The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[mlowen]

So sorry about the chickens and the hangover, but boy oh boy Shan30--you have the best freaking stories in the world!!! I hope Bruno has gone to heaven and you and your flock recover well and soon.

 

[Shan30]

Thanks everyone. Luckily for some reason bears seem to kill one and then take it somewhere safe to eat it before coming back so he/she didn't some close to getting all of them. Won't know the numbers until tonight when the frightened ones come back. They actually were doing pretty well flying away etc. A few were on the roof. I saw the "feral" girl running into the bushes when it first happened so I'm sure she's alive but probably back to forest life for a while.

Wonder if I should throw something out there for everyone to help with the stress? The ones that are here seem ok.

Guess they are free ranging full time until I can replace the destroyed fence.

Bear is definitely dead but still can't find it. We've been out most of the day with one of our dogs that hates bears and had no luck. Still trying and might be able to borrow some hounds from a friend. We did find a few places with piles of feathers where it clearly ate them. Unfortunately in this heat the meat is ruined. Absolutely hate the waste, really wanted to feed some of it to the survivors.

Will go out after dark with some blood lights as well.

I missed the gift opening, it was the only maid of honour task I didn't complete so hopefully she forgives!

 

[lalaland]

Shan, am so sorry for that experience! are those grizzly or brown bears? you have really had a tough time. keeping my fingers crossed the upcoming months are easier.

 

[Shan30]

Thank you. It was actually a black bear. We don't have town bears or grizzlies on the island. One occasionally has been spotted on the north tip of the island.

It seems that the long dry summers we've had lately bring the predators out of the mountains. Conservation officers have had to exterminate so many cougars in residential areas this year it's been scary. I do feel sorry for them though. Everything needs to eat and it's not their fault that we've pushed them out of their territory. All the same when they are in people's yards in town killing dogs I guess we don't have much of a choice.

I am starting to wonder if this is going to be an ongoing issue. I've never heard of it happening to anyone and tons of people have chickens here. This is the second summer in a row for us.

Looks like nine are MIA. Maybe some will come back though.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I'd put up a good strong electric fence for that bear or any more that might be around.

Hope your chickens all come home to roost or for breakfast tomorrow morning.

For stress: get some plain, unsweetened yogurt. It works absolute wonders! Just about 1 tablespoon per bird and as high of stress as they're in, I'd do it twice a day, maybe three times til they get settled down.

 

[30chickens1coop]

BEARS!!!

This morning as always my husband opened the pop door at 5 am. I get up at 5:45 and the girls are just starting to come out.

6am they were all out milling around. 6:45 I got out of the shower and looked out the window to see no chickens and lots of feathers. Ran out and one bird came flying out of the brush clearly terrified. Carried her inside and saw another running around the yard.(outside the run). Went to go pick her up, dog went balistic, turned around to face 2 black bears. About 20 feet from me, I was about 30 feet from the coop and 60 from the house.

I raised my arms(yeah right I'm going to look huge with my spindly arms over my 5'2" self), yelled like heck and they did nothing but drool. Needless to say I ran for the coop, slammed my way in and tried to breathe. Waited 15 minutes and they just stared and moved a bit closer.

So I stepped onto the porch of the coop armed with a dull knife and a garbage can lid, threw everything in reach at them. Surprised myself by hitting them a few times but they still did not move.

I ended up waiting them out. Once I could see them through the opposite end of the building I ran to the house, loaded 2 buckshots and a slug and called my husband.

They never came back. Me and my FIL put the fences back up and repaired where we could. Hoping all missing birds will come back but guessing a few met their fate. The others won't let me near them going to have to wait until they are roosting to check everyone out.

A couple things are resulting from this. Firstly, bear hunting tonight (yes they are in season and tags have been bought) these are 3 yr old cubs whose mom used to visit. I hate to kill anything but you killed my livestock and would have had me too. Secondly, we are building gun safes in each of the outbuildings and will be storing loaded shot guns in each. Turns out this is legal even without safes.

