So they're dead now. :((

[Duckztailz1]

Wait did someone say honey buns... where???

 

[nancykay2kay]

Ants. Flipping ants. They swarmed outside the coop door, I looked down and was covered with them. I am burning and itching everywhere. I'm thinking you gotta love you some chickens if you're gonna keep chickens.

Amen to that. I am wondering when the fun begins. This has been a lot of expense and work for three chickens that haven't given me one egg yet.

 

[drumstick diva]

Are you sure your chickens aren't roosters? Or maybe too young to be laying ?

 

[GrannyHeeney]

SCORE--it was a SKUNK! :-o It returned to the scene of the crime at the same time and exact same place it killed sweet little Poached the night before. Skunk's now 2 feet beneath the compost pile (and the lovely aroma around the pen is fading, yay LOL). My bestie and I stayed out of the way yesterday as both hubbies put an array of live traps around the pen; going to leave their handiwork in place til Fort Knox gets here.

 

[GrannyHeeney]

Wait did someone say honey buns... where???

Yah, worked like a charm but couldn't keep the "assistants" out of the bait! LOL "Quit eating the trap bait, you guys, dang it!" ROFL

 

[GrannyHeeney]

Score #2--2nd day of traps, this time, it's a small possum. :-o Bestie and I are thinking to leave the live traps up indefinitely, just swap bait out from time to time. I had no idea there was so much creeping around my 3 girls. :-o

 

[Rubysword]

I'm so sorry for your losses. I'm glad you caught the culprit!

We have so many predators around here. Our chickens(we have 13) hve to sleep in a coop the size of a closet, because that was the only bearproof thing we could concoct without breaking the building code. Luckily they have a huge run.

 

[GrannyHeeney]

I'm so sorry for your losses. I'm glad you caught the culprit!

We have so many predators around here. Our chickens(we have 13) hve to sleep in a coop the size of a closet, because that was the only bearproof thing we could concoct without breaking the building code. Luckily they have a huge run.

Bears in NY! :-o Ya know, it seems to me that up until maybe 15, 20 yrs ago, stuff kinda kept its distance? =(

Ooh, I read your siggie--Orpingtons also come in CHOCOLATE? Got any pics of her I can snoop? X-D All things are better in chocolate!

 

[Rubysword]

Yes!! She's gorgeous. Disclaimer-They're purbreds, and I don't know if this is just Dove, but they're extremely derpy.

 

[Howard E]

I think your discovery of how many predators are around should be an eye opener. Most would be horrified to know the extent of the things that go bump in the night. Always lurking and always a threat.

Unless you are willing to commit to an eternal trap and kill program, which really only gets the ones dumb enough to fall for the trap.......you may want to consider beefing up security to the point it doesn't matter who or how many are lurking around. If they can't get in they can do no harm?