just another crazy critter lady

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Hylee Unlikely said:
View attachment 3437216Hi from S Florida 👋🏼
Critters have played a central role in my life, but I sort of arrived at chickens in reverse order. I started with horses & dogs, over the years raised a couple of sheep, pigs and heifers in CO and finally retired with chickens & dogs on a small homestead in FL 😄

I've kept chickens since 2019, started with a few mixed layers to cut my teeth, then settled on light & buff Brahmas for their size (less aerial attacks), quiet and sweet temperaments.
As of a couple of weeks ago, there's some Black Australorp floofers chirping in the brooder, what a happy bunch they are.

One of our dogs is my aspiring livestock guardian, he's got a lot to learn but is very promising! Just the scent of 3 big dogs on the property (even though they're primarily inside, they do their perimeter checks and mark their territory) has helped keep the larger and aerial predators somewhat at bay. Bob cat, raccoon, skunks, coyote, river otter, fox, opossum and the ever pesky trinity of roof rats, pack rats and Norway rats that occupy the abundant tortoise burrows all around.
Thank goodness we have a healthy population of small to large snakes (mostly constrictors) to help keep the rats in check (and maybe steal an occasional egg, a small price to pay for their pest control services) 😁
We have a large variety of birds of prey nesting all around us, Red Tailed Hawk, Red Shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, bunches of Owls, Kites, Bald Eagles and Osprey (Osprey says chikkin tastes just like fish) 🤨
Tackling challenges (predators are abundant here) as they come.
Such is the life of "jungle chickens"!

We started with a little pre-fab coop and learned what works well for my cluckers in the tropical climate.
I just built a small, very airy custom coop (largely from re-claimed dock boards) with a 10'x40' secure pen attached. Especially during spring time when critters are extra hungry and raising their young, the chickens often retreat to the safety of their pen to relax between foraging sessions. Our chooks prefer to roost in the pen for the better (hotter) part of the year. They mostly free range, are great at foraging and eat loads of fat cicadas and all kinds of other bugs, lizards, frogs and small snakes.

We planted a bunch of fruit trees and are creating a little perma culture food garden all around the trees, it's a work in progress. There's no soil here, just fine beach/dune sand, it's an interesting experiment.

I also feed home mixed grains and offer layer feed (they mostly snub their beaks at it) twice a day, plus I raise Black Soldier Fly Larvae as a high value treat and healthy supplement. What an amazing insect!!
Full circle 100% upcycling organic waste and feeding the chickens (and dogs) with these nutrient rich grubs, totally amazing and the butt nuggets are the best!

That's about the gist of it. Continuing to learn from the collective, thx everyone for sharing your experiences, wisdom and bloopers!
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Welcome to BYC!! ❤️
 
Kenneth Zweerink said:
Welcome to BackYard Chickens. Thank's for Sharing the picture. And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska!
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Thanks! Dip your toes in the sand at McConnahey
Kenneth Zweerink said:
Welcome to BackYard Chickens. Thank's for Sharing the picture. And a Big Hello from Eastern Nebraska!
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thank you old neighbor 👋🏼 dip ur toes into Lake McConaughey for me 😎

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