Pennsylvania!! Unite!!

so while I was away this past weekend, we lost all of our layers to raccoons. it's so discouraging, makes me feel like I can't ever go away. It's incredibly hard to get someone to watch over things the same way I do.
So sorry for your loss! That's terrible. I am wondering who I can get to watch my girls when I am away. I am hoping the retired man next door will help. Thankfully, I bought the automatic coop door. That sucker is worth it's weight in gold. Opens at dawn, closes at dusk. I hear my Roo in the morning, and I know that he is out and about protecting my girls. And I can sleep in! :)

Quote: I'm sure turkeys have as many predator problems as chickens do, but I have been fortunate so far. I haven't had any hawks yet, and I'm not sure whether that is because I have a large Tom Turkey out there, or because we have so many turkey vultures patrolling who prefer carrion. In my case, the chickens and turkeys get along just fine. I think it important that a Tom has enough ladies to enjoy. Occasionally one of the turkey hens will chase the chickens away from the food treats, but its very mild. They are different from chickens as far as behavior. I'm still learning!

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Oh no, @Blarneyeggs , I'm so sorry!!! What a heartbreaking thing!
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That is such a terrible feeling to have entrusted your chickens to others and have something bad happen while you're not there. I'm sure it's not your fault--I'm just so sorry it happened. Raccoons!!!
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Thanks again to all for the kind words for my little old lady, Chamomile. She is still convalescing in the basement, looking totally fine and bored and ready to go back outside, but I'm keeping her in until she finishes her course of Corid and antibiotics. If I can find time to rig her up an isolation pen in the coop tomorrow I'll put her back out there while the weather's nice, so at least she can see and hear her subjects--I mean, flock. :)
Glad to hear the old bird is doing well!
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Not a great picture but my kids made me a "birds spoiled here" sign for my new duck house. Added a little "and goats" after we told them we were buying them. And we are getting two hubby gets his way. Going Thursday hopefully. All of my new ducks seem to be getting along other then one getting out yesterday and caught again tonight.
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Your flock looks great! Love the sign.

this is our herd queen. Lily. She gave us twins during her first kidding, triplets the second time around, this is her third time, due in April, quads? Lol. The tri colored buck in the above photos is the sire.

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She's gonna blow!
 
Make sure her vent is clear, they can get pasted shut if poo gets clotted around it in their fuzz. I use small scissors to cut away any clogged fuzz and warm water rinse can help also. Then coat their butt with vaseline or similar thick grease to prevent anything from sticking again for a while.

Her vent is clear and looks like everyone else. Lots of time looking at chick vents lately... never thought that would be part of my day to day lol. She's actually pooping hard pellet like poop. She's eating the same as everyone and is the only one that's having this issue. She actually wakes me up at night some times from the crying. Seems fine in every other way. She won't let me put my hand in broader without crawling up my arm.
 
Got our first Banty egg!!! It's so small lol. Going to take a lot of them for breakfast! One of these girls laid it on the floor.
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I swear I'll stop posting for a bit now!
 
Hey all! Well it is supposed to be above 70 tomorrow and I LOVE IT!

My boys and hubby spent their whole weekend on their dirt bikes it seems. I spent the weekend and beginning of the week fighting a cold and I think I'm starting to win!

I'm going away Friday through Monday so I am busy getting the house ready for the boys and hubby to be here without me...food prep, scrub the kitchen etc. Plus, the 9 yo has a piano lesson on Friday so hubby will be in charge of that.

We are kicking around the idea of a temporary fence this summer for the chickens to help keep them out of the vegetable and flower beds and off the porch. I feel kind of bad about it since they love exploring, but it was terrible for my vegetables, bushes and flowers last year. They liked my peonies a lot and liked to sit in the middle of them, destroying the plant. They did the same thing with the onions and carrots, killing the above ground part which really affected our crop yield.

Hope all is well with you guys!
 
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A broody hen will pluck her own chest and belly to aid her in the process, she has better temp and humidity sensitivity through direct contact with eggs.
It wouldn't surprise me if she either plucked one or two she shouldn't have or if her flockmates did the damage after seeing bare skin.


@fisherlady I'm sure that was most likely it, it was just strange that the "explosion" of feathers came weeks after her broody spell had ended.


Labradoodle?  Or as my husband likes to call our Pooladors lol


@yoopergirl1211 :lol: Too funny! But not sure, she is a 8 y/o rescued mixed breed - I've always thought part terrier? She loves our chickens (mostly sniffing their rears...
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Welcome back, Chickachicka! What a fantastic photo. I can practically count the feathers.

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@Blarneyeggs Thank you! They were sitting quite still and pretty for me, I managed to get a good one even on a cold day. So sorry to hear of your loss :hugs Hopefully things turn up, and that cursed raccoon gets what's comin!
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They are all too cute. We are getting two nonintact?? Nubian boys I believe. Hubby kinda surprised me with this Saturday so I don't have as much research as I'd like lol. Like what do I feed them daily. So many different things out there for one way or another.


Sounds like you're getting 2 wethers. Very nice! They're supposed to be very friendly. I don't own any wethers, but my male kids are typically sweeter than the females. As far as feeding them, The most common thing I've read about feeding males is that to avoid urinary tract problems, they should not be given grain or alfalfa. I don't give grain to my bucks, but I do feed them alfalfa. My goats have free choice hay throughout the day and fresh water. The does receive about a cup of grain per day (which they love!). The feed mill that I use offers a grain that is supposedly okay for males, but I steer clear of any grain for my boys. Hope this helps.
 

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