North Carolina

[Coop Scoop Boogie]

Quote:

Dvander

glad to meet ya

 

[NewHomesteader2010]

Okay BYC'ers...I (once again) need your help/advice.... I am officially TERRIFIED to go into my barn!! Last night I discovered a black widow building a home for herself in the rafter joint outside our barn. I know they are poisonous but can/will they harm my flock?? How do I get rid of it? I do not want to use any type of chemicals (remember...baby crawling everywhere and putting everything into her mouth and she does love to eat grass and dirt...

I don't know where she gets THAT from.

!!) but I cannot let it live (sorry if you are a spider person...quite frankly they TERRIFY me...thus I have not been into the barn this morning...

DH did). Any advice/suggestions?? Does anyone want to come over and take care of it for me??

I HAD to try!! I am HAPPY to report, no cock fighting this morning. I am wondering if yesterday was a fluke thing because we had been gone over the weekend and perhaps my boys were trying to show off??

is that possible? I don't know. I am busy baking a cake today (one of two sheet cakes) and I am trying to get all the cooking done before the heat hits!! UGH!! OOHHHHHH!!!!!!! I forgot to tell you all. When we were leaving to go to the wedding the other day, we passed someone on NC 39 who had a BEAUTIFUL

peacock just sitting/posing in their driveway. I made DH slow down because I was thinking it was a statue and it turned out to be the real thing. Not sure what peacocks are good for, but he (??) sure was beautiful...oh the tail on him....I could go on forever. Anyway, just HAD to share that with people who I know would appreciate it. DH thought I was crazy!!

Maybe the disease is starting to affect my brain?!?

SCM - Did you order from Reedy Forks?? If so, did they give you a time frame?? I was thinking perhaps if our schedules lined up, we could plan to pick up our feed at the same time. (I am placing my order today!! I think I will buy some layer feed as my gang is 16 weeks and I should have enough to last them another 2 weeks....so, what do you think??)

BHep - Congratulations on your gift...you SO deserve it!!

Also, no worries about me buying anything from an auction. I have heard and been adequately warned by my BYC'ers!! I was just thinking of sneaking a peak at all you have!!

Except you keep getting rid of boys and I need girls. Hmmm....I wonder if I could convince my DH to let me get a pair of ducks.... we do have an old pool that's not being used for them to swim around in... and they could room in the barn with the chickens perhaps...hmmm. What do you think??

Ht-

once I get a few cochins (still waiting to get some of those) I am so going to have to look into getting something like that. You have such gorgeous birds!! (I'm officially envious)

... keep posting photos!!

SQ - I am so happy to hear the group hatched for your friend. What a wonderful respite for them under the circumstances. Please keep us posted on your friend's condition. Many prayers are being said for his recovery!!

Vfem - I saw that there was a lady in Zebulon that had over 200 ducks, chickens, and puppies removed from her property due to animal cruelty...is this the same case? I hope not. This woman (according to the paper) had dead puppies "stuck" in the fence of her property, parvo infected pups and malnourished ducks and chickens!! I wish I had a quarantine area or some place to take a few just so they could live life knowing what it's like to be loved rather than crammed in a cage. People like that

should not be allowed to own pets....EVER AGAIN!!

Please keep us posted if you hear anything further!! Thank you!!

DvanderSlik -

!!

I am SO excited you are here!! FINALLY someone close by me!! (Not that you two aren't loved SCM & BHep...but now I have a "closer" neighbor!!)

I am just off of 42 & 39 in Middlesex in the middle of NOWHERE!!

I hope you sit back and enjoy your time here with us...everyone is amazingly helpful and I cannot boast enough about all of our NC BYC'ers who I think are the best!! They have helped a newbie like me feel more at ease and are always patient with my NOOB questions!! If you ever have a question/problem I am sure someone here will be able to help, if not, they always try to point you in the right direction!! When you reach 10 posts, be sure to upload some photos of your chickens as it always helps to feed our addiction. I will let Gavin explain to you the disease that you are now carrying and how contagious it is!!

 

[vfem]

NewHome, that was probably it. I need to read the story this morning to get all the info. I volunteered but wasn't needed by the time I got back to them, I offered to help care for the animals and bring extra fee and equipment. Otherwise, I didn't get to find out the details as they were super busy and they really just needed someone to bring all the birds to Charlotte more then anything. If I hear anything further, I will share. On this property all the birds are well contained and taken care of... I can't imagine things getting out of hand. If there isn't room we make room, and if we can't afford their care we would rehome everyone... its just for the well being of the animals, and I can't imagine someone not thinking like that!?

DvanderSlik, welcome! You are surrounded by neighbors with the same obsession!!!

