***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Carebearsmiles]

I'm with you all. Love the warmth, but scared it will be boiling in the summer. Also, if we don't get hard freezes then none of the bugs die off.
It will be a buggy buggy summer.

 

[Oakieridge]

Worked outside most of yesterday afternoon. We figured out what our predator was that has taken 6 guineas now. We were working outside and an owl swooped down and snatch a hen as we were putting birds up for the night! Scared me to death! It wasn't even dark yet! Then at 1:30 we heard birds fussing went out to find guinea #6 laying dead under the tree they roost in. I tried to get the darn things to go into their pen for the night but they insist on roosting in that stupid tree. We left the guinea there in our hunt for the predator. We could smell skunk again (we always smell skunk when we go out to investigate the noise the birds make) and no sign of tracks. We went in the house and not 10 mins later heard the ruckus again! This time the guinea we had forgotten to dispose of had been moved. So dh went to find a good hiding spot and I went back in the house. 30 mins later I heard the gun go off and found a visibly shaken dh, lol. He said he was sitting in his hiding spot and a huge Great Horned Owl came over the top of him. He was really expecting a raccoon since the owl had gotten his meal earlier in the night. He said it was huge and had a wing span of about 4 feet. He gave it a warning shot and it took off. Luckily we didn't hear anything else from it for the night. Now I have to figure out how to make those darn guineas go in their pen at night! Because I know that owl will be back for another free meal!

 

[Oakieridge]

I'm with you all. Love the warmth, but scared it will be boiling in the summer. Also, if we don't get hard freezes then none of the bugs die off.
It will be a buggy buggy summer.

It was nice yesterday but like you I am worried. Dh found a tick crawling on him yesterday and we have 30 guineas and 10 roosters running loose eating all sorts of bugs. I sure hope we don't have another horrible summer I'm not sure we can afford it. It took it's toll on my garden the last two years so I have no canned veggies or fruits, and our fireworks stand suffered horrible sales these last two years so that there was very little profit for all the work we put into it. Not to mention the birds we lost from the heat.

 

[Kassaundra]

I'm with you all. Love the warmth, but scared it will be boiling in the summer. Also, if we don't get hard freezes then none of the bugs die off.
It will be a buggy buggy summer.

More free chicken food!

 

[chicksooner]

Worked outside most of yesterday afternoon. We figured out what our predator was that has taken 6 guineas now. We were working outside and an owl swooped down and snatch a hen as we were putting birds up for the night! Scared me to death! It wasn't even dark yet! Then at 1:30 we heard birds fussing went out to find guinea #6 laying dead under the tree they roost in. I tried to get the darn things to go into their pen for the night but they insist on roosting in that stupid tree. We left the guinea there in our hunt for the predator. We could smell skunk again (we always smell skunk when we go out to investigate the noise the birds make) and no sign of tracks. We went in the house and not 10 mins later heard the ruckus again! This time the guinea we had forgotten to dispose of had been moved. So dh went to find a good hiding spot and I went back in the house. 30 mins later I heard the gun go off and found a visibly shaken dh, lol. He said he was sitting in his hiding spot and a huge Great Horned Owl came over the top of him. He was really expecting a raccoon since the owl had gotten his meal earlier in the night. He said it was huge and had a wing span of about 4 feet. He gave it a warning shot and it took off. Luckily we didn't hear anything else from it for the night. Now I have to figure out how to make those darn guineas go in their pen at night! Because I know that owl will be back for another free meal!

will your guineas come for scratch? Once i got mine back in the coop I went out every evening right before sunset and gave them scratch in the run. Did this for a week or so then let them back out. To get them back in I put scratch in the run right before they want to roost and they all go in. Now they still have stayed out a few times because they just refuse to go in but for the most part they cooperate for treats.

 

[shelbydog]

Oakieridge, I think I have a resident barred owl I'm going to have to watch out for once I get my flock. He was perched on my chiminea the other night. Years ago there was a big owl perched on fence near my cat and all I could think was "don't take the cat".

 

[Oakieridge]

will your guineas come for scratch? Once i got mine back in the coop I went out every evening right before sunset and gave them scratch in the run. Did this for a week or so then let them back out. To get them back in I put scratch in the run right before they want to roost and they all go in. Now they still have stayed out a few times because they just refuse to go in but for the most part they cooperate for treats.

I have been trying scratch/layer pellets to get them back in but so far only getting 2 or 3 of the roosters and a handfull of guineas. Tonight I am going to move the pup he usually sleeps in a crate in the hen coop but tonight I think we may tie him out under the guinea tree and see if that helps. Probably not from what I have read. The bad thing is that this time of year it is almost dark by the time I get home from work so most are already deciding to roost in the trees by the time I get home. I told my son tonight that if guineas are free ranging with any of the pens of birds to shoo them into the coops with the birds in that yard. It won't hurt anything for a few extra birds to be in the coops at night, no longer than what they are in there.

 

[Oakieridge]

Oakieridge, I think I have a resident barred owl I'm going to have to watch out for once I get my flock. He was perched on my chiminea the other night. Years ago there was a big owl perched on fence near my cat and all I could think was "don't take the cat".

From what I have been reading the barred owls won't bother bigger birds but they will take young ones. I don't let mine free range until they are at least 16 weeks. Before that they are confined to A-Frame mobil tractors. But that owl took a full size cuckoo marans hen. He was HUGE! I usually have no issues with the hawks and owls because they do help with the population of rabbits, raccoons, mice, skunks, ect. I am really surprised this owl hasn't taken one of our cats. We have 7 and they all roam at night but we will be putting them in the feedhouse at night now to keep them safe from the owl.

 

[Kassaundra]

A few pics from the past couple of days


This it the 100 feet of raspberries, each fence section is 10 foot and planted both sides there are 5 of them.


This is the 70 feet, so far in the chicken area, so probably won't get to harvest any of these, will likely be free chicken food. And the leaves will be good maternity food for the meat rabbits, if/when I get those going.








Jaxom and Little man


Raven


Reba and Chocolate cheeks


Girls huddling against the wind


Oreo just being Oreo.

 

[jcatblum]

Cathie do you offer your free range birds food at all? I say only feed them in the coop at night. They will come in. If we go outside anytime after 4 the free range birds come asking for dinner. We have a few guineas that even peck at the patio door. We have noticeably lost 2 guineas this wk, one was injured & in 2 days it disappeared, the other we found tore up. And these are guineas that go in at night.
I began seeing owls about dusk, they don't wait till dark here.
We have been seeing baby grasshoppers for about 2 wks-- insane! Their favorite food last yr was okra, wonder if I should plant an okra patch way away from the garden?

CNN news headline states price of chicken flocks record high.