Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Just wanted to share a cool broody story today.

My broody Mama took her turkey poults out today in this bitter cold weather (around 32*). We had to leave at about 4, and wouldn't be home until after dark. I wanted to make sure the broody and her poults got inside for the night before I left. So I asked hubby to help me try to herd her back into the coop. She ended up running away and screaming which got the dog excited. The dog didn't try to hurt her or the poults, but got excited and started to run "with her". This of course scared Mama he more, and she ran screaming hysterically all the way across the yard. I tried to herd her again, but with no luck. I put the chicks in the coop and hoped she would follow them in.

I came back out five minutes later to check on her and the poults. She was in the coop with them as if nothing had happened. I then realized, she was being an excellent mother! She was trying to lure thre predator (my dog) away from her chicks. When the coast was clear,she ran right back to them. Smart cookie! big_smile.png

 

[yoopergirl1211]

Yep! It seemed like it was tight to get it on her, bur I think it is the perfect size. If I ever need one for my Bielefelder, I'll need the plus girls size. She's about twice the size of my Cali Grey. Love my big girl!
That is gorgeous! Does hubby make those for you? Do you have plans to share?
I can't help with breeds, but if the featherless part is on her back, she may have been a favorite of the rooster. If there is no rooster, she should grow back the feathers. A hen saddle can help with that also. Just make sure the other chickens aren't picking on her. Some blu-kote can help with that.

It's right above tail so I didn't think rooster but I'm not sure. If it was another hen the odds I got her too are slim. I didn't know if she could do it herself or not. Here's a better picture

 

[jmayday]

Definitely sounds like a raccoon. I've had that before. Sorry about that. Glad it only got one.

lost another threw the fence this time. I moved my trail cam hoping to see what is getting them and the batteries were dead. Fml. So it has to be coming in the daylight. Or the bird would be inside roosting.

 

[OneMountainAcres]

Yep! It seemed like it was tight to get it on her, bur I think it is the perfect size. If I ever need one for my Bielefelder, I'll need the plus girls size. She's about twice the size of my Cali Grey. Love my big girl!

Glad to hear it! You should try one on your beil girl, just or of curiosity to see how well it fits. If I need to make bigger ones, I need to know by how much bigger lol. Remember, the elastic slides through the middle part to make it bigger to fit over the wings as you're putting it on. (I'm only mentioning that because the first time I bought one, I didn't realize that and had a heck of a time getting it on my girl lol)

 

[FluffyButt789]

In my case, I make enough to support the hobby for a while. Hubby thinks I make a lot off them but I just let him keep thinking that. Otherwise, I wouldn't be hatching all the time lol

I give away eggs for free to family and friends. Maybe I should start charging lol! I would raise some meat birds to sell, but I get too attached. So I don't expect to turn much of a profit off of just eggs right now.

I sold a lot of chicks last year and hope to do even more this year. Over the entire year, I do a little better than break even so I can give some money back to the farm to do some needed improvements. I don't count my time because it's a hobby and it really helps to keep me in shape. Much better that a gym, 'cause I would skip the gym often, but the chickens need me. Our feed bill is huge, like over $6,000 a year and part of the year is pretty lean revenue-wise. I'm way behind now, but I expect the year's feed bill will be paid before summer is over.

That's good you make somewhat of a profit! Holy cow what a big feed bill, how many chickens do you have? I agree with the farmwork being the gym, I also do some part time work on a horse farm. Keeps me in shape!

Just wanted to share a cool broody story today.

My broody Mama took her turkey poults out today in this bitter cold weather (around 32*). We had to leave at about 4, and wouldn't be home until after dark. I wanted to make sure the broody and her poults got inside for the night before I left. So I asked hubby to help me try to herd her back into the coop. She ended up running away and screaming which got the dog excited. The dog didn't try to hurt her or the poults, but got excited and started to run "with her". This of course scared Mama he more, and she ran screaming hysterically all the way across the yard. I tried to herd her again, but with no luck. I put the chicks in the coop and hoped she would follow them in.

I came back out five minutes later to check on her and the poults. She was in the coop with them as if nothing had happened. I then realized, she was being an excellent mother! She was trying to lure thre predator (my dog) away from her chicks. When the coast was clear,she ran right back to them. Smart cookie! big_smile.png

Aww good job mama! Doesn't make your work herding them any easier! Try some treats next time maybe? That's the only thing I can use to get my girls in the coop when they don't want to go in!

