INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[pginsber]

Now I have a concern I need advice about, I know allot of you have barn cats, house cats what ever cats, I'm not a real big fan of cats. I think they are pretty and all but when I was a kid I couldn't have 1 due to Allergies. So we have a cat that turned up some time ago, and DH likes her/him, he says she wont hurt nothing. Well I haven't found that to be false, but in the last week I have been finding eggs Eaten eggs, here there and yonder. Would a cat do that? And if so should I feed it to get it to stop, or just get rid of it? DH will be so upset.

I haven't known cats to eat eggs.That sounds more like an omnivore (opossum, raccoon, dog, fox, etc.). Are you pretty sure the cat's doing it, or is there a chance one of the other creatures could be doing it?

 

[tmarsh83]

Well that sucks. @jchnny2000.

Sadly I think it also answers what happened to my campine a month ago.

And the wife just texted me to inform me that our free-ranging yard cat is laying in the yard. It's dark when I leave in the morning, so I didn't see him this morning to take care of it.

 

[racinchickins]

Now I have a concern I need advice about, I know allot of you have barn cats, house cats what ever cats, I'm not a real big fan of cats. I think they are pretty and all but when I was a kid I couldn't have 1 due to Allergies. So we have a cat that turned up some time ago, and DH likes her/him, he says she wont hurt nothing. Well I haven't found that to be false, but in the last week I have been finding eggs Eaten eggs, here there and yonder. Would a cat do that? And if so should I feed it to get it to stop, or just get rid of it? DH will be so upset.

I doubt it's the cat. I've never heard of one eating eggs. The first culprit I'd look for is one of your chickens. If it isn't that, I'd guess small predator rat/opossum/raccoon. But since it is eggs only, I'd bet it's one of your chickens. I know that I've had several egg eaters in my flock, and their hard to identify. A lot of times, they don't leave any evidence, even eating the shell.

 

[chick rookie]

I haven't known cats to eat eggs.That sounds more like an omnivore (opossum, raccoon, dog, fox, etc.). Are you pretty sure the cat's doing it, or is there a chance one of the other creatures could be doing it?

I doubt it's the cat. I've never heard of one eating eggs. The first culprit I'd look for is one of your chickens. If it isn't that, I'd guess small predator rat/opossum/raccoon. But since it is eggs only, I'd bet it's one of your chickens. I know that I've had several egg eaters in my flock, and their hard to identify. A lot of times, they don't leave any evidence, even eating the shell.

I have not seen the cat eating them, I said cat cause it wasn't a problem till now and the only thing new around is the cat. At least that's what I thought until this morning when I told DH about it. He tells me its not HIS cat and that it might be the stray dog he has spotted 2 mornings in a row as he leaves for work!!!!!! Great now I have to watch my chickens extra well over another dang dog. I wish one of my GP's could stay out at night, he would take care of that fast!!
I have had raccoons and opossum eating eggs before but they have never took the eggs out of the coop, the floor of the coop was the farthest they ever made it. So that's why I went to the cat instead. The eggs are out in the yard, I even found 1 out in the horse pasture, with the Hawks coming in now I don't even let them out there anymore.
So I guess I better get off the cat. Before DH kills me... He really likes that cat?? Don't understand, you cant even get close to it. But ok.

 

[daskhan]

so i have a few maybe odd questions down south i lived in a big city but we had alot of the same criters but for instance i never heard it called an opossum only possum.. is there a difference and question two is if i was to hatch or buy turkey "chicks" ( are they still chicks as turkeys?) after they get to a "good size" do i still need to "pen" them up or can they roam around the yard and nearby woods? do they come home? also i cant post any update photos of the brooders anymore my phone finally decided it was retiring screen stopped working ugh...and that was were all my photos and posting came from right now im at the local library.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I say possum. But spell opossum. Technicalities.

 

[ChickCrazed]

First, my sincere and heartfelt condolences to @jchny2000 on your loss of Gonzo. What a beautiful tom!

In other news, I have been away a while because non-chicken things have taken priority. Plus, all my chickens are molting and even though we lit them up a couple of weeks ago (after production dropped to TWO eggs from a peak of 23 in mid-summer). Now we're up to 7-8. I have some younger girls that ought to get cracking by New Year's Day, thank goodness. My beautiful Cogburn now has a tail, though it's small. He just dumped his neck and tail. Weird. Looked like an aracauna (a REALLY big one) for weeks.

