North Carolina

[JadedPhoenix]

ive been having aweful luck with the chicken coop. Saturday I came out to see all of the birds having a great time FREE RANGING! out birds are kept in the coop to protect them from out local hawks and dome dummy came by and let them all out. same thing happened yeaterday and today. I need to find a way to shoo them away besides locking my coop. ive thought of a game camera to find out who it is, but I don't own one. OH why cant people just respect other people's property? when I posted on facebook about how we need to keep the coop shut for their protection from the fox coyotes and wolves here as well, a neighbor claimed there are no wolves when they have been taking my other neighbors cats....the footprint was tested by NC state and its red wolves. OH WHAT TO DO!


Im also looking for quality button quail breeders local to here....if anyone knows of anyone or has a stock right know could you let me know?


ALSO I still have 3 beautiful 4 month old Japanese bantam X silkie roosters, 2 white and a black for sale. I need the gone by the 16th, but aren't really intended to be put in freezer camp. it would be great to let me know if your interested, and I can even give them away if I really need to.



well, im off to make some incredible looking peanut butter cup candies....I can share a pic later? haha

~Bantambury

I had to put a padlock on my run because I had NINE pullets disappear in one night. No feathers left behind to show a struggle with a four-legged critter which led me to believe that a two-legged one was making off with them. Once I put the lock on, I haven't lost another chicken to mysterious causes. Such a shame that we have to do that on our own property. At least once a week I head out to collect the eggs only to realize I forgot the key!

 

[ramirezframing]

Mine have been under lock and key for years due to theft.

 

[Tracydr]

Tracy - I'll probably have some IB hatching eggs in the spring. Just message me around March/April. If you don't incubate I could probably be talked into hatching a few for you.

That's awesome. What part of NC are you in? I'm getting an incubator this winter so I'll be able to incubate.
Can you PM me when you get eggs?
I remember having some difficulty pea-eggs in the incubator before, although it could have been the cheap incubator. I ended up just letting the hen hatch them and then collect the chicks. Do you set the parameters of the incubator the same as for chicks? I had great success with chickens and guineas despite using a cheap, styrofoam little giant and no egg turner for a long time. I did eventually get an egg turner but never had a hygrometer.
Hoping to have something with digital controls and alarms this time.

 

[Tracydr]

[COLOR=008000]Snapping turtles aren't the only turtles that will eat ducks.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]If your ducks won't go in the pond you just may have a whole[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]lot of turtles and maybe even snakes.[/COLOR]

Hopefully, if that's all it is they'll go in the water in the winter at least. We do have snakes but can they actually eat a full sized mallard? I know my turtles couldn't. They're mouths are pretty small. I've caught a few when they because they're always messing with my fishing bait.

 

[Coop Scoop Boogie]

Hopefully, if that's all it is they'll go in the water in the winter at least. We do have snakes but can they actually eat a full sized mallard? I know my turtles couldn't. They're mouths are pretty small. I've caught a few when they because they're always messing with my fishing bait.

Most small snakes won't be a problem and are actually good for rodent
control. The larger water type snakes can eat ducks once they get some
size to them. You'll never be able eradicate all the wildlife and it's not a
good idea to do so anyway. If you have a large clear area of bank where
the snakes and turtles can't hide and the ducks are full grown, I would think
you would not loose many to the wildlife. If you have small turtles, then you
have big turtles as well. I do know snappers are tasty.

 

[mdeans]

I'm in Raleigh.Yeah, incubating pea eggs is iffy - I have had mixed results with my styrofoam incubator so I just upgraded to the Brinsea that controls humidity. I think that was my main problem but I won't know until I try it out. ;-) Either way - you incubate or I do - fine with me. They start laying in March, or so. I have four hens, three India Blue and one India Blue Pied. I hatched all of them. The male is India Blue. There's a good fb group - Peacocks Only - that you might like. Lots of terrific advice. Many of them are from the Louisiana/Texas/Oklahoma part of the country but they are helpful and you learn a lot about every aspect of keeping peafowl. Peafowl incubate at 99.5 but for 28-29 days. I believe the humidity is higher for them, but I was going to check that when I have eggs to set.

 

[Hollowoakfarm]

Hey, Folks! Haven't been on much as I have an overload at work this go-round. Staying way busy! Welcome to the new folks!

