Minnesota!

[cottonlouie]

Been off the thread for a bit...that's code for "I had a spell of depression." I got 3 4 week old chicks 2 weeks ago from a friend who lost the momma hen to a predator. One little pullet was found unconsious and frozen outside without mom at a day or two old and my friend put her back under mom and she revived but boy howdy! That chick has brain damage! She is afraid of nothing. Runs up to people, dogs, cars, anything big and moving. She is always in danger of getting stepped on as she is always under foot and doesn't move away. Yesterday I nearly raked her up with the refuse. Sweet little thing though. My granddaughter picks her up and carries her around for long stretches of time. She doesn't mind a bit. Is completely distracted by any motion and get separated from the other two chicks easily. It's gonna be something of a miracle if she makes it to laying age.

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[cottonlouie]

A few more pics...

 

[destiny_56085]

I had that same problem with feral cats last year too. Somebody I work with thought it was a great idea to drop off 20+ adult cats that he had trapped. He even left me a 40 pound bag of cat food too. Cats that have been raised around birds are one thing, adult feral ones used to hunting to stay alive are another. I trapped and eliminated 22 adults and 11 kittens. Some of kittens were small enough that I could tame and give away. Older cats were WILD! The one exception was a tame calico that my kid drug back into my house. They destroyed almost our whole flock of free range layers, every single duckling and gosling I turned out. If they could snag a bird through the wire, they would kill and leave the carcass. I caught 1 tomcat squeezing through where the wire butted up to the barn rafter. That's where a lot of my juveniles out of my keeper pen were disappearing to.... Rats, coons, and opossum never did near as much damage as that group of cats.

 

[MinnesotaNice]

Grrrrr! I went out and found that the cat who is on the killing spree got 2 of the remaining 3 Silkies I had in a small coop. My best Splash hen I was thinking I would keep, along with the Black rooster are gone, Splash feathers on the ground. The only thing left is a Black hen.

The cat comes around in the evening while I am finishing chores, so I have a surprise for it. I have been putting up fence for half the afternoon.

Your splash was beautiful - sorry to hear what happened.

Made a mistake at fleet farm, saw their garden stuff was half price and ended up with some cabbage, squash and pumpkins to replace what got eaten in the garden. THe mistake was I really didn't have time to plant them and had to take some time off work to do it.

Its been fun watching the chicks from ralphie's rooster feather out, trying to guess who the heck their mom was. I"m puzzled by a barred rock looking one who also has a beard and black/green feet. How could that happen with a legbar and a barred rock?

I went to Fleet Farm yesterday just "to look" at their garden stuff. I left with 4 trees (only because I didn't have room for more), 10 shrubs of some sort, perennials, and hanging baskets galore. I didn't get any garden goods as it's pretty full and thriving at the moment.

Been off the thread for a bit...that's code for "I had a spell of depression." I got 3 4 week old chicks 2 weeks ago from a friend who lost the momma hen to a predator. One little pullet was found unconsious and frozen outside without mom at a day or two old and my friend put her back under mom and she revived but boy howdy! That chick has brain damage! She is afraid of nothing. Runs up to people, dogs, cars, anything big and moving. She is always in danger of getting stepped on as she is always under foot and doesn't move away. Yesterday I nearly raked her up with the refuse. Sweet little thing though. My granddaughter picks her up and carries her around for long stretches of time. She doesn't mind a bit. Is completely distracted by any motion and get separated from the other two chicks easily. It's gonna be something of a miracle if she makes it to laying age.

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I tried not to laugh....but I did.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Well, I was wrong, it is a family of coon that are on a killing spree. I lost my whole pen of WLR Cornish last night, the adult breeders, the last Black Silkie hen, and the 4 juvies Buckeyes I had in a pasture. I moved my Buckeye hens into a run again, and I closed the bachelor tractor that was propped up. I set two big coon traps and a smaller one that maybe I can get a young one into. I baited with marshmallow since they are a good option that cats and skunks won't eat, but coon love them. I may go and sit out with my boom stick tonight too. I hope I have everyone closed in enough to not lose any more tonight.

 

[lalaland]

oh no! I am so sorry to hear that. Hope you got the whole coon family with the boom stick.

 

[Cluckies]

Quote: Oh no!

Grrrrr! I went out and found that the cat who is on the killing spree got 2 of the remaining 3 Silkies I had in a small coop. My best Splash hen I was thinking I would keep, along with the Black rooster are gone, Splash feathers on the ground. The only thing left is a Black hen.

The cat comes around in the evening while I am finishing chores, so I have a surprise for it. I have been putting up fence for half the afternoon.

Oh no!

I had things ready to greet the killer, but didn't see it tonight. I am pretty sure the dogs were barking at it for a while, but it was hiding in the weeds.
The dogs were carrying on and on while I was doing waterers tonight, and when I looked over, there was a big deer in our little orchard! It stayed there too until my son came out of the house, but even then it took a few minutes before it ran off across the road. We get them in the yard, but I have never seen one during daylight hours in the yard except when they are hauling butt through with someone shooting at them in the Fall. There are plenty down in the field in the evening, and they are so pretty with the golden color coming off them with the sun going down. This one was very healthy looking and pretty.