It's right above tail so I didn't think rooster but I'm not sure. If it was another hen the odds I got her too are slim. I didn't know if she could do it herself or not. Here's a better picture

Try parting her feathers away from the wound to get a better look. If the damage is also on her middle back, it's probably from a rooster. You would be surprised how much their feathers can cover a big bare spot! My favorite girl is also the rooster's favorite and she got really hurt by him. Took me a while to finally see it because she would groom her feathers over the wound. The rooster is kept separated now until freezer camp.

lost another threw the fence this time. I moved my trail cam hoping to see what is getting them and the batteries were dead. Fml. So it has to be coming in the daylight. Or the bird would be inside roosting.

Do you have weasels / fishers in the area? I know they can do some bad damage to a chicken fast. I think they can be active during the day. The only other thing I can think of is a raccoon that hunts during the day (it happens), or a feral cat, or a hawk possibly? If you can see the coop from the house, I'd try keeping watch over it. Sorry to hear you lost another one. It never gets any easier

 

[dheltzel]

I give away eggs for free to family and friends. Maybe I should start charging lol! I would raise some meat birds to sell, but I get too attached. So I don't expect to turn much of a profit off of just eggs right now.

That's good you make somewhat of a profit! Holy cow what a big feed bill, how many chickens do you have? I agree with the farmwork being the gym, I also do some part time work on a horse farm. Keeps me in shape!

It's nice to give away eggs, but if the people are not in a financial bind, I think it's ok to ask for a little money.

My co-workers refer to my afterwork activities as "Farm Fit" and say I should charge people to come get fit out in the rural world. Funny, they never volunteer to be my trial customers.

 

[BullChick]

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Yep! It seemed like it was tight to get it on her, bur I think it is the perfect size. If I ever need one for my Bielefelder, I'll need the plus girls size. She's about twice the size of my Cali Grey. Love my big girl! That is gorgeous! Does hubby make those for you? Do you have plans to share? I can't help with breeds, but if the featherless part is on her back, she may have been a favorite of the rooster. If there is no rooster, she should grow back the feathers. A hen saddle can help with that also. Just make sure the other chickens aren't picking on her. Some blu-kote can help with that.

It's right above tail so I didn't think rooster but I'm not sure. If it was another hen the odds I got her too are slim. I didn't know if she could do it herself or not. Here's a better picture

Looks like it could definitely be from a Roo. Do you have blukote to put in it? It could be worse than the initial injury from other hens pecking on her.

Definitely sounds like a raccoon. I've had that before. Sorry about that. Glad it only got one.

lost another threw the fence this time. I moved my trail cam hoping to see what is getting them and the batteries were dead. Fml. So it has to be coming in the daylight. Or the bird would be inside roosting.

. So sorry. Predator prevention is a constant struggler us all.

Yep! It seemed like it was tight to get it on her, bur I think it is the perfect size. If I ever need one for my Bielefelder, I'll need the plus girls size. She's about twice the size of my Cali Grey. Love my big girl!

Glad to hear it! You should try one on your beil girl, just or of curiosity to see how well it fits. If I need to make bigger ones, I need to know by how much bigger lol. Remember, the elastic slides through the middle part to make it bigger to fit over the wings as you're putting it on. (I'm only mentioning that because the first time I bought one, I didn't realize that and had a heck of a time getting it on my girl lol)

I will try to do that tonight if I remember. But seriously, my Biele is a BIG girl! I'm pretty sure she'll need the deluxe size!

In my case, I make enough to support the hobby for a while. Hubby thinks I make a lot off them but I just let him keep thinking that. Otherwise, I wouldn't be hatching all the time lol

I give away eggs for free to family and friends. Maybe I should start charging lol! I would raise some meat birds to sell, but I get too attached. So I don't expect to turn much of a profit off of just eggs right now.

I sold a lot of chicks last year and hope to do even more this year. Over the entire year, I do a little better than break even so I can give some money back to the farm to do some needed improvements. I don't count my time because it's a hobby and it really helps to keep me in shape. Much better that a gym, 'cause I would skip the gym often, but the chickens need me. Our feed bill is huge, like over $6,000 a year and part of the year is pretty lean revenue-wise. I'm way behind now, but I expect the year's feed bill will be paid before summer is over.

