Oregon

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I like how we go from coyotes to trees. Funny

 

[OR4-hmom]

This year we dropped our trees in topical ointment, poison oak. We just keep telling each other we need to go buck it up and it lays there for another week.

 

[bigboy70]

Predators move to new ares for two reasons, 1. they see a good food supply (chickens), and 2. they have maximized their carrying capacity and/or are territorial.

Yes this is true and the chicken population has gone upvalot the last two years as well as cats plenty of food and I'm waiting not with a. 22 something a lil larger lol

 

[Suzierd]

This bear was at a friends house it tore into the side of her coop and killed all the chickens except for two.

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

This bear was at a friends house it tore into the side of her coop and killed all the chickens except for two.

Where was that?

 

[lovinchickypoos]

Actually it is a fact-- human population has, in some area's, extensively encroached on wild habitats.

I have noticed, during extreme droughts or extreme winter's that we (people) have more encounters with wildlife moving into (sometimes far into) human population centers.

Twice, that I remember, there have been cougars at the Vancouver Mall and they have had to catch them and move them out into the mountains, to release them. That is pretty far into a populated area!!

Sheila

In the Tri-Cities (eastern wa for those who don't know) we've had 3 or 4 cougar sightings in the last year, the last one being in my neighborhood. I just expect this type of thing and refuse to live in fear about it. Although I would shoot something threatening me and mine, I love wildlife and respect their right to live in BALANCE. People have done a crappy job of keeping balance unfortunately. I'm fine with those who hunt (as long as it's responsible hunting) but I'm not fine with indiscriminate killing of all predators.

 

[DeannaOR]

In the Tri-Cities (eastern wa for those who don't know) we've had 3 or 4 cougar sightings in the last year, the last one being in my neighborhood. I just expect this type of thing and refuse to live in fear about it. Although I would shoot something threatening me and mine, I love wildlife and respect their right to live in BALANCE. People have done a crappy job of keeping balance unfortunately. I'm fine with those who hunt (as long as it's responsible hunting) but I'm not fine with indiscriminate killing of all predators.

I agree =) Balance is the perfect word for it.

 

[DeannaOR]

This bear was at a friends house it tore into the side of her coop and killed all the chickens except for two.

I'd shoot it..but I'd be scared to death and later I would feel heartbroken if I actually hit it.

 

[aggiemae]

Does anyone know how to get rid on mites???

If you can catch your chickens you can dust them in a bag of sevin. Put a cup of Sevin Dust into a soft bag (a high thread count pillow case will work). You need to keep the birds head out and shake the dust around the body.. My sister does this and claims it's pretty easy. I just dump a layer of Sevin powder onto the soil in the area where my hens dust.

But if your chickens are dying the infestation must be really awful and probably requires a more direct approach. If it were me I would bath them with (dog) flea shampoo. It's not as hard as it sounds since once you get a hen into the water they are very cooperative. If yours aren't used to being handled, I suggest that you take them off the roost in the morning. Bath them one at a time after you have everything you need set up and ready to go. I use the bathroom sink in my kids bath room. I fill it with warm water and a 1/2 cup shampoo dip the bird and swish it around for a couple of minutes. Then I drain the sink and fill it with clean water and rinse twice and wrap them in a towel and using a SMALL amount to vitamin E oil on my fingertips I oil their feet and combs.

BTW once they get wet hens seem to stay still and calm for quite a long time so this is an ideal time to oil their feet waddles and combs and also to trim their nails and/or wings if needed.

PS: though it's will not kill mites or fleas, I use a shampoo called "Buddy Wash". It's a good product that will leave your chickens (and dogs) smelling like lavender and mint for at least a week.

 

[aggiemae]

Down here we have it all.

We heard so many chicken horror stories before we even got our first chickens that the coops are built to exclude all but bears. Down here bears have learned it is easier to get in coops by ripping the siding off the coops, if it gets through our siding, it then has to get through the interior plywood also.

We have cougars-mointain lions also, not as common but they are here. I personally would rather run into a cougar than a bear. I know it should be the other way around but I can't stand bears or cows. Great uncle over-wintered rodeo stock when I was a kid, 45 years ago now, but I have seen some scarry tricks played by those bulls.

The foxes cruise through the front yard (1.5 acres) when the greyhound and the golden retreiver are out there. They raise babies in the neighbors forest of a yard. They are right outside our window guite often or in our back yard (1.25 acres) or out in the 20 acres directly behind us.

The neighbors dog loves to tree the racoon then bark at it all night. They also leave the cat food out all night.

I have a bigger problem with the skunks. They dig around the edges of the coops and leave me ankle busting holes. Not big or deep but in all the wrong places. We trenched around the coops and runs and buried welded wire, (down 16/18 inches and then out another 9/12 inches), so they can't get inside overnight and we would have time to mess with their digging efforts in the morning. We have buckets filled with rocks ready to dump in any holes they dig.

All the coops have composite roofs and rain gutters to try and deal with the seasonal downpours.

We used 1 x 2 welded wire the first time but the new coops will have 1 x 1 welded wire so I don't have to double fence for chicks.

It,s been 4 years and we haven't lost anything to wildlife yet, fingers crossed really tight.

I consider myself lucky to live in a place with such abundant wildlife so I have learned to coexist with them, including the predators, and since I can't change a predatory animals nature or instincts I try to make sure that our domestic animals are keep safe from harm.

Interestingly, our loss was not to a cougar, a hawk, a coyote... or even a raccoon... it was to a pair of Blue Heroins that killed every fish in our pond in a single afternoon.