Surviving Minnesota!

[KlopKlop]

Owls will hunt at night of course. I'm curious how you keep your dogs out of any traps you set, are they live traps? It sounds like it was definitely big enough to carry her off. Terrible

Oh, i didnt think about owl. I have never seen any on our farm but i saw 3 today at the state park that is about 2 miles from here, so it is possible. the only reason i think it may not be an own is because i would have expected her to be roosting in the corn crib per usual, so i suspect something drug her out (like a coon)

I have 2 live traps that i have caught coons and skunks in here in the past before we got chickens but havent put them out since spring. the dogs leave them along alright, especially since i put them in places they can't always get such as in the crib.

Here is a Legbar x brown leghorn cockerel . I got my Legbar start from Heidi . This should bump up laying and egg size when bred back to Legbar .

That is a handsom roo! do brown leghorns lay white eggs? It looks like he has white ears which is usually a good indicator.

 

[jerryse]

Oh, i didnt think about owl. I have never seen any on our farm but i saw 3 today at the state park that is about 2 miles from here, so it is possible. the only reason i think it may not be an own is because i would have expected her to be roosting in the corn crib per usual, so i suspect something drug her out (like a coon)

I have 2 live traps that i have caught coons and skunks in here in the past before we got chickens but havent put them out since spring. the dogs leave them along alright, especially since i put them in places they can't always get such as in the crib.

That is a handsom roo! do brown leghorns lay white eggs? It looks like he has white ears which is usually a good indicator.

Yes all Leghorns lay white eggs .

 

[Cluckies]

Here is a Legbar x brown leghorn cockerel . I got my Legbar start from Heidi . This should bump up laying and egg size when bred back to Legbar .

He is a beautiful roo! I hope you get the egg production qualities you are looking for, is he a nice roo? Or a meanie?

 

[jerryse]

He is a beautiful roo! I hope you get the egg production qualities you are looking for, is he a nice roo? Or a meanie?

He behaves . Keeps his distance .

 

[Rhetts]

Sorry Klop about your girl!
Bogtown-what a wonderful time with your daughter!!

makes my heart full you sharing your moment with us!

Ralphie-you are somewhat quiet today. You must be busy.

Cluckies-thanks for all of your help. I am checking out the peat moss stuff at menards today. It shows they have some in stock at my local store. As far as the peepers go, I like the idea but I think I would need to do the majority of the the hens. A bad habit passed on and on but a couple are major pluckers. DH is not as on board as I had hoped. Still trying to work out coop plans for the little polish. they actually picked her through the fencing today and made her bleed. I am about ready to have a camp day with the level of frustrations I feel. We have a few options just trying to weigh them all out and find the best one.

I have been dealing with a broody langshan for ages as well. I have done all kinds of things to break her. I am afraid I might loose her to broodiness. I took her from the main coop yesterday and put her in a small sectioned off area of the main coop. She actually was eating and drinking. I was happy to see that. But she was not happy. Today she is not yelling at all and is just sitting on the roost still momma cluck clucking but I hope this is the road to recovery for her.

We are having a beautiful sunny January day!! Glad folks are out enjoying it!

 

[Bogtown Chick]

Another gorgeous winter day out there.

@jerryse I love having your knowledge here on our little Minnesota thread. Thank you for that. Excited to hear how the pears end up doing for you in a couple years here. The cream legbar rooster has some gorgeous patterning. How interesting to learn how you'll be working up the egg size, reliability, etc.

We have a joke on here that we can learn only one thing a day on here. Looks like I'm done. Lol. Love it.

No ski in but the boys are headed out for fishing crappies since they are biting. 9-10 inches of ice on our lake. The permanents are out. It's a regular "grumpy old men" ice fishing village out there. Didn't take them long.

 

[KlopKlop]

poor buck looking for his lost mate....


The prints i found. fox? or maybe small coyote? seems bigger than a cat, plus the stride was too big.



THe scene of the crime where the chicken was chased until caught. see the wing imprints in the snow while it was trying to fly away.

 

[Rhetts]

Klop did you say the bird was not eaten on site? My uneducated guess would be fox. But I have no experience with coons and how they attack. The prints look small, smaller than yote or at least what I have seen on my farm. Hope you don't loose anymore!! Super sad and frustrating!

 

[KlopKlop]

Klop did you say the bird was not eaten on site?  My uneducated guess would be fox.  But I have no experience with coons and how they attack.  The prints look small, smaller than yote or at least what I have seen on my farm.  Hope you don't loose anymore!!  Super sad and frustrating!

I have not found any carcass or blood yet. I am under the impression that a coon or cat would eat it near the kill site and leave the rest. What is the chance I catch a fox in a live trap? Aren't they really smart?

 

[KlopKlop]

I found the carcass of my barred rock. I searched the crib this evening at lockup to make sure nobody else stayed out and found her in the back corner behind our camper. Something drug it back there and gnawed on it. looks like most of the guts are eaten (sorry if that grosses anyone out). SO now I am back to thinking cat or coon, maybe a fox, but i dont know that much about fox habits. I am going to go out and set my traps in a little bit. I wanted to get the girls all locked up before i did so i dont catch any chickens

time to eradicate my predator issues!