The cat actually went in the door where I keep it propped open during the day for air circulation, and it climbed over the 8-foot divider to the first big pen and killed a 4 month old Buckeye cockerel and hate most of it. The rest of the pen pecked it the rest of the way clean. It also pulled a pullet through in pieces from a big dog kennel where I had 3 birds that were getting pecked on for healing them up. I found pieces of that bird the next morning. It also ate the head off a 3-month old NH cockerel. I am thinking I have a momma kitty feeding a litter on my hands. She has gotta go though, I am not putting up with a killer cat. I did get enough fencing up to hopefully keep whoever it was at bay for tonight. I have to make the gates and finish putting staples in tomorrow. I never found hide nor feather of the Black rooster, but the Splash I did find while mowing the pasture tonight. She was a really beautiful bird too.

Of course, they can't take the ugly birds.

OH NOOOO....

I had that same problem with feral cats last year too. Somebody I work with thought it was a great idea to drop off 20+ adult cats that he had trapped. He even left me a 40 pound bag of cat food too. Cats that have been raised around birds are one thing, adult feral ones used to hunting to stay alive are another. I trapped and eliminated 22 adults and 11 kittens. Some of kittens were small enough that I could tame and give away. Older cats were WILD! The one exception was a tame calico that my kid drug back into my house. They destroyed almost our whole flock of free range layers, every single duckling and gosling I turned out. If they could snag a bird through the wire, they would kill and leave the carcass. I caught 1 tomcat squeezing through where the wire butted up to the barn rafter. That's where a lot of my juveniles out of my keeper pen were disappearing to.... Rats, coons, and opossum never did near as much damage as that group of cats.

Did you string the co-worker up? Make him pay for all the birds the cats killed and make him pay for all the time you spent trapping and getting rid of those cats? terrible...

Well, I was wrong, it is a family of coon that are on a killing spree. I lost my whole pen of WLR Cornish last night, the adult breeders, the last Black Silkie hen, and the 4 juvies Buckeyes I had in a pasture. I moved my Buckeye hens into a run again, and I closed the bachelor tractor that was propped up. I set two big coon traps and a smaller one that maybe I can get a young one into. I baited with marshmallow since they are a good option that cats and skunks won't eat, but coon love them. I may go and sit out with my boom stick tonight too. I hope I have everyone closed in enough to not lose any more tonight.

OHHHHH NOooooo. Raccoons are terrible to get rid of. and killers to be sure.

They will keep coming back until either all the chickens are dead

or the coon is dead. Only thing worse is probably weasels. Terrible. I hope you get rid of them really quick! Oh I hope I never get raccoons. I would be devastated if they came and killed my birds. I feel so bad for you, so very sorry for your losses. hugs to you.

 

[Drea07]

I need help. Dealing with a predator/s problem. Not sure if it a racoon or an owl...but I know it is a pain in the duff.
We have two coops, one is all metal with a secondary wood base surrounded by heavy rocks,connected off one side is a 10 ft square run, with 6ft high walls in chain link fence. The fence walls are wrapped in 1/2 inch hardware cloth about 3 1/2 ft high, 1/2 ft buried under heavy rocks angling away from the run.
The second coop is all wood, made from pallets, 6ft high, again with heavy rocks surrounding the outside walls. The run is about 35 to 40 ft around, with chain link fence 4ft high for about 20 ft, then goes to 6ft. All is covered in hardware cloth with rocks surrounding the fence line.
One fence line comes off the back of both coops to enclose the entire run, this fence is also 6ft.
Last fall something got a chicken (just head missing) next to the coop where the cloth was not flush to the coop. Fixed the hole, no problems there anymore. Two more chickens were taken when they jumped up on the 4ft fence. (No signs of a fight..just the whole bird gone, did find the feathers of one a few acres away in a swamp.)(My fault.) Clipped wings and provided more perches in the coop. I had two roosters, one in each run. Something got into the small run and killed the rooster by taking just his head and pulled him into the coop, my other rooster was attacked but he got away.
We started locking both chickens and ducks inside their coops instead of letting them go in on their own, for months.
Issues stopped.
Picked up some new chicks, have them in a small portable coop in the center of the big run, the coop is completely enclosed in hardware cloth and off the ground about 5in.
Checked on them before bed, a large bird had been sitting in the tree above them pooping on them.
Three weeks ago we upgraded the locks on the large run door. Two locks, one at the top and one near the bottom, both hook latches with a lock that swings down over the hooks.
Something dug under the door, but no birds missing. Filled heavy rocks under the door and cover bottom of door.
Last night something attacked one of my chickens before she went into her coop (she religiously goes in on her own by 9pm), it also went into the small run attacked my Pekin, and killed my drakes and pulled him into his coop. I went out at 8pm to do my nightly check and all was fine.

At my wits end here. I don't know if it is flying in..but why would a hole be dug under to door?...but that was the only hole?....am I dealing with more then one?
Any thoughts, suggestions?

My husband even waited for it last fall with the dead rooster as bait..never saw it, but sure as heck as soon as he came in, it came an fed on the bird.

 

[Minniechickmama]

@Drea07 They never come out when you are waiting for them. It sounds like an owl if they are out at night. I have had that problem in the past.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Yeah, Cluckies, it sucks. I have traps out, but they must have filled their bellies plenty the night before last and didn't need to come out last night. I hope I can catch them quick. I have to start putting birds on pasture!