The Old Folks Home

[chickadoodles]

I hope your arm continues to heal quickly Wicked.

As for roo's raising chicks I had mine start at a teenager age and he knew what to teach them and how to help and protect them. It just came very natural to him.

Ya know come to think of it my turkey did the same thing. I had two week old jakes raising chicks and poults for me. The jake flew to their brooder and just stayed with the youngins and he brooded several hatches for me also. I did this with several jakes and believe it or not the little girl turkeys did not want anything to do with the youngins. lol

 

[perchie.girl]

https://furandhide.com/products/categories/leather-elk-and-moose

http://www.crazycrow.com/leather-supply

http://www.braintan.com/hides/


Hope these are viable selections for elk Hides


deb

and I will be darned.... Amazon has em....

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Chickadoodles, our dogs are the same way with stray cats and if one of our house cats gets out is a real chore to get them in before the dogs go out. I'd give anything for a few outdoor cats to work on the rodents. Our indoor kitties have done such a good job for us inside.

I put my broody hen back with the flock today. I witnessed her getting a little rough with her 24 day old chicks, picking one up by the neck feathers and lifting it off the ground and then dropping it, tuned to peck another chick. I announced "that's it, you are done being broody" and tossed her back with the laying hens. She immediately went back to the coop without a fuss. A couple of her babies are crying a little for her but daddy roosters are on the job.

I feel like I've opened a Pandora's box mentioning that I was being plagued by a rat. Sorry.

It's a valid discussion as others have mentioned.

My rule is everything within a 1/2 mile of the yards is fair game. We are surrounded by our land for 1-2 miles in every direction so there's lots of room for everything to live. Just don't come within a 1/2 mile and we're good. I am the quickest and most humane I can be whether it's a snake, a rodent or a predator. We've tried purchased rodent bait but it never seems to be effective...most likely because there are other constant food sources the rodents have access to. To those who use it and it's effective...that's fantastic!

This year I'm "trying" to employ methods of deterrents...the mirror balls (which I couldn't get, sold out), burning, using the bunnies as grain control, solar lighting and spotlights. I'd rather not have to dispatch animals. I wish we could sit down and draw up agreements with the wildlife so there'd be no bloodshed. Of course I also wish each hen would sign each egg as it's laid. Neither wish will be happening.

We've always employed a number of outdoor cats (up to 15 at one point) They helped but still never came close to eradicating the vermin. I sure miss my Wolfie dog. (border collie x german sheppard) He was an excellent ratter with me and on his own. One snap and the deed was done.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Quote: Now this I understand. As soon as I saw the word "cholecalciferol" I knew exactly what it was and that it's toxic in larger amounts. Even for humans. I take Vitamin D since I tend to be a total vampire. But after the boy did a science project on products from sheep...I was much more careful in taking my vitamin D...

I tend to over do Vitamin C when becoming ill or when I've over done things. Being a water soluble vitamin I believe that it's utilized without the risk that the cholecalciferol that's used for Vitamin D presents.

Basically once a sheep has been shorn, they wash the wool. From that

they are able to extract lovely stuff, one of the things is the lanolin. Through their magical ways they extract the cholecalciferol and process it. More or less. The whole thought of the dirty, greasy wool is rather unappetizing but I guess it provides pretty neat stuff. I never had such soft hands as I had when we bought our first ewe lambs and pet them a lot. I "sort-of" liken this to theobromine to dogs.

 

[Wickedchicken6]

Whatever animals...it's all good.

Love seeing them all! And learning.


Today recouping from yesterday. Everyone loses their mind up here on a long weekend.

Wedding shower and wedding social tomorrow. Ouch.

Sunday- I will probably be dead but hope to dust the roosters. Can't wait any longer. It has to get done and some have to go. Selections have been made. Chicks will be hatching in a 1.5 weeks. Or something like that. Before I'm ready.

Still contemplating on whether I'm resigning from my job or not. Supposed to do 2 year refresher with instructors on Tuesday. I have until Tuesday.

I have to reserve the restaurant for Gran's B day meal. We've been getting i's dotted and t's crossed in regards to her estate. I'm one of the executors.

On a different note I've discovered that breaking down a regular, clear Gracious living 5 drawer organizer makes lovely nest boxes.

 

[microchick]

I was mowing and cleaning today around there area where we keep our farm implements, small plow, disc, etc. Everything is sitting on metal sheeting and I saw a couple of rodent runs going under the metal. I wound up spooking two mice and one little black snake that I actually put my hand on. I apologized to the little snake and told it to grow up and take out the mice......but leave the chicks alone.

We have 4 dogs and in all honesty, they are all rough on varmints. The oldest is 13 and she will take out any raccoon, possum or woodchuck that she can catch. Our Australian Cattle Dog is brutal when it comes to rabbits and mice and our two siblings, brother who is a hound mix and his sister who is a Jack Russell mix (we suspect they share a parent who was a Border Collie, Boy has the hound blood, sis has the Jack Russell blood) They are both rodent killing machines and spend hours in the spring and summer digging out voles in our pastures. I don't mind snakes as long as they do not strike at me or the dogs and don't shake their tails at me and make that ominous rattling sound when I approach them. I recognize too clearly their value as rodent controllers. I'm pretty adamant when it comes to rodent control, though simply because I'm too aware of the number of diseases they carry. One of my CE courses that I took before I retired was on communicable disease and when I saw the number of really REALLY bad diseases are carried and spread by rodents that just cinched it for me.

