Keeping Chickens Free Range

[Aphrael]

OH, YEAH… Used to say that in OR, which now, I consider a crack up!
The tail story I have heard as a Rope on the porch. Told quite a few The rope is best way….
Now, however, I am

the pet door in the basement has been torn away. I tacked up a cloth, set a box, beach towels and what was left of Cracked corn feed sack in front of it, BASEMENT side, to keep wind from blowing in Directly onto Propane heater...
Cloth, towels covering box, feed sack ALL OVER OUTSIDE door! C. Corn Was supposed to keep horses warm till it heats up. I'm betting the barn, don't have one, it was the wild turkeys. At least 10lbs gone away. CAN and will swap it for scratch for horses, since chickens will pick out rocks that Horses COULD have a BAD time with if swallowed. I let my bigger dog out last night but not sure, if not instructed, if he'd get after them. Cleaned up what i could, cut rags so have 3 layers of flannel, wool tacked to door, AGAIN, IN & OUT THIS TIME. Danged dog is sleeping out side tonight. Will throw his fav bone outside of that door TOO.
Ironically, I just sent him after them. maybe what i THOUGHT i heard in pasture above house, was below f porch….

GET SOMETHING TO EAT, CALM myself down, undo the caps lock button…..
Oh, GOOD news is when i took a small dish of wet feed, bread out to tree where my Lone P Rock has been setting for last few days, she looked interested. Couple places it will balance so she can drop closer to get to it.
Bet i need a nap too.. 14 degrees ABOVE where the old coots's predicted……No offense to old coots….

Oh no! What a terrible way to start the day!

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

Back at'cha. THANK YOU!!!! Wonderful what toodling around with my Wysocki Puzzle will do for my mood. THAT AND my dog chased away the guilty parties TWICE! Stinkers…No eggs but not surprised. Re did MY CHICKENS 'shelter'. EVERYONE including the tree roosting outsider is tucked in for the night.
We topped 26 today, 20 degrees above prediction, BTW...
Thx again!

 

[jasmine5904]

We are having a cold snap as well.  Was in the 70s on Friday and the high today was mid-20s with teen wind chills.  Possible forecast of snow this coming weekend then I bet we'll be back to 60s the next week.  The 4-state weather is definitely bi-polar.

katatonic123, are you in Missouri? Because that sounds exactly like our forecast/weather recently! We went from the upper 60s to the lower 30s in a matter of a couple hours the other day, and close to single digit wind chills tonight. Our first snow of the season is coming this weekend, and I'm definitely not ready for winter to be here already!

 

[katatonic123]

Yup SW MO transplanted from NE OK. Don't like the weather? Wait 5 minutes, it'll change.

katatonic123, are you in Missouri? Because that sounds exactly like our forecast/weather recently! We went from the upper 60s to the lower 30s in a matter of a couple hours the other day, and close to single digit wind chills tonight. Our first snow of the season is coming this weekend, and I'm definitely not ready for winter to be here already!

 

[ChickyChickens]

A hawk almost got a chick now

 

[hennible]

Almost is better than did.

Mine have been locked up for a good two weeks since I lost two to an unknown predator (fox or coyote )... Now it's so cold I doubt they'd care to come out.... Just glad I had a second coop with an attached pen.

 

[SmColorInDaPan]

A hawk almost got a chick now

Gracious, CC thank goodness he was distracted, missed, whatever. Cold weather means loss of ready prey for carnivores, thus they get hungry, More gutsy.
Is the por thing over the shock?

It's gorgeous outside today. Took down the temp shelter for what turned out to be for the PR's. BOTH ARE MOLTING! When I uncovered them, with hard boiled egg and bread in hand, they made no bones about what came first--F-O-O-D!! Not sure why they didn't come out to partake in dishes of warm water, bread, c corn, etc. Found the golf ball but doesn't seem to be encouraging much, with Molting, only 2 POSS. layers.
able to set out the waterer but IN the sun…..

Hope others are enjoying the warmer or at least know it is ON IT'S WAY!!

 

[duluthralphie]

Be very careful around the hawks!

I have heard of people trying to scare hawks away from their flocks with shotguns, on the theory the noise will drive them away by simply shooting into the air.

This does not always work, from what I am told.

If the hawk is in mid dive for the prey, (AKA your chick) the loud noise can disorientate the hawk and screw up his sense to the point they misjudge the distance to the ground and they hit the ground instead of the prey, breaking their poor necks.....


My dream is for someone in power to decide we can defend our flocks from these flying beasts! I doubt it will ever happen.

 

[jtn42248]

Be very careful around the hawks!

I have heard of people trying to scare hawks away from their flocks with shotguns, on the theory the noise will drive them away by simply shooting into the air.

This does not always work, from what I am told.

If the hawk is in mid dive for the prey, (AKA your chick) the loud noise can disorientate the hawk and screw up his sense to the point they misjudge the distance to the ground and they hit the ground instead of the prey, breaking their poor necks.....


My dream is for someone in power to decide we can defend our flocks from these flying beasts! I doubt it will ever happen.

The whole issue with not shooting raptors evidently grew out of a treaty with Canada to protect migrating Canadian Geese. The prohibition to shooting hawks, etc. was amended to that treaty later. I don't know if it was an issue of people not being able to tell the difference between a hawk and a goose (seems unlikely) or if so many migrating raptors were being shot that it upset the ecological balance in Canada.

 

[Aphrael]

The whole issue with not shooting raptors evidently grew out of a treaty with Canada to protect migrating Canadian Geese. The prohibition to shooting hawks, etc. was amended to that treaty later. I don't know if it was an issue of people not being able to tell the difference between a hawk and a goose (seems unlikely) or if so many migrating raptors were being shot that it upset the ecological balance in Canada.

What about the ecological balance in our backyard flocks.

I can fully understand them not wanting wholesale slaughter of hawks, but it just isn't right for people to not be able to defend their own livestock.