The Old Folks Home

[crazyhen75]

crazyhen75, lifting you in prayer.

Thank you, hopefully I will hear from this soon.

 

[crazyhen75]

Prayers sent @crazyhen75 and of course you are welcomed to join in.

I'm gobbling down lunch and then heading outside to get the new gate hung between my runs and get the fencing repaired so I can seriously get those annoying little roosters out of the big pen and coop.

All you with rodent problems will appreciate this. I have been hearing a mouse nest 'somewhere' in the main coop. I've shuffled things around and moved things, checked the chicken wire enclosed bait in the tomcat bait holder, moved the nesting buckets around, nada but still hearing the squeek squeek when I am in the coop. Last night I was looking out the window in the south side of the coop and heard the 'sqeek' again this time in my left ear. Hmmmm. Only thing there is the main nesting box with a shelf over it that has the nesting buckets sitting on it but look! There is a tunnel in it. This is a big whopping old oak plank that is 2.5X8 inches that had made up part of the corral that was here when we moved in. It looks like a 'knot hole' had fallen out of the end of the board and something had tunneled in. Not a mouse but it was a tunnel about 1-1.5 inches in width and by golly there is a mouse peeping out at me!

This means war! I grabbed a stainless steel doll rod that I keep in the coop to help secure the pop door and went a pokin' in that tunnel. It went back about 18 inches in the wood and out popped an inch long mouse pup. Chickens were asleep and kind of looked at me when I shined my flashlight in their faces like 'whaaaaaaat? You woke me up to eat that? you eat it!' and tucked their heads back under their wings.

Buck, my chicken guard dog thought it was delicious. Now I need to go out and on top of getting the gate hung, I need to seal up the end of that board....somehow. Maybe a metal cap over it?

Anybody got any ideas?

Maybe a piece of metal flashing will work. I hate mices !!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the prayers.

 

[ronott1]

Not parathyroid, parotid gland one of the salivary glands in front of the ear. It has been putting pressure on the nerve that controls my mouth on the rt. side. I am very concerned as I have had squamous cancer on my face in the past. That one can travel. Just say a prayer.

I hope it is not cancer!

 

[pennyJo1960]

Morning Old Folks Clue great to have time for you .. A few of local chicken folks are getting together tomorrow for a couple hours ...
@crazyhen75 Prayers sent of course

 

[CapricornFarm]

Not parathyroid, parotid gland one of the salivary glands in front of the ear. It has been putting pressure on the nerve that controls my mouth on the rt. side. I am very concerned as I have had squamous cancer on my face in the past. That one can travel. Just say a prayer.

Good luck.

 

[microchick]

Crazyhen75 I hope things go well for you. Sometimes, just not knowing is worse than knowing. My DH is a skin cancer survivor, thus my tag line about wearing sun screen and staying out of the midday sun.

I thought about replacing the board, @ronott1. With the exception of the tunnel I discovered, it's just one massive piece of wood and the chickens can't knock it down no matter how hard they try. I covered it with hardware cloth and while poking around uncovered another mouse nest. The hens killed the female and when I left the coop Mouser and another hen were happily bashing babies against the floor. I saw one more big mouse. Might be a male but the breeding female population has been diminished by at least two.

The spray foam is a great idea, @getaclue. I'll have to check and see what we have on hand and if we have any get some the next time I venture into town.

@CapricornFarm thought about you today, my friend as I was happily pounding nails into a mounting board for my gate to be hung on. It felt so good just being outside and 'building' something! How's the building projects going?

 

[ronott1]

Crazyhen75 I hope things go well for you. Sometimes, just not knowing is worse than knowing. My DH is a skin cancer survivor, thus my tag line about wearing sun screen and staying out of the midday sun.

I thought about replacing the board, @ronott1. With the exception of the tunnel I discovered, it's just one massive piece of wood and the chickens can't knock it down no matter how hard they try. I covered it with hardware cloth and while poking around uncovered another mouse nest. The hens killed the female and when I left the coop Mouser and another hen were happily bashing babies against the floor. I saw one more big mouse. Might be a male but the breeding female population has been diminished by at least two.

The spray foam is a great idea, @getaclue. I'll have to check and see what we have on hand and if we have any get some the next time I venture into town.

@CapricornFarm thought about you today, my friend as I was happily pounding nails into a mounting board for my gate to be hung on. It felt so good just being outside and 'building' something! How's the building projects going?

I like the foam idea

 

[CapricornFarm]

Crazyhen75 I hope things go well for you. Sometimes, just not knowing is worse than knowing. My DH is a skin cancer survivor, thus my tag line about wearing sun screen and staying out of the midday sun.

I thought about replacing the board, @ronott1. With the exception of the tunnel I discovered, it's just one massive piece of wood and the chickens can't knock it down no matter how hard they try. I covered it with hardware cloth and while poking around uncovered another mouse nest. The hens killed the female and when I left the coop Mouser and another hen were happily bashing babies against the floor. I saw one more big mouse. Might be a male but the breeding female population has been diminished by at least two.

The spray foam is a great idea, @getaclue. I'll have to check and see what we have on hand and if we have any get some the next time I venture into town.

@CapricornFarm thought about you today, my friend as I was happily pounding nails into a mounting board for my gate to be hung on. It felt so good just being outside and 'building' something! How's the building projects going?

I am at a standstill right now. Between rain, cold and fatigue I only did chores today. As soon as weather permits, I need to dig some clay soil for around the edges of the run. Hardware cloth skirts need finishing and I need to build a door. Then merely cover the top and I will be ready to release the chickens!

 

[microchick]

I have one more building project for this spring but for now I'll be happy just getting the cockerels moved. I saw one of them trying to mate one of my silver duck wing bantam cockerels tonight. Needless to say the the little guy wasn't impressed by the other cockerel's attention.

I'm pretty much used to the fatigue. The pain, now that's another kettle of fish. Dawned on me today that I could remember what it was like to be able to kneel and stand without using my arms to help hoist myself up...and it didn't hurt when I was standing. Don't think I'll ever get used to it.

Hang in there Cap. You aren't alone.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I have one more building project for this spring but for now I'll be happy just getting the cockerels moved. I saw one of them trying to mate one of my silver duck wing bantam cockerels tonight. Needless to say the the little guy wasn't impressed by the other cockerel's attention.

I'm pretty much used to the fatigue. The pain, now that's another kettle of fish. Dawned on me today that I could remember what it was like to be able to kneel and stand without using my arms to help hoist myself up...and it didn't hurt when I was standing. Don't think I'll ever get used to it.

Hang in there Cap. You aren't alone.

Yeah, I know lots of others are suffering. Scary as to what the next decade will be like.