The Old Folks Home

[Pozees]

SCG, Guinea still there? They are well known as tick eaters and snake killers too. Yes a flock would be more effective, but if you can stand the noise, 1 is okay. I tried them twice. Couldn't make them stay home. They fly VERY well for their awkward-looking shape.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

SCG mentioned some type of 22 that was silent and was for killing rats. I wonder if it would work for coons?

Walther P22 (handgun not long gun). It took down a fox with one shot. It is incredibly accurate, has almost zero kick and is fun. Holds 10 shots. I wouldn't say it's silent but BF has slept through my as-the-sun-comes-up executions.

I prefer the Walther over a shotgun (and even a 22 shotgun). I don't like "spread" in my ammunition. I like knowing exactly where I'm shooting and what the intended target will be. In my area, we have few shots that won't be "near" a neighbors yard and many of those are close to the animal enclosures. For that reason I like slugs.

We actually keep the Walther on the kitchen counter and it's the preferred gun for both BF and myself for critters. Considering how many guns we actually own, that's amazing.

I don't know how many "safe" shots you have...

If it were me I'd put out my game cam so I can see if there's any pattern to when/where these jerks are coming from. If so, then ambush them. In the meantime, shore up security best you can.

PS Just got home from work, I'd say the guinea is gone. Glad it came, disseminated its diseases then left.

 

[lularat]

I looked out my front window this morning and saw this. Had to grab the camera and get a photo from my front porch. There is a bird flying across in the distance.

Absolutely beautiful! Would love to wake up to that view!

I don't have a building now that I trust to be secure, including my house. Other than the cellar, where I incubate, I have 9 housing units.

Trying to look on the positive side, I can do a complete overhaul of each building since I have space now. I can work on the automatic doors and trap nests. I think I'll put high security hasps on all the doors with padlocks.
It's hard because I've lost all my oldest breeders. The two breeding age cockerels are under a year old. Again, on the positive side, one was the largest male and the other is the best example of the breed.

my smell is on everything around here, even the places they pry.

I have a hav-a-hart live trap that only catches cubs and a dog proof leg trap that works well for adult coons. I think I'm going to invest in a couple more of those. Hell, I may even acquire a taste for raccoon. I know my chickens relish the flavor.
I'm using peanut butter in the hav-a-hart and canned mackerel in the leg trap. I'm going to make sure every building that still has chickens in fort knox today and make sure that all grain and feed are out of reach so the traps are the only food available. However, I have lots of fruits and vegetables ripening so they still have stuff to eat, not to mention all the neighbors' garbage cans.

I have a coon problem every year. I hadn't lost a bird in over a year to anything but the neighbor's dogs. I just have to be more diligent.

I'm kind of at a loss to decide what to do with so many chicken carcasses. The smell of death around here is pervasive.

I am so sorry for your loss. Raccoon are too smart and use there little hands a little too well. Hope you catch them soon.

 

[bamadude]

.22 ammo is almost extinct here in alabama. When u can find it, its pricey. Almost $1.00 a shot. I hear people are hoarding it in fear of changing gun laws. I would be more worried where the .22 goes than the 12guage. Just my2 cents...

 

[Wisher1000]

Order it online, Dude, The price is coming down, slowly but surely.

SCG, just a small warning - if you ever do try to catch that guinea, they don't feel, act, or submit like a chicken. You can barely hold them around the wings, they scratch with their claws to get away and they scream bloody murder (ear splitting.) Also, you can't grab them by the leg like you can chickens, either. Their legs are fragile and will break or tear if held that way. If the guinea is making a "buck wheat" sound, it is a hen. If it makes a "Kak kak kak kak kak kak" it is likely a boy (although girls can make that sound, too, they usually don't.) I'd say keep it if it's a girl and pass if it's a boy. The boys are rough on the hens and on any cock that tries to intervene on her behalf. They will grab a chicken by the neck feathers and slam it on the ground, hard. It wasn't too bad at my house with a large mixed flock as long as there were enough girls for all the boys, but when the boys outnumbered the girls, it was rough in the spring.......I finally got rid of all of mine, although I do still miss them sometimes.

 

[superchemicalgirl]

Order it online, Dude, The price is coming down, slowly but surely.

We have more problem getting centerfire than rimshot in this neck of the woods. As such, we've been trying to find someone to teach us to reload (safely).

Is it bad that I'm sad my guinea is gone (now that it has already gone and spread its diseases, it might as well of stayed...)?

 

[Wisher1000]

We have more problem getting centerfire than rimshot in this neck of the woods. As such, we've been trying to find someone to teach us to reload (safely).

Is it bad that I'm sad my guinea is gone (now that it has already gone and spread its diseases, it might as well of stayed...)?

It knows where you live.............it will be back.

 

[scottcaddy]

I'm in the midst of a couple of really bad days. I don't need sympathy because I apparently didn't safeguard things well enough. Two nights ago raccoons pried a siding board off of one of the breeder houses and killed all but one hen. I'm trying to nurse her back to health.
Yesterday, I made sure everything was secure but when I went out at dusk, there was a dead cockerel in one of the open coops when I was closing it up. I don't know if the raccoons squeezed through the 2" space between the door and concrete floor or if they were hiding in the building when I closed up but this morning, every other cockerel was dead and all but 3 pullets.
When I checked the other flocks, I found all of another flock dead. Again, they pried siding boards off of the building. This is a new well built building.
In 2 nights I lost 13 mature or breeding age hens and pullets as well as 8 cockerels and cocks.
I had set 2 traps last night and they were ignored.
I guarantee I will be going over each coop with a fine tooth comb and securing anything that isn't raccoon proof.
I'm down to 19 layers from 32 and 2 roosters from 10. Only 7 of the layers are mature hens and 3 are broody. The rest just started laying so the eggs are too small to incubate.
I do have some chicks and a couple eggs in the incubator but this is my worst 2 night loss in my life.
Last year the raccoons broke into my cellar and killed 10 baby chicks.

I have my work cut out for me today to close off every tiny hole.
I guarantee the raccoons will make a good grill to provide protein to the remaining chickens.

ETA

I understand predation but I don't really get killing 21 adult birds in 2 nights and only take the head, neck and crop. None of the rest of the bird was eaten. Perhaps they were teaching cubs to kill. What a waste. This is one of the worst days of my chicken keeping life.

Do you use nails or screws to fasten the boards? In a stress area I will even use a fender washer and #10 screw.
Good luck in stopping this!

Scott

 

[scottcaddy]

I looked out my front window this morning and saw this. Had to grab the camera and get a photo from my front porch. There is a bird flying across in the distance.

THIS is your front window?

I think that i might get just a bit jealous.

Scott

 

[chickadoodles]

Cynthia that is a beautiful view to look at every day.