 

[Gold Griffin Chicken Mom]

NH, chickens will eat spiders---if they can reach them. You need a looooong "spider stick". Keep it in a corner near the door where you can grab it quickly. Knock down the Black Widow and call the birdies for a treat. Other types of spider you might consider leaving alone because they will help eat bugs.

Personally, I knock down webs in the coops. I leave webs on the fences. We had a HUGE garden spider living on a gate last year. Every night she rebuilt her webs. She laid egg cases all arond the gate and I left them alone. I figured any Black Widows would have to get through Miss Garden Spider's children to bother the birds this year.

Stomping spiders and other bugs is another reason to have dedicated chicken shoes! Don't ever wear sandals and red toenail polish to work with the birds. I did it ONCE a long time ago, lol!

 

[greeneacre]

Quote:
Black widow-- gloves and palstic container with lid. just scoop spider up and close container and dispose-- easily said--maybe not so easily done.

Bhep congrats on your gift, sales and eggs, so much for closing down the bator for the season.

I can seem to either, but I only do small hatches.


I work with rescue horses and come into contact with hoarders. it is a disease, they can't look at the starved animal and see them as being skinny and sick. the beleive that they are the only hope for the dogs, cats, horses and birds they are keeping. The sad part about it is they will go right back to horading even if they are charged and convicted. The rescues need to keep an eye on them and they will sometimes move to another state and start over again. I will always report an abuse or hoarding situtation to animal control regardless of the consequences---I reported my neighbors and it became a 12 year battle ( know as the hatfields and mcoys for their stallion continuosly breaking out and coming over to my barn and going inside and harrassing my mares and running up and down the road) and they fianlly lost their house and were reported by several other people everywhere they moved the horses. they finally were reported by a vet for a dead horse, charged and convicted.

Stepping down from my soap box yet again.

carolyn

 

[NewHomesteader2010]

Thanks for your advice everyone. Because I do have a young baby...I am thinking the spider will have to be either fed to the chickens or relocated as it cannot stay here. I am too petrified of something happening to my baby!!

I have heard that cayenne pepper sprayed around the building will thwart others from building a home...so I might have to try that!!

otherwise I may never go in and see my "kids" again!!

Off to Clayton to the cake store for supplies (once DD wakes up from her early morning nap)!! Have a great day everyone!!

P.S. Green - I completely understand!! Back home, we had to report a horse owner because they had a pregnant mare who was skin and bones...I cried as I drove past and immediately called on them. Several weeks later, the horse was rehomed...but sadly due to malnutrition, she lost her baby!! You just have to do all you can for those who cannot fend for themselves and hope/pray for the best!!

It is easy to see you are just very compassionate...therefore, you cannot be on a soap box...

 

[Miss Lydia]

Quote:
Hi

don't know where Clayton is, we're over in Burnsville.

 

[BHep]

Hi All.....



I am still having internet problems

7 more months until my contract is up.

I have Ringneck Pheasants hatching. 1st time on these. My friend gifted me a dozen eggs and all are hatched, piped or zipped.

Not even sure what I will do with all these Pheasants. I am sure most will be male, thats how it rolls here.

I have more Guineas ready to hatch also.

I lost a few chicks last night, the shipped ones

now I am double grateful for the extras they shipped.


NH... Get out your broom and knock that spider down.. either the chickens will eat it or step on it or smack it with the broom. Yes ducks can live with chickens, mine do.


SCM... how did it work out with your chicks? I put mine out and they tend to stick together in packs

the Honeysuckle dwellers, the grapevine dwellers, the pumphouse dwellers etc... It is kinda funny. They will work out their pecking order, they are still pretty young... let us know

 

[NewHomesteader2010]

Quote:
Does this mean you are volunteering for the job? I intend to stay far far FAR away from any/all spiders thank you very much.

I will pass along the advice to my DH though.

I am sorry you ended up losing a few that were shipped.

Should I confess that I really don't FEEL like making these cakes?? It's just too HOT to have my oven on for 2 hours for each cake...I only managed to get one baked before I realized I didn't have enough eggs (oh darn, the chickens aren't laying yet...guess I can't continue). Tomorrow I will be driving out to pick up some feed from Raleigh/Cary area,

so of course I can't work on it tomorrow.

How long can I get away with stalling??

OOhh...I heard the cutest thing today...Jeremy was getting a treat of some corn, and he chased all the boys away from it, called the girls over and let them eat from his "stash"...

What a SWEETIE!! I sure hope I don't favor my children the way I favor my chickens!!

If so, no one tell them!!

 

[buttercup0884]

I have 2 different age groups living together and at first the younger ones. Got picked on but for the most part they are all fine together. I did spend a whole day watching them interact and playing mediator if the pecking got to be too much. Good luck with ur birds