Show Off Your Games!

[flypen]

I have questions for anyone who tethers their game birds. Do your birds have a coop they go in at night or do they sleep on the tether? If they live tethered, how do they avoid predation? Are they in a larger fenced in area or is there a flock master keeping 24/7 watch with a shotgun? I don't understand how they survive on a tether, but that may just be because I live in a predator rich area where any predators would have a field day if they dropped in on my yard and saw chicken dinners tied up. I would appreciate any knowledgeable thoughts/comments/experience on tethering birds.

I also have serious predator problems, I keep all my birds in pens with a electric fence surrounding the area. I can not free range anything and the best thing I've found for snakes is a minnow trap with a couple eggs in it

 

[prariechiken]

Most who use tie cords have great fences, good yard dogs, and actively take proactive measures to keep predators at bay. The birds on tie cords are given a barrel, a tepee, or some other roost/getaway as a means of shelter. Did have a cousin who came home from work to find that his barrel yard was holding only drumsticks...

 

[hildar]

I only have 2 predators around here a hawk and the occasional possum. However all of my hens and roosters are all in pens at night time so the possum doesn't get to them. The hawks however are a different story. We do have lots of bluejays around that screech when they know a hawk is near and all of my chickens head under the bushes now when they hear the bluejays. Every so often a hen will be out in the open, and they take off so fast it is pitiful across the yard when they hear a bluejay. We have one Buff Orpington that is crippled after a hawk attack, but she is starting to get a bit better and finally laying eggs.

 

[Yahya Morse]

Happy New Year!!!

Henny nice

 

[Yahya Morse]

these two were giving each other the hairy eyeball

I always liked the darker coloured mugs

 

[flypen]

I always liked the darker coloured mugs

he's a miner blue I have one of his brothers

 

[Yahya Morse]

he's a miner blue I have one of his brothers

The black faces w the reddish eyes are fantastic

 

[Bushmansbliss]

Thanks for the responses, I figured dogs and fencing were involved. It would be such a bummer to come home to tied drumsticks.

I have another question that hopefully someone with much more experience then me can help me out with.

 

[Bushmansbliss]

My Asil pullets just started laying and I live in the northeast. Its to cold to leave them fill their nests without losing the eggs to freezing. I'm not sure if I'm going to incubate and build a new brooder or try and figure out something else to do with the eggs, definitely not eating them. I'm open to any suggestions.

Also, I'm new to Asil, you could probably tell that by my question though.

 

[troyer]

My Asil pullets just started laying and I live in the northeast. Its to cold to leave them fill their nests without losing the eggs to freezing. I'm not sure if I'm going to incubate and build a new brooder or try and figure out something else to do with the eggs, definitely not eating them. I'm open to any suggestions.

Also, I'm new to Asil, you could probably tell that by my question though.

Collect the eggs and mark them to keep track of who laid what and when the hen goes broody put them under her. To find out when she wants to be broody, just put a couple golf balls in the nest.