NY chicken lover!!!!

[Cydney83]

Tab's chicken obsession :

A skunk would kill chickens?

Must be....but I don't know for sure....​

 

[Sachasmom]

Quote:
I like that, are those Cattle panels? Its probably way way beyond my building skills though. Possibly beyond my husbands building skills too.

I have two coops, one is a raised A frame coop that is secure, but the run needs to be repaired and made escape proof. (I have Houdini Chickens) I can't seem to find fencing in tall enough sections with smaller holes though?

The other coop is divided into three sections, two have seperate runs, the center section was meant for brooding started chicks. I've actually fixed it twice, and last fall I put up a welded wire run, thinking that would be better than what I was using. Its the 2x4 wire, only the Fox pried it up, the mink just went thru and the Coons climbed over the top. The only thing it kept out was the Hawks that picked off almost all my Silkies last year.

I had added stuff this spring with Hawks in mind, and I hadn't had the other predator issues with it, so I *thought* it was fine, but yeah, not so much. I've made improvements every year, but I swear I have the worlds smartest predators here! Last year I had Hawks perch in trees and wait for stuff to come outside! So I need to rip down both runs and put up different fencing, roof both pens and put skirting around the coop. I decided I was just going to sell everything out of the back coop and be done with it til spring, there just isn;t any way I can get all that done in a month.

I do expect some losses because I free range, but this season has just been bad. Plus the young ducks were just stupid, they would NOT stay in the yard, they'd go off wandering into the woods, and were being picked off while out. I'm leaning towards my problems being a Fox mostly, but I have not seen it or been able to catch it. (I stink at trapping)

Ideally I would build a "dog kennel" like barn with runs, but alas, no money to build a barn with. I've been making improvements for like four years, and every season I think okay, I've figured this out, and they out smart me.

Pretty much the only predator I haven;t seen has been dogs. Or bear, or Bobcats. I hear there was a bear around this spring, and there have been Bobcats, but not for a long long time (15 years since we heard the last one!) We've had Possums, but those are pretty easy to kill. Our cat died last month, and he was sick before that I think, the Rats have been bad and they've never been a problem before! I swear, this year it is like a freaking Predator Convention!

My plan for this year was to put up an electric fence and buy a male LGD, funny how life works huh? I didn't actually buy much stock here at all this year other than the ducks I had ordered in Dec last year, although I did replace the calls this spring before I found out I was pregnant. I wouldn't have ordered 90 ducklings if I had known I was gonna be pregnant and cleaning brooders.

 

[featherz]

I had a young skunk living in one of my coops a few weeks ago. We managed to send it away (with a wildlife rehabber), but it didn't hurt the chickens or chicks. Nor did it spray me. I trapped it with some cat food and a live trap, but it really really liked my chicken food. I have heard they will eat eggs, chicks and even chickens (in that order), but mine was apparently doing a great job at eating the mice, as now the mice are back. Grr! My barn cats are fat and lazy.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
Ok, that was not fun. Went down to the coop to close it up (went down earlier but had some late straglers) as I walked in the barn I could see something moving around. It was a young skunk in the pen with the mother and day old chicks

Thank god I was able to get it to move out of the coop before it killed anything and without getting sprayed

I hit it with my pellet gun but I don't think I killed it, just hope it doesn't come back.

Chasing a skunk through waste high weeds to try to kill it is not my idea of a good time.

Sheesh! This does not sound fun!!Good luck!

 

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
I like that, are those Cattle panels? Its probably way way beyond my building skills though. Possibly beyond my husbands building skills too.

I have two coops, one is a raised A frame coop that is secure, but the run needs to be repaired and made escape proof. (I have Houdini Chickens) I can't seem to find fencing in tall enough sections with smaller holes though?

The other coop is divided into three sections, two have seperate runs, the center section was meant for brooding started chicks. I've actually fixed it twice, and last fall I put up a welded wire run, thinking that would be better than what I was using. Its the 2x4 wire, only the Fox pried it up, the mink just went thru and the Coons climbed over the top. The only thing it kept out was the Hawks that picked off almost all my Silkies last year.

I had added stuff this spring with Hawks in mind, and I hadn't had the other predator issues with it, so I *thought* it was fine, but yeah, not so much. I've made improvements every year, but I swear I have the worlds smartest predators here! Last year I had Hawks perch in trees and wait for stuff to come outside! So I need to rip down both runs and put up different fencing, roof both pens and put skirting around the coop. I decided I was just going to sell everything out of the back coop and be done with it til spring, there just isn;t any way I can get all that done in a month.

I do expect some losses because I free range, but this season has just been bad. Plus the young ducks were just stupid, they would NOT stay in the yard, they'd go off wandering into the woods, and were being picked off while out. I'm leaning towards my problems being a Fox mostly, but I have not seen it or been able to catch it. (I stink at trapping)

Ideally I would build a "dog kennel" like barn with runs, but alas, no money to build a barn with. I've been making improvements for like four years, and every season I think okay, I've figured this out, and they out smart me.

Pretty much the only predator I haven;t seen has been dogs. Or bear, or Bobcats. I hear there was a bear around this spring, and there have been Bobcats, but not for a long long time (15 years since we heard the last one!) We've had Possums, but those are pretty easy to kill. Our cat died last month, and he was sick before that I think, the Rats have been bad and they've never been a problem before! I swear, this year it is like a freaking Predator Convention!

