NY chicken lover!!!!

[Beer can]

I'm down sizing my chickens but without DW income after she passes I will need to get inventive to stay in my home.

 

[rancher hicks]

TSC 'silkies' are good size birds, see just fine, lay great and early.

Mine did lay early. Two hens. White. Now they've dropped off but my Marans and Barred EE's are laying good. This is why I keep more than one breed. I'm trying to sell the Silkies and down load. I can't afford to keep so many. I have two lavender Amer roosters for free if anyone is interested. Not great but good to work with.

 

[BrindleFinch]

Hello fellow Upstaters! ... and downstaters too I guess

I live just below the Tughill Plateau, my closest "big city," is Utica, I suppose! If anyone who happens to be around my area is looking to downsize / get rid of some equipment or anything, feel free to hit me up! I'm brand new to the hobby and looking for chicken stuff

 

[FishMtFarm]

Welcome! I'm in Lake Pleasant which is an hour east of Utica. Craigslist has a lot of people selling chicken stuff. Check your area out.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Hello fellow Upstaters! ... and downstaters too I guess

I live just below the Tughill Plateau, my closest "big city," is Utica, I suppose! If anyone who happens to be around my area is looking to downsize / get rid of some equipment or anything, feel free to hit me up! I'm brand new to the hobby and looking for chicken stuff

Welcome

 

[AmberKnits]

Hi everyone, it’s been a while! I didn’t want to jump back in without saying “hello” though. I’ve been keeping busy: remodeled the kitchen myself, lots of volunteering. I’ve got some hatching eggs on the way and I’m thinking about adding some ducks and guineas this year. I always have big plans in he spring!

 

[weighted_inflections]

hello all! it's good to see some fellow upstate new yorkers. i live in the syracuse area. i'm starting a flock from scratch right now, after not keeping chickens last year. i started raising chickens in 2012, but last year we thought we were going to be selling our house and moving so i didn't add to my dwindling flock last spring, and the remaining 3 chickens i had were killed by fox. total bummer, but it happens where we live and it's to be expected being as they're free range. anyway, i have a small flock of 23 right now. they're 7 weeks old and i have 24 hatching eggs on the way, so i have my incubators all set up. thinking about making the area a little more secure, so i don't lose them to the very well-fed fox population. we also have lost some to hawks, but not nearly as many. i really enjoy watching them walk around my property, and we have so much space that it's impossible to fence the whole thing in, but something needs to be done this year, because it's truly depressing when i let 24 chickens out of the coop and have only 23 return.

looking forward to getting to know everyone!

 

[rancher hicks]

hello all! it's good to see some fellow upstate new yorkers. i live in the syracuse area. i'm starting a flock from scratch right now, after not keeping chickens last year. i started raising chickens in 2012, but last year we thought we were going to be selling our house and moving so i didn't add to my dwindling flock last spring, and the remaining 3 chickens i had were killed by fox. total bummer, but it happens where we live and it's to be expected being as they're free range. anyway, i have a small flock of 23 right now. they're 7 weeks old and i have 24 hatching eggs on the way, so i have my incubators all set up. thinking about making the area a little more secure, so i don't lose them to the very well-fed fox population. we also have lost some to hawks, but not nearly as many. i really enjoy watching them walk around my property, and we have so much space that it's impossible to fence the whole thing in, but something needs to be done this year, because it's truly depressing when i let 24 chickens out of the coop and have only 23 return.
looking forward to getting to know everyone!

I'm sure I'll catch heck, but foxes taking our chickens in NOT something to expect and take lightly. Our chickens count on us to keep them safe. A "very well fed" fox population is not a good thing. If you don't or won't make things a LOT more secure, perhaps keeping chickens is not for you. Good animal husbandry is important to the reputation of back yard chicken keepers everywhere. Attracting vermin, is one of those negatives used as an excuse for rejecting the allowance of back yard chickens. Foxes carries rabies and can be dangerous. Those of us who wish to see folks allowed to keep a small flock of chickens need to take care to protect the reputation of back yard chicken keepers by educating those who consider doing so. Removing access to their food source, our chickens, can motivate foxes to move on. Keeping our neighbors and their children safe.

I hope this doesn't sound too harsh.

