Maine

[Jazor]

Who has ducks here on the Maine thread?

I do.

 

[striperon]

I've been hearing this strange noise out towards the coop for about a week, at 6:15 AM. I kept looking to see if there was a stray cat stalking the chicks. This morning it struck me that this was the young rooster trying to crow, but has not found his full voice yet, it just sounds like a strange meow. Funny!

 

[Cknldy]

 

[Jazor]

I've been hearing this strange noise out towards the coop for about a week, at 6:15 AM. I kept looking to see if there was a stray cat stalking the chicks. This morning it struck me that this was the young rooster trying to crow, but has not found his full voice yet, it just sounds like a strange meow. Funny!

My buff cochin was the same. I heard something odd once or twice, then nothing for at least 3 weeks. One day I heard a long deep crow and turned around to see him looking as surprised as I was. Funny beasts

 

[ashandvine]

I am pretty fast at the plucking and processing of a chicken. THEY are easy. Not a duck. Nope. Chicken girl987 I have ducks but not for long. I plan to keep two pets for now because they lay such lovely, delicious blue eggs but all the rest are going. I like ducks, the kids like ducks and the chum [as I call it-- the left overs] either go in the compost, fed to the birds, dog or they go out in trash. Heads get thrown out to the critters most of the time. Easier than trying to keep them from digging anything up.

What a Monday.

 

[CoopChick719]

Busy weekend! Swept, raked & bagged 9 feed bags & 1 large contractor bag full of dried grass & leaves. Discussed w/DH...again...storage of said bags of bedding in 1 of the 2 garages we own. Said it would be nice if I could get even a 4 x 4 spot in one of the garages for MY stuff! He told me I could store it in our 5th wheel camper!! That man!! I'm just going to start stuffing bags in any nook & cranny. Scored a 30 gallon trashcan full of wood ash from the new neighbor who has a wood burning furnace. I told him I'll trade him ashes for eggs. My boss said he has some old hay I could use for bedding if I want it. Pretty sure I have 3 pullets laying now. And I think I have rats. Found a hole inside the pen. Gotta go buy some traps!

 

[lazy gardener]

Read up on some of the threads re: pest management. One poster says that rats are very fond of dark chocolate. (aren't we all!) He recommended baiting the traps for a few days to get the rats comfortable climbing all over the traps, then set the traps. Put them in an area safe from other animals or children. Also, use a lot of traps. b/c once a rat sets off a trap, the entire population will be trap wary. Do an all out war. If you notice evidence of rat(s), you might have dozens of them. Put your grain in a METAL can. Don't leave feed in the coop over night. Consider fermented feed for your flock as part of your pest management program. There will NEVER be any spilled feed to attract rodents. I wish you the best of luck. This can be a difficult problem to lick.

 

[suzMEchicks]

Wow good advice for all of us. I leave the feed out every day and night and now I think I've been asking for it!

 

[suzMEchicks]

I'm feeling a lot of urgency to get ready for winter . I'm not usually very good about it. Husband and I put 2 ton of wood pellets in the cellar yesterday. We got our bulkhead fixed and next week we're putting vents in the floors. I'm looking at my chicken house wondering if or how I should insulate it.last year I put hay bales up one side and black bags of leaves/pine needles up another side. Maybe something like that but more..And I need to replace the window. It will never make it another winter.Plenty to do.Thats for sure.

 

[buckabucka]

We have rats here. I have reluctantly been using poison, but we also ordered a rat zapper. My sister said it worked for her. It is a battery-powered electrocution chamber. It sounds nasty, but poison is nasty too. We'll see if it works.