That's good you make somewhat of a profit! Holy cow what a big feed bill, how many chickens do you have? I agree with the farmwork being the gym, I also do some part time work on a horse farm. Keeps me in shape! [CONTENTEMBED=/t/248345/pennsylvania-unite/67760#post_18177144 layout=inline] [/CONTENTEMBED]

Just wanted to share a cool broody story today. My broody Mama took her turkey poults out today in this bitter cold weather (around 32*). We had to leave at about 4, and wouldn't be home until after dark. I wanted to make sure the broody and her poults got inside for the night before I left. So I asked hubby to help me try to herd her back into the coop. She ended up running away and screaming which got the dog excited. The dog didn't try to hurt her or the poults, but got excited and started to run "with her". This of course scared Mama he more, and she ran screaming hysterically all the way across the yard. I tried to herd her again, but with no luck. I put the chicks in the coop and hoped she would follow them in. I came back out five minutes later to check on her and the poults. She was in the coop with them as if nothing had happened. I then realized, she was being an excellent mother! She was trying to lure thre predator (my dog) away from her chicks. When the coast was clear,she ran right back to them. Smart cookie! big_smile.png

Aww good job mama! Doesn't make your work herding them any easier! Try some treats next time maybe? That's the only thing I can use to get my girls in the coop when they don't want to go in!

It's right above tail so I didn't think rooster but I'm not sure. If it was another hen the odds I got her too are slim. I didn't know if she could do it herself or not. Here's a better picture

Try parting her feathers away from the wound to get a better look. If the damage is also on her middle back, it's probably from a rooster. You would be surprised how much their feathers can cover a big bare spot! My favorite girl is also the rooster's favorite and she got really hurt by him. Took me a while to finally see it because she would groom her feathers over the wound. The rooster is kept separated now until freezer camp.

lost another threw the fence this time. I moved my trail cam hoping to see what is getting them and the batteries were dead. Fml. So it has to be coming in the daylight. Or the bird would be inside roosting.

Do you have weasels / fishers in the area? I know they can do some bad damage to a chicken fast. I think they can be active during the day. The only other thing I can think of is a raccoon that hunts during the day (it happens), or a feral cat, or a hawk possibly? If you can see the coop from the house, I'd try keeping watch over it. Sorry to hear you lost another one. It never gets any easier

Treats usually work with chickens, but a broody Mama is a different type of animal all together. Very amazing to watch, but different for sure!

 

[Blarneyeggs]

Yep! It seemed like it was tight to get it on her, bur I think it is the perfect size. If I ever need one for my Bielefelder, I'll need the plus girls size. She's about twice the size of my Cali Grey. Love my big girl!
That is gorgeous! Does hubby make those for you? Do you have plans to share? I make them myself and at some point...I hope to have plans, I've been working on it to share with the 4-H kids. I mostly fix things as I go and change things as I've learned what works best.
I can't help with breeds, but if the featherless part is on her back, she may have been a favorite of the rooster. If there is no rooster, she should grow back the feathers. A hen saddle can help with that also. Just make sure the other chickens aren't picking on her. Some blu-kote can help with that.

It's right above tail so I didn't think rooster but I'm not sure. If it was another hen the odds I got her too are slim. I didn't know if she could do it herself or not. Here's a better picture

I found a very similar wound on one of my pullets who is not being housed with any cockerels. I'm assuming that she was grabbed by a predator and got away. I separated her for a bit and put blu kote on it -my bird was acting depressed, which is why I separated her. (Standing along, puffed up, eyes closed, unable to fight her way to food)

Definitely sounds like a raccoon. I've had that before. Sorry about that. Glad it only got one.

lost another threw the fence this time. I moved my trail cam hoping to see what is getting them and the batteries were dead. Fml. So it has to be coming in the daylight. Or the bird would be inside roosting.

. How about that. Head missing usually means raccoon, but daytime? That says fox or hawk to me. Please let us know what you see on the trail cam.

 

[AnneInTheBurbs]

Hey all! Just watched this show last night, after a customer told us about it. It is a long episode of a tv show. This guy raises a clutch of wild turkeys from eggs to adulthood. They imprint on him and follow him everyday. Very interesting story. I could see it happening to @dheltzel if he didn't have a wife and a job. Haha!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2101982/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1


I just checked the weather forecast. They are calling for 8-15" for my area on Tuesday! Yikes, I think I'm going to keep everybody in the coop whether they like it or not.