Ribh's D'Coopage

[BY Bob]

Your thread is long enough without any redundancies...

Or 4 posts talking about how you both posted the same info. Make that 5!

 

[BY Bob]

Totally random, but.....It's hot here today. I just went outside to check on the flock. They are all under the porch, but came out to see.... "Hey daddy, watcha got?" I had nothing. They looked at me, squawked a little, then ran back under the porch stairs. I changed the watering placement with fresh cold water, and now I'm back inside myself.

Do you feel as if you disappointed them?

 

[BY Bob]

I was checking one of our water lily tubs this morning & discovered several of these floating on the surface.

After a little investigation I'm pretty sure they are striped marsh frog eggs.
I am super excited.
I have been hearing 5 or 6 calling @ night. They have a distinctive *toc. Toc.*
Despite the cane toads we are seeking to eradicate we have a pretty healthy environment it seems.

This is a species that does well in backyard ponds so yay us!

View attachment 2353715​

That is so cool! I want to see tadpoles now, no pressure.

 

[BY Bob]

Jaffar is fighting what ever he has, but although he seems more energetic, his voice is even more scratchy, and his breathing is still strained.

The longer he remains stable the more likely it will start to reverse and he will start to improve. Not getting worse is a good sign. His voice will be the last to improve as the phlegm will clear last.

 

[BY Bob]

Spotted 2 frogs in this pond this evening but only managed to snap one. Not the pond I found eggs in.

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Very cool. I love your non chicken photos almost as much as the chicken photos.

 

[BY Bob]

The girl had to be removed from a nesting box again tonight & set on a roost. She is not happy with me.

She was still a little groggy @ the 1st try & took a tumble but we got her there in the end with Medh, Beatha & Mhari for company.

View attachment 2354148​

What a beautiful hen.

 

[BY Bob]

Good evening folks

Good evening everyone

Good morning all.

 

[BY Bob]

The awful truth is for the very flighty breeds you need to net the top of the run if you want peace of mind containment. Your Campines are going to get out no matter how high, within reason, you make the fence. I think the person who sold you the Campines mentioned that they are not easy keep. They are free rangers essentially, like the bantams here. Tribe 1 here are a dream compared to the bantams and lighter cross breeds to keep. They go off to roost, in their coop, without any encouragement and thankfully don't show the slightest interest in tree hugging. A short stint on the top of a low fence here and they wander off muttering about vertigo and looking for something to eat. The bantams in particular are not so dependent on the commercial feed and this makes bribery more difficult.
The bantams and a couple of the cross breeds have learnt from the others about going up trees. They dont think anything of making a standing start leap to a branch ten feet above them. The cross breeds that tree hug tend to make their way up bit by bit. Donk, during her moult and because she's not quite as agile as she was has missed the branch she normally favors quite a few evenings recently.
If I were you, what I would concentrate on is making a fence to keep predators out. Hoping to keep the Campines in is like wishing for a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
I spent 12 years putting up fences and if I learnt anything, it was be quite clear about the purpose of the fence before you start.
Another point worth bearing in mind. A fence that lets ground predators in, but prevents chickens getting out is a death sentence for the chickens. At least when completely free range; right breed taken into account, if a ground predator does turn up then the chickens are in with a chance because they can run and hide. There isn't anywhere to hide in most runs.
When those huskies turned up here and started chasing the chickens I only lost Ruffles because of her limp. The others scattered, many into the bamboo.
Most of the runs I see here on BYC are death traps, especially for those heavy so called dual purpose breeds.

Solid advice for anyone fencing or building a run of any sort. Thanks for laying it out so clearly.

My perimeter fence was not built to keep chickens in our predators out, it was built to provide privacy. It serves that role perfectly. It has doubled as a decent chicken containment system with only one beach to date (Looking at you Phyllis). Much of that containment is really the decision of the chickens. Daisy, the greatest hen ever, could have flown over with ease. She just never chose to do so. You have all seen pictures of my hens standing on the wood pile looking over the fence. They could all leave if they wanted or needed to.

However that same fence is woeful at keeping ground predators out. It was not designed to do that and thus does not. To adapt it to that purpose would be quite difficult as well.

 

[drstratton]

I see you found it.

Morning Bob! How did you change the link to words? I would love to be able to do it...thanks!
Edit to add: You can message me so we don't hijack Jehane's thread...

 

[drstratton]

Or 4 posts talking about how you both posted the same info. Make that 5!

I had that thought too...so does this post make 6 or 7, since you're counting?