Pipd's Peeps!

[Crazy Maizie]

I have open areas like that and while there are hawks my roosters have been very good about getting everyone under cover when there's even a hint of hawk like activity. We have lost of Texas whistling ducks and the roos call the flock to cover when the fly through. Even when the plains come over head. We have a rual air port just to the south of us.

Mine just have to be up at night because of the coons.

My roosters sound the alarm at anything it appears. I will be out there cleaning and hear them only to come running to find nothing. Now, when I didn't have roosters, I would notice my ducks side eyeing the sky and sure enough there would be a bird flying over. We have a lot of turkey buzzards as well as hawks. We have occasionally had eagles. Once I had a scare because my brahma hen sounded the alarm. My chickens scattered everywhere. I had to go find a few of them in the compost area that has lots of weeds (because I just throw bedding there so really not much composting going on on my part).
Oh and one winter I had my muscovy out while cleaning their coop - it was sunny but cold with snow. I look over and my muscovy are standing on the cement pad to the building next to the run with a hawk. They were all just standing there. I went into full panic mode. My guess is that the hawk was taking inventory and trying to decide which one to take down first. Actually it was probably just a juvenile that didn't know what it was supposed to do. Lol I'm just too paranoid to let them have too much freedom.

 

[2ndTink]

I baged them up today. Feeling terrible but all the advice is helping. Thank you all.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo just a question. I know you live near (in) the woods. You have lots of pens. Are they all covered to protect from predators? I'm just trying to figure out some system where mine could free range and not be confined all of the time. I've been contemplating a chicken tractor or electric barrier fence that I could move. But, the fencing wouldn't prevent hawks and such. With the tractor, I'd have to divide up birds for them to be able to enjoy their outing.

I wormed my chickens and ZuZu has perked up. Rebel is back to acting more normal (I guess only part of his behavior was from Cheddar). One of my other hens in a different coop expelled round worms after the first dose. Whichever one did that, didn't even act off. So, looking into options where they could be out w/o me hovering to help keep them healthier. Plus, I might be able to keep both my roosters if I can give them more free time. My area is very open with either empty fields or corn & beans all around - so that makes it open to all sorts of predators. Right now the corn is up next to my run, so the birds aren't allowed out much. Fox use the corn to travel back and forth to their den. I've had fox take my ducks a few years back, so I try not to have them out too much once the corn is up.

In woods, the house is nestled into the trees and the coops are among them as well.

I used to just have fence pens with open tops. The trees throughout the area make it so hard to cover them. But the hawk issues I'd had for several years made it so that I either covered my pens or I'd have to keep my birds inside their coop to keep them safe. So I have netting over most of my pens. The only exceptions are the mini yard off to the side of the mixed flock's chicken yard, which just has too many trees in it to possibly net over, and the rooster pens, which are narrow and partially covered so pretty safe for the birds. If I covered the rooster pens fully then I'd have to crouch down to get in there and feed and water them, so I opted to do the partial cover.

I think what keeps my birds safe is the tree cover. I haven't had any issues with foxes, only hawks (and raccoons at night, of course), so when the birds free-range in the woods with all the leafy branches overhead, bushes, and undergrowth to hide in, they're pretty safe. But that wouldn't offer much protection against foxes, unfortunately. Only thing I can think of is like you, tractors. Or maybe electric fencing along the fields as a barrier for the foxes. That wouldn't help with hawks, though

Glad ZuZu perked back up!! Interesting about Rebel, too! Maybe Cheddar sensed some kind of weakness in him from needing wormed and that's why he's been so hard on him?

Great everyone is out free-rangeing today like yesterday even the saved babies. Those are going up with my lavender Ameraucanas now. Got the tarp back over the bantams pen just not tied down yet. Cleaned out the saturated feeders and just put food out on the ground for them this morning.

I am so thankful my flocks all get along. Even the roosters that stay separated with their respective flocks don't do more than play fight. They also seam much more accepting of new grow outs.

Had some dummies stay in the trees last night tho. Was not happy with them, but they were well hidden and no losses.

That's good to hear! And really good about your flocks getting along! I think if I let all of mine out together that it'd be a total bloodbath

And that's also good to hear that the tree-perching dummies didn't get nabbed in the night! Chickens love to try to give us gray hairs, I swear.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Long day, sorry for the quietness! First of all, just for records' sake, the last of those three weird chicks has passed on. Not a huge shock, it was about the size of a chick half its age and barely had any feathers grown on it. But still, it had been doing fairly well otherwise so that was rather sudden, and of course I hate losing any babies.

Then last night when I was dating the eggs I'd collected to put them away and I noticed a tiny bug crawling on my wrist. Ugh. I went out to inspect birds and, sure enough, a few of them had mites again. I hadn't seen mites since March, I think, and I've been checking at least weekly, so it was such a surprise to see them after no sign of them for so long! So I decided not to waste any time and treated them immediately. The outer coop birds, the various growouts, and most of rooster row were all free of them, but I treated everyone anyway, of course. I was out in the coop until 10:30pm last night, grabbing birds and spraying butts, and I'm totally beat today, but all birds are thoroughly coated with Elector and hopefully the mites are dying off as I type.

