INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Momma 2 silkies]

Took a few more pictures of my week old chicks. I was wondering if 1 of them might be a sizzle.

what do you all think of the chick in the first picture? Could it be a sizzle?

 

[ellymayRans]

Took a few more pictures of my week old chicks. I was wondering if 1 of them might be a sizzle.
what do you all think of the chick in the first picture? Could it be a sizzle?

The true "Sizzle" *cross between silkie & frizzled cochin* will have all of the characteristics of a Silkie (5toes, blue skin, walnut comb, blue earlobes) with either "frizzled" or "smooth" feathering. I can see that the chick in the first pic appears to have the start of frizzled feathering but that is all.

 

[Mother2Hens]

I've not seen mine eat a mouse but...I never would have thought they eat frogs... My poor little 3 year old this summer was playing around the backyard and come running to show me this little toad he had caught. So I praise him and he goes on his way to continue playing...not but minutes later he was just a squalling!! Scared me at first then he was yelling at our Dominique... that little stinker had come right up and snatched that little toad out of his hand and ran with it...of course then you had all of the girls chasing her trying to get it! I felt aweful laughing since my son was crying but I couldn't help it!!! It was just too crazy!

Since there has been discussion about chickens eating mice, toads, etc... in January, I was doing some yard work and had my hens with me of course. I did some digging in a mulch pile, and about a foot down in the cold mud was a skink lizard! My assertive RIR Nene immediately grabbed it and ran off with it. Then Tweedy, my BR, grabbed it from her, and the bright blue tail came off in Nene's mouth. She was intrigued and ate it (not realizing that part of her prize was missing) while Tweedy repeatedly threw the skink down, pecked it, picked it up and threw it down. Eventually it was in two pieces and she ate both. It's interesting that they have never seen a skink before but they knew it was ok to eat. I felt bad for the skink, but living down in the cold mud wasn't a good life. It was warmer in Tweedy's stomach.

 

[Mother2Hens]

Another note about mice and cats. We have three cats (all male neutered), two were adopted from former owners (one had claws removed), and one showed up on our back deck one day. They all are indoor/outdoor, and are afraid of the hens (after being pecked on the nose). Even the cat with no front claws can climb trees. He just gets a running start and can go right up a tree. Anyway, they are great hunters and catch mostly mice and shrews. An adopted female cat we had that had her claws front previously removed (had to put her to sleep recently) was also a great mouser and climber.

To animallover, I am sure there are free cats available in your area. Try to find a couple of outdoor cats that have been spayed/neutered and have had rabies shots at least. The only problem I could see is if the new cat(s) started fighting with your current cats. I agree that I would stay away from using poisons because it's just too risky that your pets could get into it or even eat a poisoned mouse.

 

[hogster160]

mouse trap- take a 5 gallon bucket, a hard wire( like a coat hanger) and a pop can. Attach pop can or any othercylinder shape object and by putting the wire through the can lengthwise, make sure the can can spin fairly easy. Place pop can across the bucket, so the can is somewhat centered. Smear a lil peanut butter around the can and make a little ramp to the edge of the bucket. The mice will jump from the edge of the bucket onto the can, the can spins and they fall into the bottom of the bucket. If you wanna kill the mice, just put a feww inches of water in the bottom, or leave it dry and toss the mice to your chickens.

I had caught many a mouse this way, until the chipmunks go in the garage. They were able to hop back out...so the taller the bucket, the better.

I found this idea to appeal to me. Mice outside for us is normal, well now it is. Mr Kitty is 20 y.o, and not too many teeth left. He will still catch a mouse, but has to be in the mood for it. So for the first time in 20 years, I've had a mouse in my house. Well more like a couple. My poor indoor kitty really has no clue what to do with them. So he plays. And sometimes its more of a catch and release. And sometimes its results in a dead mouse. So I will make of some of these buckets, for in the crawls space and garage, and see if that stops them from coming in. I want my indoor kitty to do his thing, so he will still be relied upon lol inside, and if not, I'll make one for inside too.

I found this video online to see if its what you had described. Thanks so much for the idea!

Deb

 

[Mother2Hens]

Just fyi-- I ran across several articles about the sound devices that all had the same conclusion that they are probably not the best alternative.

1. Device Operation
   
   
   • Indoor devices plug into wall outlets and may have adjustable settings for frequency and sound-pattern. They work in areas between 500 and 3,500 square feet.
     Outdoor battery operated units can be effective up to 10,000 square feet. When stuck in the ground near crops and gardens, the sonic noise is supposed to chase away burrowing rodents.
   Safety
   
   
   • Humans won't be able to hear the ultrasonic pulses from a device, and pets like dogs and cats are usually not bothered by the noise. However, other pets like rabbits, mice and guinea pigs will likely be affected.
     Though the frequencies are inaudible to people, they can be heard by microphones and other electronic devices, and may interrupt clarity of sound when talking on the phone. It's also possible for these devices to cause muting in hearing aides. Signals from burglar alarm systems could be disrupted as well.
   Effectiveness
   
   
   • The Federal Trade Commission is dubious about the effectiveness of these gadgets as they are not guaranteed and don't always work. Other alternatives to controlling rodent pests without traps and chemical pesticides is to prevent rodent infestation by sealing cracks outside the home, and to eliminate any weedy growth near the house where they often hide.
     Animals can grow accustomed to an ultrasound device in a short amount of time. If the food and shelter that lured them in the first place is still available, the rodents will return. A benefit of these devices is that they can increase the effectiveness of trapping by changing the movement patterns of rodents so they can be herded into a trap.

 

[bradselig]

Chickens will definitely eat mice. Mine just got two yesterday. Of course I killed them and threw them out to the chickens. I DO NOT use poisons due to me having other animals. Don't want to risk it. I keep getting mice in the coop, which doesn't surprise me. Nice warm house, plenty of food, etc. the chickens never really see them run across he floor, but I usually get them with the shovel and them toss hem to the chickens.

I have also seen my hens catch a baby bird (must have fallen from the nest) and ate t after a few minutes of an intense game of keep away.

 

[Birdylady3]

Hi all! Well I did it! I finally got some chickens!

I got 3 bantams, 2 wyandottes,1 sex-link and 1 cornish rock and 2 blue swedish ducks

from tsc. Here are the pics, The are in this recycled pond tub for now. Will post vids later

Ashley in Indiana.

 

[Birdylady3]

Forgot to mention the bag my friend Chris made from the cat litter bag

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

Hi all! Well I did it! I finally got some chickens!

I got 3 bantams, 2 wyandottes,1 sex-link and 1 cornish rock and 2 blue swedish ducks

from tsc. Here are the pics, The are in this recycled pond tub for now. Will post vids later

Ashley in Indiana.

Congrats !!! Love you pond liner idea !!!