The Old Folks Home

[pennyJo1960]

kinda makes one wonder but look that the florida keys where massive amount of big snakes where lost to the wild now their killing native animals even alligators

 

[chickadoodles]

I got a video of the bees in the tree in the front yard.

 

[chickadoodles]

Scg I pray he will recover!

 

[chickadoodles]

Made the kids go pick flowers for grammy today.

The farm where I get my CSA has u-pick flowers included in the CSA. I also got the kids to pick out some berries (they have so far refused to eat them).

View attachment 1468992

I also got some more beets and turnips!

How sweet.

 

[Peppercorngal]

My friend Stumpy was asking about a recent predator problem I am having. I have started missing birds occasionally over the past few weeks. I free range almost all of my birds and accept that that means I will lose some to predators and accidents. I believe that the benefit to the quality of like that the birds get from being able to be birds far outweighs the risk to individual birds. With that said, I will try my darnest to keep predators from them and to maintain as safe of an environment as I can.

My current problem is either a hawk, coyote, or maybe a fox. I have only found one patch of feathers where one was taken, otherwise no signs of a kill or carcass at all. The birds have all been taken during the day and we have seen a large hawk around a few times. In my experience, a hawk will target smaller chickens first, but two of the missing birds are full grown BOs. It is getting closer together, too. I don't think a hawk would take a second large chicken in two days. I am leaning toward coyote. We have heard them at a distance at night. It could also be a fox but we haven't seen any.

Then there are the two (out of five) guineas that were hit by a car day-before-yesterday, a quarter of a mile from my property and about a mile from their coop

I'm going to jump in here. I am old, still in my 60's but that will end with my next birthday! We lived in the Bay Area, across the bay from San Francisco. Husband and I retired, purchased 20 acres and now live in the hills. I have 28 chickens, sell eggs and home made jelly (sold 5 dozen eggs just today!) as well as tree seedlings I start from seeds. We moved 3 hours away from our kids and grandkids and I don't regret it one bit. I have my life to live and country and chickens is what I wanted to do with the time I have left. That said, we have had our share of predators. I too, believe that free ranging is good for the chickens well being and also good for the best eggs. We had coyotes rushing in from the trees, grabbing a chicken and running off. This would happen in broad daylight. Once it happened in front of customers buying eggs! Husband, with help from my son, put up a 5 foot fence and enclosed a "free range" area for the chickens safe from dogs and coyotes. It's about 50x50 foot square. So far the chickens are quite happy with the area, have not tried to fly over the fence (I know they can) and now I can relax again! We lost our entire flock last October to bears (3 of em) and we rebuilt the coop, put in electric fence and I think we will be ok this year with our new flock. Howdy from California!

 

[pennyJo1960]

@Peppercorngal Welcome to the old folks home you will fit in great we are all over the hill
but have a great time anyways I have roughly 25 big birds 4 Silky and way to many peeps growing up

 

[ronott1]

I'm going to jump in here. I am old, still in my 60's but that will end with my next birthday! We lived in the Bay Area, across the bay from San Francisco. Husband and I retired, purchased 20 acres and now live in the hills. I have 28 chickens, sell eggs and home made jelly (sold 5 dozen eggs just today!) as well as tree seedlings I start from seeds. We moved 3 hours away from our kids and grandkids and I don't regret it one bit. I have my life to live and country and chickens is what I wanted to do with the time I have left. That said, we have had our share of predators. I too, believe that free ranging is good for the chickens well being and also good for the best eggs. We had coyotes rushing in from the trees, grabbing a chicken and running off. This would happen in broad daylight. Once it happened in front of customers buying eggs! Husband, with help from my son, put up a 5 foot fence and enclosed a "free range" area for the chickens safe from dogs and coyotes. It's about 50x50 foot square. So far the chickens are quite happy with the area, have not tried to fly over the fence (I know they can) and now I can relax again! We lost our entire flock last October to bears (3 of em) and we rebuilt the coop, put in electric fence and I think we will be ok this year with our new flock. Howdy from California!

Hi Neighbor!

Welcome from Woodland. It sounds like you have a great place and good job adding some protection from the predators

 

[CapricornFarm]

I'm going to jump in here. I am old, still in my 60's but that will end with my next birthday! We lived in the Bay Area, across the bay from San Francisco. Husband and I retired, purchased 20 acres and now live in the hills. I have 28 chickens, sell eggs and home made jelly (sold 5 dozen eggs just today!) as well as tree seedlings I start from seeds. We moved 3 hours away from our kids and grandkids and I don't regret it one bit. I have my life to live and country and chickens is what I wanted to do with the time I have left. That said, we have had our share of predators. I too, believe that free ranging is good for the chickens well being and also good for the best eggs. We had coyotes rushing in from the trees, grabbing a chicken and running off. This would happen in broad daylight. Once it happened in front of customers buying eggs! Husband, with help from my son, put up a 5 foot fence and enclosed a "free range" area for the chickens safe from dogs and coyotes. It's about 50x50 foot square. So far the chickens are quite happy with the area, have not tried to fly over the fence (I know they can) and now I can relax again! We lost our entire flock last October to bears (3 of em) and we rebuilt the coop, put in electric fence and I think we will be ok this year with our new flock. Howdy from California!

Hi Pepper, Welcome! We have bears too, but luckily they are scared of people. So far they have left our livestock alone. Knock on wood. Our animals include a Papillon, a GSD, 2 siamese cats, 11 turkeys, uncounted chickens, quail and guineas.

 

[microchick]

Hi @Peppercorngal and welcome to the old folks home! Always glad to have new old and not so old folks join us. We are a pretty friendly bunch that likes to talk about the things that really matter. Music from the 50s-60s and 70s. Black and white tv. Radio when radio was really entertainment, Milk for 45 cents a gallon or less and OH GAS! Remember gas at 19 cents a gallon during gas wars?

Got home about 4 from the Fox Hunt. Never found a transmitter although we got close to one in a park. DH and I and a pair of guys from the club pin pointed the silly thing but couldn't find it. I was crawling down in a shallow ravine and staring down the muzzle of old cannons but no joy! Only sun burn and dehydration. Still it was fun driving around Kirksville with a directional antenna hanging out the window and getting strange stares from people when we were standing in the middle of a parking lot waving the antennas around.

Off to make dinner. Spaghetti sounds good tonight. Moving my new mamma hen and her five little juvenile delinquents out to the main coop tomorrow. Finally have a plan in place to build a nursery room. It won't be big but I don't need big. Just feel the need to fill it up, LOL.

s

 

[ronott1]

Hi @Peppercorngal and welcome to the old folks home! Always glad to have new old and not so old folks join us. We are a pretty friendly bunch that likes to talk about the things that really matter. Music from the 50s-60s and 70s. Black and white tv. Radio when radio was really entertainment, Milk for 45 cents a gallon or less and OH GAS! Remember gas at 19 cents a gallon during gas wars?

Got home about 4 from the Fox Hunt. Never found a transmitter although we got close to one in a park. DH and I and a pair of guys from the club pin pointed the silly thing but couldn't find it. I was crawling down in a shallow ravine and staring down the muzzle of old cannons but no joy! Only sun burn and dehydration. Still it was fun driving around Kirksville with a directional antenna hanging out the window and getting strange stares from people when we were standing in the middle of a parking lot waving the antennas around.

Off to make dinner. Spaghetti sounds good tonight. Moving my new mamma hen and her five little juvenile delinquents out to the main coop tomorrow. Finally have a plan in place to build a nursery room. It won't be big but I don't need big. Just feel the need to fill it up, LOL.

s

Sounds fun!