The 9th Annual BYC Easter Hatchalong!

[mlm Mike]

Super happy!! Yesterday, I came home to one little quail!! I got him/her squared away and was hoping for at least one more (so the little one has a friend) and lo and behold, another hatched today!

There are still a couple more eggs in the bator but I candled them and I don't believe there is anyone home.

Congratulations!

 

[mlm Mike]

I've got some internal pips on the batch I set right before I set the eggs for this HAL Should have some chicks tomorrow.

 

[mlm Mike]

Yes yes I must enter these.

Thanks everyone for the support about the eggs and the advice for the cracked eggs. Unfortunately/fortunately none of the cracked eggs had any development to begin with so it's all on these two little eggs. I think it's actually only two but I'm giving number 3 the benefit of the doubt.

If we only get two hatchlings I will probably contact the breeder and add some more to the group.


In other news some good some bad...

I had some roses arrive in the mail today. That is bare root rose plants. It seems awful early to be planting roses in southern Wisconsin yet. Can anyone advise me on this? We ordered them and they were supposed to come when it was okay to plant them but we're still getting down to the 30s and I don't want them to die.


Now for the other news. Ugh. We had a predator attack last night before lock up and bed check.

*******Warning this description gets pretty graphic!!


It would appear something actually entered the coop and drug out and killed a pullet right out front of the door. Note: it may have killed and then drug the pullet out.

The bird was intact except her head and neck had been pulled off. These lay beside her body. There was very little blood. We have in the past had problems with fox, coyote, possum, and one time with a raccoon.

Her crop may also have been taken I don't remember to be honest.

It was raining and it seems to be raining every time we have a mink attack but I'm not really sure. We set traps both leg hold and havaheart and hopefully we get something.

We will be building a mink trap asap.

We have seen our mink pick up and carry off carcasses. It also has never killed more than one bird a night if it still had access to the carcass of the first. Our raccoon attack was circumstantial evidence and only quail in a tractor coop were killed. We have very few if any resident raccoons as the area has been cleared for farming. I have only seen two raccoons while living here one of which was the sickly one that we suspect killed the quail that I put down last fall as it wasn't acting right and had no fear.

In truth I'm very frustrated and playing the if only game, though I'm trying not to. Like if only I had locked the birds up sooner but that isn't fully accurate because she may have been killed on her way to the coop. All I know is my flock is terrified.

Sorry to hear about the predator, I hope you are able to catch it, or it at least moves on, and doesn't bother your flock anymore.

 

[ronott1]

Yes yes I must enter these.

Thanks everyone for the support about the eggs and the advice for the cracked eggs. Unfortunately/fortunately none of the cracked eggs had any development to begin with so it's all on these two little eggs. I think it's actually only two but I'm giving number 3 the benefit of the doubt.

If we only get two hatchlings I will probably contact the breeder and add some more to the group.


In other news some good some bad...

I had some roses arrive in the mail today. That is bare root rose plants. It seems awful early to be planting roses in southern Wisconsin yet. Can anyone advise me on this? We ordered them and they were supposed to come when it was okay to plant them but we're still getting down to the 30s and I don't want them to die.


Now for the other news. Ugh. We had a predator attack last night before lock up and bed check.

*******Warning this description gets pretty graphic!!


It would appear something actually entered the coop and drug out and killed a pullet right out front of the door. Note: it may have killed and then drug the pullet out.

The bird was intact except her head and neck had been pulled off. These lay beside her body. There was very little blood. We have in the past had problems with fox, coyote, possum, and one time with a raccoon.

Her crop may also have been taken I don't remember to be honest.

It was raining and it seems to be raining every time we have a mink attack but I'm not really sure. We set traps both leg hold and havaheart and hopefully we get something.

We will be building a mink trap asap.

