INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Leahs Mom]

But then...we freak out and put them in jail which is not as healthy a way to raise them.

Trying to find a balance is the thing. I can do electronet to try to keep dogs out during the day and hopefully provide the largest area possible for them.

But for me (and Sally, I don't know how many you have but my flock is small) the loss of one bird to a hawk is huge. I only had 2 SFH pullets and 1 Cockerel. Now I only have 1 pullet and 1 cockerel with one full sfh chick (8 wks) that looks like a female at this point and a "mini replica" of her mother that was lost in the attack.

I also have my original 6 hatchery ladies....total altogether is 8 females, 1 male, and 3 eight week old chicks.

So losing just one is a pretty high percentage.

 

[kabhyper1]

We put 2 owl decoys on our fence posts, and fishing line strung between the trees across the pasture about 2 months ago. I have seen hawks fly over, but I have noticed as the roosters are ushering the hens into the coop, the hawk looks confused. No good way to swoop in. So far It is working pretty well. As far as nigh time predators go, I went to Wally World and bought the solar string lights, and solar landscaping spotlights. I have them strung across the coop roofs, and the spotlights aim at the back of the coops, where the predators would come from. (the woods) Then I found those little as seen on tv LED motion lights. I have them on the side of the coops so that if something walks up at night they light up very bright. I have, so far anyway, not seen any footprints or other signs of anything trying to get in. Our coops are also covered in hardware cloth as opposed to chicken wire. Just some things that we have found that seem to help.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

But then...we freak out and put them in jail which is not as healthy a way to raise them.

Trying to find a balance is the thing.  I can do electronet to try to keep dogs out during the day and hopefully provide the largest area possible for them. 

But for me (and Sally, I don't know how many you have but my flock is small) the loss of one bird to a hawk is huge.  I only had 2 SFH pullets and 1 Cockerel.  Now I only have 1 pullet and 1 cockerel with one full sfh chick (8 wks) that looks like a female at this point and a "mini replica" of her mother that was lost in the attack.

I also have my original 6 hatchery ladies....total altogether is 8 females, 1 male, and 3 eight week old chicks. 

So losing just one is a pretty high percentage.

i do have to admit with having now 66 chickens it is not effect your flock that much if you have a surplus of that breed, but still equally devastating, or at least to me it is. I have only lost 2 birds to hawks all the other u have lost to either coyotes or dogs(well and a few illnesses here and there).but havingmore chickens disent nescisarily make it easier to lose one. even evil omes i feel bad when i lose

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Agreed! I have my free ranging egg flock, they provide our familys eggs and the roosters are for food.
Even they are cooped at night and have a daytime run if I am not home, otherwise all free range.
My birds that are meant as breeding project birds, like my Lavender Orps are different.
Same for my BAs, I am very choosy on the ones I keep to breed.
I keep them safe and well contained unless I am standing there.
Extra roos from the project birds join the main flock if they aren't exceptional.
I make sure all the birds have time to free range, and stretch those wings.
If we don't, how are we much better than production farms?

 

[Leahs Mom]

We put 2 owl decoys on our fence posts, and fishing line strung between the trees across the pasture about 2 months ago. I have seen hawks fly over, but I have noticed as the roosters are ushering the hens into the coop, the hawk looks confused. No good way to swoop in. So far It is working pretty well. As far as nigh time predators go, I went to Wally World and bought the solar string lights, and solar landscaping spotlights. I have them strung across the coop roofs, and the spotlights aim at the back of the coops, where the predators would come from. (the woods) Then I found those little as seen on tv LED motion lights. I have them on the side of the coops so that if something walks up at night they light up very bright. I have, so far anyway, not seen any footprints or other signs of anything trying to get in. Our coops are also covered in hardware cloth as opposed to chicken wire. Just some things that we have found that seem to help.

I'd love to see a photo of your fishing line. How large a width did you string it?

We've talked about doing some similar things in a couple of areas that are open. It sounds like you covered a huge gap!

 

[Leahs Mom]

Oh...and I don't mean to downplay the loss even in a larger flock! It is just sickening to find a bird has been attacked - no matter how many others there are.

