NY chicken lover!!!!

[stonykill]

I will have to explore for the other hole. I have been seeing the foxes near that hole and recently there has been major dirt movement and paw tracts around it. Time to start collecting rocks too fill the "back door"!! Do you do anything with a fox pelt?

this time of year I have a friend who traps. He gets offered the kill. Like me he is self employed and part of his winter income is trapping.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Morning all. Lost one of my original hens some time last night. Trouble was a glw and she was looking poorly yesterday morning when I went to let the girls out. Her crop was all distended and I could feel something long and hard in there. Not being too sure what to do, I brought her inside. I gave her a warm bath as her butt was a mess and she seemed to like that. I put her in a cage with lots of bedding. I did try to massage her crop to see if I could get it to move or break up. Anyways, she must have passed during the night as I found her lifeless this morning. She would have been 3 in april, which is old for a laying hen. She will be missed. Her sisters look fine and healthy, all running out and doing their chicken thing this morning. Life goes on.

Yes, Ginny, foxes will use old groundhog dens for their own. Best to get rid of them now as there will be babies in the spring. Skinning squirrels can be a chore as their skin is such that they can turn around in it to bite a predator. However, they are worth the trouble for a tasy meal. I only do greys. Reds and chipmunks are just target practice and chicken headaches waiting to happen.

Stony--you are one busy guy with that 22!

Warm again today and so back to work. My war with my sinus infections seems to be a stalemate so far. Heres hoping the antibiotics start winning. The boys are noisy this morning. Egg production is dropping in the big coop. Only 7 from 19 hens yesterday. The big girls arent back to laying yet. I dont supplement lighting and the roof on the big coop is polycarbonate, smoke color so they do get light through the roof. I prefer to let nature take its course as the hens do need a break from time to time.

Everyone have a good day.

Amy, I am sorry for your loss of Trouble. It sounds like you did what you could. Plus having a sinus infection doesn't improve anyone's mood. Hope you feel better soon, Ginny

 

[rancher hicks]

I had squirrels eating my sunflower seeds.. I thought it was rats - finally caught the squirrels red handed. Everything's now in a metal can. =)

Found a few eggs for the NYD hatch - not sure what I will do with the chicks, but if anything hatches I'll have more naked necks! woot! Lost a few this year - one to illness, rest to predation. =(

I keep the scratch in a metal can but the feed is in plastic jugs inside the runs or coop. I've been catching squirrels and dealing with them so they don't come back. New ones move in and the process goes on.

I've been setting traps for mice and caught 11 in the last three days. I lost one trap with a mouse in it. I suspect a live one dragged it off trap and all. I'll find it at spring cleaning time.

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

Hi Everybody,
Newbie here with a question : What, if antyhing do you guys supplement your feed with during the girls molt to help them thru it ....... and start laying again ?


Thanks Juanita

 

[JayinCohoes]

Is *anything* "normal" when it comes to chickens? I mean really, they eat poop...that's just not normal.

I haven't seen my chicks eat poop yet but it might be because my dog seems to enjoy that job. I have to walk around my yard everyday with a pooper scooper before my dog finds the chick Hersey kisses. My dog even loves to smell my chickens butts every morning when I let them out. It's like a morning ritual around here. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm a looney tune.

 

[JayinCohoes]

I have a LOT of squirrels and I've never seen them go in a coop or even in a run for that matter. They seem to be scared of the chickens

the squirrels around me go right into the coop and eat right out of the feeders. They'll even eat the scratch in the yard right in front of my chicks. Only my dog is able to chase them away.

 

[JayinCohoes]

I'll trade your squirrels for the 16 coon's, 3 possum, 2 foxes , 3 weasels and the bobcat I eliminated so far since spring

wow, I'll won't complain about squirrels or even my terrorist hawk anymore. I guess it could always be worse. Thanks for putting it in perspective.

 

[Framac]

Hi Everybody,
Newbie here with a question : What, if antyhing do you guys supplement your feed with during the girls molt to help them thru it ....... and start laying again ?


Thanks Juanita

I don't know if it is coincidence or not, but if I drop a flock block in the chickens seem to get back to egg production a lot quicker. I was getting 3-5 eggs a day, and with in a week of dropping a flock block in, they were in the 8-10 range.(15 total chickens most at 16 months +)

Framac

 

[cracrzy4chicks]

I don't know if it is coincidence or not, but if I drop a flock block in the chickens seem to get back to egg production a lot quicker. I was getting 3-5 eggs a day, and with in a week of dropping a flock block in, they were in the 8-10 range.(15 total chickens most at 16 months +)

Framac

Thanks Framac, I'll try that. I have 24 chickens and MAYBE getting 8 eggs a day.

 

[stonykill]

I don't know if it is coincidence or not, but if I drop a flock block in the chickens seem to get back to egg production a lot quicker. I was getting 3-5 eggs a day, and with in a week of dropping a flock block in, they were in the 8-10 range.(15 total chickens most at 16 months +)

Framac

I've been talking with locals who have noticed what I have. Egg production is down this year. Seems to be due to the quality of the feed going down. At least that is what my experiment has shown, as well as a local friends....who has about as many birds as me.