Maine

[MustardTiger]

Hrm, mine rarely go outside our property (3 acres) Occasionally they go to the neighbours yard but they keep it much more manicured than ours so I think they may be able to tell they are in some sort of different zone.

Good luck on your test! I am envious that your garden is tilled. I am crossing my fingers that we can get ours done before the end of the week.



Does anyone have any experience with wireless invisible dog fences? my dog is wandering over to the neighbours yard too much and she has decided to become horrible at recall all of a sudden :/ They love her but I don't want her to become too comfortable with wandering off.

 

[buckabucka]

Well, last night was the first night I have left the bedroom window open all night, and I learned that the rooster crows at  about 5:15am....but then he stops, so it theory I could have gone back to sleep.....


Also, finally got the garden tilled and fenced yesterday! I'll plant a little today, but I'll spend most of the day doing homework ( 2 more weeks until the semester is over!) and studying for the Praxis - just a little 4 and a half hour test I have to pass to get my teaching certificate.. I'm taking in in Farmington tomorrow morning and I am not looking forward to it!


Question- does anyone who free ranges have an issue with the flock going really far away?? We have about 2.5 acres here, but apparently that is not enough for 8 hens and a rooster....they went almost all the way across the back of one neighbors property and were headed for the neighbor of that neighbors property!

So far, I've been lucky with the free-rangers not going too far. They have not even discovered the garden yet. My other two flocks are confined by deer fencing, and that fence helps block the garden in one direction. The other side is a long way from the free-rangers coop, but I've noticed they are getting closer and closer to where the garden is. My intention is to add deer fencing for them also, I just haven't got to it yet.

Good luck on your test! It was 23 years ago that I took it and I had been out of college for quite a while then. The test was not difficult, just LONG. And there was a grammar section when we had to listen to a recording of voices and correct the grammar. They used some ancient record player and broadcast the sentences through speakers, which sounded just like the voice of the teacher in the Peanuts cartoons. It was hysterical. Almost sounded like a foreign language. And still I passed. I guess now they actually have a test that measures art knowledge for art teachers, but back then, it was math, history, grammar, science, etc.

I think my roosters start at 4....

 

[echosrevenge]

MustardTiger, I've never used an invisible fence myself, but I used to work as a trainer at a dog daycare on the west coast, and i would drive around during the day to some of my clients' homes...i can't tell you how many times id be driving to or from a session, only to see one of our daycare dogs running down the street with one of those e-fence collars around their necks. There was one in particular id find ALL over the place - she'd get to chasing something in the yard and not even feel the shock in the heat of the chase, then when she tried to get back IN to her yard, it would shock her again because the fence can't tell whether they're getting in or out. Something to consider if your dog is a car chaser or deer chaser...

 

[ashandvine]

Ashandvine, you do need a photo of Verbena following Aleyna around!

One minute Verbena is following Aleyna... the next Aleyna is following her. Its so funny. I don't post pictures of the kids anywhere on line because I am a freak like that. I just never know who is looking at what or sending it where?? BUT...

Attack of the Godzilla Gosling lol


And darnit she is cute.


I just had another order for birds put in yesterday-- two actually, but one was in person from a friend so it isn't quite the same as an 'order.' I guess the bator stays on a bit longer.

Widget.... I can't come riding that horse to fitness if its trying to put on weight! Harumph.

 

[MustardTiger]

Echos, I know how the fences can be a double edged sword. Etta (the dog) doesn't chase cars or people generally. She does however want to go bark at the neighbors. She thinks their yard is part of her territory and I want to teach her it isn't. She would never be outside without us and I basically want to use it as a training tool and not a permanent containment fence. I am also considering the handheld ones to teach her the boundaries.

 

[Widget]

Widget.... I can't come riding that horse to fitness if its trying to put on weight! Harumph.

Well actually now that he has gained some weight he needs to get out on the trails to build up some muscle. And since he likes the trails it would be good for his psyche too.

 

[Mainechick168]

I need all the good luck I can get on this test! I'm just taking the praxis 1 tomorrow- I have to take the 2 at a later date, which will be content area specific ( special ed. for me) and then the PLT also..... The 1 is just reading, writing and math but still...yuck!!

I need shock collars for the chickens I think...

 

[lazy gardener]

anybody have suggestions for 2 cats who think chickens are play-toys or mobile snacks? I've been occasionally taking a chicken out for on-on-one time. Yesterday, I thumped one of my cats (gently) on the head with a shovel. Today, the other one chased one half way across the yard before I could catch it. I'd like to be able to let them out for some free range when I'm out with them, but not at the expense of my cats making a snack out of them. I'm tempted to throw a cat in the tractor with them, thinking that the cat would be intimidated by being confined in a small space with 11 birds. Wouldn't trust "keeping the cats in" while the chickens are out, because the kids are unreliable re: keeping them in, and those cats are sneaky where doors are concerned. Do chickens eventually get feisty enough to stand up to the average family cat??

 

[TAMMACLEAN]

Just wondering if anyone here in Maine has some nice silkie, sizzle, and/or cochin hatching eggs for sale. I have posted in the for sale/wanted thread but thought I would ask here. I am in Gray, ME and I am willing to drive up to an hour one way to pick them up. I am just not having any luck with shipped eggs. Thanks!!

 

[pellepeterson]

So, after teaching in Lincoln all weekend, I made it home with a few hours to spare before the sun went over the mountain. I slammed together the rest of the coop, built the roosts and we went gathered up the babies. I was worried that it was going to be too cold, that without the lamp they would freeze...I was one happy papa this morning to find them all just fine.

I did notice that they did not roost...they all seemed to sleep in the corner (I am having guilt over not providing them with heat). Is this normal behavior? I will zap a few pictures of the inside, perhaps my design is not worthy of those little feet...

I still have work to do, a window or two, and the nest boxes have to be finished. I have to admit it was exciting to get them out there! They seem VERY happy in their new home and will hopefully start laying here in a few weeks.