Wickedchicken6! 1-2 miles between you and neighbors......man I wish. Our nearest neighbors are a 1/4 mile to the east and west of us. We wish we had a good mile or two! And we have good neighbors, LOL.

 

[Latestarter]

@superchemicalgirl The goats are PB Lamanchas. No papers, but I can get them if I desire later. They are "show quality" so with papers I could get into showing if I really wanted. I may in fact do so down the road, we'll see.

 

[pennyJo1960]

I was mowing and cleaning today around there area where we keep our farm implements, small plow, disc, etc. Everything is sitting on metal sheeting and I saw a couple of rodent runs going under the metal. I wound up spooking two mice and one little black snake that I actually put my hand on. I apologized to the little snake and told it to grow up and take out the mice......but leave the chicks alone.

We have 4 dogs and in all honesty, they are all rough on varmints. The oldest is 13 and she will take out any raccoon, possum or woodchuck that she can catch. Our Australian Cattle Dog is brutal when it comes to rabbits and mice and our two siblings, brother who is a hound mix and his sister who is a Jack Russell mix (we suspect they share a parent who was a Border Collie, Boy has the hound blood, sis has the Jack Russell blood) They are both rodent killing machines and spend hours in the spring and summer digging out voles in our pastures. I don't mind snakes as long as they do not strike at me or the dogs and don't shake their tails at me and make that ominous rattling sound when I approach them. I recognize too clearly their value as rodent controllers. I'm pretty adamant when it comes to rodent control, though simply because I'm too aware of the number of diseases they carry. One of my CE courses that I took before I retired was on communicable disease and when I saw the number of really REALLY bad diseases are carried and spread by rodents that just cinched it for me.

Wickedchicken6! 1-2 miles between you and neighbors......man I wish. Our nearest neighbors are a 1/4 mile to the east and west of us. We wish we had a good mile or two! And we have good neighbors, LOL.

We have neighbors but close is the ones that own the mini storage and live there
they buy 18 eggs a week or so actually really nice folks common ground he fixes medical equipment
being at cancer research program he was there a time or two met him back then...
old style folks married her with 3 boys now boys are all grown still happy folks...
our old lady gsd Fear she will take down anything that cannot carry her off so far no issue
find snow backing her up at night these days.... We kinda own our block or road the storage takes it address from the other rd
we went to get our mail changed over they are like oh you bought the block on Ellis it is just 3/4 and acre
it cover the small block on the back of town

 

[Alaskan]

@superchemicalgirl
The goats are PB Lamanchas. No papers, but I can get them if I desire later. They are "show quality" so with papers I could get into showing if I really wanted. I may in fact do so down the road, we'll see.

So....how good are your fences?

 

[Wickedchicken6]

I was mowing and cleaning today around there area where we keep our farm implements, small plow, disc, etc. Everything is sitting on metal sheeting and I saw a couple of rodent runs going under the metal. I wound up spooking two mice and one little black snake that I actually put my hand on. I apologized to the little snake and told it to grow up and take out the mice......but leave the chicks alone.

We have 4 dogs and in all honesty, they are all rough on varmints. The oldest is 13 and she will take out any raccoon, possum or woodchuck that she can catch. Our Australian Cattle Dog is brutal when it comes to rabbits and mice and our two siblings, brother who is a hound mix and his sister who is a Jack Russell mix (we suspect they share a parent who was a Border Collie, Boy has the hound blood, sis has the Jack Russell blood) They are both rodent killing machines and spend hours in the spring and summer digging out voles in our pastures. I don't mind snakes as long as they do not strike at me or the dogs and don't shake their tails at me and make that ominous rattling sound when I approach them. I recognize too clearly their value as rodent controllers. I'm pretty adamant when it comes to rodent control, though simply because I'm too aware of the number of diseases they carry. One of my CE courses that I took before I retired was on communicable disease and when I saw the number of really REALLY bad diseases are carried and spread by rodents that just cinched it for me.

Wickedchicken6! 1-2 miles between you and neighbors......man I wish. Our nearest neighbors are a 1/4 mile to the east and west of us. We wish we had a good mile or two! And we have good neighbors, LOL.

Our dog has taken out young foxes. He also took out two young raccoons we came upon while out touring our water situation last year. He's brutal as far as killing, not quick at all.

I felt bad after getting him to do that.

I'm somewhat biased on the snakes here. I don't think garters really get big enough to do much damage to the rodent population...but I do know they can set up home really fast and multiply. Classmate on my bus route had snakes set up home in their basement so bad they carried them out in 5 gallon pails. They had to move their house. As someone who grew up with snakes in the basement...I have no mercy. I once had a mouse wake me up. He was on my pillow.

Yuck, yuck, yuck! My spidey senses woke me up. If I have a snake wake me up, I'm moving somewhere else.

They can sure climb.

We have two neighbors; one down the road 1.5 miles and the other is about 1.75 miles diagonal across our 2 quarters of pasture. The next closest neighbor is 3 miles and 5 miles respectively. Majority of neighbors within 10 miles are DH's family. I grew up at the end of a dead end road. I miss that terribly. We live beside the one main through road in a 15 mile stretch. Big mistake. I like privacy. It helps that we have the quarters that surround us. But it would be even better living 1/2 mile in off the road.

I can't imagine having neighbors living 1/4 mile away.(They would SO hate all my roosters...lol)
Closest neighbors growing up were 2+ miles away the next mile over. And we never saw them.

We may see/talk to our closest neighbor 4-5 times a year. They're busy doing their thing and we do ours. A good arrangement...lol.