Minnesota!

[scandiafowl]

IMHO, snakes are an important part of the food chain. Just like snapping turtles.

 

[Mistahbue]

HEY Everybody!

I'm catching up on 335 posts. Sounds like Dandelioness and DH want to incubate some more birds, Holm is getting into ducks and a new awesome coop. Welcome back Ralphie...let the Games begin for ermine vermin. D*** things. Minnie looks like those pole cats were too big for the trap housing. LOL. sorry about chicken losses by dogs and weasels all. Scott I love woody bushes for my chickens. They hold up to chicken feet and provide shade and cover for them and also there are some beautiful flowering varieties. Hydrangea, wiegelia (sp?), lilac varieties, endless possibilities. Also I've switched from wood chips (colored red) to Pine Bark chips. Which are bigger and the chickens don't or can't scratch them as easily out of the flower beds and such.

Running kids to sports and working. I miss my favorite social media.

Got a call from my friend. They had a massacre in their yard Sunday (while they were home even). Two dogs who had strayed in their yard and took their gold laced bantam rooster and two other hens. They were able to catch the little dog but the big black lab wouldn't back down. So her DH shot the dog. They knew who they belonged to-- a neighbor about a mile away. When they brought the dead dog back, The guy cried as the black lab hadn't started running until his girlfriend moved in with the small poodle mutt, who probably got him running. I guess he took his dog to work with him everyday. He admitted that there was an issue with them wandering lately. I told them that they should have shot the little one too. Seems he's more of the culprit. But they were trying to give a chance. Anyways one of their Olive Eggers had a large gash across her back and they knew I had a chicken first aid arsenal, so I was more than glad to help with BlueKote. There were no winners that day. Everybody took losses and all were sad all around. They are taking a summer trip starting this weekend and I've signed up for chicken duty. The birds will be penned while they are away. They don't trust poodle mutt to stay away.

As for my own flock. Lucy, my RLBW is picking up speed I think. I put raw honey on her foot. I like that actually. Finally Dixie, the silkie, is not broody. She laid an egg for me today. Coop got cleaned out yesterday. No other eggs for about 5 days until Dixie's today. I guess it's official: summer break. I think I'll worm every one, now. My BA, Holly is still sneezing and it seems a little worse this week. Not sure what to make of it. Fern never returned with a brood of chicks. I'm thinking she got locked out of the coop that Memorial weekend and a predator got drumsticks that night.

Sadie Mae comes in 6 more days. The kids are excited and I must say I am too. Although I'm scared for my chickens and foul ups with her while training. But I think we can do it and be strict about her outdoor time, leashing and getting her used to the birds. Labs are so smart. but I'm envisioning a ballistic teenage pubescent obnoxious labrador running fiend in the yard bowling over chickens. Oh God....

Other than that, my garden needs weeding and my grass needs mowing. Endless ....

Egad - hate it for the dog - maybe the guy needs to send the GF back to where she came from - but people got to know if they let their dogs stray then something bad is bound to happen.

Thanks for mentioning raw honey - I never seem to remember it's natures own antibiotic of sorts. Need to add a jar to my bird first aid kit.

 

[Mistahbue]

It's a new diet that advocates eliminating grains and monitoring glycemic index in foods. It makes sense in that a breakfast of bacon and eggs will keep you sated longer than a waffle or a donut.

There is also a book called Wheat Belly -- in a nutshell it explains how in an effort to feed the world we've bastardized all of our seeds and screwed our ownselves coming and going.

 

[nordicacres]

really good camo!


Anyone found a good way to keep the flock from under your feet?  I'm glad they are happy to see me, but geesh!  nothing like carrying bags of feed and not being able to see your feet and having a bunch of hens winding their way while you try to walk!   I can't believe I haven't hurt one yet stepping on it.

Love this weather!  

Walking on my property is dangerous business. The stray cat is very needy so she makes a beeline for me and rubs my legs as I am walking. Then the turkeys come running. The chickens will only try to trip me if I've got food, lol.