You who are local to Indy may have heard about the distemper "outbreak" at Animal Care and Control. They waived adoption fees, and DH and I had whispered about a D-O-G off and on for a few months. I think it's because we are really and truoly empty-nesters. Our daughter is a senior at U of Kentucky this year and left the nest for the last time over a year ago, so I'm a little lonely despite the cats and chickens. So here's our new rescue dog, Beavis (yes, as in Butthead), who has a history of running off. He was first adopted by a family who clearly spent a lot of time training him back in May, but he wound up in dog jail again in August. Now he's ours. He's a nut, but he makes me laugh every day. I adore my cats, but they aren't "funny." Beavis is entertaining. Photos below:






Beavis is a purebred (English) pointer, but his tail was docked (either somebody odd, or perhaps it was kinked during development) and he has one blue eye and one brown eye. I think he's just perfect the way he is. He knows a ton of commands. Heel is the only thing he does not do well. We're working on down-stay. He sits, speaks, shakes, and sit-stays well. He is an exuberant, friendly dog. He does not bother the cats, and he does not have access to the chickens. The first say, he charged the fence and tried to flush them, which they did not appreciate. We don't have a fenced yard, so he has a 30 foot diameter area ro roam and a 60 foot straightaway run for fetch (which he also does well). When I need him to be quiet, he's great. He also knew "kennel up." I feel sorry for the people who lost him, but they did not update their microchip information, so now he's ours. Not the golden retriever I expected to get eventually, but we love him.

The other thing keeping me busy is that my bipolar but untreated neighbor finally wnet into treatment for the first time (she's in her 50's). She had, at one time, 6 cats, 6 chickens, and 1 dog all living inside and crapping and peeing inside. Her house is completely ruined inside. 50 very large black bags of stuff plus a lot of furniture have been thrown away. The cats look better than expected and are indoor/outdoor right now. I am helping the owner's sister get them all neutered and spayed (they aren't, except one), vaccinated, de-flea'd, etc. We adopted one, a black and white cutie that we named Pepe le Pew because he has a white stripe down his neck. Through FB, a friend of a friend was found locally who is an experienced rescuer and she is taking the rest next week after their surgeries (ours was the only one neutered). It's really a tragedy. Her last two chickens died of ammonia poisoning inside the house. We found the dehydrated body of her barred rock hen, which I begged her to let me care for, at the bottom of a crate with half a foot of food and feces. Because I am a veterinarian (even though I'm disabled and retired), I can't let my anger get in the way of helping. It is also in my personal best interest to help because unless that house is sanitized and fixed up (and SOLD), it is going to destroy our own property value. The woman paid CASH for a house that cost over $200K. Who does that? It's not smart. But she was manic then. She has no money (liquid) left. She was estranged by her choice from her sister, who lives 2 miles away. That rift is being healed and the neighbor had a week of inpatient treatment to jump-start her recovery. The sister and I are cooperating to take care of the cats, and I will help in other ways as my crappy back permits. I just threw away a tote full of empty cardboard boxes (all ruined by rain) to get them off the porch. It is very easy to get angry at animal hoarders, especially when deaths result. It is harder to rise up and try to help. I know a number of you have stepped up to help in similar situations. BLESS YOU ALL! I believe in the power of karma.

I'll post some photos of the new kitty later, and maybe even take some chicken photos, LOL!

Congrats on your new boy!!!!! It really is amazing some of the wonderful animals that people don't seem to look for when they lose them. Their loss is our gain for sure. It is great that you are spending the time training him. I agree that it is important. I signed my new girl up for obedience classes starting in November. She is VERY good for her age, but I think she will be fabulous and am excited about the socialization the classes will bring her!

 

[racinchickins]

so i have a few maybe odd questions down south i lived in a big city but we had alot of the same criters but for instance i never heard it called an opossum only possum.. is there a difference and question two is if i was to hatch or buy turkey "chicks" ( are they still chicks as turkeys?) after they get to a "good size" do i still need to "pen" them up or can they roam around the yard and nearby woods? do they come home? also i cant post any update photos of the brooders anymore my phone finally decided it was retiring screen stopped working ugh...and that was were all my photos and posting came from right now im at the local library.

'possum is just an abbreviated way of saying the proper name opossum. Same animal.

Baby turkeys are called 'Poults'.

As far as pens for turkeys go, they will definitely wander farther than chickens. Mine always return to the barn, but most prefer to roost on top of the pens instead of in them. Only the big toms that cant fly actually go in the pens. One thing to keep in mind, that although they are larger than chickens, they are not predator proof. Coyotes, foxes, owls, eagles, dogs, etc... will kill them just like they do chickens. And young turkeys are even more vulnerable since they will still wander, but aren't as large.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

Now I have a concern I need advice about, I know allot of you have barn cats, house cats what ever cats, I'm not a real big fan of cats. I think they are pretty and all but when I was a kid I couldn't have 1 due to Allergies. So we have a cat that turned up some time ago, and DH likes her/him, he says she wont hurt nothing. Well I haven't found that to be false, but in the last week I have been finding eggs Eaten eggs, here there and yonder. Would a cat do that? And if so should I feed it to get it to stop, or just get rid of it? DH will be so upset.

My cats will eat broken eggs but will not break an egg. My cats eat quite a variety of things though. Still they don't touch the shells. I've never seen them lick the shells so that must be an old wives tale.

 

[tmarsh83]

Not to derail things, but I'm flat amazed by something, so I wanted to share.

My leghorn pullet started laying on 9/13. I've had an egg every day since 10/7, and she laid the 8 days prior to 10/6. So I've taken 23 eggs in 24 days. That may not be abnormal, but in truth it's just more than I expected. Couldn't be happier.

Well, unless the ancona decided to contribute from time to time. That would help.

This whole "having chickens" is addicting...