NY chicken lover!!!!

[PhoredaBurds]

Only One Crazy chicken Lady Allowed to a Family .. Love these Babies ..he is still a little stuffy but he isnt sneezing any more on the newspaper ( I think it is a he )

They look very happy on ur shoulder. Pls keep me posted on stuffy. Haven't had any of that w my other birds, but keeping my eye/ears out. Hope he's ok.

 

[myfivegirls]

@Myfivegirls, I did not intend to insinuate in anyway that you were or are a bad person. I am sorry my original comment was received that way. If you were closer I would gladly come and help if you wanted me to. 

My offer of free hatching eggs still holds. Anyone near Myfivegirls if you remember she lost 60 hatching eggs if you can get them to her that would be nice. 

Your apologies accepted. Thank you for trying to help in your 2nd reply. And your offer to help if you were closer.

They were hatching eggs from my own flock, so there's plenty more, it's just when all is said & done, I lost a month, since they'll have to be started again. I have more eggs incubating, but first making sure temp is regulated/stable again before filling it up again.

I fixed the brooder area walls where there were some inside gaps. I just have to dig out some litter, to add hardware cloth on the floor.
Set up a bunch more traps & have-a-hart traps tonight in different locations. I think I found one of the rats' hang-outs & hopefully they'll meet their end. Killed one that was moving slowly, looked like it'd been eating well or pregnant!
What's crazy is I made sure the brooder area was built with hardware cloth & wire largest holes being 1"x1/2". I'd sealed up gaps before adding any chicks months ago & added plywood over the pallet "walls". But, no wood or wire floor, so even with deep litter, they found a way in. Hoping to fix that, but will be quite the project to do the whole area!

I witnessed a hawk swoop down at the free ranging flock and my super awesome EE roo ran and flew at him beating his wings while the hens all ran screaming into the brush. He got pretty high up, what a great flock protector, I was proud seeing him in action

That's a great protector rooster! Yay. Maybe he'll pass his genetics into one of his sons from the chicks/eggs I have from him. I was hoping for a good EE rooster for this year, but I'm willing to wait for a good one to grow out. My Michael Jessie (Blue Andalusian/EE) is a good rooster too, but never had to protect his flock. I'm hoping to get offspring to keep from him as he's now 4years old! Most of his chicks I sold already & some of the ones I lost were his. At least the hens are laying good, so there's a good selection for next time.

 

[boskelli1571]

Your apologies accepted. Thank you for trying to help in your 2nd reply. And your offer to help if you were closer.

They were hatching eggs from my own flock, so there's plenty more, it's just when all is said & done, I lost a month, since they'll have to be started again. I have more eggs incubating, but first making sure temp is regulated/stable again before filling it up again.

I fixed the brooder area walls where there were some inside gaps. I just have to dig out some litter, to add hardware cloth on the floor.
Set up a bunch more traps & have-a-hart traps tonight in different locations. I think I found one of the rats' hang-outs & hopefully they'll meet their end. Killed one that was moving slowly, looked like it'd been eating well or pregnant!

What's crazy is I made sure the brooder area was built with hardware cloth & wire largest holes being 1"x1/2". I'd sealed up gaps before adding any chicks months ago & added plywood over the pallet "walls". But, no wood or wire floor, so even with deep litter, they found a way in. Hoping to fix that, but will be quite the project to do the whole area!
That's a great protector rooster! Yay. Maybe he'll pass his genetics into one of his sons from the chicks/eggs I have from him. I was hoping for a good EE rooster for this year, but I'm willing to wait for a good one to grow out. My Michael Jessie (Blue Andalusian/EE) is a good rooster too, but never had to protect his flock. I'm hoping to get offspring to keep from him as he's now 4years old! Most of his chicks I sold already & some of the ones I lost were his. At least the hens are laying good, so there's a good selection for next time.

Myfive remember that rats are neophobes - they distrust anything new, so leave your traps in the same place for a good long while so they become used to them. Fingers crossed for you.

 

[myfivegirls]

Myfive remember that rats are neophobes - they distrust anything new, so leave your traps in the same place for a good long while so they become used to them. Fingers crossed for you.
[/quote]

These must be pretty bold, as the first night I set traps in a new place (awhile ago), I caught some. But, thanks for the tip. I just moved some as I think they'd gotten smart & were avoiding the areas the traps have been.

 

[Beer can]

Rats are extremely smart. We had a lot when we first moved here, old farmhouse hadn't been lived in in a few yrs, surrounded by farmland/cornfields. I do not like using poison but after catching a dozen they wised up. Got a couple more by disguising/hiding the traps, another placed where they were running through, then I could catch none. They can get through the tiniest holes, chew through wood, metal and concrete.
I resorted to poison blocks. Haven't seen or heard a rat since, and that was eight yrs ago. I don't use any poison now, just a bucket trap in the cellar and one in the garage for mice and actually haven't caught any of them in a couple yrs.
Dealing with a seemingly endless supply of red squirrels since last fall, they will also kill chicks.
1,200fps pellet rifle works good for them.

 

[tao chick]

Would a red squirrel be strong enough to drag a cornish cross out of a coop? Maybe that was the attacker that got the last one I lost. I didn't think a cat could fit through but was the most likely predator. Now that you mention red squirrel, that may have been it.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

I am fighting the predator problem by having a yard full of my own predators. My cat eats anything small enough, my dogs attack anything to big for the cat and the 3 spitzhauben boys beat the crud out of anything that gets past the cat and dogs.

I know for everyone having a yard full of "predators " isn't an option, but for this animal crazy place it works great.

 

[boskelli1571]

Myfive remember that rats are neophobes - they distrust anything new, so leave your traps in the same place for a good long while so they become used to them. Fingers crossed for you.

These must be pretty bold, as the first night I set traps in a new place (awhile ago), I caught some. But, thanks for the tip. I just moved some as I think they'd gotten smart & were avoiding the areas the traps have been.[/QUOTE]

If you are seeing or catching them on the first night, the problem may be bigger than you think. Only the young, inexperienced (and hungry) rats will be dumb enough to get caught... Like Beer can said, poison down the holes will work. I found having rats significantly improved my aim with a pistol

 

[nposluszny]

Would a red squirrel be strong enough to drag a cornish cross out of a coop? Maybe that was the attacker that got the last one I lost. I didn't think a cat could fit through but was the most likely predator. Now that you mention red squirrel, that may have been it.

Red squirrels are crazy brave (and crazy) but not sure if strong enough to drag a bird of that size. I'd think an ermine/stoat would be a more likely suspect.....about the same head size and pretty aggressive when hungry. Had one up at my house a few years back, was a God-send for us.....little guy ate ALL the mice living in the garage/basement/walls over a 3 week period. The noises we heard, sounded like some pretty spetacular fights. I'd think they could grab a chicken without a problem.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Red squirrels are crazy brave (and crazy) but not sure if strong enough to drag a bird of that size.  I'd think an ermine/stoat would be a more likely suspect.....about the same head size and pretty aggressive when hungry.  Had one up at my house a few years back, was a God-send for us.....little guy ate ALL the mice living in the garage/basement/walls over a 3 week period. The noises we heard, sounded like some pretty spetacular fights.  I'd think they could grab a chicken without a problem.

I just looked the ermine up and that's one nasty critter.