***OKIES in the BYC III ***

[Kyzmette]

@Hotcurltr I'm sorry about your chickies too!

The Stilwell auction is tomorrow, but Coweta is the 3rd Friday of the month!

 

[Sagetown]

Neat story!!

Had another close scare today- when Merlin the Aussie puppy was chewing on a coop roof today (BAD boy!) he accidentally opened the latch on the feed door (roughly 12"x18" on the side of the run). He had chased all my Exchequer Leghorns and Langshan pullets from that pen around in circles, pulling out tail feathers for fun.

I think they will all be OK but one exchequer hen might be in shock. Dumb-dumb dog has a dozen toys but HAS to chew on the coops.... luckily I decided that since the weather was warm I would take a walk out at lunchtime to check for eggs and caught him and them before he managed to injure one. I thought at first it was a hawk attack because ALL my birds were in their coops. Guess they were hiding from the potential carnage. Pins in the locks will keep it from happening again.

Hey lonnyandrinda: Keep an eye on your pup, and discipline him every time he even thinks about messing with your chickens. Once a dog gets a taste of live chicken blood he ain't worth two cents to a chicken owner. Chicken killing is very addictive. An old wives tale says to tie the dead chicken around the dogs neck till he gets sick of the odor, and it'll break him from chasing chickens. I wouldn't want to try that tactic myself.

 

[NanaKat]

Wow...so many losses! So sorry for you all.

We used to have a few guineas...I never got used to their chatter. Our neighbor has them now and says they are great guardians...alerting the layer flock to run and hide.

I decided to put eggs that are due to hatch on the 16th under the broody hens instead of trusting the Little Giant. Found a loose wire near the temp register. I had 9 large fowl egg that I put under a hen that has been broody for almost 3 weeks. I moved her to a wall cage with plenty of hay for her nest. She settled down quickly just humming her song.
The four bantam eggs, I put under the two Delaware hens to hatch along with their little clutch. The hens are sharing a nest. When I put the eggs just in front of them, one hen started to pull an egg under her. The other hen raked that egg back out and attempted to pull it beneath her. The first hen grabbed her egg back and the second reached all the way beneath her to recover the egg. I decided I better divide the eggs between them. They then settled down to business. One of their eggs is pipped and will zip this afternoon sometime. They already have four in the brooder box that I will give back to them when all are hatched.

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Hey lonnyandrinda: Keep an eye on your pup, and discipline him every time he even thinks about messing with your chickens. Once a dog gets a taste of live chicken blood he ain't worth two cents to a chicken owner. Chicken killing is very addictive. An old wives tale says to tie the dead chicken around the dogs neck till he gets sick of the odor, and it'll break him from chasing chickens. I wouldn't want to try that tactic myself.

Yes. I had one dog I was desperate enough to try that with. She just ate the chicken. That dog had to go to the shelter as much as I hated to do it.

He is kept in the chicken yard as a protector and predator deterrant but the chickens are enclosed in their own pens. I do not trust him alone with them but he will come in the pen with me to do feed and waterers. If he had really wanted to hurt the chickens they would have already been dead when I went out, it was obvious he was trying to play. He is only 8 months old so still full on puppy stage. I will work with him more once it is warm and not soggy ground but for now he stays out of their pens unless I am with him. Now my 10 year old aussie mix I trust completely with all the chickens, she has never made so much as a move toward any of my birds.

I have one bird definitely in shock, an exchequer leghorn pullet. I put the 3 exchequers in a different coop that I had just finished cleaning out earlier today, I figure dark and quiet is the best thing for now. She is panting and her comb is purplish at the tips and she is very unsteady on her legs- tipped over on her back and could not right herself when she tried to climb the ramp into the coop. I am going to check on her and maybe see if I can get some electrolytes down her.

 

[artsyrobin]

Quote: see thats what i thought until someone pointed out federal law has preference??

so i wonder which one you go by state or fed?

 

[NanaKat]

  Hey lonnyandrinda:  Keep an eye on your pup, and discipline him every time he even thinks about messing with your chickens.  Once a dog gets a taste of live chicken blood he ain't worth two cents to a chicken owner.  Chicken killing is very addictive.   An old wives tale says to tie the dead chicken around the dogs neck till he gets sick of the odor, and it'll break him from chasing chickens.  I wouldn't want to try that tactic myself. :cd

I heard both sides of that old wives tale. My great uncle did that with one of his Saint Bernard/ Pyrenees cross dogs. And it worked for him. Each dog spends 12 hours in the acre chicken yard where his game cocks are tethered to their coops. Their Doberman didn't respond to the dead chicken so was never given duty in the chicken yard.
My two dogs help clean up when we butcher so fresh blood and scraps are a treat. They are devoted to their "pack". A natural part of the job as vigilant protector is to help keep the area clear of morsels that would attract a predator to the territory. Gracie carried a chick that was killed by a tractor tire behind the hay bales and buried it. Red has done the same with a sparrow one of the hens killed. Both will clean up a pen when the chickens finish their scraps clearing up the scrambled eggs and food tidbits . Broke them of eating chicken "cookies" but I can't get them to eat the lettuce scraps...

