The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[Leahs Mom]

I've often wondered why I've never had a hawk problem. I thought it might be the turkey's size keeping them away from the chickens, but after the coyotes and bobcats took out most of my adult birds, I still didn't have problems with hawks. We have them everywhere and they go after the doves all the time. Then, one day I saw one sitting in a dead tree a ways away. Between the hawk and the chicken run is a wind turbine. It's maybe15- 20 feet from the end of the run. Light bulb moment! I wonder if there's a way you could fix something on a tall pole that would act like the turbine? Who was it that tried flags? Did those work long term? Maybe some shiny whirligig thing on a pole.

Yah...I'm the one that did the flags for awhile. Like anything else, I think you have to move things around as hawks are great "studiers" and are easily able to figure out if something is a threat or not.

I also like the idea of having the predators around like SH said if they are doing their job without harassing livestock. Of course, with some predators, humans are THEIR only predator and when humans aren't doing their job to keep the populations in check things can get out of balance with pred overload which isn't good for those animals either when food becomes scarce in a territory. It seems we no longer have a scarcity of many of the raptors like we did in prior years....

 

[Leahs Mom]

Have a woodchuck undermining one of my sheds and I know I have to do something about it. Usually I can harass them into moving on, but the shed is new and this chuck has moved in big time and is reluctant to leave such luxury. It is well entrenched ! wood chucks are kind of a bumbly vegetarian, hard to think of killing it.

The neighboring property to us is breeding VERY LARGE woodchucks under one of the sheds. No one is living there for the last year as the previous owner is deceased, so the population has increased quite a bit. These guys are HUGE...if anyone was inclined to eat them, it would make several meals!

I used to have some friends from Nigeria that were in the states for college. One day the man was riding with another aquaintence of ours who used to carry his hunting rifle in his car (he was a salesman) and whenever he'd see a wood chuck he would stop the car, get out, and shoot it. Then he'd go on his way. On the occasion that my Nigerian friend was riding with him, he performed said operation to which my friend immediately said, What are you going to do with that?" The other guy said he just left them. Nigerian friend said, "Bring them to me!" as they would cook and eat them.

One day I was over with a group of folks and the wife had cooked one of the ground hogs (as we cal them). There were plenty of other things there to eat, but she had the ground hog so I decided to try some. Not bad, actually. And it didn't "taste like chicken"

...but it did taste like turkey to me!!!!

 

[Turk Raphael]

The neighboring property to us is breeding VERY LARGE woodchucks under one of the sheds. No one is living there for the last year as the previous owner is deceased, so the population has increased quite a bit. These guys are HUGE...if anyone was inclined to eat them, it would make several meals!

I used to have some friends from Nigeria that were in the states for college. One day the man was riding with another aquaintence of ours who used to carry his hunting rifle in his car (he was a salesman) and whenever he'd see a wood chuck he would stop the car, get out, and shoot it. Then he'd go on his way. On the occasion that my Nigerian friend was riding with him, he performed said operation to which my friend immediately said, What are you going to do with that?" The other guy said he just left them. Nigerian friend said, "Bring them to me!" as they would cook and eat them.

One day I was over with a group of folks and the wife had cooked one of the ground hogs (as we cal them). There were plenty of other things there to eat, but she had the ground hog so I decided to try some. Not bad, actually. And it didn't "taste like chicken"

...but it did taste like turkey to me!!!!

When I was younger, I ate bunches of it. It's really a nice meat if they are cleaned correctly....gotta' remove some glands from the legs. Naturally the yearlings are best but my grandma could take an old rascal, cook it under pressure, dredge it in flour and fry! Gravy, mashed potatoes and cat-head biscuits.....a meal fit for a king!! Oh, she cut all the fat from the older ones too...left on, that could make them taste like a very old, unwashed athletic shoe had been boiled in the broth.

 

[subhanalah]

When I was younger, I ate bunches of it.  It's really a nice meat if they are cleaned correctly....gotta' remove some glands from the legs.  Naturally the yearlings are best but my grandma could take an old rascal, cook it under pressure, dredge it in flour and fry!  Gravy, mashed potatoes and cat-head biscuits.....a meal fit for a king!!  Oh, she cut all the fat from the older ones too...left on, that could make them taste like a very old, unwashed athletic shoe had been boiled in the broth.

I've heard that rabbit fat is pretty bad...haven't tried it myself though...why eat something if it's published in a book that it's foul!

 

[lalaland]

There are plenty of people in your state that have Patterdale Terriers (earth dogs) and they will travel quite a ways to get at a chuck. Perhaps someone would be delighted to catch and move the varmint, well away from your property?

huh. wonder how I would find those folks? might have to do some searching.

And I meant to say "shoot, shovel...not shove....and shut up!"

 

[Turk Raphael]

I've heard that rabbit fat is pretty bad...haven't tried it myself though...why eat something if it's published in a book that it's foul!

I suppose it's like anything else...folks like different sorts of things to eat. I raise rabbits and love the meat. The chucks are absolute vegetarians and the meat really is tasty....to me.

Some folks can't stand rabbit meat..I'm not one of them. It is a bit more dense and requires less to make you feel full but there are many ways to fix rabbit (and chucks) and I have eaten them most of my life...

Might be a cultural thing. I tried haggas once...I thought it was the most vile thing I had ever tasted but some folks would jump over a flooded stream to get to a plate of haggis. I'm not on of them either...

 

[Turk Raphael]

huh. wonder how I would find those folks? might have to do some searching.

And I meant to say "shoot, shovel...not shove....and shut up!"

I can help you. My dad breeds Patterdale Terriers and knows several folks in your state. Can you tell me what fairly large town (not big city) you live near?

 

[subhanalah]

I suppose it's like anything else...folks like different sorts of things to eat.  I raise rabbits and love the meat.  The chucks are absolute vegetarians and the meat really is tasty....to me.  

Some folks can't stand rabbit meat..I'm not one of them.  It is a bit more dense and requires less to make you feel full but there are many ways to fix rabbit (and chucks) and I have eaten them most of my life...

Might be a cultural thing.  I tried haggas once...I thought it was the most vile thing I had ever tasted but some folks would jump over a flooded stream to get to a plate of haggis. I'm not on of them either...

I meant the fat, what you were talking about with the chucks.

I've heard (domestic) rabbit is a fantastic meat as it takes on the flavor you give it.

 

[Turk Raphael]

I meant the fat, what you were talking about with the chucks.

I've heard (domestic) rabbit is a fantastic meat as it takes on the flavor you give it.

 

[LindaB220]

If you don't want to kill it then get one of those cages. You can carry it off.