Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

Good "Foggy" Emoji Ralphie. Love that one!

WB and I stole it... From someone on BYC

 

[Cyrus83]

I said, I said who wants a free rooster boy

 

[Bogtown Chick]

" I say, I say 'SON!'"

 

[duluthralphie]

I moved Bert today. I gave him a new job, he is Junior High school counselor now. When I first put him in his new postion he did what all new Jr High faculty members do, he ran and hid in the corner of the tiny room (brooder).


I gave him a pep talk and helped him back into the main area. He is now with the Jr High kids but a little scared, (Jr High Kids are my middle hatchlings).

I have decided I was too hasty taking him from the Dixie chicks. It appears he is more mobile than I thought. I am making a tractor/brooder/coop for him and 2 Dixie chicks. I would think a 6x8 run should work for three of them with Berts limited movement. Besides it will be harder for the girls to run from him come breeding time. The challenge is getting enough food to the girls without Bert going all CX on me. I am thinking of making a loft feeding area Bert cannot get into for them.

I am also making Weasel traps as my previous ones are not working. "Expletives deleted". I have a new idea, tell me what you think. Mice are one of the weasels favorite foods. I am making a rectangle box about 6 inches by 24 inches. I am going to put the hole in each end for the weasel to enter. In the middle I am making a small 6 inch cage out of 1/4 inch hardware cloth with a door on the topside of it. I plan to catch mice (using my bucket traps) an put them in the cage for bait.

It should work as the weasel can see through the trap and should see the mice and want to munch on them. He enters the trap/box steps on the trap and is history. I have not seen this done before, but at this point I would stake out a goat and sit and wait for the weasel if I had too.

 

[Minniechickmama]

It might work, Ralphie. You gotta do something or you he will just keep coming back. Here, keeping everything mowed down seems to keep them at bay, but if I let the grass get too high, I suspect it will be back. It may be time to start trapping down in the waterway and the wet area on the NE corner of the property. I don't have the wooded areas you seem to have for them to hide. Good luck catching him!

 

[duluthralphie]

It might work, Ralphie. You gotta do something or you he will just keep coming back. Here, keeping everything mowed down seems to keep them at bay, but if I let the grass get too high, I suspect it will be back. It may be time to start trapping down in the waterway and the wet area on the NE corner of the property. I don't have the wooded areas you seem to have for them to hide. Good luck catching him!

I have a heavy woods right down to the swamp, so they can hide anywhere and be close to water and be under cover. I moved things today so I could mow more and am going to brush hog the woods, like you said I need to try everything or they will clean me out.

I am thinking of hiring Holms to come here and be night watchman for me.

 

[Cyrus83]

Chickens have got to be the smartest dumb animals. A few of mine have were just following me on the mower eating the bite size chunks of harder snake that kept flying out the chute.

 

[Rhetts]

Chickens have got to be the smartest dumb animals. A few of mine have were just following me on the mower eating the bite size chunks of harder snake that kept flying out the chute.

Did you just say chunks of snake?!! EEEEWWWWW!! I have a severe phobia of snakes and that totally grossed me out Cyrus!
In my defense, my older brother tortured us younger siblings with snakes when we were younger. He still thinks its funny. Sad thing is, I was talking to my sister and younger brother about the tortured times and they are both just as horrified of snakes as I am. Its truly sad that we three are sent into to panic attacks just seeing a photo of a snake!

 

[Cyrus83]

Yah snakes are the lowest form of life on earth according to genesis. But the chickens definitely think the mower is a gummy worm dispenser.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I would welcome a rat snake or two and some garter snakes. If you have critters like that, it means your ecosystem is somewhat intact. Out here in the fields, we don't see any of them.

Ralphie, I think you need another chicken poop eating dog, a Livestock Guardian kind. It would keep all the critters out. I would get one but I have 3 big dogs already and don't think our pocketbook could feed another big dog!