 

[NanaKat]

 

have all sorts of plans to make little coops like yours @TRUE5


 by the way, make sure hubby only shoots to scare the hawk off, against the law to kill them- wondering if one of those fake owls would help too?

State statute allows you to kill a hawk if it is killing your poultry.

Citation: OK ST T.29 5-410

Summary:

"Oklahoma law prohibits the knowing and willful killing or molestation of hawks, falcons, owls, or eagles or their nests, eggs, or young. the only exceptions to this prohibition are the taking of a hawk or owl in the act of destroying domestic birds or fowl, or the use of hawks! owls, falcons, or eagles by licensed falconers."


There is more discussion on this statute at
Http://www.animallaw.info/statutes/stusok29_5_410.htm

see thats what i thought until someone pointed out federal law has preference??  so i wonder which one you go by state or fed?

Who is going to enforce the federal statute when your state official follows state law? Eagles and falcons are off limits as in both sate and federal statute.
Shooting at a hawk on the ground with your bird in its talons is safer than shooting at one in a tree or in the air since a shell velocity is not lost. Unless the hawk or owl is tagged with a tracking device, I doubt that anyone will come looking for it.

 

[Ksane]

I really like them myself.  Got started when I was 14 years old.  Spent a week-end with a friend who lived way out in the boonies.   We spotted a wild Guinea sneaking through the underbrush, and he knew she was heading for a nest, so we laid low and waited.  When we found the nest it had 50 eggs in it.  We took off our shirts and put all the eggs in.  His Mom candled them and I got about twenty eggs to put under a big ole white brooder hen my Mom had.  We had guineas all over the farm after that.  Think I've got a picture somewhere of them.  I'll look for it.

Wow! I hope you 2 realize what perfectly wonderful moms you both have! I'd have loved growing up with people who did those kinds of things for their kids :-o

Last month I found out how smart my hens are..  We came home from town and had bought feed as we were out, it was still in the car.  I was on the computer, it is by the back door and no one can get to the door, because of the chicken pen. All at once  I heard 3 knocks at the door, I got up and looked out and there stood 3 Australorps, guess they knew there was feed in the car.  Had to go out and get some feed and make them happy.  
 Kathryn

My feed store Australorp is the "yard hussy", great girl. The rooster in that yard is 1/2 the size of the hens and none of the girls are missing feathers-except the Australorp girl, her head is pretty much bald lol She does love that rooster.

The hens are sharing a nest. When I put the eggs just in front of them, one hen started to pull an egg under her. The other hen raked that egg back out and attempted to pull it beneath her. The first hen grabbed her egg back and the second reached all the way beneath her to recover the egg. I decided I better divide the eggs between them. They then settled down to business.

rofl!!! Mama hens are hilarious!!! I CAN'T WAIT to learn to caponize so I can let my broody girls hatch their eggs out and not have to worry about being overrun with roosters. God knows I suck at killing them.

 

[Mattok1]

I really like them myself.  Got started when I was 14 years old.  Spent a week-end with a friend who lived way out in the boonies.   We spotted a wild Guinea sneaking through the underbrush, and he knew she was heading for a nest, so we laid low and waited.  When we found the nest it had 50 eggs in it.  We took off our shirts and put all the eggs in.  His Mom candled them and I got about twenty eggs to put under a big ole white brooder hen my Mom had.  We had guineas all over the farm after that.  Think I've got a picture somewhere of them.  I'll look for it.

Really cool story Thanks for sharing.

  Hey lonnyandrinda:  Keep an eye on your pup, and discipline him every time he even thinks about messing with your chickens.  Once a dog gets a taste of live chicken blood he ain't worth two cents to a chicken owner.  Chicken killing is very addictive.   An old wives tale says to tie the dead chicken around the dogs neck till he gets sick of the odor, and it'll break him from chasing chickens.  I wouldn't want to try that tactic myself. :cd

Lol reminds me of Hank the Cowdog...

 

[Ksane]

I had to make another Boy Yard unexpectedly today, the 2 Gold Laced Cochin boys have been in a 10x10 pen with one of my Faverolles/Orloff boys but yesterday 1 Cochin boy started picking at his brother. This particular Fav/Orloff boy in with them is really good with younger boys so I put him in my favorite 50x50 yard with 3 juvie boys and the 2 boys I got from Kass. I love that yard because the tree covers the entire yard and in the summer the branches hang down almost to the ground and it's real cool under there. It's like a cave with streaks of sun shining through, it's so pretty. Anyway, for now since they're all getting along they'll stay together.
If anyone wants this Blue Laced Red Wyandotte (4 1/2 mo old) or this Gold Laced Cochin boy (8-9 mo) let me know. The 2nd BLR Wyandotte has the wrong comb but the one in the picture has a proper cushion comb. Both are really pretty, the Wyandotte is at that awkward stage but he'll fill out nice. If no one wants them I'll caponize them when I get some practice in. The young Asil in this group is wonderful! He's like a puppy and I really like him a lot. Your boys are behaving very nicely with these other boys, Kass. I think the trick is putting them all together in a big enough yard without girls. Please-let me know if anyone would like the Wyandotte or Cochin boy.