The Old Folks Home

[trumpeting_angel]

Hello friends!

I’ve been here for months and I’m a good learner. I know about the size and gauge of HW cloth, the square footage required for coop and run, and the need to minimize treats.

And I know that chickens can survive the cold! They have excellent ventilation, and they’re huddled together in their roost, laying aside pecking order disputes for the night. But it’s supposed to go down to 5* F tonight, and it was only a few short months ago that these girls were little chickies, and then silly adolescents. How can I leave them there on such a night?


Now, I am trying to let my inner grownup run this show.

But, I can’t stop thinking about being a poor little chicken outside in the cold.

 

[Alaskan]

They could always become house chickens and sleep perched on your headboard.

Then you can check on them all night long!

 

[microchick]

Would NPIP have anything to do with weasel attacks??

Nothing with weasel attacks. Just surprising that after loosing birds he didn't use belt and suspenders after finding the first birds dead. Really shocked that it happened again on day 2. He had a good sized flock and had been a breeder and flock keeper for a lot more years than I've been at it. Plus probably easy for something to tunnel into his coop....dirt floor. No tunneling skirts.

I feel sad for the birds. My EE hen is the only survivor from his flock.

 

[microchick]

Hello friends!

I’ve been here for months and I’m a good learner. I know about the size and gauge of HW cloth, the square footage required for coop and run, and the need to minimize treats.

And I know that chickens can survive the cold! They have excellent ventilation, and they’re huddled together in their roost, laying aside pecking order disputes for the night. But it’s supposed to go down to 5* F tonight, and it was only a few short months ago that these girls were little chickies, and then silly adolescents. How can I leave them there on such a night?


Now, I am trying to let my inner grownup run this show.

But, I can’t stop thinking about being a poor little chicken outside in the cold.

Calm down, Angel. Breathe deep. Your babies will do fine. I have this summer's pullets and cockerels out in my coop. One little guy likes to sleep by himself on top of my plywood nesting box lid. Others sleep on the roosts by themselves. It was down to 2 degrees this morning. No frostbite, no signs of stress. Everybody's happily scratching around inside waiting for the temps to come up again.

But you can always lay down a lot of newspapers in the bathroom......just suggesting.....

 

[Alaskan]

Nothing with weasel attacks. Just surprising that after loosing birds he didn't use belt and suspenders after finding the first birds dead. Really shocked that it happened again on day 2. He had a good sized flock and had been a breeder and flock keeper for a lot more years than I've been at it. Plus probably easy for something to tunnel into his coop....dirt floor. No tunneling skirts.

I feel sad for the birds. My EE hen is the only survivor from his flock.

Weasels don't usually tunnel (unless they are using a preexisting tunnel).

But they climb and jump and squeeze through the darndest places.

It easily could be either that he couldn't figure out how to close ALL tiny holes , and tried to trap it before nightfall... and failed.... or he did think he had fixed up everything well enough... and he missed a spot.

 

[microchick]

Weasels don't usually tunnel (unless they are using a preexisting tunnel).

But they climb and jump and squeeze through the darndest places.

It easily could be either that he couldn't figure out how to close ALL tiny holes , and tried to trap it before nightfall... and failed.... or he did think he had fixed up everything well enough... and he missed a spot.

A lot more going on than that, I'm afraid. But I hope that is all that happened. I have reasons to doubt it though.

We had a weasel under our garage in IL. Must have been an old tunnel. We came back to work the office, put the dogs in the back yard. A few minutes later heard something screaming bloody murder, ran out back in time to see our cattle dog standing there happily shaking whatever it was in his mouth. Got it away from him. Yep, a brown weasel. He was a good boy and I still don't know how he managed to catch it. He was sure death on rabbits but isn't a weasel a lot faster?

 

[trumpeting_angel]

They could always become house chickens and sleep perched on your headboard.

Then you can check on them all night long!

Thanks for the, um, reassurance!

I do know better. But watching the thermometer drop, lying in bed hearing the wind pick up...

I will rest easier after tonight. It was just in the 50s within a week ago!

 

[trumpeting_angel]

...

But you can always lay down a lot of newspaper in the bathroom......just suggesting.....

Hah! Already have those for the elderly Chihuahua!

 

[microchick]

Hah! Already have those for the elderly Chihuahua!

 

[CapricornFarm]

It was 8X4X3 so it was approximately 750 gallon but I think I did a more precise calculation when I dug it and it was closer to 800 gallons. It had an upper pool which was a little preformed job with a small waterfall from the upper pool to the lower pool and a fountain. I have pictures of it but I would have to scan them into the computer somehow. Will have to ask DH.

I loved that pond. It had the best ecology going on it of any of my ponds. I started digging it when I went to work at the rehab center in IL and would come home at 11 pm, go out to the yard and shovel dirt out of frustration and stress. The liner was pvc. I edged it with flagstone.

Sounds a lot like the one I had!