Michigan

[Amy PT]

We found a sitter! It turns out my friend is eager to help.

 

[fuzzybutt love]

Another chicken addict in the making, lol

 

[Juise]

Ok, I am looking into ideas for securing my coop windows, and am stumped. Most of you say hardware cloth, one guy on another site recommeded old stove racks! Everyone agrees staples are a no-no, must use u-nails or something similar since staples break too easy. Oddly enough there were a lot of people who had hardware cloth all around their coop, but poultry netting on the top.... Apparently coons WILL go through the top, so hopefully that don't apply to any of you!

Now here's where it gets tricky: most recommend the 1/2 inch, some say 1/4 inch so they can't fit their hands in; and these guys say the 1/4 inch is too flimsy....? Does any of you know if the 1" mesh they are referring to is also called hardware cloth? Does it go up in strengh as the size goes up?

Fuzzy, U-nails are the same thing as the fencing staples I was talking about.

I would be worried to rely soley on them, though, myself. Enough screws and fender washers for a handful of windows would not cost terrible much, and I think provide you with a lot more security. We used the u-nails in between. U-nails won't break like regular staples, but on their own I would be worried that the hardware could be pulled off, if they can pull it off the frame, it doesn't matter how strong the mesh is.

Oven stove racks would probably keep raccoons out, but a few things I am thinking about them. 1.) If you can't find them "used", it may cost you more than hardware cloth, which in some hardware store you can buy by the foot if you do not want a whole roll. 2.) Depending on where your windows are and how close the chickens can get to them, raccoon-reach-through could pose a problem. 3.) I do not think they would keep a weasel out, unless my oven racks have unusually large gaps.

When building our run, I noticed that, too... people making the walls very strong, and then putting aviary netting or chicken wire over the top. I think it just depends on how safe you feel you need to keep chickens, and also how much cost you are willing or able to absorb. Hardware cloth isn't cheap. (We bought ours with tax returns

) That kind of set up will do a pretty good job of keeping many predators out, like dogs, foxes, coyotes, hawks, etc. Raccoons were the reason we hardware clothed the top, too.

We used 1/2", I didn't see any reason to use 1/4"? It was more expensive and I felt like chicken predators couldn't fit through a 1/2" hole anyway, including raccoon hands. 4" x 2" fencing is prone to raccoon-reach-through, but I have never heard that about 1/2" hardware cloth. 1/2" is pretty dang small.

As to strength, any size hardware cloth is available in different gauges, so if you do decide to get 1/4" no, it doesn't have to be more flimsy, and just because you are getting 1/2" doesn't mean it won't be flimsy, make sure to check which gauge you're getting of either. Did that make sense?

By coincidence, I went out this morning at 6:30am to let the chickens out of their coop in the barn and when I opened their door a container on the right of the barn was knocked over. As my group trooped out their door, I saw a raccoon making a beeline toward the back of the barn. I chased it with a pitchfork, but it got away. I looked the coop over and everything is secure, but it seems that I am seeing those darn things more at times when I shouldn't be lately.

Teeville, 6:30am is the middle of the night.

 

[RaZ]

Quote: It is.
On extra hot days, the worker bees will gather at the "door" and beat their wings to drive cool air in to the hive. Air conditioning at it's finest.

Can there be anything finer than the natural process of Nature?

 

[Olive Hill]

I think I was actually able to catch up tonight.

(Well, scanning... but still...)

A few thoughts on Raccoons...

It's not true that they are sick if they're out during the day. Raccoons are opportunists, they will hunt and scavenge at any time of day or night. Usually nighttime presents easier meal opportunities for them -- hence their reputation as nocturnal animals -- but if those opportunities are restricted for any reason they will be out and about during daylight hours to fill in the gaps in their diet.

I've posted before about the increase in population this year because of the warm winter and that bears repeating in light of the nocturnal v opportunist conversation. When the population is up, they're going to be out more and more during the day because competition for resources is stiff. I have seen more raccoons out during the day so far this year than altogether for the past five, maybe more. There is no evidence of an outbreak of any infectious disease in the area.

That said, raccoons absolutely do carry and spread rabies. They are not as common as bats and skunks... or even, say, woodchucks... but they absolutely are carriers and can do spread the disease. As Opa noted however, the disease of greatest risk with coons is Canine Distemper. They are very common carriers of distemper and that is almost as nasty as rabies itself.

Which brings us back around to population density. The denser the raccoon populations the more likely they are to carry and spread disease due to territory and resource competition both between members of their own species and members of other species -- including humans and pet animals, such as dogs. Control of the population is an important part of control of disease and damage. No one is suggesting that anyone is going to get rid of raccoons in any given area -- or that they even should -- but control of the population is something entirely different and something that we've been increasingly failing at as it falls to the shoulders of individual land owners more and more.

The collapse of the pelt market is one reason that individual landowners are now more important than ever in the control of the coon population. Where hunters used to harvest many coons each year, the low value of the pelts has all but completely done away with coon hunting. Anymore a pelt is barely worth the cost of the ammo used to shoot it -- in some cases not even that. And a hunter has many more expenses on top of that. It exists only as a sport anymore and because of that far fewer coons are harvested each year.

