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

[Beekissed]

Might put some NS on those injuries...worked miracles on some meaty chicks I had with deep puncture and laceration wounds. Keep us posted!

 

[maggiemo]

Thanks everyone
maryhysong. I'm so sorry for you and your birds. I hope they heal quickly.
I'm sure I'll blotch a kill (s!). I just couldn't this time. I wouldn't have been able to finish. I think the worse part was/is the feeling of betrayal. Yesterday they were happy and scratching and dust bathing and today I killed them. I do feel ok, but it is hard.
Thanks again.
mo

 

[Mumsy]

Hmm I have never heard of that.

I have heard from a friend of mine that a murder of crows would come down in her back yard and harass her flock of bantam hens. I have seen Blue Jays kill and carry off baby chicks out of the nests of wild birds but I haven't heard of them taking poultry chicks. I have personally seen a squirrel kill and eat a small wild bird. Twice. I wouldn't trust any Blue Jay, Crow, or squirrel. They are opportunistic predators in their own way. I would be suspect of any of them hanging around any open air paddock with chickens.
I trust a good hen to protect her chicks to the death and a rooster to do the same. Bottom line for me is this. Don't let your guard down. Chickens are on the menu for just about everything one way or another. Just about the time you think you've beat the odds for predation, you get humbled real quick. Raise poultry long enough and you will learn how many ways they can be taken.

On a happier note, my husband strung an electric wire at the base of my barn perimeter. We've recently seen a large male raccoon hanging around the compost pile late at night. We put a wire around it too. I haven't had a predator try to get in the barn or coops but now if any do they will get a jolt. There has been no sign of the raccoon since we started turning on the juice at night. I turn it off when Johnny is outside. He likes that compost pile.

 

[maryhysong]

Oh, Mary! I will be praying that you see them soon! Give your boy a phone hug for me and thank him for all his hard work over there and for our country.

Thank you Bee. And my son will be doing the bashful scuff his toe in the dirt thing if I tell him that ;-)

Another good way to cradle your chickens for processing and still keeping your hands free is to use a killing cone. I make mine from 2 gal. bleach jugs and they fit all sizes of birds. I just mount them on the side of a tree and this lets me get things done without worrying about flapping birds and spraying blood.

OH that is so cool! Thanks for this tip; How much of the bottle do you cut away? Need a pic, please!

Might put some NS on those injuries...worked miracles on some meaty chicks I had with deep puncture and laceration wounds. Keep us posted!

Oh I did, right away! just poured it on and prayed for a miracle. I'm just glad there were any survivors! And I think the ducks for sure will be healed up before spring laying. (big investment there to get the Muscovys; meat for me, sell ducklings for profit to help do other things.)

Thanks everyone
maryhysong. I'm so sorry for you and your birds. I hope they heal quickly.
I'm sure I'll blotch a kill (s!). I just couldn't this time. I wouldn't have been able to finish. I think the worse part was/is the feeling of betrayal. Yesterday they were happy and scratching and dust bathing and today I killed them. I do feel ok, but it is hard.
Thanks again.
mo

Thank you. Yes, I still feel just a bit ... don't know what to call it, sad, bad, guilty, .... not really any of those but they are in the neighborhood. I also feel very drained after butchering. It is hard, tho it does get a little bit easier in time, tho not a thing that is enjoyable.

 

[Beekissed]

Ask and you shall receive....

 

[maryhysong]

You know Bee, I was just thinking about predator stress. I have two pens of birds, both with chickens and muscovy ducks, one also has some runner ducks in it. They are right next to each other, sharing a common piece of fencing in between. The dogs got into one pen but not the other. The other pen, those birds have been very upset all day (which is understandable!). But I've been watching them; usually when I go out to feed in the morning I can hardly get into the pen because the big muscovy drakes are trying to crawl into the feed bucket even before I get the gate open, they are real piggies! This morning I went out and they were all up on the plywood and stuff I have around the pen to make extra shade for them; with their crests up and hissing. It's possible something was out there before I came out that I didn't see, but they didn't hardly eat half their food today, very unusual for them!

