Maine

[Widget]

There is a swap in Lewiston (today I think) at the Tractor Supply and one in Sanford tomorrow at the Tractor Supply.

 

[Champion Farm]

Is anyone know where I can get burbon red poults for less than 10 each

 

[Champion Farm]

Bourbon red turkey poults*

 

[Champion Farm]

Is anyone located in or near Lebanon

 

[TAMMACLEAN]

All these stories about people losing their chickens to wild animals has me a little nervous. I was just talking to a friend at my sons school who just lost some birds to a skunk. I feel bad for everyone. That's always my worst fear, that I'll have my kids go open the chickens and that's what they will see., dead birds.

Are most of these attacks happening at night?

Sorry for everyone's birds.

 

[Heatherschix]

I am just starting up a flock in a very rural area with some rare breeds....so excited!

It would be very awesomely helpful if those who have lost members of their flock to a predator if they also said how and when the bugger got into the coop...that way us newbies can learn from mistakes to coop designs. I have wrapped my outdoor enclosure from top to underneath to top...but now from my lurking posts I see that chicken wire is not strong enough...I wonder if it would be strong enough underneath?

I'm so worried about the littles.

 

[quailtrail]

This is my first spring so am nervous as well.

Another BO hatched last night...2/2! 4 others go in lockdown today. Why u ask are they days apart...well my 11yo snuck them in the bator while the polish were in the turners. Would have been easier to wait a couple days to do them all together but she was trying to sneak them in...just another factor to chicken math! Lol

 

[TAMMACLEAN]

I am just starting up a flock in a very rural area with some rare breeds....so excited! 

It would be very awesomely helpful if those who have lost members of their flock to a predator if they also said how and when the bugger got into the coop...that way us newbies can learn from mistakes to coop designs. I have wrapped my outdoor enclosure from top to underneath to top...but now from my lurking posts I see that chicken wire is not strong enough...I wonder if it would be strong enough underneath? 

I'm so worried about the littles.

I worry about ours too.

What kind of chickens do you have?

 

[lazy gardener]

My garden is also not doing well. Corn and beans are up and doing well. Tomatoes planted in green house, some are putting on nice growth, some starting blossoms. Peppers and Meyer's lemon in green house looking good also. Potatoes off to such a poor start, i took the mulch off to see if they had rotted in the ground. They're finally breaking through the soil, so will wait a bit then put the mulch back. I've planted lettuce 3 x and it's still not sprouting. Must be bad seed.

Chicks are learning "the way of the gate". Some of them can't figure out how to get out or in, others can get out, but not back in. One of the meatie roosters is hanging out with the big girls, all the rest of the littles stay away from the big girls. It's so amusing to see several dozen birds come on the run when they see me. The chicks are getting their big girl voices. No crowing yet, for which i am thankful.

MT: I know what you mean about buying eggs. Just for grins and giggles, i ordered an egg over easy for breakfast 2 days ago. It tasted like something that should be dumped in the trash! I sent some eggs home with my step-mom a couple of days ago. She'd never ask for eggs, but said she saved all her eggs for cooking, hated to let my Dad have eggs for breakfast so she wouldn't run out of cooking eggs. So, i'll be sure to keep her well supplied now!!!! I'm sure they'll enjoy the taste of real eggs!!!

We're looking into buying a lasar scope for one of the guns, since Rocky appears to like visiting us so much. Our bedroom window overlooks the garden and chicken yard. Jazor, if you have any recommendations along this vein, give me a shout.

 

[lazy gardener]

Ugh, just lost all but one chick to a fox this morning. He or she found a weak link in my chicken tractor after 4 weeks! ****. All I have is a wounded roo. Anyone know of any swaps that will have older pullets? Can't trust my tractor so they'll have to incorporate into my pen inside a pen system until they can be mingled.
There goes that breeding program for blue and black Ameraucanas.

D

So sorry for your loss. How did he get in?

I am just starting up a flock in a very rural area with some rare breeds....so excited!

It would be very awesomely helpful if those who have lost members of their flock to a predator if they also said how and when the bugger got into the coop...that way us newbies can learn from mistakes to coop designs. I have wrapped my outdoor enclosure from top to underneath to top...but now from my lurking posts I see that chicken wire is not strong enough...I wonder if it would be strong enough underneath?

I'm so worried about the littles.

What breeds? I agree, it would be helpful if we shared the weaknesses of our set ups that allowed the loss, including the construction materials, skirt or lack of skirt, chicken wire vs hdw. cloth, time of day/night, suspected predator. Also, our management style: Unrestricted free range, free range when home, or just for a couple of supervised hours. And details about our run set up, and environment that makes certain predators more problematic: such as living near a stream, having neighborhood dogs running loose, etc.

This is my first spring so am nervous as well.

Another BO hatched last night...2/2! 4 others go in lockdown today. Why u ask are they days apart...well my 11yo snuck them in the bator while the polish were in the turners. Would have been easier to wait a couple days to do them all together but she was trying to sneak them in...just another factor to chicken math! Lol

QT: Sounds like you have a little farmer in the making. If my 7 y.o. had access to fertile eggs, i'm sure she'd pull that stunt!! In the mean time, i have a little dorm fridge that i picked up at the dump, and an extra thermostat, just waiting for the opportunity to create a new incubator. Unfortunately, i won't have an excuse to hatch eggs next spring unless i do it to sell chicks.

Dow Girl: I'm loving the little SLW that i got from you. She's such a little character. She's always on a mission! For that matter, all of the girls are coming into their own with little personality traits. I'm missing that they aren't as friendly as last year's chicks were. With 28 of them, they tend to be on the wild side, perhaps just as well for predator evasion. I bet they'll mellow out a bit when they start laying.