Seven dead hens within 4 hours, not attacked. UPDATE: Teflon Poisoning!

[BantyChooks]

I caught a weasel; shot him with .22 pistol. He had killed two and was trying to drag a large hen through a small hole. His teeth were still in her neck in a death grip when I pulled him and her out. Filled the hole with 3/4 inch gravel topped with wet clay.

I got a mink once with a shovel and some ether. It was winter & I got him trapped under a pallet, then sprayed ether down there to slow reflexes and chopped his head off with the shovel when he tried to escape. I don't feel very sorry, he killed my much-loved duckies in a quite gory manner.

 

[AaronandAlice]

First in line for a snack, lol... he didn’t even wait for me to dump it!

 

[bruceha2000]

You snooze, you lose! Especially with chickens.

I have my scratch in a 10 gallon pail. When it is pretty full and I leave the lid off while I toss the 5 oz cat food can of scratch in the coop for the chickens, I'll have 2 or 3 beaks helping themselves to the contents of the can when I get back to it. And Eos (EE) long ago figured out that if she flies up to the half wall of the feed room (~5' off the barn alley floor), she gets some all to herself. Oddly none of the other girls have wised up.

 

[Kathy Golla]

Lane Staley!
(Smooch)

 

[Bobby Basham]

View attachment 1253752

I used a exterior latex paint. However, I found this & it's about the same cost of the good quality paint I used & possibly better & safer.

I forgot to show you pics of my brooder. It's a decent size, and there's enough room for my ungreatful brats.

Two half doors on the top and two in front.

ETA: This was made with only 3 sheets of plywood. Not the best quality and had some construction issues.

 

[bruceha2000]

That is a nice large brooder, how many chicks do you rear in there?

 

[Bobby Basham]

That is a nice large brooder, how many chicks do you rear in there?

There are 12 brats in there now. I had to build it because I hadn't built the coop yet and some of the hens are HUGE at 10-weeks old. Some of them are probably larger than their Bantam counterparts.

I hope to get cracking on that coop this week.

 

[bruceha2000]

Um, YEAH you should! Bobby
Of course you ARE doing it the right way. Get the cute little chicks, then start on the coop. They are just little things after all, can't grow that fast, and you can knock that coop out quick, right?

Ah the trap that has gotten so many before you I was lucky, I only needed to convert a horse stall by getting a people door installed, a chicken door and 1/2" hardware cloth for all the openings (3 sides). Hmmm, took longer than I thought it would and the chicks were getting out of the bathtub and onto the floor. But they couldn't get back in.

 

[Hamiam]

View attachment 1253752

I forgot to show you pics of my brooder. It's a decent size, and there's enough room for my ungreatful brats.

Two half doors on the top and two in front.

View attachment 1253758
View attachment 1253759

Really nice!

 

[Bobby Basham]

Um, YEAH you should! Bobby
Of course you ARE doing it the right way. Get the cute little chicks, then start on the coop. They are just little things after all, can't grow that fast, and you can knock that coop out quick, right?

Ah the trap that has gotten so many before you I was lucky, I only needed to convert a horse stall by getting a people door installed, a chicken door and 1/2" hardware cloth for all the openings (3 sides). Hmmm, took longer than I thought it would and the chicks were getting out of the bathtub and onto the floor. But they couldn't get back in.

Yes, it's completely my fault because I lost interest and things came to a halt. I'm a Work Avoidance Specialist and excel at procrastination.

The run was built almost two years ago and even has a chicken observation deck. The top and sides of the run will be completely screened in with quarter-inch hardware cloth. The cloth will also extend about two feet outward and will be covered with raised planter beds. Only the deck will be exposed.

All that's left is building the coop, finish the screening and add a gate at the front next to the deck.

I also have a 12-ft x 20-ft tarp to cover the coop and most of the run.