 

[Mother2Hens]

I don't know why there have been comments about the thread running slowly-- I missed one day/night and have plenty to catch up on!

browncow~ The meme you posted of the anxious kitty shadowed by a peacock reminded me of the same scenario with chickens intimidating my cats. My cats get really nervous when they want in the door FAST before the chickens peck them! My usual "fraidy cat" Adeline, the huge Jubilee Orp, actually chased my black cat down the hill yesterday. I had never seen her act the least bit aggressive before. I hope it was empowering for her. Hahahaha
lilmizcareall~ Congrats on completing your coop before wintertime! Post pics when you can.
Originally Posted by toodlesmom
Mother2Hens - I think you should consider writing and illustrating a book for children called "The Orps and the Five Mean Hens".

toodlesmom~ Haha! I'll put that on my list. I'd like to illustrate a book based on funny/unique BYC Indiana posts.
Re: Mr. & Ms. Bourbon Red Turkey
jchny posted: She is coming around very well, thanks for asking! they both are, and the tom is really sweet.
He finally gobbled for me the other day, and set all the other toms off, it was hilarious! Dueling gobblers

jchny~ That reminds me of pginsber's youtube turkey video where they all chime in at once. Isn't that what guineas also do? -- to the extreme?
Your place must look like a feather pillow factory if you have so many molters at once! I had to buy my store eggs for the first time in over a year. I bought (supposedly) "organic-free range" ones--to use in recipes, but the yolks were yellow, not gold. Luckily RIR Nene and BR Tweedy are still laying.
strssdmom~ Your chicken eating mice story doesn't surprise me. I think it was last spring when I was doing yard work and dug up a skink. Before I could respond, a chicken grabbed it, slammed it down and started pecking. Another chicken tried to grab the skink out of the first chicken's mouth and of course the tail came right off! Both chickens hurriedly gobbled down their prizes. I was horrified for the poor skink!

 

[SallyinIndiana]

But then...we freak out and put them in jail which is not as healthy a way to raise them.

Trying to find a balance is the thing. I can do electronet to try to keep dogs out during the day and hopefully provide the largest area possible for them.

But for me (and Sally, I don't know how many you have but my flock is small) the loss of one bird to a hawk is huge. I only had 2 SFH pullets and 1 Cockerel. Now I only have 1 pullet and 1 cockerel with one full sfh chick (8 wks) that looks like a female at this point and a "mini replica" of her mother that was lost in the attack.

I also have my original 6 hatchery ladies....total altogether is 8 females, 1 male, and 3 eight week old chicks.

So losing just one is a pretty high percentage.

Right now I have 2 female ducks, 3 RIR pullets almost to laying age, 4 RIR Roos, 1 sumatra roo, and then about 5 mixed mutts 2 of which are roosters. 5 meaties. Then I have more female chicks than I care to admit of hatchery stock. Somehow the hatchery stock while still having meaning just don't have as much emotional value to me as the others. But right now all of the ones old enough to be outside are in the same coop. And while the littlest ones are separated from the others, I just don't feel too great about letting anyone out of the covered area yet. But there is mulch, gravel, and green grass under the net. I have increased their food as I can tell there are not as many bugs for them to catch in there. But I lost every older rooster I had earlier this summer leaving me with no way to hatch eggs of my chickens. So I am overly cautious right now as the time to start getting eggs is approaching for my RIR.

Oh...and I don't mean to downplay the loss even in a larger flock! It is just sickening to find a bird has been attacked - no matter how many others there are.

The loss can have more of a dramatic impact on the smaller flock as a higher percentage of the flock is now missing. It can even halt fertile eggs for a long time. I know with the HRIR, there is a breeding season followed by a 7 month growout that can take as much as 9 months if the food is lower protein or a slow line is chosen. so if I were to lose all of one gender of my RIR now I would need to get on a waiting list for chicks starting to hatch in Feb but those lists are filling fast so I might get chicks in May that might lay by November if the cold does not stop any laying before then. But is next year I have say 25 RIR and lose 3 RIR hens it would not delay my RIR flock by a whole year just impact my breeder choices and decrease my egg / meat intake.

 

[strssdmom]

Does anyone on here breed and sell golden laced and/or silver laced wyandottes?

I am looking for a good source for chicks this coming spring. I am wanting 6 of each. I would prefer 5 pullets and 1 rooster of each silver and gold.

If you have any information on who breeds and sells them please let me know.

Thank you!

 

[kabhyper1]

Okay LeahsMom, here is our setup. I did it in panorama, so it doesn't look exactly like this. Our coop sits at an angle, and the pasture isn't that wide, but between the coop and the tree we have a very heavy weight (couldn't tell you what) fishing line strung. Then from the tree to a tree behind where I was standing, and back to the coop. Sort of in a triangle. I also have it by where the blue tarps are by the barn in between the trees because that's where our hawk attack was this summer. There is a owl decoy right behind those tarps on a fence post, and one at the far end of the pasture. In case you were wondering, the plastic and tarps are only there for the winter, for wind breaks.

On a side note, Lavender and the kids have full run inside the coop right now, to teach the little ones how to use the ramp in the run, and where they will sleep eventually. The rest of the flock isn't super happy about being shut out, but they don't need to be in there right now anyway.