Michigan

[ChicwannaB]

Quote:
I love that quote by Antione, read the book long ago and another one by him as well, thanks for posting it here so everyone could see it. It was from The Little Prince, a great book not just for children. I read it to my brother when he was very little and I was 20 years older than he.

 

[Chickmate]

Quote:
I have some very sexy cute French Black Copper Marans baby roosters that I am bringing to Chickenstock and you can have your pick of them. They are going to be beautiful big roos when they grow up! Let me know if you're interested.

 

[sj3364]

Our new babies. We're on cute overload here. I had to drive an hour each way to get them, but it was worth it.

Neil Degrasse Tyson and Cadbury.

Neil loves my daughter's red fingernails and runs at her hand as soon as she sticks it in the brooder.

 

[DaughterOfEve]

My nankin roo has been with two new birds at two months old for over a week and decided that one was not allowed to live (I guess thats the boy) and ripped the flesh off his head. My DD found him in the run and scooped him out. I dressed the wound and kept him awake and warm for 20 minutes before offering food. He is separated with his brood buddy with no apparent problems util tonight which is 4 days later. I noticed he is bobbing his head alot and miss judged the jump to his roost. I helped him up and he was bobbing his head in a searching type manner. Perhaps the head injury has affected his eye sight? I will check sight in the AM with the day light.

 

[ChicwannaB]

Quote:
What?

We had a storm? We had hail?

Is that why my bistro table is knocked down? I remember I heard distant thunder while I was drifting of to lala land. When the kids were home, I heard everything! Now, I guess not.

Sad thing is, is it just relief, or my hearing going?

I know it sure feels so much better outside. And... don't have to water the gardens!!

Yah today felt alot better but a little bit before dark tonight I looked at the ol thermometer and it was read ing 50. I went in the coop/kennel and my 4 week olds were all huddled together so I thought maybe they were cold. Since my heat lamp from the brooder was broken I threw a big blanket over the hutch they are in. I hope that will offer them some warmth. Would they need heat at 4 weeks old with temps at 50 or not? Well I did it anyway, better safe than sorry.

 

[ChicwannaB]

I just gotta say I set here and chuckle some times at the post from you guys. I have decided I like being on BYC lots more than facebook and have pretty much given that up.

 

[Chickmate]

Well, it happened. What I always prayed would never happen to me and my birds. It's my fault for being so complacent and so sure they were safe. I have lost 6 and maybe 7 to a predator. I left them out free ranging while I went to run some errands. I left around 1:00 and my neighbor came over around 3:30 to bring them some veggie treats. They were fine when she was here. I got home at around 5:30 and found a massacre. When I drove in the driveway I saw chickens on my front porch and in the flower beds and knew something was wrong. They are not allowed in the front yard and the gate was still closed, so I knew they must have either flown over the fence or in a blind panic went through the wire. I found a dead barred rock hen beside the pond in the back yard whose body was still warm and piles of feathers all over the place. In the woods cowering up against the fence I found a terrified ISA Brown who was not bloody but seems to be slightly injured or sore. Working my way around the fence line in the woods I found another three hens, Vinny one of my barred rock roosters and a BCM rooster all clustered together dead. As it got later toward dusk I found a live EE roo outside the fence on the south side of the pond and a barred rock hen and two EE hens came out from under the deck. All 32 are accounted for now, dead or alive, but one EE hen. I'm sick that I let this happen and I'm almost positive it was dogs. I just can't find where they came in. No way to get under the fence because it's almost all under water, so they must have jumped it. The only dogs I see running in the woods are two German shepards who live several houses down back in the woods. The chickens were all whole, not torn up at all but a couple had broken and slightly chewed necks. Joe, my other barred rock rooster has two puncture wounds on his back, but is up on the roost and seems to be OK. I'll have to treat those wounds in the morning, too tired and late tonight. I hope my little EE hen is OK and will come back tomorrow when it gets light. I can't stand the thought of her scared and out in the dark woods by herself, especially hurt. I think Vinny must have put up a fight because I found his tail feathers on one side of my property and he and the girls all the way on the other side in the back. I'm sick. I guess free ranging days are over, and they loved it so much. I took pictures of the bodies and will be watching to see if the perpetrators come back again. If it is the shepards I'm marching straight over to their house with my pictures. My neighbor said she didn't think the GS would kill chickens because the people who own them have chickens, ducks, geese, lamas, etc. and the dogs never bother them. I've known dogs who lived peacefully with cats to kill cats they didn't know. I'm sure it would be the same with chickens. What really steams me is that I paid a lot of money fencing my property to keep my dogs in and other people's dogs out!! Now I can't even let my chickens free range on my own fenced property!

So, I've lost two ISA Brown hens, a barred rock hen and rooster, a BCM rooster and an EE hen, plus the EE hen that is still missing and have an injured ISA Brown and barred rock hen. This was not a good day.

I may have to revise my list of chickens I was bringing to Chickenstock.

 

[Opa]

Sadly with raising chickes is that when it comes to predators the rality is when not if. Sorry for your loss.

 

[sj3364]

Very sad. Sorry your chickens had to go through that. Poor things.

 

[LyonFuzz]

I'm so sorry you had to come home to that chickmate You must be devastated. Do you have a game cam you could mount in your yard? Would be nice to get some pics of the perpetrators to show to their owner if in fact it was the neighbor's dogs. If it was them, I bet they'll be back. I sure hope you wake up to your little EE hen outside your door.