It has been a very, very long time since nature was able to police itself and human interference in the environment is not even close to the least of the reasons for that. The idea that we can just secure everything and leave the wildlife to their devices is quaint, but not a realistic approach because we've already inserted ourselves into their world and tampered with their existence to such an extent that removing ourselves is not even remotely possible. Estimates of the increase in coon population just in the past 15 years have been at 800+% due to the expansion of human settlements and the crash of the pelt market.

Those that have argued that something "worse" would replace coons seem to be conveniently forgetting that 1) even they've argued that coons cannot be wiped out so that's not a concern and 2) just as something would take their place if they were miraculously eliminated they will very happily take the place of other animals, those that serve an important purpose in the local eco-systems. And the latter is much more likely, especially as prolific as they are and as much as they've demonstrated a propensity to adapt to and survive to even the worst of conditions. Coons very much could push other animals out if the control of their populations was completely abandoned.

 

[Farmerboy16]

Thank you all for your prayers about little Micah. Living the simple life- That was a great post, and I am so sorry about your little girl. My brother and his wife came over on Saturday, it was nice to see them, and she looks great and happy. She is going for an another checkup tomorrow on the baby.

howdy folks !

, and thank you for your service!

I had a mild case of heat exhaustion today. I get them a few times a year when its too hot outside. HATE THE HEAT!

I have a job interview tomorrow in Grand Rapids for the job in Kent City. Hope that I get it even though its a cleaning job. But need the money, and a inside job, not an outside job, AND closer to home.

I candled the 300 plus eggs yesterday, and pitched around 50 eggs! 30 of them were the Coronation Sussex split with the Light Sussex. Hope that the remaining sussex eggs hatch out well. The piggies had a feast with the dud eggs.

Oh that reminds me, Olive! Porkie Chop, one of the non-breeding quality glits that you gave us for pork use is going to have piglets in a few weeks! No more piglets! Until I rehome 13 piglets! They are ready to find new homes tomorrow! I think that she was already bred before she and the other hogs were delivered to our place. Since Porkie Chop is not breeding quality, all of her piglets will be sold for meat raising/some kept for our meat use. I just hope that Bacon, the other not breeding quality glit does not have piglets too. Now, who want need a cute little piglet? Have 7 males, 5 females.
Enjoying a belly rub.

 

[Olive Hill]

If you get barbed fence staples they're not going anywhere. We use them to hold cattle panels to the posts for 350+ lb hogs. The key, regardless of the hardware you use, is to attach your fence/wire in such a way that whatever you're trying to fence is pushing with the hardware, not against it. So in the case of coons you're fencing out you want your screen on the OUTSIDE of the window, with the staples holding IN against your coop. To hide the edges put your wire up and then put your window trim overtop.

 

[BackyardFarmMom]

You dont know how to behave!
Where are some pictures of Sebastian?
awww you are uggo-deprived. I can fix that...rather, BYFM can...

On that note... Is anyone interested in a black showgirl ROOSTER? I have to pinpoint the crower, though I am sure both black ones are male. I am sure he would love some ladies of his own... Hunan is hogging the ONLY female...

It is roo city around here!!
Guess I am glad I took all 4... At least I got one girl!

So if Hunan and Marsala have babies
NN Bowtie X NN Bowtie = 50% silkie & 50% NN Bowties????

Mom2 ....Should I even hatch their eggs... Would they be too close in relation?

Ok, I am looking into ideas for securing my coop windows, and am stumped. Most of you say hardware cloth, one guy on another site recommeded old stove racks! Everyone agrees staples are a no-no, must use u-nails or something similar since staples break too easy. Oddly enough there were a lot of people who had hardware cloth all around their coop, but poultry netting on the top.... Apparently coons WILL go through the top, so hopefully that don't apply to any of you!

Now here's where it gets tricky: most recommend the 1/2 inch, some say 1/4 inch so they can't fit their hands in; and these guys say the 1/4 inch is too flimsy....? Does any of you know if the 1" mesh they are referring to is also called hardware cloth? Does it go up in strengh as the size goes up?
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/keep_wildlife_out.html
"staple or screw hardware cloth over larger holes, or make permanent repairs. Bug screen (1/4 inch hardware cloth) will not hold up to stronger animals, such as raccoons. We recommend 16 gauge 1 x 1 inch steel mesh for raccoons. "

We used 1/2" hardware cloth and secured it with washers and screws or built a frame around the window with the hardware cloth secured underneath. I can get some pics if you want...

 

[RaZ]

So I am in trouble for having a few chickens here in the city but the greater problem is this...
http://www.hometownlife.com/comment...014/Garden-City-Police-DDA-look-Willy-Red-Pig

The goll-darn bacon to my eggs is missing.
What has this world come to?

 

[RaZ]

That said, raccoons absolutely do carry and spread rabies. They are not as common as bats and skunks... or even, say, woodchucks... but they absolutely are carriers and can do spread the disease. As Opa noted however, the disease of greatest risk with coons is Canine Distemper. They are very common carriers of distemper and that is almost as nasty as rabies itself.

Can you cite some studies?
I'd like to read some of the peer reviewed literature.