NY chicken lover!!!!

[stonykill]

 

[marquisella]

you need to test those and make minor adjustments as needed. I'm positive it wasn't defective, just needed to be tweeked out of the box.

Yes, we should have tested the first one, but who knew? I thought it was off because the plate that they step on to trigger the trap, hardly moved from its level position and was hard to push down to activate. So, they gave us a new one, and it is more easily triggered. You're probably right, but we "fiddled" with it, and couldn't seem to get the plate to move upwards more,so decided to return it.

I am now more sympathetic to posts about predator losses...I'm lucky I didn't have a massacure...but I still have some areas that a determined raccoon could access if they looked hard enough, so I'm out for blood! LOL

 

[Henicillin]

Those baby runners are getting huge!

I need to take some photos of the duckehs. The dudes are all so handsome in their big-boy plumage now, like mallards on steroids.

 

[stonykill]

Those baby runners are getting huge!

I need to take some photos of the duckehs. The dudes are all so handsome in their big-boy plumage now, like mallards on steroids.

 

[Cass]

BRB Have to go add 2 staples to a weak spot in the Sumantra run.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Nice pics Stony. I like the one of the rir hen and babies best (because thats what I hope to have next year!)/

Hen--its always nice to work with a partner and not be minions! This job is too hard to have to be a minion.

So I moved the 5 week olds in with the 8 week olds. Other than peeping because they were scared, everyone was fine and all settled down. However, my silkie hen sassy was furious! She stole them from her sister to begin with and mommied them and when I took them and put them in with the tots, she ran around the yard calling and looking for them. Around the coop and then the yard and screamed from in her coop. She has finally settled down but I think she may be angry at me for a while. If she behaves herself, I might slip some new hatchlings under her. Eggs go on lockdown tomorrow. Now she knows how I feel now that my daughter has gone back down south to school.

My reds are getting big and I think they have become dh's favorites. He sits out every day after work watching them and catching and petting the excapees. I think secretly they are his pets but he will never admit it! hehehe

 

[Cass]

Ok. Back. All this talk about coons reminded me that I noticed a place that something had tried to pry up the corner of the hardware cloth. AND I found 4 fence staples in a load of laundry (probably from my pocket, not rays, sigh) AND I knew where Ray's hammer was. (on the computer desk, don't you keep yours there? LOL) I didn't even hit my fingers, like I usually do when I borrow his hammer. Mine is only a few ounces lighter, but I swear it's a couple of pounds lighter.....probably handle length, but I managed to put 2 staple in the run and kept all my fingers operable. Now I need to find his circular saw, tape measure and 2 long nails. Oh, and a 2x3 to make a roost in my newly expanded large run. Maybe tomorrow. I don't want to press my luck by hammering again tonight.

 

[stonykill]

Nice pics Stony. I like the one of the rir hen and babies best (because thats what I hope to have next year!)/

thanks. I've had RIR's for 7years and this is the 1st one to ever go broody. She is 4 years old. Nothing like a late start!

 

[Sachasmom]

I have yet to catch a Coon in a box trap (and I've been trying for like two years?) I've used eggs, dead bait, cat food, liver, etc etc. Nothing. I couldn't even catch the stupid egg stealing Possum (Sacha cornered that for me too) I'm seriously considering getting the big coyote trap and using live bait, only I would have to play "Who wants to be bait!" :O I have a leg trap I need to derust, only I hate like heck to use that.

I keep fixing pens, but darn, those predators are smart (Or chickens are just really really stupid)

I would have happily beat it to death after seeing what it did to my silkies.

 

[stonykill]

I have yet to catch a Coon in a box trap (and I've been trying for like two years?) I've used eggs, dead bait, cat food, liver, etc etc. Nothing. I couldn't even catch the stupid egg stealing Possum (Sacha cornered that for me too) I'm seriously considering getting the big coyote trap and using live bait, only I would have to play "Who wants to be bait!" :O I have a leg trap I need to derust, only I hate like heck to use that.

I keep fixing pens, but darn, those predators are smart (Or chickens are just really really stupid)

I would have happily beat it to death after seeing what it did to my silkies.

I have caught coons with many things but the cheapest stinkiest canned dog food you can buy seems to work the best. Works for possum and skunk too. I've easi;y caught and killed 15 coons over the last few years. And usually have to repair the trap after they are caught. They make a mess of the flap and bend the actuator rod most every time trying to dig their way out.