Other than removing the threat, there is nothing I can do. Bears can not be stopped by fencing or even walls. If they had decided to come in the coop they would have. I have never felt that kind of adrenaline, these guys were so close I could smell them.

Something has changed with the bears here. They don't run like they used to. I'm wondering whether they are just running out of food and hungrier or if they have gotten used to us.

Sorry for the super long story! Had to share.

Shan30, you posted this May 21 2013 and now this......

Bah! Was in a wedding last night and had all of three hours of sleep on Friday doing last minute stuff for the bride. So woke up exhausted and hung over this morning. Let the birds out and went into town to get Erick's truck, came back to ANOTHER BEAR in the run killing my poor chickens like crazy. Do I have the worst luck or what?! Erick finally managed to put a slug in it. Just came back from the first hour of searching the woods. Going back out now. It was a good shot it will be dead somewhere. I'm so hot and mad...and nauseous.

Are you a bear whisperer?

 

[lazy gardener]

Shan, this is so scary. I do hope you are comfortable using a gun. For the next few months, until those bears have gone into hibernation, I'd be carrying at all times when outside, if I were you. A gun in an outbuilding is one thing, but a gun in hand... so much better, and will give you more of a fighting chance.

 

[Turk Raphael]

BLACK BEARS are known to have killed more people than all others combined.

We have a black bear problem in Northern Kentucky and it seems to be an over-flow from the more serious problem across the state line of West Virginia. People there (and I'm sure in Kentucky) have been feeding the bears for so long that they have lost their fear of people, dogs and just about everything else. It's against the law to feed wildlife in these states but people seem to think it's 'cute' to watch the sows with cubs, play in their pools and look so friendly...as long as they are well fed. These are 'city folks', for the most part with a few areas surrounding Charleston WV that are considered the worst offenders though they are somewhat rural...the areas of Paint Creek and Cabin Creek are two of the worst. Bears have begun to invade homes and take what was given to them freely when they were young (black bears can live to mid 20's to 30 years). Few dwellings are BEAR PROOF, if the things really wants to get in!!!

 

[Shan30]

Yes I am very comfortable with guns and am fully licensed. I walked around with a 12 gauge for a long time last summer. A pistol would be much more convenient but we are simply not allowed to carry one here. Even though I have my restricted weapon license and am allowed to own one, I can't even carry one on my own property.

As for waiting for them to hibernate, they don't here. Could be why our black bears get so large on the island.

Even better, our dog lead us to numerous piles of cougar scat within a couple hundred yards of the house.

The woods behind our place are probably only 500-800 acres with residential and farming communities on three sides and the river on the other. I don't think people really feed them but they make their rounds through the old orchards, farms and garbage cans and see people everyday. Once they decide they want something there isn't much you can do. If they just go for the fruit trees or pass through its not a big deal but once they decide they want something they will have it. They can make a cat door big enough to pass through in a matter of minutes.

I think the birds probably would have had the best chance with no fences. They out manoeuvred him pretty well until he would corner them against a fence.

And yes I am a bear whisperer, everybody's good at something. Thinking of giving bear tours for extra income haha!

 

[LindaB220]

Thank you. It was actually a black bear. We don't have town bears or grizzlies on the island. One occasionally has been spotted on the north tip of the island.

It seems that the long dry summers we've had lately bring the predators out of the mountains. Conservation officers have had to exterminate so many cougars in residential areas this year it's been scary. I do feel sorry for them though. Everything needs to eat and it's not their fault that we've pushed them out of their territory. All the same when they are in people's yards in town killing dogs I guess we don't have much of a choice.

I am starting to wonder if this is going to be an ongoing issue. I've never heard of it happening to anyone and tons of people have chickens here. This is the second summer in a row for us.

Looks like nine are MIA. Maybe some will come back though.

Sorry about this, Shan, you know the little wooden strips with nails that carpet layers use to tack down the carpet? Somebody on here uses them on all wooden posts and areas that bears go for. Seems to deter them. I don't know. I'm in deep south and no bears. Good luck