Then today I had to write an email. And make a phone call. Thankfully, I survived the trauma. But hopefully for all that hard work I'll have the last few things finished up and squared away to be set for classes starting at the end of August.

Anyway, blah, blah, blah, enough about my stuff. Moving on to the important stuff; the chickens!

Here's day 31's picture, Caz Cochin looking at me with suspicion because she remembers what I did to her last night.

No runners up today, but here's a sign I saw at the TSC when I ran in after my eye appointment this afternoon for pine shavings and a fresh tarp to cover the outer coop pens after the wind yesterday tore their old tarp up. It got a good chuckle out of me! I would have gotten it, but I'm not a big believer, and I didn't know where I'd put it anyway.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Your set up sounds great. I will have to think some things through. I've not gotten any interest in my two cochins anyway. Plus, Cheddar does well with his flock - besides some feathers being tattered on the girls. It's all my fault anyway as I created 2 flocks of chickens w/o the proper resources.

Love the sign!

Caz's look just cracks me right up!

I can imagine your exhaustion. My little flock exhausts me. I went out today and scooped up Olive the blue oegb. I like to hold her because she chats back at me. When I went to put her down, I noticed one of her ears is swollen. So, picked her up again and sure enough she has an abcess. I didn't have time to work on it much today, but I checked her over to make sure everything else was fine and she looks well enough. Nothing inside her mouth either. So tomorrow, I will take a warm compress to see if I can loose it up.
If it's not one thing it's another...am I right?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Your set up sounds great. I will have to think some things through. I've not gotten any interest in my two cochins anyway. Plus, Cheddar does well with his flock - besides some feathers being tattered on the girls. It's all my fault anyway as I created 2 flocks of chickens w/o the proper resources.

It's been pretty tough finding homes for roosters around here this year, even when paired with a hen. Hopefully things work out so that you can keep him if you continue not to get any interest in him.

I can imagine your exhaustion. My little flock exhausts me. I went out today and scooped up Olive the blue oegb. I like to hold her because she chats back at me. When I went to put her down, I noticed one of her ears is swollen. So, picked her up again and sure enough she has an abcess. I didn't have time to work on it much today, but I checked her over to make sure everything else was fine and she looks well enough. Nothing inside her mouth either. So tomorrow, I will take a warm compress to see if I can loose it up.
If it's not one thing it's another...am I right?

Ugh, you can say that again!! How's Olive looking after her compress? She sounds so sweet

Mine are looking significantly less buggy today. I haven't looked too closely (trying to avoid handling them too much with the infestation), but will take a closer look at Rangi's behind tonight at roost time, as she had them the worst. Even at that, she wasn't bad, definitely not overloaded like Roha had been last time, thankfully! That hopefully means I caught it early enough that it'll be a simple treatment or two and back to bug-free again.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Day 32 picture of the day. Or, pictures, plural this time! I wanted a picture of the two OEGB girls, Vega (in back) and Sumi, preening together, but I couldn't get a shot where both of them had their heads up out of their feathers.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

How's Olive looking after her compress? She sounds so sweet

Mine are looking significantly less buggy today. I haven't looked too closely (trying to avoid handling them too much with the infestation), but will take a closer look at Rangi's behind tonight at roost time, as she had them the worst. Even at that, she wasn't bad, definitely not overloaded like Roha had been last time, thankfully! That hopefully means I caught it early enough that it'll be a simple treatment or two and back to bug-free again.

We spent a lot of time together this morning. It seems to have went down a little bit. I watched a video where this lady did warm compresses and coconut oil. She had the infection out in about 6 min. Now, either there was an opening already or she made one but didn't show it or she spliced that video down. Because we were out for at least 10-15 min and I felt that she had probably had enough of me messing with her. She was super sweet while I was tending to her though. I will do another round tomorrow morning. It must have come on pretty quick as I wormed them like a week ago and didn't see anything. But, I could have missed it. I took pics of my whole flock and got one of that side of her head - I don't see any swelling in the photo.

I don't blame you. Those little pests give me the hebegeebees - I don't care if they are species specific. I should probably get some elector psp. It sounds easier to do than dusting all of the birds.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Day 32 picture of the day. Or, pictures, plural this time! I wanted a picture of the two OEGB girls, Vega (in back) and Sumi, preening together, but I couldn't get a shot where both of them had their heads up out of their feathers.

View attachment 3889156View attachment 3889158

I just love oegbs.
What is Vega? I imagine Sumi is a Dutch oegb.

 

[NagemTX]

Sigh the neighbor let their dog out off leash even tho they have fence damage! Now I've lost more chickens! I had to kill my polish pullet because the damage was to grate to fix!

Damage is all the way in the back so I'm hitting TSC and getting electric fence posts and wire and a hevyist hitting electric fence charger I can that is solar. Or if it happens again I'm killing a dog. I'm angry numbe right now.