Michigan

[erinlee]

Your freezer called, it needs a rooster or two.

LOL! You are so right. I just don't have the heart to do that to any of my critters! I keep threatening it but I just don't have it in me.

 

[erinlee]

x2.

I feel so lucky that I have had absolutely no predators (as of yet, knock on wood) given all the wildlife we have out here. Mom saw a bobcat coming home from golf last night. Just another predator in our neck of the woods. My DH says I am over doing the safety aspect, but I don't think so. Rather be safe than sorry.

A bobcat got two of my hens last summer - in the middle of the day. Be careful!

 

[NovaAman]

I just came back in from finishing the morning refills, and burying the remains I found after a yard search of where the kids are always playing. I went in search of Roger, he has not left the big coop, and the two silver laced are in the under-run, they are not moving out of there either... The only remaining golden is skittish, and running around the outside of the big run. Well anyway, I wanted to check them over for injuries. Roger doesn't have any bodily injuries. His tail however has been shorn, his wing feathers are broken off pretty good on both sides. If it weren't for his big old walnut on his head, you'd not know he's a boy. Poor guy must a put up a hell of a fight to protect the other 3 chicks. They are ok also, just scared. Gotta LOVE Roger. I am thinking today I am going to have to get him some sort of plumage driven feed. Poor guy looks like he's be hit with mange. No punctures though, and he is crowing nice a loud.

Anyway... Thanks for the sympathy. I am trying to decided if I want to go ahead with my silkie meat project or not now. I have people who will want to buy them, considering for them its considered a delicacy, But hell, now I'd have to replace my pullet, who would never be dinner, but obviously she was, with two more, and reconsider the tractor set up. At $15 a bird, un- butchered... for a 2-3 pound cockerel... It is worth the time, I guess... I'll just have to rethink it...

 

[uchytil]

I am totally devastated. I only have Roger left, and 3 dotte chicks. Leila, her two bio babies, her two adopted silkie chicks... Gone. effen coon got in. I can not find the bodies of Leila or 2 of the silkies, I found what was left of my blue-ish grey, part of one of the blacks and part of one of the goldens. SO SO SO mad! I am burning the **** tractor. I should have known not to build a **** tractor. It didn't dig under, it managed to pull the fencing off on the side. The side that is up against the dogs run too! Its only a 4 inch space there, just big enough a **** coon! The only place I hadn't finished the trim work yet cuz I ran out of wood and didn't have a free pay period again till next week. Thats why I put that side against the dog run... SO MAD!!


Going to set the trap tonight with whats left of my one dot, she's pretty much all there, and play with a .22 in the morning. Roger and his 3 charges are going to stay in the other coop with his first set of kiddos.


No, I am not going to burn the tractor. I am going to make it solid instead.

That sucks Nova. Hope you get the culprit!

 

[Mom 2em All]

oh No Nova!

If you havent found the remains of Leila and her chicks...is it possible that she has gone into hiding?

I hope you catch it because you know it will return.

 

[Mom 2em All]

Olive-

I found out the hard way that "righty tighty lefty loosy" does not apply to hoses...

finally got it off though.

 

[NovaAman]

LOL! You are so right. I just don't have the heart to do that to any of my critters! I keep threatening it but I just don't have it in me.

Honestly, when I took my first round of extra cockerels to the butcher, I went with my neighbor so I wouldn't start to cry. I really do enjoy my roosters running around the yard, crowing the beautiful little heads off. HOWEVER, that is the only purpose they serve, aside from stressing out the hens, and knocking up the eggs. You only need a roo or two for that. This time around, I had 7 cockerels that needed to go. I only keep my main two guys, Mr. Fluffers and Roger. Roger will never ever ever ever be dinner. He has a home here until he dies, and then he's going to get a grave stone too. Well, anyway, I had 7 that were ready for Camp Frigidaire, but I only took 6 because my DS asked to keep Rod Stewart too. SO, we kept Rod, and I have 2 roos and 1 cockerel that have permanent homes. In about 8 weeks, I will have 4 more cockerels to go to the butcher. And the thing is, it doesn't bother me now. And here is why,
1) They lived a better life than a factory raised bird, bugs and all. Not all factory meat birds mind you, but most.
2) They stressed the heck out of my laying hens. One would manage to get a hen, and 2 others would be waiting in line to take their turn, and in the mean time, the roos' were fighting over top of said hen, and she would be left laying there on the ground afraid to move, you'd think she was seriously injured, and in some cases, she's got her head pecked at. We do not need those types of problems, and yes, I had plenty of POL and laying hens and pullets to go around, but there were a favored few... (BTW Fia's got pin feathers coming in on her back! YEAH!)
3) If you sell or give them away on craigslist, you are more than likely giving some one else a free meal. Why do that, when you went to the trouble of raising them and feeding them. Eat them yourself.
And last but not least 4) I don't do my own butchering. I am not up to that yet, but we have a butcher who lives 5 minutes away and it only costs me $2 a bird.

 

[NovaAman]

oh No Nova!

If you havent found the remains of Leila and her chicks...is it possible that she has gone into hiding?

I hope you catch it because you know it will return.

I found the physical remains of 3. I found a big puff of Leila feathers, so I think she may have been dragged back to the den. I found a glw, the skin and feathers of one of blacks, the feathers of the blue/grey silkie all around the coop. I didn't find anything of the blue or the chick that looked just like Roger. I took a walk about in the trees with my shovel, moving the undergrowth around, hoping I may find something. I am hoping that what you say is the case. I really am.
I was going to bait the trap with the glw remains, but I figured that'd be a bad idea since it is going to be HOT today... I have turkey left in the freezer from Christmas, going to thaw that today and bait it with that. Hope it works.

On another note of coon activity... Every so often we have to put the secondary trash can out. Well, it was tipped over and garbage was spread around. I know it could have been a dog, but I don't think so...

 

[erinlee]

You've put up some good arguments. Maybe I'd consider it more if we had a butcher here close to us - there is NO WAY I could do it myself. We live so much in the boonies there isn't much around here; I've certainly never found someone that will do it.

 

[Olive Hill]

You've put up some good arguments. Maybe I'd consider it more if we had a butcher here close to us - there is NO WAY I could do it myself. We live so much in the boonies there isn't much around here; I've certainly never found someone that will do it.

If you live in the boonies, you're MORE likely to have local butchers, not less. Ask some of the hunters in your area. Betcha one of them knows someone.