The Legbar Thread!

[CibolaChooks]

Good call on the Donkey. Boy or girl? Had a friend that had problems with the girls breaking out of the fencing and she switched to a boy and he stayed put. I had another friend that had some attack 'llamas' and they worked out really well for her.

Have you tried putting up a game cam to see what is coming through and when? My old game cam was being tempermental, so I just got in a new Bushnell for my b-day that lets you record video too. I put it up outside the chicken area and mostly got wild birds and bunnies but I got a coyote pair late at night this week. It was reassuring because they were on my neighbor's property on the other side of the boundary fence. They were traveling, not hunting. They could just as easily have gone on my side and sniffed around the hen house. In your case, it would capture the neighbor's dog and you could then go back to them and get compensation for your losses.

I have been talking to a lady who wants to give me a female. I also went to a donkey rescue and was going to buy Two young females but my pocket book wont allow it right now. I hope i don't have problems with the female. I passed up a jack i could have got.

I have been wanting a game cam. I have seen a mountain lion pass across my road in the early morning. i was sleeping on top of the goat pen trying to get the coyotes. i woke up all groggy and looked to my side just laying there enjoying the fresh morning mountain air and the mountain lion passed threw my road that leads to the main chicken pen.

I have also seen a rather large male bobcat running threw the upper field. Ive seen coyote in the day now 3 times. singles. There are about 3 or 4 groups on this mountain range from couples to singles but the one main pack is at least 4 strong. I heard them scaring up some dinner over the mountain top last night. they are the ones who bother me the most. Ive been doing my own human super loud bark that echos threw the forest. It seems to shut them up when they are spread out talking to each other. Then my dog goes off and i don't hear them talking no more.

Ive also seen a wild turkey as well as the bunnies and jack rabbits. tons of wild birds, i love all the birds on my land including the crows and ravens. My dog has been eating the crows share of the eggs so i haven't seen them around as much anymore.

I need to find a place he wont find their eggs.

Do you use the goats as protection against raccoons? Or does the stomping info just apply to donkeys?

No the goats need a protector too But like Wlhtx said they can do a bit of protecting.. Thankfully i have not seen any raccoons signs. That is all the donkeys job. Donkeys hate any type of canine. Unless maybe ones that they grow up with on the farm and continually see. Ive seen vids of donkeys running with the family dog. But even then certain donkeys still might not ever accept the family dogs in their paddock.

 

[CibolaChooks]

This is how i build mine too but with horse fence on the outside and i ended up laying cattle pannels on the ground next to the pen. to give me 4 feet out of protection from diggers. My land is also heavily wooded and has no other neighbors around to speak of im living smack in the middle of a national forest.

Hi everyone,
When we built our pens last year, I was worried about critters getting in and killing my chickens, too. We're in a heavily wooded area, and not too many people. We used cattle panels on the sides and the top, then put chicken wire on that. A snake can get in, but that's only happened once.. I think the scent from our dogs may help deter them a little. I put a shade cloth over them for the summer. It's not as attractive as many of y'alls are, but it's safe! lol

 

[lonnyandrinda]

Like Rinda said, Cream Legbars are autosexing (you can tell the girls and boys apart at hatch), production blue egg layers (my girls give me 5-6 eggs a week each), crested and cream. They are great foragers, wonderful parents, and so friendly if raised by hand. My roosters are gentle with their ladies (no mounting before they're mature, no bald spots or excess feather pulling, etc.). The chicks can't wait for a ride if given the chance, and love to be petted. I think the chicks are the prettiest I've seen too!

@ Rinda, what are the chances that you'd be selling any of that pullet (covered by Hugger)'s eggs/chicks in the future?

Well I haven't done trapnesting or penning yet but when I spot her laying I mark her eggs as keepers! The first one I saved and hatched is about 6 weeks old and super creamy!

When I get the pen fixed to where I have better access I will get some photos. Let me know when you are interested (obviously after the heat is over) and I can pen her for a week for you to get her eggs.

Did I mention that I got 7 pullets and a couple of roo from GF...this years breeding....nice, creamy color.....happy dance....they are only a week old but adorable....

X2 we need pictures?!

 

[1muttsfan]

Steen, I understand that large predators such as coyotes can sometimes be discouraged by marking your territory - ie, the area around your yard - the same way a dog would, about every 5-6 feet. Kind of a guy job.

 

[TheTropix]

Hi folks, This morning I had another little girl hatch. I went in to have another look and she was pushing like crazy trying to get back in the egg!! hahhaahha silly little babies.. lol

 

[dretd]

Steen, I understand that large predators such as coyotes can sometimes be discouraged by marking your territory - ie, the area around your yard - the same way a dog would, about every 5-6 feet. Kind of a guy job.

After my old dog passed and the new pup was still learning her job I had coyotes come in to the back yard. I sent the men in the family out to do this manly-man job.

Not sure if it worked or not but it was pretty hilarious none-the-less. It may have been the pup finally maturing--just having an adult dog in the area seems to have made all the difference for coyotes.

 

[dretd]

Hi folks, This morning I had another little girl hatch. I went in to have another look and she was pushing like crazy trying to get back in the egg!! hahhaahha silly little babies.. lol

Congrats--how adorable!

 

[KPenley]

Hi folks, This morning I had another little girl hatch. I went in to have another look and she was pushing like crazy trying to get back in the egg!! hahhaahha silly little babies.. lol

Awwww...is she fluffy yet?

 

[KPenley]

When I get the pen fixed to where I have better access I will get some photos. Let me know when you are interested (obviously after the heat is over) and I can pen her for a week for you to get her eggs.

WooHoo

 

[blackbirds13]

So took some photos of some of the cream colored pullets I've managed to hatch. There seem to be quite a few of them versus the gold but not sure on the ratio yet. Here is what some of them look like so far. Very happy with what I see.

Check out this crest














The crests look really good and the color too. I think I may have only 1 or 2 without a crest but they are gold and I'm pretty sure from my original Gold hen - she cannot throw a cream to save her life. I really have to separate them into gold, cream and bachelor pens for an accurate accounting as I am not sure how many of each I have and still so many yet to feather out. The crests on some of the boys are crazy but so far the color on some is nice but they are still too young to really judge.
...and I have 4 more pullets plus that hatched overnight. This week I start incubation on my Pen B eggs (hope they are fertile) and some Splash and Black Copper Marans that hopefully are being shipped as we speak.

This is the last hatch from my mixed pens. Next hatches will be from my 'hopefully' cream-only pen.