NY chicken lover!!!!

[pharmchickrnmom]

The tots, happy in their new coop.

 

[vmdanielsen]

We did get the fence tester and it's showing what it should, so hopefully it's working. The ground rod went in easily, just a bit of a rubber mallet needed towards the end. It's really only 50 feet of wire on that run x 2 wires, but it's just a 20AC charger. Said 3K/4K volts on the charger, which according to the chart MAY not be enough to deter animals looking for food, however, this is on a hardware cloth fence (the top is just heavy flight netting so he could certainly go that way). We put one wire at 6" and one a foot or so above that for climbers. It's also got a fence skirt.

The other coop would have 48 linear feet of wire on the run plus we'll put wires around the back of the coop to prevent digging under the floor. it's a work in progress!

Didn't set the trap last night, letting it sit out in the rain to help wash human scent off it.

Putting in ground rods where I live is such a chore. It is hard for us just to put in t poles. Our ground is very, very, hard and rocky. I have heard of people using copper piping to to use as a ground rod. Don't know if that would be more economical for you. My fencer generally reads 12-17. Much less than that it usually means a large branch is on it or a wire is on the ground.

 

[vmdanielsen]

The tots, happy in their new coop.

Nice coops and birds!!!

 

[featherz]

Putting in ground rods where I live is such a chore. It is hard for us just to put in t poles. Our ground is very, very, hard and rocky. I have heard of people using copper piping to to use as a ground rod. Don't know if that would be more economical for you. My fencer generally reads 12-17. Much less than that it usually means a large branch is on it or a wire is on the ground.

Our charger is a low end 20 acre charger, so it's only supposed to put out 3K-4K. We'll see if that's enough. There have been no attempts at the coops but as you know, only takes once. =(

 

[Henicillin]

Glad to see that the baby Yetis are doing well!

I'm down to three Peeps, dang it. We thought we had secured the whole fence. We thought incorrectly. The Dominique cross squeezed out this morning while Alan had the dogs outside, and Gus caught it. It was instantaneous. *sigh* We just spent over an hour reinforcing every weak spot so that this doesn't happen again. Blasted dog.

It's really nice today - I thought it was supposed to be horrible and rainy. I'll take it, though.

 

[featherz]

Glad to see that the baby Yetis are doing well!

I'm down to three Peeps, dang it. We thought we had secured the whole fence. We thought incorrectly. The Dominique cross squeezed out this morning while Alan had the dogs outside, and Gus caught it. It was instantaneous. *sigh* We just spent over an hour reinforcing every weak spot so that this doesn't happen again. Blasted dog.

It's really nice today - I thought it was supposed to be horrible and rainy. I'll take it, though.

=( =( Sorry about your peeps =(. I am still mourning my poor NN.

I just spent an hour outside cutting down brush and tree limbs to hotwire up my other coop. There will still be one way in for a crafty critter like a coon but I am not sure there is much I can do about it other than hire a pro - we have a gigantic pine above the coop and I suppose a critter could climb it and get to the roof if very determined (they'd have to drop 10-15 feet).. They then could eat through the netting and dig in under the coop. Cutting down the tree is not really an option without pro help, so we'll have to think about putting in a floor at some point in the future.

Too bad none of you handy folks lives near me, I'd love to hire with money or pizza someone to even come out and supervise some of our horrible handiwork LOL. One of our coops needs all new outsides, but hubby just poo-poo's that idea.

I am thinking of relocating my 'old ladies' in a month or so - if anyone knows someone looking for a friendly 'pet' flock that doesn't eat their chickens let me know. They'd be free to a good home, but I am looking for a 'retirement' home where they could free range a bit and not end up as dinner. They are still laying eggs (I am getting 3-5 a day from 7 chickens) but are over 2 years old and are hatchery birds so they aren't going to be high producing for that much longer. One appears to be a possible internal layer so I am not sending them away until her fate is decided one way or the other, as I don't want to rehome a sick chicken.

These were my first chickens and were spoiled rotten so I refuse to bring them to an auction or send them to 'the chop' - will just let them retire here if no other choice. They kept me in eggs all last winter when everyone else shut down! I feel rotten since I can't let them free range these days.

Off to suit up to battle brush again. I actually wore a raincoat to ward off the ticks!

 

[Lapeerian]

Didn't make it to Syracuse, but did manage to cob together a chicken pen on the steep bank. It isn't pretty, but it should keep them 'mostly' contained. I'll give the littles a couple days to adjust, but don't think they will travel much farther than the original area. Then it is time to start adding in the bigs!

Hope everyone had a good time at the show. Happy Birthday Travis!

(Hubby suggested the icon!)

 

[happycountryhens]

All the new coops...sigh. Our next chicken project is to remake the "old coop" which is the side of the llama barn that was the grain room. Needs new floor and some new wall boards. Also we would like to add another pasture in back of it so those chickens can still get out on the days they cannot free range. Also, I would like a screen door instead of the fencing panel with hardware, a shovel handle "lock" with bungee cords to secure the bottom. It works well, but hey - a screen door (screen = hardware cloth) would be easier and more effective.

Garden first and house too.

Sorry to hear of the fox issues. I looked into the premier one fencing also and was quite impressed with what I saw. Unfortunately, we needed to use our funds for other things since we do have a pasture that is predetor resistant right now. We still have more used chain link we got at a bargin price and more poles for fencing so the new pen will also be made out of that.

Jahourns are doing well. They seem flighty, but when you pick the up, they are so friendly. They win the prize for the calmest chicks about being held that I have had.

Cat is still staying away from the chickens. *chuckle, snot*

 

[java girl 2]

featherz, one of your chicks hatched with 3 more pips!!!

and boy are they in a hurry!!

two days early!!!

 

[Henicillin]

My ducks can officially be sexed - it turns out that I have four drakes and four hens. They're reputed to be laid-back ducks, but I'll have to keep an eye on them as they mature, as, unless they pair off two by two like they're headed for the Ark, that ratio is way out of whack.