INCUBATING w/FRIENDS! w/Sally Sunshine Shipped Eggs No problem!

[ChickenCanoe]

Thanks,but I did not write the description, I lifted from another site, I updated my post to include the link.

Is it safe to assume that the hundreds of holes drilled in logs were for mushroom plugs?

Congratulations on your hatch!

Yes, you are safe in your assumption.

 

[BullChick]

Confused by something I just said? Of course it matters. What is it?

Oh, no! I am confused by the habits of critters.

So far the only predators I've had attack were the Hawks in my Silkie pen. That pen is now totally secure - from Hawks. Not much else. My laying hens are locked up ok. My babies are the most secure. A real door, then cages inside the coop. But, if an animal is determined, I'm sure they could get into all my coops.


@MotorcycleChick I'm really sorry for your loss. I left the carcasses that the hawks had killed, down near where the coyotes hang out. They were gone within hours. The first ones I didnt' know why they died, I shipped off for testing. For the babies that have died, and eggs that don't hatch I burying them in my compost bin.

Hi Everyone!

I've gotten rid of, or planned a location to move my chickens to for about 1/2 of them. I still have a lot to get rid of....it's slow going. Not many people want chickens right now. I brought 10 more roosters out to the place I've been bringing my others, and they couldn't take them. I'm still not ready to try to process them. Some of them are WAY, way too pretty to eat!!!!

Yes, an animal can get into some places that no one would imagine.
Thank you. I wish I could fins a good place for a compost pile. I was actually thinking about it again this morning. I don't like the idea of shoveling it into one of those fancy city slicker compost bins, but it is always an option. I just cleaned out a coop a bit ago. All that bedding is spread thin, and will merge with the ground The grass will grow well. I don't dare let it be an eyesore for anyone choosing to be picky about my property.
I processed some pretty boys. I had to look elsewhere. Such a shame.

 

[Saris]

How goes things?

you've been lurking for awhile, trying for a read back?? 
is your hatch done?

I've been good, minus the fact that a coon killed 5 cockerels and 1 pullet of mine. My hatch was over about 5 weeks ago. I had 6 little black Ams hatch out. Super cute.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Well, also, good chance it may be a skunk if not a raccoon. I'd rather just have secure coops (which I should have anyway) than trying to cope with a skunk in a trap right before going to work in the morning.

Also, I already know there are a LOT of small nocturnal critters that pass through all the time. I'm not thinking it's a reasonable goal to relocate all the urban raccoons, skunks, and stray cats in my area one by one... Could become a full time job...

So I just want to be sure the coops are safe. As @ChickenCanoe always says, assume there is an army of raccoons in your yard every night, and secure the chickens accordingly.

But if it begins to look like I have a specific problem nocturnal animal, I may very well buy a trap. I'm going to secure the paddock fencing more tightly tonight and then see what happens. I'm hoping it's just critters after water.

- Ant Farm

Lots of predators. Well put.
If one doesn't have trail cams around their property or spends nights out in a blind with night vision glasses, they just don't know.

Yea I'm always worried I'll catch a skunk in mine as well. I don't set my trap unless I know something has been trying to get in the run. My runs are just fencing with no roof but my coops are secure. I know raccoons and possums are in the area because I've trapped them before. I also know I can't remove all the predators.

A lady on here from Maine catches skunks in her traps frequently.
You're right. You'll never remove them all. I really don't want to. Except for raccoons and coyotes, the rest of the animals were here before me and my chickens. We are the invasive species.

I have yet to buy a trap, because it seemed like an unneeded expense for the past 4+ years. Apparently, I will be buying one.
There is nothing wrong with any of your ideas, but I must say that this is my first attack in all these years. You were saying that your method has worked for you for several years as well. Things happen. I will not feel like crap for this. Had I closed the coop, the boys (and apparently girl) would not of been sleeping on the pop door.
I am confused by many things. But they don't matter. I will be fixing the door today, and will be locking the pop door.

If anyone should feel like crap, it would be me.
I hate thinking about the animals I've lost due to my mistakes. All I can do every day is to try and do better.
It is much different securing 8 or more housing units than A coop.
I've gone a year between attacks and became lax about locking up at dusk. Rest assured, eventually predators will find dinner at your expense.

Be cautious when buying traps. I've used 3 live traps. The hav-a-hart I currently have plus a very good trap I rented from the Dept. of Conservation and a cheap trap I bought from harbor freight. The cheap trap was torn apart by a raccoon the first night I used it. I took the pieces back and got a refund.
While I've caught dozens of raccoons in the Hav-a-Hart, I've had dozens more avoid or escape it. I'll keep it and still use it but that trap isn't the best approach and will only catch rookies. It only catches the animals that are unenlightened. A big raccoon can go in, leaving its butt in the doorway, reach and eat the bait and back out without being caught. Others with experience will avoid the trap completely. Those are the types of animals are exactly the ones that are killing the bulk of our animals.

The best trap for raccoons is a duke leg trap. You can buy 6 of them for the price of a decent live trap.
It's about doing homework. This exact trap from Flemming for $13 is $150 from Cabela's.
You can buy 6 of them for under $11 each and they work so much better than a live trap. If you set 6 or 10 of them each night, you'll catch most of your coons in the course of a week.
When coons come through your property en masse and one gets caught in a box trap, they're all immediately trained to avoid it.

http://www.flemingtraps.com/duke-do...roductsearch&gclid=CMG2o86ons4CFQIPaQodarcApA

You are absolutely right - you should not feel like crap for this, so good for you.

