North Carolina

[Hollowoakfarm]

I spent all morning working out in the barn, cleaning. Afternoon I was gone, but we had a pretty darn good rain storm. I just got back from shutting up chickens...I'm missing another big blue Orpington hen. The buffs will come out into the yard, but the blues never have. I did not open them up to the pasture today. She disappeared from the moat. (We call the run a moat because it encircles the garden.) No feathers. No trace that we could find in the dusk. We'll look again tomorrow.

My flock was already very low this year. I started the spring with 25 hens and now I have 17 of laying age. One died from no obvious cause. The rest have been hunted by something. I just am not sure what that "something" is. Something that can kill a big Orp hen, pick her up and take her over a fence, or drag her through a field fence. There's no place to look for tracks.

Oh, and hubby forgot to go back and get the black hen that was taken the other night, and her carcass disappeared too. That could have happened during the night or the day.

I'm starting to think we may be feeding a bobcat. I think I'm going to have to get a remote camera set-up to find out for sure.

 

[BHep]

I spent all morning working out in the barn, cleaning. Afternoon I was gone, but we had a pretty darn good rain storm. I just got back from shutting up chickens...I'm missing another big blue Orpington hen. The buffs will come out into the yard, but the blues never have. I did not open them up to the pasture today. She disappeared from the moat. (We call the run a moat because it encircles the garden.) No feathers. No trace that we could find in the dusk. We'll look again tomorrow.

My flock was already very low this year. I started the spring with 25 hens and now I have 17 of laying age. One died from no obvious cause. The rest have been hunted by something. I just am not sure what that "something" is. Something that can kill a big Orp hen, pick her up and take her over a fence, or drag her through a field fence. There's no place to look for tracks.

Oh, and hubby forgot to go back and get the black hen that was taken the other night, and her carcass disappeared too. That could have happened during the night or the day.

I'm starting to think we may be feeding a bobcat. I think I'm going to have to get a remote camera set-up to find out for sure.

I am going to vote on Coyote....

 

[dlockey]

I am going to vote on Coyote....

I agree, sounds like a coyote to me, big enough to carry a large chicken, jump a fence, etc.


Debbie

 

[MaryRuthLangdon]

Quote:

I want some of those.....lol....hoping my 3 eggs hatch out soon.....moved alll my eggs from the 3 little giants into my dorn refig. bator today.I like it so far.....holds heat alot better than the other 3 and the little fan blows the heat around ....so no more hot and cold spots.
that little peafowl is looking at me ......its so cute!!

The new dorm refrigerator incubator....
we're in "business" now.... or should I say "trouble"?

Hoping the hatch rate improves...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day!

 

[MaryRuthLangdon]

Our new billy goat.... Thunder. Cost us a total of $27.00 at WCA. What a deal!
He wouldn't look up at me... he was too busy eating poison ivy.

He has the prettiest caramel colored eyes.

 

[vfem]

BYC is showing up very ODD looking on my computer screen. I know people have been having issues logging on posting. Mine usually freezes up or just takes FOREVER to load. I don't know... I just logged on and thinks look a bit different. Didn't know if anyone else saw changes, or its just another issue driving my computer nutty!

Beth, I wanted to thank you for 'Prince' as he's now being called. He hung out with us this afternoon and he's a real sweety. Hate keeping him alone, but he'll be with his girls soon enough. All gentlemen must wait for their ladies.

Ok, well I have a long day at work tomorrow and a bunch of stuff to take care of after that... so stopping in before bed to say HI to everyone. AND see cute photos of fuzzy butts hatching like crazy.

Mary, I hope you have a great hatch rate as well.... you're going to juggle more chicks with that then you can hope for! Or at least I have my fingers crossed you do.

 

[MaryRuthLangdon]

BYC is showing up very ODD looking on my computer screen. I know people have been having issues logging on posting. Mine usually freezes up or just takes FOREVER to load. I don't know... I just logged on and thinks look a bit different. Didn't know if anyone else saw changes, or its just another issue driving my computer nutty!

Beth, I wanted to thank you for 'Prince' as he's now being called. He hung out with us this afternoon and he's a real sweety. Hate keeping him alone, but he'll be with his girls soon enough. All gentlemen must wait for their ladies.

Ok, well I have a long day at work tomorrow and a bunch of stuff to take care of after that... so stopping in before bed to say HI to everyone. AND see cute photos of fuzzy butts hatching like crazy.

Mary, I hope you have a great hatch rate as well.... you're going to juggle more chicks with that then you can hope for! Or at least I have my fingers crossed you do.

Thanks, Vfem... I hope so too.

 

[3ChickensinNC]

[COLOR=FF0000]Our new billy goat.... Thunder. Cost us a total of $27.00 at WCA. What a deal![/COLOR]
[COLOR=FF0000]He wouldn't look up at me... he was too busy eating poison ivy. [/COLOR]
[COLOR=FF0000]He has the prettiest caramel colored eyes.[/COLOR]

BYC is showing up very ODD looking on my computer screen.  I know people have been having issues logging on posting. Mine usually freezes up or just takes FOREVER to load. I don't know... I just logged on and thinks look a bit different. Didn't know if anyone else saw changes, or its just another issue driving my computer nutty!

Beth, I wanted to thank you for 'Prince' as he's now being called. He hung out with us this afternoon and he's a real sweety. Hate keeping him alone, but he'll be with his girls soon enough. All gentlemen must wait for their ladies. 

Ok, well I have a long day at work tomorrow and a bunch of stuff to take care of after that... so stopping in before bed to say HI to everyone. AND see cute photos of fuzzy butts hatching like crazy.

Mary, I hope you have a great hatch rate as well.... you're going to juggle more chicks with that then you can hope for! Or at least I have my fingers crossed you do. 

Now that is a deal. We are probably going to have to find one of our pygmy goats a new home. We have had her for 2 months but since last week all of a sudden she has horned my DS 6. She got him twice in the leg and lots of tears. DH says she is playing ; I don't know, nut it is not fair or safe for DS. One minute she is just follow us around and the next thing I hear is crying.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Some pics of my 7-week old Swedish Flower Hens. Tell me what you think (especially if you have ideas/thoughts about gender).



Brown crested in the middle looks like a girl








Blue one in the back looks like a girl





All 3 of these are boys

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Now that is a deal. We are probably going to have to find one of our pygmy goats a new home. We have had her for 2 months but since last week all of a sudden she has horned my DS 6. She got him twice in the leg and lots of tears. DH says she is playing ; I don't know, nut it is not fair or safe for DS. One minute she is just follow us around and the next thing I hear is crying.

yeah thats why most people have them de-horned I agree its just not safe or fair for DS if the goat was supposed to be a pet and not a milker with a purpose, if it was supposed to be a milker then you can just pen her up and only leg DS around her when you are hyper vigilant. You could try trimming/filing down the ends and taping part of a rubber hose to the end of the horns as buffers. but it will still hurt if she hits hard enough.