The Old Folks Home

[bruceha2000]

There's a lot going on for this year with his passing. I'm pretty sure I will owe quite a bit.

Not sure why you would owe. In most states, and the Feds, as the spouse I THINK you inherit everything tax free. The taxes will come when you die and the estate is assessed. Of course I'm not an accountant.

My thought is predators have pretty darn good eyesight, can pick a mouse out of a field hundreds of yards away, ain't no 'camouflage' chicken going to fool them.

I agree 100%. If it looks like food, and especially if it looks like an easy take, go for it!

 

[Cynthia12]

Not sure why you would owe. In most states, and the Feds, as the spouse I THINK you inherit everything tax free. The taxes will come when you die and the estate is assessed. Of course I'm not an accountant.


I agree 100%. If it looks like food, and especially if it looks like an easy take, go for it!

Oh man! I hope you're right! Maybe all the .. incoming...from now on is the only taxable! Wait...my name is on them too. May make a difference.

 

[drumstick diva]

Can you still have a dog/dogs Cynthia??

 

[Cynthia12]

Can you still have a dog/dogs Cynthia??

Yes! Love my Shi Tzu and Schnauzer!

 

[bruceha2000]

Oh man! I hope you're right! Maybe all the .. incoming...from now on is the only taxable! Wait...my name is on them too. May make a difference.

I think the only difference is you will be filing as a Single. The income stream probably doesn't change though I guess as a surviving spouse Social Security might be different?

Did he have a pension and if so what percentage will you receive? It could have been set up anywhere from 0% to 100% though at least where I worked if you chose anything less than 50% the beneficiary had to sign that they agreed. If there is a pension and it isn't 100% your income will decrease.

If there was a life insurance policy and you are the beneficiary, I don't think that is taxable.

This MIGHT be a case where a tax professional might be worth what they charge.

 

[microchick]

I've heard a few on here with mixed colored flocks mention white chickens are targeted by aerial predators less often than colored chickens with the thought of hawks etc are more likely to target birds that look like their natural prey.
My thought is predators have pretty darn good eyesight, can pick a mouse out of a field hundreds of yards away, ain't no 'camouflage' chicken going to fool them.

Maybe what draws aerial predators to any prey is the fact that they are sight/movement hunters. Which is why hey can spot a mouse from great heights.

I still insist that I've read articles concerning the preference of 'camouflaged' coloring in free ranging birds helping to protect them.

https://ouroneacrefarm.com/2015/08/06/limited-free-range-chickens-12-tips-to-balance-freedom-safety

I tried to cut and paste the part about birds with mottled, speckled and whatever plumage being better camouflaged then lighter colored birds but it wouldn't let me for some reason.

I've read other articles saying what this one does plus stressing that ground cover along with the camouflaging colors of some breeds of chickens makes them safer from air borne predators.

This is an old argument that even pops up here on BYC from time to time.

So if a white bird is out under sparse groundcover, holding still and a brown black bird is nearby also holding still is a hawk more likely to pick off the white bird or the dark bird?

If the birds both move, IMHO they probably have an equal chance of being seen and picked off by the hawk. But a white bird in sparse ground cover is probably going to be more visible than the darker bird-standing out like a sore thumb as they say.

Snow geese that live in Artic are white. Canadian geese that live in woodland waterways aren't. Hmmmmmm why do you think nature gave them this adaptive coloration?

 

[Alaskan]

Maybe what draws aerial predators to any prey is the fact that they are sight/movement hunters. Which is why hey can spot a mouse from great heights.

I still insist that I've read articles concerning the preference of 'camouflaged' coloring in free ranging birds helping to protect them.

https://ouroneacrefarm.com/2015/08/06/limited-free-range-chickens-12-tips-to-balance-freedom-safety

I tried to cut and paste the part about birds with mottled, speckled and whatever plumage being better camouflaged then lighter colored birds but it wouldn't let me for some reason.

I've read other articles saying what this one does plus stressing that ground cover along with the camouflaging colors of some breeds of chickens makes them safer from air borne predators.

This is an old argument that even pops up here on BYC from time to time.

So if a white bird is out under sparse groundcover, holding still and a brown black bird is nearby also holding still is a hawk more likely to pick off the white bird or the dark bird?

If the birds both move, IMHO they probably have an equal chance of being seen and picked off by the hawk. But a white bird in sparse ground cover is probably going to be more visible than the darker bird-standing out like a sore thumb as they say.

Snow geese that live in Artic are white. Canadian geese that live in woodland waterways aren't. Hmmmmmm why do you think nature gave them this adaptive coloration?

I agree.

The problem is, you would have a heck of a time doing a quality scientific study on the subject.

Because HOW would you get 2 chickens, identical in all ways except color... and then get them both to stand motionless in an open area... both chickens the same distance from cover... oh... the repeat 1,000 times.

With my flock, my camo colored chickens were the wildest, most predator aware behavior wise.

too many factors to easily control.

 

[lovesfarms]

I agree.

The problem is, you would have a heck of a time doing a quality scientific study on the subject.

Because HOW would you get 2 chickens, identical in all ways except color... and then get them both to stand motionless in an open area... both chickens the same distance from cover... oh... the repeat 1,000 times.

With my flock, my camo colored chickens were the wildest, most predator aware behavior wise.

too many factors to easily control.

Add to that, how hungry is the predator, is there a lot of food around? Summer times I don't see many hawks, there may be more food around. Or are there a lot of hawks passing through here to there winter home that aren't local? I remember last year around this time there were a lot of hawks around as well but not during the summer. They didn't disappear till around January- February

 

[silverhair67]

morning

 

[getaclue]

Good morning everyone.