My plan for this year was to put up an electric fence and buy a male LGD, funny how life works huh? I didn't actually buy much stock here at all this year other than the ducks I had ordered in Dec last year, although I did replace the calls this spring before I found out I was pregnant. I wouldn't have ordered 90 ducklings if I had known I was gonna be pregnant and cleaning brooders.

I have been looking into building a hoop house also. Looked at horse panels but at 16' long (and very heavy, couldn't roll them either) we had no way of getting them home. We bought 2"x4" wire. Now I wonder if it will be secure. It will be behind electric chicken fencing.....the only predator that has gotten in was a hawk... Will start to build it if it doesn't rain on my husband's and my day off! Hope it looks as good as ranchers!!

 

[greymane]

Tab's chicken obsession :

My daughter let our beagle (killer of chickens) loose 3 weeks ago. Shortly after that my delaware hen I got from rancher went missing only to seen in passing glimpses. At first I was worried the dog had got her. Well she turned back up tonight to the coop sporting four new babies. It's so nice to have something happy happen for once.

Good news, indeed! Best of luck with the new babies!

 

[greymane]

Quote:
But, I bet it would make a heck of a story! (One of this things you laugh at down the road.....WAY down the road.)

 

[rancher hicks]

Tab's chicken obsession :

My daughter let our beagle (killer of chickens) loose 3 weeks ago. Shortly after that my delaware hen I got from rancher went missing only to seen in passing glimpses. At first I was worried the dog had got her. Well she turned back up tonight to the coop sporting four new babies. It's so nice to have something happy happen for once.

Well I am amazed. I've only had one Del go broody and that was a year ago. I keep hoping one will go again but so far no.

Rancher​

 

[greymane]

Does anybody know of some frizzles in our area (Seneca County or surrounding)? My DW has decided that she has to have some frizzles. (Silkies aren't close enough???)

 

[rancher hicks]

Ok folks here's some ideas for pred problems.

As for Cattle panels. I needed help bending them too. They are on sale at TSC 50"x16' $20 ea. I suggest buying the materials as you can afford and when you have everything put it together. 8' treated 2x4's are $2 at HD. You will need longer for one side. As for bending them you have to nail one side in and THEN bend it. I use those large nail in staples to hold it with someone on the other side helping to bend it.

The coop is covered with hardware cloth but the run will be with chicken wire. I plan to extend it beyond the bottom and bend it out a foot or so. I figure if I mow or weed whack the grass to the ground and then let it grow back through the chicken wire that will work. No way can I dig a foot down.

If you can find left over fencing on CL or around then I'd buy it and save it up. I splice it together over lapping it and sewing it with collected wire from the rolls of chicken wire I buy. I never throw anything away.

I used those plastic zip ties to hold the fencing to the cattle panels. You can find them at the dollar store or elsewhere. I got some at the flea market for a dollar a package.

As for the hawks. If you have some blow downs in the woods that are taller than you are I suggest sticking these in the ground and running wire from one to the other kind a like a arbor type thing. This will make it detrimental for a hawk to fly into. If you make a grid of this sort it should either snag the hawk or stop them from landing in the chicken yard. Hawks need a certain amount of area to land and take off from, if you can reduce this to an unacceptable area it may work at protecting the chickens. As long as it's high enough for the chickens and you to walk under it should work.

You could also plant shrubs around reducing the landing area too. I would use tall shrubs with prickers like crab apples or even tall lilacs would work.

As for the yard, I suggest planting a "hedge row" of pricker type berries or shrubs. I would first stake out the area with 2, 3 or 4 foot chicken wire. Even a mix would work and then plant up against it with thorny pricker type shrubs. In fact I have some rusted rolls of fencing and chain link in the woods here that I just can't drag out. I would think anything of this type laid down and bent up to a height and then planted to fill in would create a wall of impenetrable plant life. Posted is a pic of my vegetable garden. Behind the fencing is a two foot row of chicken wire. While it is just for keeping the chickens out it does work and could be improvised to keep larger preds out if planted with pricker/thorny shrubs.. ( I just got goose berry plants at CM for $2 each.) Gooseberries will grow to 5- 6'.

As for gates, you could use any type of door/gate, such as old screen doors , or storm doors or wooden doors trash picked or bought cheaply. Knock out the glass and screw in some chicken wire or heavy screening or fencing or a combination should work. HD has cheap landscape timbers that could be used for the jam.

Preds can be kept a bay with a little imagination.

Now I know there are those who think I'm crazy but I'll put it out there again. I also recommend if there is a man in the house that he go out there and whiz on the trees or anything around. Fox and Coyote have a strong sense of smell and so far for me I've not seen any. I do know that we usually have skunk but I've not smelled one in a long time. I've actually tied old rags to some specific trees to soak real good. I will mention that if you have an old stump urine helps rot that sucker fast. I had one near the coop and it's gone now.

So here's the pic of my garden fencing with the chicken wire run around the bottom. This one is 4' high and with no where to land the chickens don't jump it. Seems to me making one 6' high and planting vegetation on it shouldn't be to hard. I've replaced the stockade fencing with new. Areas that are to high have fencing along the bottom to keep the chickens in.

Hope some of these ideas help,

Rancher