NY chicken lover!!!!

[Devona]

Will do, rancher. Yes I remember when you and your wife were sick recently. It must be something going around here. My sister and cousin are having similar issues. Thankfully my older son is ok. I can only handle one sick child at a time. I'll have to keep monitoring his temperature tonight. I did the same last night, barely got any sleep. I'm loving these new thermometers that you just put on their temple and it takes the reading. Pricey, but worth it, especially when the patien is sleeping.

 

[Sweetpea3829]

Could it be eating your eggs? You say you don't have food out, but it must be eating, and since you don't see eggs...... Maybe it's taking them to its burrow and eating them there? Leaving the shells underground.

I don't think so, mostly because I spent a few days going out every couple of hours checking for eggs and....nothing. Plus, I have never seen any sign of it during the day. We fill in the holes and there's not any digging until late evening, overnight, or very early morning.

Egg stealing IS on my radar, though. Certainly possible, I just don't think it's probable in this case. I think they're all just on a break. I can't figure why the newest layers (the pullets) have stopped. They started in late November and stopped mid-December. Usually, if a pullet starts in the fall, she'll lay all winter. At least mine always have.

And just this week, my silkies stopped suddenly,and they had been laying faithfully.

So I don't know. I'll be pretty ticked if I learn this rodent is stealing eggs.

 

[Gramma Chick]

Usually, if a pullet starts in the fall, she'll lay all winter. At least mine always have.
And just this week, my silkies stopped suddenly,and they had been laying faithfully.

They should be...maybe they dont like a rat crawling around in the coop..so they stopped .
Could you put a cat in the coop ?

 

[Sweetpea3829]

They should be...maybe they dont like a rat crawling around in the coop..so they stopped .
Could you put a cat in the coop ?

Funny story...our youngest cat snuck into the coop one night while I was checking up on things. Didn't see him sneak in there. The next morning, there he was, lol. Unfortunately, I have caught him stalking chickens, especially the little sebrights. Can't trust him to not do naughty with the chickens. Our other two cats are pretty much good for nothing, lol.

What have you guys all used for bait? We've tried bacon, pb, chili, crackers, cheese...all to no avail.

 

[Beer can]

What have you guys all used for bait? We've tried bacon, pb, chili, crackers, cheese...all to no avail.

Tom Cat bait blocks. I do not like using poison, but we were over run with them our first winter here, 100+ yr old house, 100+ acre corn field out back. Trapped eleven between back porch room and cellar using peanut butter, then they got smart, rats are very smart, if your not getting them in the trap, I don't think you will. Rats will steal eggs, I've heard they will stash full size soup cans, eggs would be easy. You can't keep them out either, some how if they can fit their head through body will follow. They can dig and chew, I've got one spot in my back room that they chewed through concrete and a wood beam to get into the cellar. Haven't seen or heard any since using the tom cat bait blocks.

 

[Beer can]

Have you posted pics of the Reds.  I have a light sussex hen and she's been very good. She does go broody easily though. 

Nov, four months.

I have three girls.

 

[Beer can]

@Devona our doc with our kids for persistent fever, not getting knocked down with every four hr dose, to alternate every two hrs ibuprophen then acetaminophen. That way it's still every four hrs for each.
School kids are disease ridden vermin.
Hope yours feels better soon. Always seems to be something 'going around'...

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Funny story...our youngest cat snuck into the coop one night while I was checking up on things. Didn't see him sneak in there. The next morning, there he was, lol. Unfortunately, I have caught him stalking chickens, especially the little sebrights. Can't trust him to not do naughty with the chickens. Our other two cats are pretty much good for nothing, lol.

What have you guys all used for bait? We've tried bacon, pb, chili, crackers, cheese...all to no avail.

Chicken feed and raw egg . One or both doesn't matter. The feed is what called the critter the eggs are what they prefer.

 

[rancher hicks]

if you can find where it's coming in put a brick over it. I had to brick the inside of my coop all the way around.

This reminds me. I had a situation where the chickens were getting out of the run. I found they had made a how near the corner of the coop and sneaking out. I took dug a trench around the perimeter to not only allow drainage, but also nailed hardware cloth along the bottom of the coop so they couldn't dig and get out. A two foot roll of 1/2 hardware cloth will work.

I also have to do the same with my roses as the mice girdle them if I don't.

 

[rancher hicks]

Slowly, we are bricking up his holes, lol. Unfortunately, he is thoroughly inside the coop and I don't think he's doing much outside wandering. Can't figure out what its eating, though. We have all chicken feed covered at night, and I see no evidence that he's coming out during the day.

This summer, my husband is going to dig out around the whole coop and bury steel mesh down and out. We really should build a new coop but...not this year.

Do you have a cat or know someone that can loan you one? Merlin would go in and out of the coop but not bother the chickens. Perhaps leaving the cat in the coop a few nights will do the trick.