MARYLAND THREAD!

[Maligator Love]

I am new to chickens too....but Yogurt is what I do when I seen loose stools and that always seems to fix it.

That's the same for me. When ever I see runny or not normal poo I put out plain Greek yogurt. My birds love the yogurt and it fixes what ever is wrong.

 

[Maligator Love]

Poor silkie and maran chicks just got soaked from that sudden downpour. Luckily viva the Mali got them all inside and i got them in the brooders. :/

 

[SunnySkies]

Mine are all outside, I let them loose this morning figuring they could figure out where they would feel safest, except for the female ducklings and younger chicks. They are all soaked, but the whole mess passed south of us. I do sort of wonder if the house we still own just south of Bowie is ok though...

 

[Kiomey]

Stay safe Md peeps! Looked wicked on the radar

 

[Makendo]

Another Baltimore County outlaw here, doing it for the second time, this one MUCH more on the down-low. We are one block from the city line, in a zipcode that straddles it. We'd love to connect with other chicken lovers nearby!

At the moment we have one Silkie hen, one Buff Brahma chick (female) and one (unexpected) call duckling. I got the silkie to be a mom to the 4 chicks I was getting in the mail from mypetchicken.com, but 3 of the 4 died because the shipper had not put a heat-pack under them. The Brahma chick was healthy and strong! My daughter brought the duckling home so we just added her (I think) to the mix. MPC is replacing the dead chicks next month, and - heaven willing - we'll have the current group plus 2 Salmon Faverolle girls and an Australorp girl in our back yard. Right now the coop is a big dog crate we bring inside at night, and the run is in our 6' fenced back yard. Not sure what will happen duckling wise, but we will see! We have 2 daughters homeschooling and in their teens, dogs cats, bunny, & a good vegetable garden looking forward to better compost!

 

[DragonFeathers]

It's been a log time since I have been on BYC, I have moved from Washington County to Frederick Count, I have a small flock of Chickens 4 BSL, 4 RRR, 1SLW, 1EE, 1 SS hens and 1 EE roo, 2 horses, 1 rescue dog and just added 4 American Geese 2 Blues, and 2 Lavenders!
It's going to take me a while to learn all the new changes that this site has made, looking forward to catching up

 

[bellachicks]

Another Baltimore County outlaw here, doing it for the second time, this one MUCH more on the down-low. We are one block from the city line, in a zipcode that straddles it. We'd love to connect with other chicken lovers nearby!

At the moment we have one Silkie hen, one Buff Brahma chick (female) and one (unexpected) call duckling. I got the silkie to be a mom to the 4 chicks I was getting in the mail from mypetchicken.com, but 3 of the 4 died because the shipper had not put a heat-pack under them. The Brahma chick was healthy and strong! My daughter brought the duckling home so we just added her (I think) to the mix. MPC is replacing the dead chicks next month, and - heaven willing - we'll have the current group plus 2 Salmon Faverolle girls and an Australorp girl in our back yard. Right now the coop is a big dog crate we bring inside at night, and the run is in our 6' fenced back yard. Not sure what will happen duckling wise, but we will see! We have 2 daughters homeschooling and in their teens, dogs cats, bunny, & a good vegetable garden looking forward to better compost!

What a wonderful family
Since you mentioned homeschooling, I thought I'd mention something in case it was of interest to you. I recently learned about 4-H in baltimore county. Their Poultry Project is very interesting and the curriculum is engaging. You can see it on their website or swing by their office off of PaperMill Road. We are about to join 4-H and my son is about to undertake the first level of the Poultry Project. It seems fun! We have 6 chicks.

 

[SunnySkies]

EEK! My oldest son came in a bit ago from locking up the duck drakes -- they refuse to go into the coop with the chickens at dusk but wander around until 9:30 or so grazing -- and HIT a COON approaching the open coop with a stick that he snatched up! it hissed at him and ran off toward the neighbors.

I am considering trapping (we don't own a gun and don't want to buy one) and know I have to get a license from DNR, but where do I take the trapped coon or who takes it from me? Relocation isn't legal in MD, and in the county we moved from, animal control would take them IIRC.

I want an LGD, but now is not a good time to get a dog. Money is going to get a bit short when the government furloughs begin, and I won't add another animal unless I'm sure I can pay for it, and unlike chickens, dogs don't free range. They need flea and tick and heartworm preventive and proper fencing and stuff...I see the results when people don't think ahead, and it's sad. But eventually that will be the solution.

 

[bellachicks]

EEK! My oldest son came in a bit ago from locking up the duck drakes -- they refuse to go into the coop with the chickens at dusk but wander around until 9:30 or so grazing -- and HIT a COON approaching the open coop with a stick that he snatched up! it hissed at him and ran off toward the neighbors.

I am considering trapping (we don't own a gun and don't want to buy one) and know I have to get a license from DNR, but where do I take the trapped coon or who takes it from me? Relocation isn't legal in MD, and in the county we moved from, animal control would take them IIRC.

I want an LGD, but now is not a good time to get a dog. Money is going to get a bit short when the government furloughs begin, and I won't add another animal unless I'm sure I can pay for it, and unlike chickens, dogs don't free range. They need flea and tick and heartworm preventive and proper fencing and stuff...I see the results when people don't think ahead, and it's sad. But eventually that will be the solution.

Is it the first time you've seen the racoon?
The whack may have scared it off!!
You might be all set

Raccoons are not something I mess with personally, as some can carry rabies and such. Here's a link to MD DNR http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Plants_Wildlife/wlproblems.asp

I have borrowed humane traps, both for feral cats to get them TNR'd, and for other wildlife (an injured groundhog) from humane societies before. It is easy to do. I
I did accidentally catch a raccoon once; The one thing I would caution you about is that animals who are trapped can be very, very scared. Even with special gloves and a long distance pole to open the door for an animal release it's nerve wracking. I recommend that if you are going to use a humane trap, BEFORE it is occupied fashion it with a long distance release (rope, pole, etc) so you do not have to get close to the cage.

I can offer up an old fashioned way to get rid of racoons and badgers : lemons and hot sauce. Not together. I mean either or. Both taste nasty to racoons and if they eat them at your place they are less likely to come back looking for food again. It is inexpensive and easy to do. Just don't over do it. You don't want to harm the raccoon, just encourage them to move on nicely.

I applaude you for your long term committment to animals and thoughtfulness to getting a dog.
Whenever the time does come, there is a Great Pyranees Rescue that often has great livestock guardian dogs in need of loving forever homes. Just a thought

 

[SunnySkies]

I'm a veterinarian. I see the disaster that happens far, far too often when people get a dog, cat or whatever and don't think ahead. The stakes are too high for me to do that to an LGD.

We have trapped before and caught a lot of coons at the barn we used to board our horses in, but AC took them in that county; apparently every county is different.

I didn't see him this evening, but we will see.....