As soon as hubby recovers from surgery (hernia repair, so no lifting for a month) we'll be putting a lot of surplus roos in the pot, too. I do still have two Gold-laced English Orpingtons (one black based and one blue based) that I'd prefer to sell rather than cook, but I'm not planning on feeding them all winter, either.

Started consolidating my flocks for the winter. I've got the EEs, Ameraucanas, Welsummers, and Orpington hens all together, with all the gentlemen pulled for now. Once this last group settles, I'll add in the younger birds from Grow-out. I've still 83 in the Juvenile Detention Center, and they will likely overwinter in Grow-out. Only 55 are ours, though. The others are pre-sold, and we're just growing them out for someone else. They will get those in February.

I have to start planning my breeding program soon, too. I'm still looking for Wheaten/Blue Wheaten Ameraucanas, from an NPIP breeder. I had a line on some, but she keeps putting me off. Don't know if or when I'll ever get those chicks. I'll have to sort out the Golden Cuckoo Marans group, and continue to work on breeding out the vulture hocks. Such lovely birds. I'll have an awesome breeding group when I'm done.

Despite the money I put into starting them with really good bloodlines, I'm seriously considering taking my BBS English Orpingtons, and changing to pure black. I'll probably start by selling off all the splash birds. If I hold some blues back, I can always chance my mind. Plus, since I lost Elliott, I'll need some of that bloodline (Roger Harrison birds) from my splash cock. He's the only other male I have directly from Roger's breeding. I still have hens, but a good cock is important! I'll hold those blues for now. After I get some blacks for foundation out of them, I can sell those off, and add in other blacks from pure black lines to improve the color. Hmmmm....I said I was considering it, but I sound rather like I've already made up my mind, don't I? I'll be able to reduce the number of cockerels I grow out, and the overall flock size. Keeping less than 20 of them would be nice. I guess I should take some pics of the splash birds this weekend and offer them up!

CSB...be careful of those idiots passing the bus!
Everyone else...have a great day!

 

[Tracydr]

[COLOR=008000]Most small snakes won't be a problem and are actually good for rodent[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]control. The larger water type snakes can eat ducks once they get some[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]size to them. You'll never be able eradicate all the wildlife and it's not a[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]good idea to do so anyway. If you have a large clear area of bank where[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]the snakes and turtles can't hide and the ducks are full grown, I would think[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]you would not loose many to the wildlife. If you have small turtles, then you[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]have big turtles as well. I do know snappers are tasty. [/COLOR]

I have cleared the shore and watershield from an area about 3 feet wide, into the deeper water. I wonder if I should remove more watershield.
I haven't seen any really large water snakes, just a little one in the old koi pond which I'm waiting to redo until I'm sure the snakes have died down.
I'm sure we probably have some large snakes. I saw a rat snake about a month ago that was 6 feet long and my Doberman got bitten by some sort of venomous snake around the same time. Seemed like we had a weekend with tons of snake sightings and lately I've only seen little 4-6" babies.

 

[Tracydr]

[COLOR=008000]There was some at the Wicked Chicken Auction today. The auction[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]is every Sunday in Wilson Mills.......quite a trip for you. If you are careful[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]and know what to look for in healthy birds, you can get some fair deals there.[/COLOR]

Thanks.
Anybody know some livestock auctions in the Laurinberg region? I always worry about buying something at those things, due to disease,though.

 

[Tracydr]

[COLOR=008000]Good morning folks  [/COLOR]

[COLOR=008000]We have not done any winter gardening to speak of before.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]We did keep a couple tomato plants in a little green house[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]an they did survive the winter but really did not fruit. I seen[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]an idea of straw bales with some glass doors on top of them[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]and while I like the basic idea I'm not thrilled about the glass[/COLOR]
[COLOR=008000]doors part. I wonder if visqueen plastic would work too? [/COLOR]

[COLOR=008000]hope everyone has a good day [/COLOR]

Better to just go with the seasons. Plant lettuce, chard, greens and broccoli for winter. Beets, carrots and peas or favas. Wait for warmer, sunnier weather for tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Beans, too are warm weather.
Speaking of, I have got to plant a garden tomorrow! I put in strawberries but really want fresh lettuce, etc.