Minnesota!

[duluthralphie]

The Nowthen tractor show is a great place. I have been a few times, but it tends to get a little crowded for me.

I like all the old stationary power plants, the hit or misses...

 

[Cluckies]

As for the size of your place.... We all know size does NOT matter!  It is how well the coop functions

Love it, hahaha!

 

[Cyrus83]

Love it, hahaha!

Good thing my DW says our coop is perfect size for our flock.

 

[duluthralphie]

As for the size of your place.... We all know size does NOT matter! It is how well the coop functions

That's what all the guys with small places say!




BTW I spent yesterday building a new nest box and working on a new Hospital ward. ICU will still be in another building so I can isolate. This will be two hospital rooms in the main coop so chickens can see other chickens while not being hurt by them. I am fixing an old single car garage into a coop. I have been using the back part, but now I am making the whole thing coop. I have doors on it now, I took the garage door off, and replaced it with a LARGE screen door now. I am hoping the open front coop will give me enough ventilation this winter to not lose any coops.

I am also going to start work on a whiz bang chicken plucker. I bought the fingers off Amazon, now I need to figure out how to build it out of an old washer or dryer. I have so many birds to process this fall the old single bird plucker will take me days to do them all. Hopefully, camp day will go faster and easier this year, I have changed the family rules, if you want fresh chickens you have to help on camp day and split the cost of raising the birds.


I have not picked out the winners of the lottery to become toad and frog parents. I am thinking of bringing leg bands with me and marking the most active birds. But as of right now they are all active. I love seeing an over sized chicken flying towards me.

I've lived here 13 years and never been... Hmmm, maybe I shoud put it on the list. But since I was booted out of the Redneck club for drinking dark beer

, I'll have to think about it, lol

If you want to stay in the redneck club you just have to drink your black beer in secret. I suggest you buy a case of PBR in cans and pour the tar beer into it so we cannot see it at our redneck gatherings. Use duct tape to reseal the can.

Rhett are you getting thousands of bees at your hummingbird feeder? I have so many and have gotten so few hummers this summer, I am going to just let it go dry and put it away instead of refilling it. At 52 degrees this morning if they have no left they will soon.


Coffee, Did your chicks figure out what roosts they wanted to sit on?

 

[Rhetts]

Ralphie-for the most part I did not have a bee problem at the feeders. I purchased ones this year that are supposed to be bee proof. I did have some a few weeks back but I moved it and the bees didn't find it yet. I think I will fill mine one more time and that will be it.

I have some very sad news! We had a predator attack last night. It tore into one of my duck coops. Took 7 of the 9 ducks. I found 2 piles of feathers, so they at least ate 2 of the birds here on property. There are no signs of the others. 2 of the ducks somehow managed to escape. We found them in the yard this morning. To be frank, we are quite devastated. The prints we found are canine. DH and BIL are thinking wolf. I took pictures. They are huge in my opinion. There were at least 2 animals because there are 2 for sure different sizes of prints. There are scratch marks on the other duck house but it had not been broken into. There are prints around that duck house and on my driveway. It is a half loop type and it comes very close to my house. That means these animals are right out my door. *sigh* Now what?!
How do I save the other animals from these predators? What am I supposed to do? I have coop of juvie chickens in my yard that I am surprised they did not take those either. The chickens would have been easier. I am assuming they are next. I just really don't know what to do! What about the free ranged animals, the geese and turkeys? Are my pigs and cows safe? What about us? Can we go outside and not have to worry about wolves?

I have a game camera set up on the duck house that was intact still. I am assuming they are coming back for them because of how many tracks and they tried getting in there already.
Any other suggestions?

 

[duluthralphie]

Oh No Rhett!

I wish I had an answer, I don't.

Jut know I feel for you.

 

[Scott16475]

Oh no, Rhetts! So very sorry for your loss. I wish I could help you but unfortunately I can't. I've learned so much from everyone here so I know someone will have some ideas.

 

[Scott16475]

I have 10 hens (7 of which who are currently or just starting to lay and the other 3 should start any day now)...our coop has four nesting boxes but I'm currently only utilizing two of them. For 10 hens how many nesting boxes should I be using? Should I continue with just the two or open one or two more? I know they like to share but not sure if having 10 share just two boxes is the way to go.

 

[Rhetts]

I have 10 hens (7 of which who are currently or just starting to lay and the other 3 should start any day now)...our coop has four nesting boxes but I'm currently only utilizing two of them. For 10 hens how many nesting boxes should I be using? Should I continue with just the two or open one or two more? I know they like to share but not sure if having 10 share just two boxes is the way to go.

I don't know how true it is, but I was told about 5 hens to a nesting box. That seems like a lot to me. Again, not sure how accurate that is. Would there be any reasons you wouldn't want 3 boxes open?

 

[Cyrus83]

I have 10 hens (7 of which who are currently or just starting to lay and the other 3 should start any day now)...our coop has four nesting boxes but I'm currently only utilizing two of them. For 10 hens how many nesting boxes should I be using? Should I continue with just the two or open one or two more? I know they like to share but not sure if having 10 share just two boxes is the way to go.

I think 2 is fine, I have 4 boxes and my hens all insist on laying in the same box.