The road less traveled...back to good health! They have lice, mites, scale mites, worms, anemia, gl

[JulieNKC]

There are a pair of crows that nest in the back of our property. I've always appreciated them for driving away hawks, but have been told they are just as bad as hawks when it comes to killing chickens. They've never came anywhere near mine, just thought I'd ask about that while the topic is up.

 

[thedragonlady]

There are a pair of crows that nest in the back of our property. I've always appreciated them for driving away hawks, but have been told they are just as bad as hawks when it comes to killing chickens. They've never came anywhere near mine, just thought I'd ask about that while the topic is up.

A hungry crow feeding babies in the spring might snatch a chick, never a grown bird. Keep your chicks under cover for 3 mos ,and turn them loose.

 

[JulieNKC]

A hungry crow feeding babies in the spring might snatch a chick, never a grown bird. Keep your chicks under cover for 3 mos ,and turn them loose.

Good. I like having the crows around, glad they aren't too big a worry.

 

[Tivona]

Not sure if its true but I heard that crows are okay but that ravens will kill. All I have here is crows and they do fine around my birds and they do fight off the hawks we have. Here is a link on telling the difference on which you have of crows vs ravens.

 

[Missa Chickabee]

Between DL interruptions I am reading through the whole thread. When I read the above, I thought: "That does it! I'm going to pm Beekissed"
So look for that, Bee.

 

[thedragonlady]

Makes me think of that line Seabiscuit: "When sumpthin's broken, you don't just throw it away. Ya see if ya k'n fix it." ..or something like that. Spills over into relationships and lots of things.
Not finished reading through the whole thread yet but I do think I agree that is has the backdrop, language and and tension for "the novel that teaches" (but this is non-fiction). I learned about World War II from Bodie Thone's early book series. Learned more about the Civil War from Lynn Austin's historical fiction series.

Now....would you do this for us, Bee? Would you teach us, this chicken-counter-culture diversified group , by doing the same? It's so popular now to write fiction and insert recipes, etc. But yours could be autobiograhical if you wanted. I can totally "see" you lying out int the run with cars driving by and kids pointing and saying: "look daddy. what's the matter with that lady? Is she dead?"

This would be fabulous. You're writing it now. Just my sense, but I think you're a spiritual person and it really comes through your words, even when you're not talking about 'spiritual things'. I know your book would 'pulse' because it reflects the inner life of the one writing....just as music does. Really does feel like I'm reading a book I just can't put down.

Now for my question: Since an eagle flew over my girls and then boomeranged when the roo and I sounded the alarm...I have been paranoid about no cover on my run so they are confined to a netted up part of it with sand bottom. What's the good of their good health if they'll have no living body to contain it? We are on a knoll in the woods and all predators are thick! Anyone here in our area who just free-ranges loses all their chickens, one-by-one, by one predator or another. Our full run is huge and grassy with trees for shade way at the back. This is a source of contention between me and won't mention who....but he lives in the house.

My husband and I have just spent a few days stringing monofilament line over the open area in our orchard, bearing in mind that there will be less cover this winter. Monofilament strung up 8-10 feet up at 2 foot intervals will deter most hawks. Use the shiny, clear, 40 Lb test. It will sparkle in the sun.No raptors will risk their wings in it. They use this in Fla. to keep seagulls off the balconies too. Leaves will not foul it as they will netting.

 

[Beekissed]

imo bee a web page would most certainly be a start.. the worlds problems are with the powers that be. i find it myself, pitiful that man has totally destroyed themselves in less than 200 years. since the industrial revolution mankind has destroyed the earth and the morals that were placed upon them.. it amazes me that the world has been around for millions of years and because of mans greed. the world will most likely not be here in 200 years.

so in the mean time write that book and pass knowledge to those who want it. writing is a expression of ones self. i know by writing to you, that you have a certain passion and that passion must be shared to others.

i could have just p.m. you with this. however that would be just me sending you a message. there are countless others that are touched by you and it would be selfish of me not to bring that to public attention.

true teachers are a blessing and when the student is ready the teacher will appear.

now is that time bee. write the book your students are waiting

Wow, Bruce! Who knew you were so insightful? Thank you! I want to write the book...truly I do. I've started it twice, changed the title twice....then hit a wall. Found I could not follow through. I cannot organize my thoughts to save my soul...need a ghostwriter, don't I?

Quote:
Missachickabee...I just don't know about that one. I use a combination of things to keep the girls safe and then I just open up my arms and tell God to watch over them and it's a practice in faith. It hasn't let me down so far, not in any real sense. Over the years I lost a few chicks to a black snake and one unwise hen who roosted outside at night to an owl.

In a run, they have nowhere to hide and nothing but God can protect them..and that's enough, but I try to do my part.

I free range with dogs, provide a lot of good duck and cover areas and let God do the rest. If I lived in neighborhood I'd do some perimeter fencing or electric netting to keep out stray dogs but out here in the woods I just use the dog, the good instincts of the rooster and hens, and faith in God....and I keep a .22 rifle by the back door, zeroed in and loaded.

On that note, I'll give a progress report....the rooster is back to calling warnings and the flock is back to responding to those warnings. Coop life, I think, had dulled those instincts but it hasn't taken long for them to snap back to free range life.

Also, I am seeing combs becoming more red already!!!

These birds that were so pale and listless are very quickly getting their good coloring back and their movements are quickening....saw a few of them chasing a flying bug tonight and almost got it. They are already responding to the cultured foods and their feces are less smelly and more firm today.

And......and...waaaaaaaaiiiiiit for it.....I heard birdsong today!!! They were crooning! Hallelujah!

 

[normanack]

The hawk questions here are very timely for me. I've grown used to the hawk warnings my roosters give and the chicken stampede into the coop. No worries, I thought.

But today a hawk apparently caught one of my roosters. I found a pile of feathers in the yard and a smallish hawk perched on the fence. Luckily the rooster looks unharmed. He was the only one who came out of the coop when I got there to investigate.

So how do I attract crows?

 

[stonykill]

The hawk questions here are very timely for me. I've grown used to the hawk warnings my roosters give and the chicken stampede into the coop. No worries, I thought.
But today a hawk apparently caught one of my roosters. I found a pile of feathers in the yard and a smallish hawk perched on the fence. Luckily the rooster looks unharmed. He was the only one who came out of the coop when I got there to investigate.
So how do I attract crows?

mine won't leave thankfully. But here is what I have learned about a hungry hawk. It will get on the ground and chase your chickens where they are hiding. And they are FAST on the ground.

 

[Beekissed]

That I do not know...we just lucked into our small family of crows. They are loud and annoying at times but I'm glad they are here.

A dog moving around in the chicken area is a great deterrent to hawks as well. I've got my dog on a wireless electric fence that allows freedom of movement in a wide range and I place his water bucket by the coop....he has to be a presence near the chicken's ranging areas due to walking back and forth to his water and such.

My older dog, Lucy, was a GP/lab mix and had more of the instinct to protect the flock from aerial threats...she would actually jump up into the air and try to catch them when they came too low. Jake is not really concerned with that unless they are coming after his food or something he has killed. Really went after the buzzards that came after his possum kills.