So I'm thinking that birds could be stressed out just by having predators around the neighborhood, even if they don't actually get into the pens. They were still acting very skittish when I went out this afternoon; usually they will just pile into the food, but today they were very standoffish and hung back, some would come eat a little then go back to 'lookout' duty while others came to eat. I couldn't even get close to any of the birds, ducks or chickens today; usually they don't pay me that much attention once I dump out the feed.

Just random thoughts in the back of my mind....

 

[maryhysong]

Bee, thanks for those pics! Where I work they get bleach in that size bottles so I will have them save me some ;-) Thanks!

 

[Beekissed]

I agree...the presence of predators in the area can make the birds huddle up to shelter and act "off". I can see it in my old free range wary flock on some days when they huddle next to the buildings, dash across the open areas like they are being dive bombed all the while and they will all freeze like statutes for long periods of time like they are frozen in fear. I haven't seen any pred attempts but apparently they have been put on high alert for some reason and so it makes me a little more alert also....I'll be more present out in the yard and watch the skies, etc. during these times.

I've never lost any birds to predators of this kind while they have been out free ranging in all these years and I credit it to culling for survival instincts, a wily rooster, the right breeds for the task and the dog. Always it comes back to the dog.

I cannot stress this fact enough...everyone who keeps small livestock also needs to have that dog presence in their yard both night and day. A dog that is used to living outside and is alert to disturbances in the flocks and that can only come with time spent with the birds. It doesn't have to be a LGD breed...I've used Lab mixes all these years and they have been wonderful. Each and every one of them were dogs that nobody wanted and that I got for free. They have been the salvation of my animal experience and I cannot say enough good things about this single most effective predator deterrent.

I have been able to go to work all day until late in the evenings in complete and total confidence that my dogs have it all under control. I've gone away and left everyone out on free range for 4-5 days at a time and come back to peace in the valley, no one missing or anything changed at all. It gives one great peace of mind that is simply priceless.

 

[Mountain Momma]

I agree...the presence of predators in the area can make the birds huddle up to shelter and act "off". I can see it in my old free range wary flock on some days when they huddle next to the buildings, dash across the open areas like they are being dive bombed all the while and they will all freeze like statutes for long periods of time like they are frozen in fear. I haven't seen any pred attempts but apparently they have been put on high alert for some reason and so it makes me a little more alert also....I'll be more present out in the yard and watch the skies, etc. during these times.

I've never lost any birds to predators of this kind while they have been out free ranging in all these years and I credit it to culling for survival instincts, a wily rooster, the right breeds for the task and the dog. Always it comes back to the dog.

I cannot stress this fact enough...everyone who keeps small livestock also needs to have that dog presence in their yard both night and day. A dog that is used to living outside and is alert to disturbances in the flocks and that can only come with time spent with the birds. It doesn't have to be a LGD breed...I've used Lab mixes all these years and they have been wonderful. Each and every one of them were dogs that nobody wanted and that I got for free. They have been the salvation of my animal experience and I cannot say enough good things about this single most effective predator deterrent.

I have been able to go to work all day until late in the evenings in complete and total confidence that my dogs have it all under control. I've gone away and left everyone out on free range for 4-5 days at a time and come back to peace in the valley, no one missing or anything changed at all. It gives one great peace of mind that is simply priceless.

Thats amazing.
I've gotten caught up in the fear factor. I race home to check the chickens and dogs before getting the kids from school, I mumble little prayers of protection under my breath for them, I am hyper alert when Im outside and very edgy if the kids are with me. Usually send them packing back into the house. I pass out walking sticks to the pre teens that walk by my house, I thank my nosey neighbors for putting the doogs back on the deck while i'm out and, as you already know, Ive pinned all my hopes on little Emma. What I would give to be confident in the landscape!!!!

 

[Mountain Momma]

Blue Jays taking chicks???? These must be Serama chicks. I keep my chicks, VERY LARGE ORPS, under cover until they are 4 weeks old...roughly 4 -5 times the size of a Blue Jay.Never have seen a Blue Jay after any kind of chick in over 50+ years with chickens. A crow might grab a stray bantam chick,or a dead one,, but I've never seen it happen. RAVENS WILL kill chicks though. Different breed of cat.

blue jays are ********. They eat my cats' food too.