued from a bush. (was stuck there.) Placed onto a tree branch.
There are 3 young, and 2 adults.
They are not moving on anywhere. We had a family of Red Tail Hawks, living about a block away. Their tree was cut down due to being dead, so maybe the Reds moved on. Coopers filled in the gap. I now keep my chickens,, Banties in an enclosure during the day.

View attachment 3234188View attachment 3234189
Tent, Screen house, plus a combination of dog cages placed together.
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The Large fowl chickens, I still let them roam free when I'm in the backyard doing things. They always hang near brush cover anyways.
@Faraday40 ,,,, yes,, that is where the cuties spend their days,, provided its good weather. and I slip in the other bantams in with them.

I'm glad I haven't found young raptors while I had chickens. Would be a difficult choice for me.
If I take it to a wildlife rehabber, to get it away from my poultry, but there would still be the rest of them anyway and I would break up a family

 

[silkie1234]

Hello fellow Illinoisans!

Is anyone interested in two Silkie roosters ? They are in need of a new home.


It appears I am unable to edit the other post, but they are free/for donation.

I'm located near O'hare airport in Chicago, IL.

 

[Molpet]

@Molpet
what do you think of this one? Male? Female? I feel it's much smaller than last years turkey.View attachment 3217050View attachment 3217051View attachment 3217052
Do you need any more girls? Do you want to do a tom/hen swap?

My jakes from may 5th are loosing the breast feathers that are white tipped
Can you tell what this one is yet?

I do have extra jakes, if that one is a hen you could sell it, take my jake and raise me a jake next year lol

 

[homeschoolin momma]

My jakes from may 5th are loosing the breast feathers that are white tipped
Can you tell what this one is yet?

I do have extra jakes, if that one is a hen you could sell it, take my jake and raise me a jake next year lol

Still not sure, but now leaning male. Likes to talk, but completely wild. Sleeps in the tree. Gets stuck on the wrong side of pasture. Just kinda on the stupid side. But getting taller and larger

 

[sassysecretary519]

Hi friends! Looking for a home for a bonded breeding pair of Easter Eggers. I’m in unincorporated Will County (southwestern Chicago suburbs) and we can’t have roosters (ordered all females, but you know how that goes.) These two seem to have bonded, so I’d like to keep them together. Both hatched April 2, 2022. Possible bantam mix - she’s on the smaller side, and I’m finding little eggs in the nesting box. Please message me or text if interested - seven zero eight seven seventy sixteen eighty-one.

 

[juliebee]

Good morning,
im looking for a coronation Sussex rooster. I got a pair in Mattoon at Rural King and my rooster sadly didn’t make it. If anyone has one for me that would be fantastic! Brenda is missing her a boyfriend
Julie

 

[instar8]

Hi friends! Looking for a home for a bonded breeding pair of Easter Eggers. I’m in unincorporated Will County (southwestern Chicago suburbs) and we can’t have roosters (ordered all females, but you know how that goes.) These two seem to have bonded, so I’d like to keep them together. Both hatched April 2, 2022. Possible bantam mix - she’s on the smaller side, and I’m finding little eggs in the nesting box. Please message me or text if interested - seven zero eight seven seventy sixteen eighty-one.