Peace, Rancher

 

[weighted_inflections]

wow. thanks for the warm welcome! dude, i've been keeping chickens for 6 years. i'm not really sure why you think i'm taking it lightly, other than, yes, i made a joke about the well-fed population. [apparently that didn't translate well over the internet]. i think bringing some levity to a very shitty situation is far better than rolling around in self-hatred for allowing [if you can even call it allowing] the chickens to be killed by a natural predator of the area. trust me, i've spent lots of time and money trying to deter them from killing any member of my flock. chickens aren't cheap. i worked very hard to build the flocks that i have, taken care of them when they've been injured or ill, and the last thing i want to happen is for a predator to take them. jesus, when i lost my rooster and called my brother to tell him about it, he thought a family member had died because i was so inconsolable. i love every single one of my chickens and grow very attached to them. they aren't disposable. which is also why i said "something needs to be done this year" AND "i'm thinking of making the area more secure" so that i can keep it from happening. so maybe instead of making broad assumption about how you believe i'm taking of my chickens, you could offer some solutions or ask more questions. i feel like through the many articles i've read about predators and chickens, that i'm not the only person who has dealt with this problem. since you live in the same area as me, you are more than welcome to stop by my house and maybe offer some suggestions as to how to keep the fox away. i mean it. i'm not being a dick. i am being sincere. look around and offer some solutions - things that have worked for you or for other chicken keepers that you know. i would love the input and would take it to heart. fox simply live in this area. my house backs onto 4 acres of woods that is part of my property, and then many more acres beyond that. i know when they are more active - early spring and fall, and typically keep them cooped up around those time periods. the fox live here whether or not i have chickens. i choose to keep chickens and do my very best to deter ANY predators. i'm sorry if that came off as flippant, but honestly, it was a joke to say the population is well-fed. i haven't lost every single chicken i've ever owned to a fox. also, i have a dog, so attracting vermin of any kind is not something i willingly let happen. also, i have kids, so attracting vermin or rabid vermin is not something i willingly let happen. and yes, i know fox carry rabies. hopefully because i didn't have chickens for an entire year last year, they will be less likely to target my property. but i'm pretty sure they have a good sense of smell, and while i keep the coops clean and carry the waste far from the coop, they're bound to find out the chickens are here. there is a family down the road from me who also keep chickens and have decided to keep theirs penned up for this very reason. hawks on the other hand, are a different story. short of creating a fenced in area draped with hardware cloth or something similar, i can't see how to keep them away. my chickens have plenty of spots to hide, which is a huge plus - and of course whenever i hear a warning call from them, i run to where they are to see what's going on and if they're safe. so you can either get to know me and communicate with me or just assume that i'm a shitty chicken keeper who rings the dinner bell every time i procure a new chicken, putting everyone who has every owned a chicken in this area at risk of getting them taken away. it's up to you. [edited to add: i just did the math and between 2012-2017 i lost a total of 3 chickens to fox and 2 to hawks. that's out of a total of 60 chickens over 5 years - this is my 6th year. we raise our birds for meat and eggs, thus the fluctuation year to year in the number of birds we keep, being as we harvest some for meat ourselves.]

 

[Gramma Chick]

i really enjoy watching them walk around my property, and we have so much space that it's impossible to fence the whole thing in, but something needs to be done this year, because it's truly depressing when i let 24 chickens out of the coop and have only 23 return.

Welcome
Are you saying you lost one already ? 7 weeks is too young to let free range ..
That is how we lost our 1st 2 chickens..to a fox They were too young to be out by themselves ..Easy Prey
My rule is only let them out when I am home . if the weather is suitable I spend most of my time out with them ..no matter what age they are . Yard Work, Gardening , cleaning coop , etc . i have chased off more than one fox and hawks and eagles and saved their lives .
The more you are out the less the predators will be around .
There are quick Electric fences , you can do barriers with brush / tree limbs
Some people play a radio that talks ,
I put wind chimes in trees , Twirly things that move with the breeze .
I also try to do a perimeter walk at least once a day .
( do this with your dog and have the dog pee out there too )

at my house I am the DOG - I am their only protection -
I AM THE CRAZY CHICKEN LADY
If I hear a fox hunting at night I will go out side and yell at it -
They KNOW I AM HERE
I ALSO SPEAK CHICKEN - WHEN i GIVE A WARNING / pREDATOR CALL THEY LISTEN
Some people also pee in spots to mark their territory
a mirror on a roof to temporary blind them
Chicken wire is some what cheap ..it wont protect them but it will be a barrier to get around
KEEP areas with high grass mowed so nothing can hide in it
This is all I can think of at this time .
Enjoy the adventure with your chickens