NY chicken lover!!!!

[Chicken girl 15]

I have the sticky rat traps. I know one of the frequent burrows. I can try it.

I could lend you 3 kittens. Then the job is done for you.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote: does it just stick to them not kill them ? then you have to kill it ?
I have the old fashioned Rat trap
it kills them

 

[Gramma Chick]

Quote:
Do your cats go in the coop ? My cat is afraid of my chickens .
I let him sleep in the coop .as he could smell the rat ..I .found him in weird places in the morning ..
As he tried to get away from the chickens

 

[Tab's chicken obsession]

I call my one cat a chicken friend. She tries to rub up against the chickens and purr like old pals. We rescued a litter of feral kittens a few years ago and once off bottle raised them in the barn with our chickens.

 

[tao chick]

We have neighborhood cats that visit our barns but we don't feed them and won't. They go home when they are hungry or cold. I haven't had a chance to use the traps yet. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Do your cats go in the coop ? My cat is afraid of my chickens .
I let him sleep in the coop .as he could smell the rat ..I .found him in weird places in the morning ..
As he tried to get away from the chickens

my cats live in the coop. They have little access ports to travel from the barn to the coop to the outside. They chase and catch all rodents.

My cats run right along side of my chickens.

 

[rancher hicks]

does it just stick to them not kill them ? then you have to kill it ?
I have the old fashioned Rat trap
it kills them

I've used stick traps that were on sale and they don't kill the mice, so I have to step on them and flatten them out. Then I toss them in the fire pit.

Snap traps work best but don't always catch the thief. The plastic kind are so light the mice drag them off. I once saw a squirrel with the Rat type stuck on it's head running through the trees. Don't know whatever happened in that case. I've tried ALL types.

The ones where they go in and don't come out are expensive. I do use them in the attic because DD doens't want to touch a dead mouse.

Don't buy the commercial mouse trap bait. It does NOT work. Peanut butter with a kernel of corn. Or peanut butter alone.

I don't like this kind since your finger is too close to getting snapped. Though they work better it's not worth the risk. They do wear out though and sometimes even new don't set.

This device is good but you have to kill the mice or they will come back. You could just drown them by filling the bottom with water, but I don't like to see them suffer if I don't have to.

Anyhow I just keep using the snap traps. I know I've got them and their instantly dead. Cats of course do work and can be a comfort when sitting in your lap. Unless..........

 

[Gramma Chick]

I've used stick traps that were on sale and they don't kill the mice, so I have to step on them and flatten them out. Then I toss them in the fire pit.

Snap traps work best but don't always catch the thief. The plastic kind are so light the mice drag them off. I once saw a squirrel with the Rat type stuck on it's head running through the trees. Don't know whatever happened in that case. I've tried ALL types.



Don't buy the commercial mouse trap bait. It does NOT work. Peanut butter with a kernel of corn. Or peanut butter alone.

I don't like this kind since your finger is too close to getting snapped. Though they work better it's not worth the risk. They do wear out though and sometimes even new don't set.

I dont like it either ..but it works ...As the Rat was eating Chicken feed ...I just put the moistened chicken food on it

 

[Hilly78]

I have been reading posts for several months now trying to decide what kind of chickens to get for my daughter who is in 4-H and very interested in chickens. We have had a barnyard flock for a long time, but am learning more about what I should have been doing all along.

So, what are your suggestions for breeds that are easy for a child to handle? And places to get them. We would be open to fertile eggs, chicks, or young pullets. We would also like something closer to the SOP than the hatchery hens we have now. We liked Speckled Sussex, but haven't found any nearby, other than hatchery chicks. So, we welcome your suggestions. Thanks!

What state are you in NY??

 

[Beer can]

Ooh, hatching eggs from GFF? What fun!

I'm a little behind some of you, as I set eggs this past Saturday. Just for a "test hatch", you know & because the broody hens forced me to!

I couldn't resist 4 broody hens & now there's 7! Yeah & it's not even spring yet!
There's two hens that share this nesting box at night, but tonight there was a 3rd hen in here!

One is Lydia (5yrs old this April) who's faithfully gone broody a min 2x a year ever since she started first laying as a pullet. Now, her daughter is repeating the trend, as I think she just came "of age" & is already broody!

I love it, but it's not like I can put them in a pet taxi or small coop out in one of the grass paddocks like I did last summer & fall.

Love the double stack rack! Lol! :-D