The Moonshiner's Leghorns

[McChooky]

We have a hill behind our house also, and there is a creek at the bottom. It hasn't seemed to deter possums or raccoons, as we have been trapping them in abundance. I'm glad your hen recovered!

You'd be right about both! Don't they go after the chickens in trees? What then? Do they fly out?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Only thing I have even close to a hill on my property is the mound created when they built our scaredy hole.

 

[The Moonshiner]

This morning was another cold morning. I think it dipped to 22° but was 24° when I got up and about.
Went and busted ice while my coffee brewed. 18 hours of below freezing but was a thin layer. I expected worse.
Ran errands and grocery shopped for few hours. Warm truck sounded better then working outside. Quick break then checked feed. Gave everyone what I hoped would be at least two days worth yesterday. Success. Checked water very thin layer of ice and enough to get them till tomorrow. That made a quick chore day.
Decided to do a little more to my freezer pallet just to be doing something. Cut a few boards in the garage then more assembling in the laundry room. Finally decided I better call it done before it weighs 100 lbs.
Really wanted to go level the spot where I'm putting it and then move the freezer down and get it set up. Went back and forth on the nope too cold and the I want to be chickening. The urge is real but I came to my senses and Let It Go. Tomorrow is supposed to crawl back up to near 60°. Should be there by the time I get off work and get the boy home from school. I'm sure I can survive till then. Decided to not do much of anything but watch TV.

 

[WallyG74]

Finally decided I better call it done before it weighs 100 lbs

we are definitely brothers!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

That poor thing held out until the hottest day of the year and had them out in the middle of the pasture at like three o’clock. Dropped them off, didn’t clean them and went back about her life. I cleaned them up and of course then she heard them and remembered she had babies and came bellowing down the hill. I don’t know how baby goats ever become adults.

This is from s few pages back but ... how many kids did she kid?

 

[Kung_pao]

This is from s few pages back but ... how many kids did she kid?

Only two, but they were pretty big and robust.

 

[KF0002]

You'd be right about both! Don't they go after the chickens in trees? What then? Do they fly out?

See most chickens are actually smart, and people don't realize just how much instinct they have to avoid predation. When my chickens go to roost, they aren't satisfied with any old branch. They go out on smaller branches so if a predator were to try to climb out to get them, the limb would give way. Only my heavier hens roost in the hen house. The lighter, more agile birds like the games, Leghorns, Legbars, and game mixes all choose on their own free will to roost way up in the trees.

I don't lose many birds to predators, a few here and there when they venture too far off our property which is a risk that comes with free-ranging. But we don't lose enough to make a dent in our numbers. That is where the phrase "go out on a limb" comes from I guess. lol I have actually lost more birds to my own turkeys this year than to predators.

Also, my chickens roost in trees near the fenced in lot of property where my dogs, goat, and turkeys are. That must be where they feel safe. The proximity of the dogs is enough to keep predators away from there. The only areas we deal with predators are at the far end of our property away from the dogs usually. Every now and then we lose a rooster on a tie cord, but not too often.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

That is smart!

 

[KF0002]

This morning was another cold morning. I think it dipped to 22° but was 24° when I got up and about.
Went and busted ice while my coffee brewed. 18 hours of below freezing but was a thin layer. I expected worse.
Ran errands and grocery shopped for few hours. Warm truck sounded better then working outside. Quick break then checked feed. Gave everyone what I hoped would be at least two days worth yesterday. Success. Checked water very thin layer of ice and enough to get them till tomorrow. That made a quick chore day.
Decided to do a little more to my freezer pallet just to be doing something. Cut a few boards in the garage then more assembling in the laundry room. Finally decided I better call it done before it weighs 100 lbs.
Really wanted to go level the spot where I'm putting it and then move the freezer down and get it set up. Went back and forth on the nope too cold and the I want to be chickening. The urge is real but I came to my senses and Let It Go. Tomorrow is supposed to crawl back up to near 60°. Should be there by the time I get off work and get the boy home from school. I'm sure I can survive till then. Decided to not do much of anything but watch TV.

I did not venture out in the cold for very long today. It was in the 20's here also. I had a work meeting at noon, but there were reports on facebook that the road was getting bad so I texted my boss I wasn't coming. Went back inside, did a little homework, took a nap because I woke up too early for my nightshift liking. Now I will be up until the wee hours as usual. Wrapped a few presents, and now more homework. Back to work tomorrow night for 3 more 12's. I think it is supposed to warm back up here too, thankfully.

I did turn on the Sportsman just bit ago and plan on setting a few eggs to test tomorrow. I think there are only 13-14 total, including a few White Leghorn eggs from Foghorn's pen and the pullets in with him.

 

[BlueBaby]

See most chickens are actually smart, and people don't realize just how much instinct they have to avoid predation. When my chickens go to roost, they aren't satisfied with any old branch. They go out on smaller branches so if a predator were to try to climb out to get them, the limb would give way. Only my heavier hens roost in the hen house. The lighter, more agile birds like the games, Leghorns, Legbars, and game mixes all choose on their own free will to roost way up in the trees.

I don't lose many birds to predators, a few here and there when they venture too far off our property which is a risk that comes with free-ranging. But we don't lose enough to make a dent in our numbers. That is where the phrase "go out on a limb" comes from I guess. lol I have actually lost more birds to my own turkeys this year than to predators.

Also, my chickens roost in trees near the fenced in lot of property where my dogs, goat, and turkeys are. That must be where they feel safe. The proximity of the dogs is enough to keep predators away from there. The only areas we deal with predators are at the far end of our property away from the dogs usually. Every now and then we lose a rooster on a tie cord, but not too often.

I don't free range and there's not a bunch of tree's in my yard for them to fly up into anyways.