San Diego Chicken meetup and Chat thread

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

So sorry you were sick Elara!

I would go ahead and put the box back in there, stick them all under her tonight and check on them asap first thing in the morning. It's worth a try at least!!!







Hey everyone, look what I found! http://www.oasis-organics.com/organic-produce/organic-alfalfa-hay/

Anyone interested in getting some if we place a large order?

 

[LavendarFeather]

For example our one bantam hen does not like dark chicks but accepts all the light colored ones you want to give her.strange but i know not to give her wellie eggs to hatch.

Oh no, a racist chicken :-( Send her to sensitivity training, post haste. Now, look what my neighbor caught and turned loose again :-( I'm in rural Vista. Anybody else have these guys running around?

 

[perchie.girl]

What a beautiful Weasel...... Yes I have seen these in Santee and El Cajon. One popped up out of a gopher hole in the ground right where we used to graze the horses. It was soo cute it went straight up in the air did a flip and dived back down head first. I looked them up and yes they are indigenous.... but kind of rare these days. And they love to eat gophers.

deb

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[dfdesigns]

I just saw one of those (the face, anyway) popping up out of a gopher/squirrel hole out on the front part of our yard last week. If they dine on squirrels, they will certainly be in hog heaven here! I had no idea what I was looking at. Do they eat chickens?

Elara - I am so sorry you're sick... food poisoning is a nasty deal.

In happier news, there are at least two chicks under my broody mama this morning! She was especially grumpy and wouldn't let me look much, but one was very dry and cheepy, and the other was still wet. I'll have to go see if more are visible soon. SO STINKIN' CUTE!!!

Edited to add that I wish I could feed my horses 100% alfalfa (and I know they wish that, too!), but it is just too rich for them. They are lucky that they get a single flake to split at lunchtime being that they are such air ferns...

 

[perchie.girl]

They eat Squirrels, rabbits, gophers, voles...... and chicken. Though If there are plenty of rodents to eat the chickens should be ok. I just got done reading this site.... http://icwdm.org/inspection/livestock.asp#Coyotes,_Wolves,_and_Dogs This lists the different predators that prey on livestock and how to recognize them. Weasels are down the list.

deb

I just saw one of those (the face, anyway) popping up out of a gopher/squirrel hole out on the front part of our yard last week. If they dine on squirrels, they will certainly be in hog heaven here! I had no idea what I was looking at. Do they eat chickens?

Elara - I am so sorry you're sick... food poisoning is a nasty deal.

In happier news, there are at least two chicks under my broody mama this morning! She was especially grumpy and wouldn't let me look much, but one was very dry and cheepy, and the other was still wet. I'll have to go see if more are visible soon. SO STINKIN' CUTE!!!

Edited to add that I wish I could feed my horses 100% alfalfa (and I know they wish that, too!), but it is just too rich for them. They are lucky that they get a single flake to split at lunchtime being that they are such air ferns...

 

[RyeRanch]

Oh no, a racist chicken :-( Send her to sensitivity training, post haste. Now, look what my neighbor caught and turned loose again :-( I'm in rural Vista. Anybody else have these guys running around?

I have seen one in my yard - weaseling his way into a hole. I saw him around easter and have not seen him since. Do you know what type of trap they used to catch this guy. I am in Poway.

 

[RHRanch]

I have seen one in my yard - weaseling his way into a hole. I saw him around easter and have not seen him since. Do you know what type of trap they used to catch this guy. I am in Poway.

I have these in my yard with chickens for years.... They are very good for controlling small pests, I would never harm or remove them without having a real problem I knew was being caused by them, I would not worry about it. They will eat rodents, like gophers, baby squirrels, lizards, etc. They are beneficial.

 

[RHRanch]

I am sooo upset!!! One of my naked neck pullets (her name is "Coco's baby" was attackedby other chickens and scalped. I bandaged her up and gave her electrolytes, but she is acting like she has lost the will to live...... If anyone has any bandaging suggestions, etc. I would appreciate it, I love this bird and she is the only baby I have hatched from Kevin and Coco, naked necks given to me by Knockneedhen.

 

[Fraunie]

Boo, sorry for all the sad news!!!! Poor scalpy chicken!!! I hope it turns around under your loving care!!

And, hope the tummy is feeling better.......

And, yes, in Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove/Western Escondido I have seen these on the roadside and in fields driving through, but none in really residential areas (we are 2+acre minimum...so still rural). Our ground squirrel issue is unbelievable and I would love a natural predator.....I'm sure one could eat for years without having to worry about chasing chickens.

does anyone have a squirrel control suggestions???? They are stealing my eggs, going into my coop and eating the chicken food, I lost 60% of my apricots this month and I have plums and peaches coming that I don't want to lose!!!! Husband got a pellet gun....but honestly, he isn't the best hunter

. I'm worried gas will hurt the chickens...but we did do it on the lower property far away. They are just everywhere........in large numbers.

fraun

 

[LavendarFeather]

First, sending prayers for the little naked neck girl who got picked on! That is the one thing that is hard to like about chickens--they are such mean girls at times. I have one that is supposed to be a pullet, and she's 16 or 17 weeks and does not have saddle feathers or very rooster-ish coloring--but she pinned down a bantam pullet and it was screaming. Like a mean rooster or a rapist. Made me so mad. I am going to take pictures later to post to see if she is possibly a rooster, but she's a BCM and I'd think it'd be obvious by now if she were.

Now, about the weasel--I'm not sure what size of trap they used, but I can ask. Thanks to everyone for the reassurances about the weasels and their seeming preference for rodents over chickens. We have some squirrels, lots of gophers, bunnies, lizards, mice and probably other stuff too. I was concerned because I have chain link dog runs for my chickens. I reinforced them with roofing panels or hardware cloth about halfway up, so raccoons can't reach in and chickens can't stick their heads out. But weasels can climb, and can fit through really small openings, so I was really concerned about how to keep the birds safe. Weasels also dig, but so do other predators to I'm already defending against that. The weasels had me really concerned.

I'm sort of intrigued by weasels anyway--I never saw one in the wild, or lived anywhere that had them. It'd be great to co-exist, and not think of him as an enemy.