The Middle Tennessee Thread

[alerievay]

I have a really weird chicken story (finally something to share, since I don't have any eggs yet!). I have an auto pop door on a light sensor, but I got home around 8 last night and didn't get the run door closed until then. This morning, everything was normal, and I went to let the chickens out around 8, before I left for work. I checked for eggs in the nest boxes (external door). Then I opened the back door to the coop to check under the poop board. A raccoon was hiding under the poop board!!!

(I'm pretty sure that emoticon is what my face looked like at that moment.) I closed the run door, to keep the chickens out and the raccoon in. Since we live in the city, I couldn't shoot it, so I called animal control, who are supposed to come out and get it. I bet this is the first time they've had a raccoon trapped IN a coop!

As near as I can tell, the raccoon was in the run all night. There is evidence of a lot of digging around one of the edges, but it clearly couldn't get out. Then, when the door opened, it must've bolted to the coop to hide. Never even touched the chickens.

 

[DMRippy]

Troy, maybe you can come out over the weekend. I am so busy working on the house ans squeezing the chickens in, I don't even have time to go get milk at the store

I have an ad up for layers and I have not had time to reply to some. I don't have time to work them into my day. I was hoping they could come Saturday, but now that is getting turned on its head

 

[DMRippy]

I have a really weird chicken story (finally something to share, since I don't have any eggs yet!). I have an auto pop door on a light sensor, but I got home around 8 last night and didn't get the run door closed until then. This morning, everything was normal, and I went to let the chickens out around 8, before I left for work. I checked for eggs in the nest boxes (external door). Then I opened the back door to the coop to check under the poop board. A raccoon was hiding under the poop board!!!

(I'm pretty sure that emoticon is what my face looked like at that moment.) I closed the run door, to keep the chickens out and the raccoon in. Since we live in the city, I couldn't shoot it, so I called animal control, who are supposed to come out and get it. I bet this is the first time they've had a raccoon trapped IN a coop!

As near as I can tell, the raccoon was in the run all night. There is evidence of a lot of digging around one of the edges, but it clearly couldn't get out. Then, when the door opened, it must've bolted to the coop to hide. Never even touched the chickens.

You got lucky there! I have heard stories were coons got in the pen and killed all the chickens. I hope he did not tell his friends where the chicken dinner was.

 

[alerievay]

Well, he's still there until animal control comes and takes him far away (or whatever they do to non-rabid coons)! We'll probably try to get a trap to set out for a few weeks, and I'll be more diligent about closing the run door before dark.

 

[cpegram]

Connie! I was just wondering about you the other day. I miss you! I was just noticing that most of that original lunch group has gone away. It's sad.
How are you? Are you still in Murfreesboro?


I am still in Smyrna. I miss all this ( still have my bator and waterers feeders ect ) one day )

 

[TinTennessee]

...

Troy, maybe you can come out over the weekend. 
Just let me know, I don't have plans except Sunday morning till noon.

 

[KandiandJerry]

I was wondering if anyone can help me figure out why I cannot get even 1 of our friend Tracy's Birchen Maran eggs to hatch....they make it to lockdown and then never pipp....I had 11 of our Dominique eggs in the same incubation tray in the cabinet incubator...put in lockdown together and both died before hatching....I have hatched 10 out of the 11 so far of our Dominiques and the 11th one is pipped...so maybe 11 out of 11 are going to hatch.....the last time I had 3 of his eggs and none hatched....I hatched over 60 EE's in that hatch out of 69 eggs but none of the Marans hatched....I tried raising the humidity a little on this hatch and the Dom's still hatched fine but Marans no luck..... I did open the eggs both times....chicks looked fully formed...but had only absorbed about half of the yolk...any ideas on what is going on? He also feeds the same feed that we do.....I just can't figure out for the life of me what is going on......does anyone know what could be causing this? Thanks, Kandi

 

[TinTennessee]

I was wondering if anyone can help me figure out why I cannot get even 1 of our friend Tracy's Birchen Maran eggs to hatch....they make it to lockdown and then never pipp....I had 11 of our Dominique eggs in the same incubation tray in the cabinet incubator...put in lockdown together and both died before hatching....I have hatched 10 out of the 11 so far of our Dominiques and the 11th one is pipped...so maybe 11 out of 11 are going to hatch.....the last time I had 3 of his eggs and none hatched....I hatched over 60 EE's in that hatch out of 69 eggs but none of the Marans hatched....I tried raising the humidity a little on this hatch and the Dom's still hatched fine but Marans no luck.....  I did open the eggs both times....chicks looked fully formed...but had only absorbed about half of the yolk...any ideas on what is going on?   He also feeds the same feed that we do.....I just can't figure out for the life of me what is going on......does anyone know what could be causing this?  Thanks, Kandi

Paging Donna, Oh Donna queen of hatching.

 

[KandiandJerry]

Paging Donna, Oh Donna queen of hatching.

I know that's right!!! LOL

 

[CarolJ]

A fourth cream legbar hatched this morning - A GIRL! three boys and one girls so far - four more eggs left to hatch over the next two or three days.

Please, please, please - let the rest of them be girls!!!!

Kandi - I'm looking forward to reading Donna's reply about the hatching issue. I had the same thing this hatch - 0 out of 16 lavender araucanas - but the cream legbar eggs are hatching right on schedule - same incubator, same settings.