Silkie thread!

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
Sorry.

I lost a beautiful young pullet sunday night. Its wing was ripped off and it was laying the middle of the pen dead. Im guessing it slept up against the wire and a coon pulled it's wing off and it went to the middle of the pen and died. I went around the whole pen with another layer of chicken wire. This is the first time in about 3 years I have a coon kill something through the wire.

Got this on the game cam last night wandering around from pen to pen. (dates wrong on picture)

 

[racuda]

I have two hot wires around my runs, and two dogs outside. After I lost a duckling to a snake I put deer netting up. That duckling was my only loss of the penned birds in over two years.

 

[Teresaann24]

that is just creepy I guess I need to go get more hardware cloth I think maybe this guy decided to sleep outside lastnight....I give them free choice to go inside or out I never lock them in I guess maybe I need to invest in some locking doors.

 

[NewToFarming]

Quote:
Dang! Wish I was closer! Partridge is my favorite!

 

[laughingdog]

@carolina chicken keeper, id be horrably tempted if i werent so far away and drove, though think pretty close, so maybe could have dropped off, and have others drive half way to pick some of them up?

i just had a coon come in my yard, and there was blood. flesh and fur everywere, as i leave a low watt bulb on at night, and the game roo i had on loan to breed, had huge long razor sharp spurs, and am sure the coon stumbled off and died as it couldnt even get out of the pen when i came out and had to grab roo (hed dulled and broken ends of his spurs on the fence i assume), and shoo hens away, to let it get back over the dog fence (the dog i had in cause of the roo and hens attacking it from the chicks just hatched), the hens had eggs and chicks (butchers and sid taylors).. later that same night two skunks came in too (id realized id left a bag of chicken manure out, as well as one of guinea pig manure to dry), and the one skunk or both must have sprayed as the roo in particular reeked!
anyone want some guard dog chickens? theyre friendly to me, and let neighbor's and friend's small children chase and pick up, but just cant let anyone else try to touch their chicks yet, or theyll tear them up, as has happened.

OH YEAH, best thing, i got some silkies, they are the white totally furred all over kind. look like giant cotton balls with eyes and beaks right now, and just peepers still not even about half grown, and feather fluff still coming in! was trying to get the DQ black roo i liked better (yes i know im wierd i didnt like the idea of all the fluff covering up the bird), but was actually more expensive through a differant vendor, than the trio i purchased through a specialized breeder who was very helpfull and nice. is it me, or do all silkies seem to love frequent cool baths in this heat or they get over heated easily? anything i could try, short of haircuts? im leaning towards shaving off all of fluff, to just maybe mohawks..

 

[Teresaann24]

On a good note my chicks are hatching under my broody. Lovely little shades of blues!

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

1/2 inch hardware cloth and hotwire are a silkie owners best friend. I also put shadecloth up around the bottom 12 inches of the hardware cloth just to protect them when they lay right up next to the hardware cloth. The electric fence at the bottom and top should zap anything before it gets that close...but you can never be too safe.

The hotwire goes on after they are all safely in for the night around 8:00 pm and gets turned off first thing in the morning before we open the doors to their turnout paddocks. Haven't had any losses to night predators in over 2 years now.

 

[Teresaann24]

Quote:
I just went and spent $40 o hardware cloth. Getting ready to go put it all up...I had hardware cloth up before and after 8 months of no more attacks I took it down and built new pens with it. I am such a dummy.

 

[NewToFarming]

Quote:
I just went and spent $40 o hardware cloth. Getting ready to go put it all up...I had hardware cloth up before and after 8 months of no more attacks I took it down and built new pens with it. I am such a dummy.

I just wanted to say I am so very sorry for your loss!

 

[huckleberryfarm]

We lost two of our lav silkies a few weeks ago. Something crawled up the screen door and squeezed through a few inch opening. Tore their heads off and one of the bodies. I was so furious! We fortified the top of the doors. I had no idea something would get in there. Ugh! I'm battling hawk issues with our layers. Sick of it!