We have seen our mink pick up and carry off carcasses. It also has never killed more than one bird a night if it still had access to the carcass of the first. Our raccoon attack was circumstantial evidence and only quail in a tractor coop were killed. We have very few if any resident raccoons as the area has been cleared for farming. I have only seen two raccoons while living here one of which was the sickly one that we suspect killed the quail that I put down last fall as it wasn't acting right and had no fear.

In truth I'm very frustrated and playing the if only game, though I'm trying not to. Like if only I had locked the birds up sooner but that isn't fully accurate because she may have been killed on her way to the coop. All I know is my flock is terrified.

Are they in a run? I hope you can figure out a way to make things more secure for them.

Predators are terrible!

 

[mlm Mike]

Everybody starting to get their brooders setup? Any nice brooder setups anyone would like to share pics of?

 

[mlm Mike]

I had my first kids of 2018 last night.

 

[Pensmaster]

Yes yes I must enter these.

Thanks everyone for the support about the eggs and the advice for the cracked eggs. Unfortunately/fortunately none of the cracked eggs had any development to begin with so it's all on these two little eggs. I think it's actually only two but I'm giving number 3 the benefit of the doubt.

If we only get two hatchlings I will probably contact the breeder and add some more to the group.


In other news some good some bad...

I had some roses arrive in the mail today. That is bare root rose plants. It seems awful early to be planting roses in southern Wisconsin yet. Can anyone advise me on this? We ordered them and they were supposed to come when it was okay to plant them but we're still getting down to the 30s and I don't want them to die.


Now for the other news. Ugh. We had a predator attack last night before lock up and bed check.

*******Warning this description gets pretty graphic!!


It would appear something actually entered the coop and drug out and killed a pullet right out front of the door. Note: it may have killed and then drug the pullet out.

The bird was intact except her head and neck had been pulled off. These lay beside her body. There was very little blood. We have in the past had problems with fox, coyote, possum, and one time with a raccoon.

Her crop may also have been taken I don't remember to be honest.

It was raining and it seems to be raining every time we have a mink attack but I'm not really sure. We set traps both leg hold and havaheart and hopefully we get something.

We will be building a mink trap asap.

We have seen our mink pick up and carry off carcasses. It also has never killed more than one bird a night if it still had access to the carcass of the first. Our raccoon attack was circumstantial evidence and only quail in a tractor coop were killed. We have very few if any resident raccoons as the area has been cleared for farming. I have only seen two raccoons while living here one of which was the sickly one that we suspect killed the quail that I put down last fall as it wasn't acting right and had no fear.

In truth I'm very frustrated and playing the if only game, though I'm trying not to. Like if only I had locked the birds up sooner but that isn't fully accurate because she may have been killed on her way to the coop. All I know is my flock is terrified.

I’ve never had a mink and hope I never do. Skunks are bad enough.
Was this a day/dusk time kill or night time?

As to the rose they are pretty hardy once established. If your temps are in the 30 degree range at night could you cover them once planted with a 5 gallon bucket?

 

[Pensmaster]

Everybody starting to get their brooders setup? Any nice brooder setups anyone would like to share pics of?

Brooder is always ready.
Congratulations on the kidding.
They are cute.

 

[mlm Mike]

Brooder is always ready.
Congratulations on the kidding.
They are cute.

Thanks!

 

[LadyCluck77]

[QUOTE/]


It would appear something actually entered the coop and drug out and killed a pullet right out front of the door. Note: it may have killed and then drug the pullet out.

The bird was intact except her head and neck had been pulled off. These lay beside her body. There was very little blood. We have in the past had problems with fox, coyote, possum, and one time with a raccoon.

Her crop may also have been taken I don't remember to be honest.

It was raining and it seems to be raining every time we have a mink attack but I'm not really sure. We set traps both leg hold and havaheart and hopefully we get something.

We will be building a mink trap asap.
[/QUOTE]


That sounds like a mink or stoat for sure.
Poultrykeeper has a good article about how to get rid of them- they're smart little buggers, and vicious too.

https://poultrykeeper.com/pests-and-predators/stoats-and-weasels/