PLANNED POULTRY GUARDING DOG

[centrarchid]

FLYING DUCK STRONGER TEMPTATION THAN WALKING DUCK

This morning I observerved our lone duck in driveway which is more than a 100 yards from where duck normally operates. It appears duck is exploring in direction of neighbors duck flock. Lucy saw duck in drive and trotted over to check him out. Duck then flew back to cockyard and Lucy pursued. Lucy caught him by neck when he landed and held him. Chickens and Scoob were riled. I hollered at Lucy from front porch and she promptly released duck. Duck walked 10 feet then it and Lucy stood looking at me. I do not know how often this occurs when I am not around.

I need another duck to hopefully stop duck's roaming.

 

[centrarchid]

COYOTE FORAGING IN APPLE ORCHARD GETS RAN OUT HARD

Most of the grassed over areas near house and where poultry roam has been effectively off limits to most vole eating predators. As a consequence the voles are very abundant are becoming a target of interest that coyotes are having a hard time ignoring. One pack appears to have den close because they howl against another pack every night and Scoob persecutes them when they get up into woods. Tonight a member from pack to southwest came up into apple orchard to hunt voles. Scoob and Lucy were in house at time and Scoob positioned himself on bed looking out window at coyote. For a good five minutes Scoob stood quietly with head down growling very softly. He seemed to be letting coyote get closer then he abruptly turned to run in opposite direction to front door of house and around yard to coyote in orchard. Lucy was following Scoob closely and they got to very close to where coyote was before it bolted down to woods with the dogs following it. Chase was brief stopping where it normally does at far side of woods. Scooby and Lucy then came back scent marking everything.

I am starting to wish either coyotes or somebody else would push vole numbers down so ground would be less lumpy. The voles are almost as bad as moles or gophers.

 

[aart]

Maybe now train dogs to hunt/eat voles?! Cut down on your feed bill?

 

[centrarchid]

NEW CHALLENGE DOGS NOT SUITED FOR

This spring has been wet and cold making for less than ideal hatching by hens. I collect chicks coming from small broods and place them into a special brooder after they are marked. Such "Brady Bunch" broods are at greater risk of disease than either hen-hatched/hen-reared or incubator hatched broods so they are kept separate from other brooder reared groups. This means they go into garage. Dogs go there as well but only have interest when I bring in new birds. Trueman on other hand has demonstrated a decided predatory nature. He can easily remove lid to brooder and grabs for bitties. Dogs get excited by chicks squawlling when Trueman catches them but they do not seem to know what to do other than bark alarms which does get me coming. Initially I thought Lucy was problem and growled at her. Lucy's reaction to such is totally different from when she is trouble maker. Trueman could be every bit as damaging as any other predator. He has already demonstrated the capacity for grabbing and crushing very large and feisty live crayfish in his little hands.

Predator management of this sort will have to be my area alone. I can keep Trueman out of brooders and incubators but free-range birds will be subject to his harassment. I know this because he carries my DNA. This summer he is going to be trying to catch free-range juveniles and especially chicks under hen care. Fencing will slow him down for a while but it may come down to hens popping him. If like me, then he will be trying outsmart hens. Game hens are hard to outsmart and they will chase him all the way back to house flogging his butt all the way.

 

[centrarchid]

FIRST COHORT OF 2013 ABOUT 4 WEEKS AWAY

About for weeks from now the first cohort of chicks for this year will go out into a chicken tractor. It will be about one month late and decidedly puny owing to the cold and wet spring. Chick number looks like it will be just shy of two dozen with all but four being games. Next cohort should be stronger with bout twice as many birds. I will have to get pasture short enough for birds to graze and dogs to be able to see everything at a glance. Currently grass is so deep that weasel visiting after voles is tough for dogs to locate. Scoob and Lucy are getting to be all business patrolling property at night. They have had to repel a couple of coyote incursions where a single coyote goes directly through center of property in a big hurry. I think the coyote is going through to avoid attention of other coyotes since this year we seem to be at territory boundary for a couple of packs.

During day dogs lounge around resting but burst into action when every adult birds cackle. Problem is they are bring in lots of ticks. I may get some guinees to see if tick abundance can be reduced. I am skeptical that will work.

I am likely to invest in poultry netting around upcoming hen reared game broods. Netting will make dog's actions against hawks a lot slower but hens if multiple will be able to make difference against chick targeting Coopers Hawks which less seem abundant anyway. Red-tailed hawks owing to grappling about more on ground will still be easy for dogs to deal with if they run around to access point.

I wish I could figure out how to have a game rooster out with young birds but free-range area is too close to pens.

 

[centrarchid]

FINCA MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WILL PROVIDE FORAGE AND COVER

Apparently my long-term goal for property is consistent with what is called a "finca". In addition to home is contains woodlot and pasture with patches of plants with some sort of value. Mine will be a mosaic of exotics and natives. The exotic areas will be centered on house while natives will be further out. Chickens will ultimately be kept almost entirely on the native patches. The patchwork of plants will challenge dogs' ability to locate and address threats and may also attract some baddies. I will have a good 50 female persimmon trees and a smaller paw-paw patch that will bring in the raccoons and grey foxes. Hopefully effort will increase property value as well.


Today I noticed a relatively large number of terrapins in yard. Lucy has been collected them from all over and placing them in areas to be mowed. Turtles are doing best they can to return to their home ranges but Lucy keeps bring them back.

 

[aart]

FINCA...an acronym?

 

[centrarchid]

No, I think it is a word of Spanish or Hispanic origin. A co-worker from central America is an extension specialist that works in part with such. Supposedly it provides a diverse and environmentally wise system for producing food and providing habitat for critters like pollinators.

 

[centrarchid]

We got a big female opossum at about 0200. Looks like she had already released her honory little egg sucking kids. Scoob must have barked tree for an hour beforeI got there. He seemed to want me present to see this special opossum.

 

[centrarchid]

LONE COYOTE GETTING SASSY

Tonight a coyote was in apple orchard howling and barking at what appears to be the pack to the southwest. Scoob and Lucy barked back at coyote but as far as I could tell coyote's biggest concern was to south which it seemed to reluctantly retreat to when Scoob and Lucy went after him or her.

Additionally, opossum killed the other night is missing in high grass. That means high risk for is showing up much juicier in next couple days as Lucy's play toy.