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stake said:
Lisa:

My chooks pounced on a field mouse and it was gone in less than 30 seconds....as posted prior rats are a different story....also, I have A_hole squirrels that steal some pellets....but I'll get their tucas at a later date....what critter is giving you problems?
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Heh. My girls have been chasing the squirrels. Sadly,have not yet caught any of them; but not for lack of effort!
 
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wingstone said:
Let's talk Dorking,

I could look them up, but much prefer personal experience,,,,

I no longer have the delaware rooster that was used in my meat breeding program,,,,,,do you think that the dorking would be a good replacement, I am a little concerned about the comb size of the dorkings, really trying to stay awhile from those big flappy birds, but darn it, I like those..

If you have them could you send some pics and a brief overview of what you think of them??

how well would they fit into a mixed flock, I house everything together in the winter ??

how well do the eggs hatch,,,,,I find some breeds hard to hatch..??

I am looking for fast weight gain and I will often hold a few freedom ranger hens over until egg laying, these are fairly large hens,,,,what are the thoughts on that combo..(the hen's are hard to predict the outcome since it is a secret of their background, but so far I often get an offspring that looks like orpington)
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Wing:

I had two dorks one went down...(so my opinions may be limited) one of my two went broody....they really have nice personalities with the other birds and humans(they are my favs)....they are more talkative than my other birds....they lay medium sized white and they have laid less that my BOs, BCMs or GLWs...I am intending to get a few more in the near future...my two cents....
 
LisaYolkUm said:
might you have a dog crate...........they work also............I will put something along the lower edges as they will likely be able to fit between the bars...........
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Thanks! I may do that, I can steal the dog crate from the dog, she wouldn't notice the difference!

fisherlady said:
Annie,
we don't use medicate chick starter either.... 95% of our chicks are broody raised, but last year we did get 2 batches of TSC chicks (meat birds and Black Giants).  We put a pan with sand into the brooder. (half clean sand, half coop sand).  This allowed the chicks to scratch in it and get exposed to any germs or such that they would eventually have to deal with outside.  We would sprinkle some crushed sunflower seeds, peanuts, chopped scrambled eggs or meal worms in the sand to give them something as a treat.  We also would put  a couple of tablespoons of chopped scrambled egg mixed with yogurt onto a plastic bowl lid (think cool whip container lid) and give it to them.

Each coop and environment is a bit different, as is the general health of any chicks you buy... all you can do is your best to give them a safe, happy and warm environment.  Don't get discouraged by losses and learn from anything that does go wrong so it will be better for the next time...
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Thank you for the advice and encouragement! I felt like Jezebel just for buying unmedicated feed (How could I be so cruel!). I'll have to see if I can find any sand nearby... Do you guys use pine shavings when they are this old? I'm afraid the little boneheads will eat the stuff.


wingstone said:
I do a very similar set up, only without the broodies,,,,TSC will often have bags of sand on sale in the spring, I buy about 10 bags for the year,,,I use that for all kinds of dust baths and grit for little ones....Sand is very easy to mix in the dirt from wherever the chicks will be going,,,,,,

I much prefer that they build a natural exposure than a chemical one

BUT........I do hesitate to give this kind of advice,    what works for me may not work for others,,,,,, and those who have met me can tell you that, I am just a little bit different at times........think beverly hillbillies, granny....very stuck in my way of doing things...
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Don't hesitate to give this advice, if I choose to follow it, it's my problem . ;) This is the type of advice that years ago a kind neighbor would exchange across the garden fence. :hugs
 
We have one red sex link (guessing based on appearance, she was a mystery chick) who last year got 4 mice... and I actually got to watch her get some of them. She hunts in and around the cement block pile.
Twice last summer we saw our cats bringing us a 'prize' across the yard... unfortunately for the cats our hens also saw them. Once our hen Buffy (the mouse slayer) took off at a run towards the cat, and snatched it right out of her mouth at full speed... the poor cat never knew what happened.
The other time our cat Rocco did see them coming and scooted under a vehicle in the driveway... so the hens went into SWAT team mode, two went behind the front tires (on opposite sides) and one ducked under the front bumper. The two came at him from the tires and he panicked and backed up, dropping the mouse and the bumper hen snagged it and took off with it. Mission accomplished....
It looks like a scene from Benny Hill when they get a mouse, one hen runs around the yard with it being chased by 5 or 6 more... eventually it turns into a tug of war.
I have also seen them go after chipmunks that the dogs catch... they are little velociraptors without a doubt!
 
LisaYolkUm said:
might you have a dog crate...........they work also............I will put something along the lower edges as they will likely be able to fit between the bars...........
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Annie:

Ditto on the dog crate...I have the biggest crate and it has a center section to make it smaller....I lined the outside with 12" of cardboard and clip : when they are small they can get through the bars and when they are larger will keep them from kicking stuff all over the floor....my two cents....
 
fisherlady said:
We have one red sex link (guessing based on appearance, she was a mystery chick) who last year got 4 mice... and I actually got to watch her get some of them.  She hunts in and around the cement block pile. 
Twice last summer we saw our cats bringing us a 'prize' across the yard... unfortunately for the cats our hens also saw them.  Once our hen Buffy (the mouse slayer) took off at a run towards the cat, and snatched it right out of her mouth at full speed... the poor cat never knew what happened.
The other time our cat Rocco did see them coming and scooted under a vehicle in the driveway... so the hens went into SWAT team mode, two went behind the front tires (on opposite sides) and one ducked under the front bumper.  The two came at him from the tires and he panicked and backed up, dropping the mouse and the bumper hen snagged it and took off with it. Mission accomplished....
 It looks like a scene from Benny Hill when they get a mouse, one hen runs around the yard with it being chased by 5 or 6 more... eventually it turns into a tug of war. 
 I have also seen them go after chipmunks that the dogs catch... they are little velociraptors  without a doubt!
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I have seen mine CATCH their own mice...and snakes. The poor little mole who burrowed into my banty tractor didn't stand a chance with 7 birds standing there watching him push the dirt up & wiggle out of his hole.
 

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