 

[Rhetts]

What a day! I am so tired. Wood splitting here and chicken butchering at BIL. Ah the farm life. I am hitting the hay. See you folks tomorrow.

 

[Cyrus83]

What a great day I had! Yesterday was my last day of work for the week. So today I painted my thumb green. I weeded my overgrown veggie garden and planted four new apple trees. Tomorrow will be a bit more weeding and planting pumpkins, and Saturday is on the lake fishing.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I Mowed lawn tonight. weed whipped until I broke string and couldn't find any more. I guess I'll have to buy more but I know that roll is around somewhere. I'll find it as soon as I buy a new roll of nylon weed-whip string. you know it. Push mowed. Watered some new plants (herbs) I created a little "kitchen garden" and I'm super excited about it. It has beneficial herbs for the chickens and some good ones for cooking for me. Although I noted already that some one excavated my lemon grass plant and had themselves a dust bath. They are so cute (sorta) when they don't give a crap about my stuff. Gosh I love those chooks. They have so much character.
Bunny rabbit ate down my rose bush and sedum. So sprayed those with repellent.

Then ran over to friends to get the lowdown on chickening before their trip and to check the wounds on the back of her Olive egger. It's a little stinky but I think she's going to be okay. we cleaned her up, bluekoted and neosporined. She's a sweet hen. Cute face. Ethel.

My FitBit is about to explode with the steps I've taken today. All good. Sounds like everybody had big full days. Love it. sleep well chicken friends.

xoxo.

 

[The BlanchRanch]

Wow, BC. What a horrible ordeal at the neighbors!!

Seems I too keep having problems. Dumbling's eye is still weeping and now Lois is laying eggs with no shell and is acting lethargic. Anyone recognize those symptoms? Probably for everything. Any treatments should be the question I ask.

So much to know with chickens and I only have 5 and don't breed.

 

[duluthralphie]

Everyone needs an Ethel!


I have a secret to good gardening with chickens. I till around the plants but I do not remove any weeds for about 6 inches either side of the plant. That way the chickens do not scratch the plant to death.

My elderly thought she would "help" me and it drove her crazier than she already is to see weeds near my cukes. So she "weeded" them. Which the chickens took as an invitation to scratch them out of the ground, so they did. I am a little disappointed in my birds, I found my cabbage was loaded with bugs. Their job is to eat the bugs!

The weather must have been bad when I was gone as my plants did not grow a lot and some even died. I need to go buy another 30-40 cabbage pants now or I will not have enough for kraut. We love homemade kraut.

We caught a dog, the white one with an egg in her mouth last night during chicken TV time. She has earned the right to be muzzled again.

I missed Ole when I went to give treats. I hope he is enjoying his new home, It is closer to the Casino and we know how he liked his vices. I feel for the lone hen that went with him. She is going to need a sitz bath daily.




BTW this thread needs MORE pictures.. so post them!!!

 

[duluthralphie]

Sorry to post twice in a row, but I lost a 6 week old poult last night from inside the brooder.

I do not think I have a weasel problem. I am thinking possum, now.

This brooder is the first one I made. It is made out of 1 inch chicken netting which a weasel would go through. I had 20 chicks in the brooder a weasel would have went in and had a heyday. This bird was up tight against the wire netting with its head removed and a wing gnawed on and partially missing. It appears whatever it was could not get into the tractor/brooder. The birds think they are too big to sleep inside the brooder part, so they sleep next to the wire.


It explains a lot to me. The first Cochin that was attacked was in the creamettes run, which is about 60'x10' of 1 inch chicken netting. I am guessing now she was next to the netting and something attacked her taking the top of her head and could not get in to finish her off. Which explains why she did not die in that attack.

The second cochin was in a different run that a possum could have gotten into. I am guessing she refused to roost and sat next to Bert on the ground when she was attacked. Why Bert was not killed is beyond me.

I will be setting traps tonight Live traps and jaw traps. I will still set a weasel trap in my new box with a mouse for bait, just in case.

If not a Possum I suppose a mink, or skunk could be it, I doubt a fox could reach through 1 inch netting. I have no fishers here I am too far south, same as martin. Any other Ideas?