Michigan Thread - all are welcome!

[OldMissionChick]

Predator proofing. Raccoons and what not could reach through chain link and separate a chicken from it's favorite parts. 

Never would of thought of that. I hope enough human & dog scent will help keep them away. We have only got a picture of a porcupine on our trail cam at the deer feeder a couple months ago and saw a pair of fox kits playing in the road about 100 yards from the house.

 

[JackieandChicks]

Cuteness alert...my April babies are starting to roost

Three AM mixes and three BLRWs...there are more in the pen but these were too cute!

 

[iamfivewire]

cute chickies Jackie

 

[1muttsfan]

Never would of thought of that. I hope enough human & dog scent will help keep them away. We have only got a picture of a porcupine on our trail cam at the deer feeder a couple months ago and saw a pair of fox kits playing in the road about 100 yards from the house.

I have 3 dogs and a cat, and none of them or myself really slow the predators much - even during the day they will come when they smell a free chicken dinner. Raccoons can reach through a 1" opening and grab a chicken.

 

[bigmrg74]

Oh I am in a losing war..... Against Mosquitos!!

Tis Michigan. There's no winning against our unofficial state bird.

Never would of thought of that. I hope enough human & dog scent will help keep them away. We have only got a picture of a porcupine on our trail cam at the deer feeder a couple months ago and saw a pair of fox kits playing in the road about 100 yards from the house.

Cute baby foxes grow up to be heartless chicken assassins. Its far better to build everything predator proof now so that they can't touch your birds than to have to try to keep them away. Because sooner or later, they're always going to smell that chicken dinner.

 

[OldMissionChick]

 I have 3 dogs and a cat, and none of them or myself really slow the predators much - even during the day they will come when they smell a free chicken dinner.  Raccoons can reach through a 1" opening and grab a chicken.

Predators are a big concern of mine, thus why we plan on burying the fencing 2 feet down. Does the hardware cloth or chicken wire have to be the full height or just 1-2 feet at the bottom? I might have to target practice more often, just in case.

 

[Folly's place]

Forget about chicken wire, just get hardware cloth. Much safer! Mary

 

[OldMissionChick]

On the inside or outside of the fence?

 

[chickengarden4]

Cuteness alert...my April babies are starting to roost

Three AM mixes and three BLRWs...there are more in the pen but these were too cute!

They are so adorable!! especially they are all facing the same direction just so that you can capture their cuteness! ( mine wouldn't do that.)

 

[chickengarden4]

I have a question .... Do you buy chicken feed from local store or drive far to buy in bulk? I would like to know some good place in sw michigan. I usually pay $16-18 for 50lb at family farm and home.

My EE was taken by a racoon yesterday. She was our pet 7 weeks old chicken that we are pretty attached to and my daughter and I was just starting to make a scrapbook of her as well... at least I took some pic of her the day before....I was looking forward to see how her feather would turn out too. That was my sad sad day.....
we set a trap and caught the racoon, still setting a live trap in case there is more animals after my chickens tonight..

Although my chickens are free ranged right now in sunny days, and I have not encountered any loss of chickens during the day, this incident made me think maybe I should make a fenced up area.
My chickens like to go play in a little wooded area and scratch leaves and even roost on the lower branches of bush type trees, I would like them to have an access to it too. I could not include wooded area if I were to make their fenced area.
When they are inside the run 6' x 12' for 11 birds, they just eat and lay down or roost, pretty laid back, which in someone's eyes,like my husband, that is as happy as chickens can be.
But I like to see them exploring and looking for bugs outside the run, most of the time they perch on their favorite tree though...I understand that it's better for them to be safe than killed, and their life is pretty good even in the run.
What do you think ?

Also does anybody use sweet PDZ ?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/621363/poop-board-convert-warning-graphic-gross-poop-pictures
That seems like a good idea.!