- May 29, 2011
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will they harm my poults or adults? poop ingestion?
Rats in the Coop!
- Thread starter E-AK(TM)
- Start date
I wouldn't trust 'em. They are rats after all.
Although I did find a 4 ft garter snake in with the chicks once. It didn't seem to do any harm. But one night my wife accidentally shut a skunk in the coop with my wyandottes, and it killed 7 of 12, including the awesome rooster. (Could it be because she doesn't like roosters..
)
Although I did find a 4 ft garter snake in with the chicks once. It didn't seem to do any harm. But one night my wife accidentally shut a skunk in the coop with my wyandottes, and it killed 7 of 12, including the awesome rooster. (Could it be because she doesn't like roosters..
- Thread starter
- #3
- May 29, 2011
- 39
- 1
- 34
wow thats alot to lose. lucky i dont have to worry about skunks, racoons or snakess or coyotes only rats.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #5
- May 29, 2011
- 39
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woa be unto the unlucky rat that i find ever stuck in the coop.
M.sue :
How does one accidentally shut a skunk in the coop? Please tell the story.....I can't even begin to imagine!!!!
We have an old fish house that we start our chicks in. At about 3 weeks, we let them out on one side of the fishhouse into a 4X6 enclosed pen. At about 6 weeks, they go out the other side into a 300 sq ft fenced area. At about 8 weeks, we open the gate so they can start getting used to the yard and the adult chickens, and at 5 months they get kicked out of the brooder entirely and go in the real coop. At about 12 weeks, my wife went out to do night chores and shut the chicken door as usual, but was in a hurry and dind't check inside. The next morning she went to feed the chicks, and opened the human door and whoa! a skunk was inside the brooder. So she shut the door, and came and got me. She didn't look long but long enough to notice that the skunk got the rooster. I went out there, and opened both the human door and the chick door, but the skunk wouldn't go outside. I finally had to shoot it in the coop. All of the birds that sat on the ground that night got killed, but all of the birds that found something to roost on off the ground survived.
That's the story....sorry it had nothing to do with turkeys.
How does one accidentally shut a skunk in the coop? Please tell the story.....I can't even begin to imagine!!!!
We have an old fish house that we start our chicks in. At about 3 weeks, we let them out on one side of the fishhouse into a 4X6 enclosed pen. At about 6 weeks, they go out the other side into a 300 sq ft fenced area. At about 8 weeks, we open the gate so they can start getting used to the yard and the adult chickens, and at 5 months they get kicked out of the brooder entirely and go in the real coop. At about 12 weeks, my wife went out to do night chores and shut the chicken door as usual, but was in a hurry and dind't check inside. The next morning she went to feed the chicks, and opened the human door and whoa! a skunk was inside the brooder. So she shut the door, and came and got me. She didn't look long but long enough to notice that the skunk got the rooster. I went out there, and opened both the human door and the chick door, but the skunk wouldn't go outside. I finally had to shoot it in the coop. All of the birds that sat on the ground that night got killed, but all of the birds that found something to roost on off the ground survived.
That's the story....sorry it had nothing to do with turkeys.
What a terrible loss. Things like that happen sometimes. I remember my grandfather having a war with a weasel or mink. He eventually won!!
Quote:
We have an old fish house that we start our chicks in. At about 3 weeks, we let them out on one side of the fishhouse into a 4X6 enclosed pen. At about 6 weeks, they go out the other side into a 300 sq ft fenced area. At about 8 weeks, we open the gate so they can start getting used to the yard and the adult chickens, and at 5 months they get kicked out of the brooder entirely and go in the real coop. At about 12 weeks, my wife went out to do night chores and shut the chicken door as usual, but was in a hurry and dind't check inside. The next morning she went to feed the chicks, and opened the human door and whoa! a skunk was inside the brooder. So she shut the door, and came and got me. She didn't look long but long enough to notice that the skunk got the rooster. I went out there, and opened both the human door and the chick door, but the skunk wouldn't go outside. I finally had to shoot it in the coop. All of the birds that sat on the ground that night got killed, but all of the birds that found something to roost on off the ground survived.
That's the story....sorry it had nothing to do with turkeys.
Quote:
We have an old fish house that we start our chicks in. At about 3 weeks, we let them out on one side of the fishhouse into a 4X6 enclosed pen. At about 6 weeks, they go out the other side into a 300 sq ft fenced area. At about 8 weeks, we open the gate so they can start getting used to the yard and the adult chickens, and at 5 months they get kicked out of the brooder entirely and go in the real coop. At about 12 weeks, my wife went out to do night chores and shut the chicken door as usual, but was in a hurry and dind't check inside. The next morning she went to feed the chicks, and opened the human door and whoa! a skunk was inside the brooder. So she shut the door, and came and got me. She didn't look long but long enough to notice that the skunk got the rooster. I went out there, and opened both the human door and the chick door, but the skunk wouldn't go outside. I finally had to shoot it in the coop. All of the birds that sat on the ground that night got killed, but all of the birds that found something to roost on off the ground survived.
That's the story....sorry it had nothing to do with turkeys.
rats are a horrible mess. My experience wth them in just the last few weeks has been terrible.One got ahold of My yellow golden hen and chewed on her face and beak.Maybe because she tried to chase it from her feed,not sure.They have cleaned out 3 silkie nest completely in 3 nights.One of them I had up in a 1x2 wire cage off the ground,where I thought she'd be safe.next day she was ate up and all eggs were gone except for a piece stuck halfway through the wire.I have picked up several eggs off the ground that have been knawed into.Not to mention the feces everywhere. There are too many diseases spread by rodents. One of my cats killed a rat that was easily a foot long NOT including tail.Almost looked like a wharf rat. They totally destroyed my husbands garden this year.Couldn't use any vegetables from it.Losing thousands of dollars in profits.But it was too risky knowing the mice and rats have been eating and defecating in there.
They'll spoil your food, and eat your eggs.
GET THEM OUT!
Good ol' fashion snap-trap will work!
GET THEM OUT!
Good ol' fashion snap-trap will work!
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