Maine

[CoopChick719]

Lost four chicken neighbors to a fox this week. Hug your hens and keep 'em safe. RIP Jangles (my avatar and favorite girl), Ziggy, Sassy and Chloe.

So sorry for your loss, chickenneighbor!

Hit the area with my flashlight, sure as hell there was a grey fox sneaking along.  Was too dark and too rushed to get an appropriate weapon--so I sent some 12ga. buckshot in his direction.  No confirmed hits, but haven't seen him since.  Tis the season...

Good luck with the fox, Jazor!!

But, the poor girls.  It's upsetting to come home at the end of the work day, and see them with their mouths hanging open.  

Chickenneighbor, sorry about loss of your friends as well.  My girls get out to range every day, I know it's just a matter of time before i get hit.  It's a balancing act for sure:  constantly doing risk assessment!  

I hear ya, LG!! I let my girls out every day after work until dusk. I'm afraid I'm playing with fire too! But they are so happy to be out!!

We lost a turkey hen to a fox today, too.

Sorry to hear about your turkey hen, SCG!

I lost a chicken about a week ago to a stupid raccoon. It dug a hole under the fence. Rrrrrr.... A day or two later I got up to let the birds out and found raccoon tracks all over the coop! It was trying to get in, B*&^(*d! The next day it ransacked our recycling! A few months ago we killed one, this must be a vengeful relative. lol. The coon killed one of my barred rock hens
I start a new job this Sunday working at a deli that has no AC! Ugh, not looking forward to that! I just walked out to my garden to spray my plants with calcium chloride. I was sweating buckets. It's so gross...

Sorry to hear about your BR! I've worked in a sandwich shop w/a big pizza oven & no AC. I'd recommend a cooling bandana if you can. I've come in each morning from feeding the girls drenched w/sweat. It IS do gross!


Thanks hoppy! I was hoping someone on here was there. I feel bad for the little thing tonight esp after that storm!!

 

[hoppy]

Thanks hoppy! I was hoping someone on here was there. I feel bad for the little thing tonight esp after that storm!!

 

[suzMEchicks]

Hi from North Waterboro! My neighbor 2 houses down called to warn me. A big gray fox had gotten into a bunch of wild turkeys. She thinks there was a nest at the edge if her property. There was a huge ruckus and a couple big turkeys were dive bombing the fox. She thinks it got the babies. Anyway, I let my girls out in their run which is just 5 foot tall garden fencing all day and then let them free range every night for an hour or 2. Worried. My big problem has been a very aggressive squirrel trying to get in my house! It's my fault . I left a coffee can of BOSS on the back deck one night. Folgers so it was plastic but closed uo. Overnight the squirrel ate a huge hole in the bottom if the can and every chipmunk was on the porch snacking . Of course I moved the BOSS inside but the squirrel has been up the screen door one day and then the next day shredded the bottom of the screen door trying to get in. Makes me wish I had a gun. Getting a trap today!

 

[Jazor]

I haven't seen the fox back yet; although that's not to say it hasn't been lurking. I check a few times per night, and I'll be ready if I see it again. Maybe it was just cruising through some new territory and hadn't settled yet--because I haven't seen any droppings or signs of other animals taken. Time will tell.

 

[Jazor]

... Makes me wish I had a gun. Getting a trap today!

Get yourself a present for America's birthday! A simple .22 with a scope shouldn't run more than $125-200 at the most. Doesn't need to be a nail driver, just something to protect your flock.

 

[anyasmifya]

My husband found the chicken's secret egg laying area. Those sneaky birds were laying under an old storage shed behind a tarp. We found 22 eggs! Too bad we don't know if they are fresh or not. So, no our egg production has not slowed down.

 

[IZZYBELLA]

WOW - 22! Sneaky, sneaky girls!

 

[Brahmalover4eva]

have not found tobacco hornworms on my tomatoes yet... your prob. thinkin' yeah no tomato worms! i'm thinking darn no tomato worms! because i want to raise one from cat to moth!

 

[Jazor]

My husband found the chicken's secret egg laying area. Those sneaky birds were laying under an old storage shed behind a tarp. We found 22 eggs! Too bad we don't know if they are fresh or not. So, no our egg production has not slowed down.

I'm suspect that mine are doing the same thing. Hopefully a non-violent-offender will eat them and leave the birds alone, so I don't end up finding a rotten pile of gross.

 

[lazy gardener]

My husband found the chicken's secret egg laying area. Those sneaky birds were laying under an old storage shed behind a tarp. We found 22 eggs! Too bad we don't know if they are fresh or not. So, no our egg production has not slowed down.

If you wanted to salvage them for use, you could do the float test. Can you estimate how old they might be, given the total, and the number of eggs you've collected from nest boxes recently? If they pass the float test, and you don't feel comfortable eating them, you could always cook them and feed them to your chickens/animals. shame to waste that protein.

Get yourself a present for America's birthday! A simple .22 with a scope shouldn't run more than $125-200 at the most. Doesn't need to be a nail driver, just something to protect your flock.

I agree, but the scope may or may not help. I have visual coordination problems and could not use a scope, but can line up the sites ok. IMO, every home should have a gun, but, I'm sure that's a hot topic for debate!

have not found tobacco hornworms on my tomatoes yet... your prob. thinkin' yeah no tomato worms! i'm thinking darn no tomato worms! because i want to raise one from cat to moth!

What do the moths look like, and why do you want to propagate them? I enjoy giving them to the birds and watching them shake them out of their skins. Very destructive creatures in a green house!

My pullets are starting to sprout wattles and combs... BSL and RCBL. Not so much SLW and Dominiques. They were all hatched around 4/1.