NY chicken lover!!!!

[miquwid]

Glasshen and Gramma we did mark the calender she seems to be doing a good job thus far. I was given advice to move the food n water back a bit. We think she laid all these eggs herself it looks like 10ish i didnt have time to count since she was in attack mode lol.

When is the state fair?

 

[rancher hicks]

It is a vegetarian and will not bother the chickens. However, they can climb and it may raise havoc with your garden even with raised beds. If you accidentally corner it they have a nasty bite (think giant squirrel teeth). Their borrowing can undermine structures and provide a way in for predators. The good news is that it will snooze all winter.

The only way I ever trapped one was with a leg trap at the entrance to the burrow. If you are not prepared to shoot it or gas it, you may have a tough time removing it.

Well so far I'm trying "marking" it's entrance. I will also get some dog hair and stuff it in there too.

Can't I relocate it if I can catch it?

I used to have one in my yard years ago at our other home and it couldn't get over the white picket fencing around my lettuce. Of course I expect if there is plenty of other things to eat it wouldn't bother.

FRENCHY's egg hatched. Tiny little thing. I did have to help it out though. I'll post pics later. I hope it lives. Frenchy's 6 years old.

 

[rancher hicks]

Sorry I'm not on as much I miss talking to you guys You all great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have my first broody hen she is an Amber Sex Link. She decided to lay some eggs in my rabbit hutch that needed to be fixed and then decided to sit on them. So we scrambled like crazy to fix it up around her broody growling self before night fall. We got it all set. I put food and water in there for her otherwise she would have to climb fences to get back to the coop and run to get food and water. This was yesterday she has not moved off those eggs since and she growls at us every time we check. She actually through a hissy fit yesterday when we got too close. I love her timing, I was counting on getting rabbits and found another rabbit hutch on craigslist and was going to put it in that area but not anymore LOL. So now that she took over my rabbit yard I guess I will hold off on that.

I hope that I am doing the right thing for her. Let me know if there is anything I can do to make her more comfortable.

In the picture the hutch has two separate compartments so she is setting outside the nesting area.

Thanks

she might need a little more room to get out and poop. When she does it will be Fuccillo HUGE and stink like crazy. Don't worry she won't starve to death. If you're sure the eggs are fertile and they've all started at the same time, just leave her to do her thing. Some folks keep poking and prodding like she can't do this on her own.

Well I am only because not all my girls eggs started at the same time. I've been pulling chicks as they hatch and moving them to a brooder.

I've read to do this and then when all eggs are hatched give her back her chicks. Some hens will take them back. Every female is different. Take it from someone who's been married six times, I KNOW!

Oh and for heavens sake don't stay away so long.

 

[wny egger]

Rabbits aren't a 'rabies vector species' - meaning they don't carry the disease. If the cat is a real good mouser, it may well have gotten the baby rabbits, encouraging the adults to move on.. if you're a good shot, rabbit pie is very tasty

rancher i hope that boskelli is right and its the cat that ran off all the rabbits..and not a fox..i noticed once the fox was gone from around here all the rabbits showd back up ..

 

[rancher hicks]

rancher i hope that boskelli is right and its the cat that ran off all the rabbits..and not a fox..i noticed once the fox was gone from around here all the rabbits showd back up ..

I hear that! I did have a Fox attack early this summer but have no problems since it got chased off. I did have a squirrel get into the chicken run, but I got him with a rat trap.

Rat traps may not kill right off but do give them a bloody nose and then they bleed to death. I did catch a couple completely though.

Anyhow, I like having the rabbits as they were a good sign no bigger preds were around.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Morning all and welcome to the newbies! Spent yesterday morning culling more roos. I am really good at hatching out roos, aparently. I did five with five more to go. So far that a total of almost 20 roos I have canned/frozen. The current batch is sitting in cold water in the fridge for the next week till I freeze them. My yard is quieter and everyone is a little nervous around me. Got a good hands on look at my juvenile silkies. Yup, more roos. I have 4 roos and 2 pullets. I think the babies I just moved our are 1 roo and 1 pullet. Sigh. Now I will have to find homes for the boys.

My two silkie hens have gone broody and refuse to leave the coop unless I throw them out. Poor Legolas is so lonesome that he stays in the coop with them. He will come out and hang out with me if I am out in the yard. I feel bad for him, being lonesome. The girls are sitting on nothing and thats how it will stay.

