NY chicken lover!!!!

[armorfirelady]

I found a salamander next to the chicken pen door a couple of weeks ago and promptly moved it to a place where it would have less a chance of being pecked and gobbled up. We have a few resident frogs in our little bird "pond" (a buried plastic tub with plants around it). Every fall, they die because they think they can bury themselves into the bottom, but it's not mud -- just plastic. I want to try to relocate them before the deep frosts hit this year. Last spring it was gross cleaning out bloated dead froggy corpses from the pond water.

TOB

I have a decorative pond as well. It used to be black plastic but now its like a pool frame (hard plastic) Anyways I have frogs in it. They somehow last all winter. I think when it was the plastic sheeting they just buried underneath it into the dirt. With the pre fab one they sneak down the outside sides and bury themselves

 

[rancher hicks]

TOB, I sometimes get eggs that have a hole or crack, usually in the small end that clunks down on the nesting box surface. I have started to give them more oyster shell in their dedicated bowl, cause they sometimes don't want the last inch or so...guess they want fresh??? I haven't been able to figure it out. And my most luxurious accommodation to this problem is carpet for the nest boxes. I get a couple of feet from the carpet on a roll at Home Depot or Lowes and cut them to fit in the nest boxes. When they get dirty I take them out and wash them in the laundry sink.

I can just imagine Stony's face as he reads this.

Anyhow, these measures help.

Well what you do is up to you now isn't it. Don't make no never mind if others agree. They do sell "mats" for nest boxes but we all do our own thing right? I've thought about crocheting mats for my birds with my extra yarn. Just don't think DW will like me washing them in the machine.

 

[stonykill]

Thanks, Lynzi. It just figures she laid her 1st one when we went away for the weekend. Still waiting to see if today's (or the next) egg is cracked or poked.

With regard to your property line and hunters -- make sure you clearly and liberally hang POSTED signs indicating that there is no hunting / no trespassing on your land. I make my own and laminate them, and on the signs I mention that we have "kids and pets at play." We only have around 5 acres, but it's sitting along edges of forest and field. Last year, we had some jerk clearly ignore the signs and we captured his image crossing in front of our game camera twice. In the pic you could see his camo clothes and the bow and arrows. But no face, as the camera was aimed lower for wildlife. Grrrrr! It is a little disconcerting when I can look out my kitchen window and see someone in a tree stand facing my house in my neighbor's field.

TOB

sadly this does not help at all. As a matter of fact it can bite you in the butt. By law a person can be trespassing on your posted property, fall and hurt themselves, sue you and WIN. The only thing that will hold up is catching them in the act and have either a game warden or police officer there at that exact same time. With 30 acres I have had to deal with trespassers for the last 23 years.

 

[rancher hicks]

Sometimes people who deal with the public get alot of people who try to take advantage of them ..or want something for nothing
They start to assume everyone is like that ..it sounds like she thought you were going to take tops of good pumpkins.
She could have just been a grump too !

There are some types of squash that have stems too. Some folks who get in business do it for the money but don't like kids or people. We had an ice cream lady like that. We stopped going there cuz her face would sour milk.

 

[rancher hicks]

Saw a great TED talk on why bees are dying. It was very powerful, pesticides, monocultures, flowerless landscapes...organic mixed vegetation lots of flowers will help.

I notices more bees this year. I've been letting the wild asters grow along my garden fencing. I've also been designating one raised bed to flowers. I just toss some of those mixed "wild flower" seed packages in there and let them do their thing.

Funny though I have a row of Rose of sharons but they don't seem to attract the bees like I would prefer.

 

[JLaw]

sadly this does not help at all. As a matter of fact it can bite you in the butt. By law a person can be trespassing on your posted property, fall and hurt themselves, sue you and WIN. The only thing that will hold up is catching them in the act and have either a game warden or police officer there at that exact same time. With 30 acres I have had to deal with trespassers for the last 23 years.

Yep as soon as you see them on your property call warden or police.

On side note when hunting stonykill's area have someone drop you off and don't go out the same way you went in lol.

 

[Nuttyfrom6kids]

Well what you do is up to you now isn't it. Don't make no never mind if others agree.  They do sell "mats" for nest boxes but we all do our own thing right?  I've thought about crocheting mats for my birds with my extra yarn.  Just don't think DW will like me washing them in the machine.

I was thinking about crocheting some to but figured I would just probably have to toss when then get dirty and replace with new I am with your wife they aren't going in my washer

 

[rancher hicks]

We had an influx of frog and toads this year. Even in the chicken run I saw a toad one night. It was a wet spring though. Not so good in some areas but such is life. I hear squash growers complain things weren't good. Pumpkins don't seem to bad in some areas but I have a friend who planted and lost a lot.

 

[stonykill]

Yep as soon as you see them on your property call warden or police.

On side note when hunting stonykill's area have someone drop you off and don't go out the same way you went in lol.

that is the funny part. Those are the easiest to catch

 

[armorfirelady]

Anyone remember where or have a link to the laws regarding hawks in NYS? I thought Stony had posted it somewhere.................if not no worries google is my friend