Things do happen. We just try to learn from them so that it doesn't happen again due to the same reason (though new ones then come along). I am thankful for everyone on BYC who has ever posted about loss of birds to predators, because it is a way for many of us to learn from others' experiences and hopefully avoid losses ourselves. (For example, I've never lost any due to a digging predator, because I read enough posts about predators digging to get into coops that I put a hardware cloth apron around everything when I built.)

- Ant Farm

If one were to raise chickens their entire lives and not lost a bird to predators in an unsecured housing situation, they must live on a small island where predators don't exist.

 

[BullChick]

"Grr No Peep" passed away about an hour ago. That didn't surprise me. Her brother dying about half an hour later did. He was peeping, and took vitamins without a problem. He was able to get up some, and move around. Oh well. I still have ten new chicks and four eggs to hatch. There are two SPR pullets in with the rest of the flock. I only need (1,000 should do it! LOL) six girls and two boys. The boys are more difficult to pick. Of the three dead, only one was looking good for a breeder.
One boy will get to play husband, and the other will stay with the main flock until he is needed. Or, a bachelor pad if I thin down the main flock too much. Regardless, I want an extra. Now more than ever.
I am not feeling bad about this morning or the chicks in the incubator. The shock wore off, and I am fine. I got some stuff done I have been needing to do. It is still early enough. I may go back out (or check DH's tool box) to find the right bit today. Otherwise, I am proud of the "I don't wanna!" chores I got done.

 

[BullChick]

Lots of predators. Well put.
If one doesn't have trail cams around their property or spends nights out in a blind with night vision glasses, they just don't know.



A lady on here from Maine catches skunks in her traps frequently.
You're right. You'll never remove them all. I really don't want to. Except for raccoons and coyotes, the rest of the animals were here before me and my chickens. We are the invasive species.

If anyone should feel like crap, it would be me.
I hate thinking about the animals I've lost due to my mistakes. All I can do every day is to try and do better.
It is much different securing 8 or more housing units than A coop.
I've gone a year between attacks and became lax about locking up at dusk. Rest assured, eventually predators will find dinner at your expense.

Be cautious when buying traps. I've used 3 live traps. The hav-a-hart I currently have plus a very good trap I rented from the Dept. of Conservation and a cheap trap I bought from harbor freight. The cheap trap was torn apart by a raccoon the first night I used it. I took the pieces back and got a refund.
While I've caught dozens of raccoons in the Hav-a-Hart, I've had dozens more avoid or escape it. I'll keep it and still use it but that trap isn't the best approach and will only catch rookies. It only catches the animals that are unenlightened. A big raccoon can go in, leaving its butt in the doorway, reach and eat the bait and back out without being caught. Others with experience will avoid the trap completely. Those are the types of animals are exactly the ones that are killing the bulk of our animals.

The best trap for raccoons is a duke leg trap. You can buy 6 of them for the price of a decent live trap.
It's about doing homework. This exact trap from Flemming for $13 is $150 from Cabela's.
You can buy 6 of them for under $11 each and they work so much better than a live trap. If you set 6 or 10 of them each night, you'll catch most of your coons in the course of a week.
When coons come through your property en masse and one gets caught in a box trap, they're all immediately trained to avoid it.

http://www.flemingtraps.com/duke-do...roductsearch&gclid=CMG2o86ons4CFQIPaQodarcApA


If one were to raise chickens their entire lives and not lost a bird to predators in an unsecured housing situation, they must live on a small island where predators don't exist.

LOL! Do you recommend the raccoon urine? Seriously, are any of the three lures worth it? I may have more questions, but that is it for now.

 

[Chaos18]

I've been good, minus the fact that a coon killed 5 cockerels and 1 pullet of mine. My hatch was over about 5 weeks ago. I had 6 little black Ams hatch out. Super cute.

Congrats on the hatch. Sorry to hear about the coon problem.

 

[kwhites634]

Quote: Hope you haven't been too good; got to have a little bit of fun, after all

 

[ChickenCanoe]

LOL! Do you recommend the raccoon urine? Seriously, are any of the three lures worth it? I may have more questions, but that is it for now.

IMHO, it is all about the bait. The lures don't hurt. I have one of the sweet lures an may not have given it enough of a chance. Some trappers swear by the effectiveness of mini marshmallows. I use canned mackerel. It is cheap, stinky and tasty.

I think the lures would be more effective for weasels and mink. That said, I'm not a lifelong professional trapper, I've just trapped a lot.

A friend of mine that had trapped a lot and read all the literature on trapping told me to disguise my scent and raccoon urine was one of the things he recommended. I say that is nonsense. It is good advice in remote rural areas where humans are rarely encountered. It makes no difference in an urban, suburban or farm setting where your scent is already all over everything and the raccoons ignore that to break in to eat your animals.
If human scent mattered, why would raccoons enter doggy doors at night to eat a dog's food?

 

[BullChick]

Hey, Jennifer! It looks like you are trying to read through the thread. Goodness, I hope you are just watching us post. Catching up will drive you crazy!
Anyway, hello, and welcome to BYC! @JenniferDuBay