I have a hen that needs culling. Not sure whats going on with her but you can tell she doesnt feel well. Hoping to do that today.

Rancher--I do hope Frenchys chick makes it. I am sure you would like to have one of her children around.

Kimmerjo--you need to harden off the chicks. This means putting them outside during the day and the brooder at night, lowering the temp as much as you can without them getting cold. Once you can leave the light off in the brooder, put them out in the coop. By putting them out during the day, you are exposing them to the environment and they build immunity. Good luck.. I just put my silkie chicks out. They did fine last night and it was around 50 last night.

Closing again today so it will be a late night. Double tomorrow. Dutchess fair on sunday!

 

[rancher hicks]

Morning all and welcome to the newbies! Spent yesterday morning culling more roos. I am really good at hatching out roos, aparently. I did five with five more to go. So far that a total of almost 20 roos I have canned/frozen. The current batch is sitting in cold water in the fridge for the next week till I freeze them. My yard is quieter and everyone is a little nervous around me. Got a good hands on look at my juvenile silkies. Yup, more roos. I have 4 roos and 2 pullets. I think the babies I just moved our are 1 roo and 1 pullet. Sigh. Now I will have to find homes for the boys.

My two silkie hens have gone broody and refuse to leave the coop unless I throw them out. Poor Legolas is so lonesome that he stays in the coop with them. He will come out and hang out with me if I am out in the yard. I feel bad for him, being lonesome. The girls are sitting on nothing and thats how it will stay.

I have a hen that needs culling. Not sure whats going on with her but you can tell she doesnt feel well. Hoping to do that today.

Rancher--I do hope Frenchys chick makes it. I am sure you would like to have one of her children around.

Kimmerjo--you need to harden off the chicks. This means putting them outside during the day and the brooder at night, lowering the temp as much as you can without them getting cold. Once you can leave the light off in the brooder, put them out in the coop. By putting them out during the day, you are exposing them to the environment and they build immunity. Good luck.. I just put my silkie chicks out. They did fine last night and it was around 50 last night.

Closing again today so it will be a late night. Double tomorrow. Dutchess fair on sunday!

Don't feel bad. I'm good at hatching roos too. I give them and any unwanted pullets away. Folks have to take the roos though.

I'm waiting for Frenchy's chicks to dry off and get fluffy. I had to pull it out of the egg this am. Poor little thing. Yesterday the shell was all cracked but the membrane was not so I made a hole, only to find one little leg sticking out this morning. I just peeled the rest off. It was dry and there was no blood so I know it was done. I'll put it in the brooder later if it's okay. Won't matter if it's a roo it's staying!

I would like to go to Boukville tomorrow but DW is just not up to it and can't be around so many people anyhow. I also have little money, but like to look and buy something small just to sate my desire to buy.

 

[horsekeeper]

Rancher, I had one persistent woodchuck years ago who would climb a 3 foot fence to weed whack my whole garden in a single night. He did it three times and I almost gave up gardening. I caught him out there one day and put a 22 bullet in his rear as he was madly scrambling back over the fence. Darned if he didn't heal up and show up in the garden again a few months later. I am surrounded by hundreds of acres of farmland and woods with plenty of goodies to eat, so I had no mercy. My neighbor was retired and patient enough to wait and end the problem with a shotgun.

Considering the critter would have no burrow and not know a strange area, I think it is kinder to just euthanize anything caught in a trap rather than relocating. Chances are there will be another already living in a different area and ready to defend its turf or it would be an easy meal for a predator, not knowing where to hide. Best case is it decides you have nasty habits and moves out of your yard and into the woods so you can peacefully coexist.

 

[Bryce243]

Shooting woodchucks is the most fun thing ever!!! We'll at least for a redneck teen! Ha ha ha

 

[boskelli1571]

Miquid, that hutch looks very comfy. I wish that my broody would choose an appropriate location like that. She is in the favorite nest box, for the second time. I moved her to a nice sized cage to keep the others out, but she was off the eggs for a while, they felt cold when I checked in the middle of the night. Then while I was away, my husband said she was rampaging around in there, so he let her out, but she went back to the nest box, and started on new eggs. The new eggs keep getting cracks, so we are getting down in numbers, am considering moving her again, but not today, maybe tomorrow.

It would be nice to have a row of little structures to house all the different groups that have required separation. I am picturing miniature cottages, like in the Adirondacks a long time ago.

Welcome, new folks.

Sort of like chicken summer camp???? Breakfast in bed??