Washingtonians Come Together! Washington Peeps

[ValerieJ]

We have been getting a deer in our run lately. This is not okay as it is also our orchard. She is eating any low leaves and buds. We have a Russian Kiwi vine that is producing fruit for the first time this year and she ate all the fruit!!! We have heightened the appearance of the fence with bright cord and reflective tape. If that doesn't work we will have to actually heighten the fence itself. A major undertaking as it is a little more than 60' x 60'. That's a lot of fencing!

 

[pennyJo1960]

The deer seem to be happy in the green grass left up at the tree farm for now.

 

[ValerieJ]

We have some neighbors who feed the deer and get really upset if anyone shoots one during deer season. So we have other neighbors who think shooting them on their own property, with a permit, during hunting season, is perfectly fine. It can be the Hatfields and McCoys around here. I just want the deer to stop destroying my landscaping, and now in the orchard is just too much. We've never had that happen before, but we have too many deer. That is what hunting season is for. They will soon be diseased if we don't get on top of it. As it is, there are a couple that have been attacked by a particular tick that makes them lose their coat.

It's a bad situation. I love the deer and think it's just such a peaceful scene to see them laying around on the property. I love watching the little fawns this time of year. But, too many deer is too many deer.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We do not have but a few here actually have watched them bring the young.
all seem to be healthy here.

 

[Hinotori]

We have deer and elk. Everyone is spaced enough and there is cattle pasture as well as plenty of woods we don't get a ton unless the elk herd comes through. On deer we see Forky quite a bit. He's around 5 years old now. Then there is the doe and her daughters from the previous 2 years and this years fawn. Sometimes Forky is with them. They are not afraid of us, but if we want to get close we need to be in the truck or on the mower. I cannot tell you how many times Ive had to yell at them to move.

The deer would eat the garden when I didn't have a fence. Squash was ignored. Elk are the destructive ones here. Eat my fruit trees and make a mess of the trees behind the carport. 1

 

[Smokerbill]

Last year the deer just sampled random garden plants here and there. As the weather heated up and all the wild foods dried out they hit my garden harder. They ate tomato plants, ate prickly zucchini leaves and stems, and were just a real PIA.

This year I have a fence around the garden, but it could be easily jumped, so we'll see what happens when their native food sources dry up.

The deer do seem to enjoy munching on the area of the yard I let go wild, so maybe they'll eat that instead of my garden. There's a big area that's all bluegrass, I think, and it's shaded most of the day during the summer so it stays nice and green through the hot season.






THE END!

 

[Pollo Blanco]

So we have other neighbors who think shooting them on their own property, with a permit, during hunting season, is perfectly fine.

I'd make friends with them!

As it is, there are a couple that have been attacked by a particular tick that makes them lose their hair.

Down at Ocean Shores everyone feeds the deer. They have a hair problem too.

 

[ValerieJ]

I'd make friends with them!

I'm friends wit all of them. It's exhausting having to hear all the sides of the issue and try to be empathetic without attacking the other side.

 

[ValerieJ]

Last year the deer just sampled random garden plants here and there. As the weather heated up and all the wild foods dried out they hit my garden harder. They ate tomato plants, ate prickly zucchini leaves and stems, and were just a real PIA.

This year I have a fence around the garden, but it could be easily jumped, so we'll see what happens when their native food sources dry up.

The deer do seem to enjoy munching on the area of the yard I let go wild, so maybe they'll eat that instead of my garden. There's a big area that's all bluegrass, I think, and it's shaded most of the day during the summer so it stays nice and green through the hot season.

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THE END!

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This deer we have in our orchard is jumping a fence. We have bright cord and reflective tape all around the top to make it appear taller now, so we'll see if that works. She hasn't gotten into our garden. It has a fence around it too, but she could jump it. Problem is, it has raised beds and she may be afraid of getting hurt landing on that. Anyway, she hasn't been in there yet. I think it's just the one big deer doing the damage. There is plenty to eat around here, but you know what they say. The grass is always greener on the other side.

 

[Smokerbill]

So far just sanded it semi down and started the wood burning. I was going to design the chess board into the top but she wants it with a full design. It has a drawer for holding the chess pieces since she's already learned that her kitty finds chess pieces irresistible . But the drawer rails are warped so I'll try shaving it back to level and if that fails I'll replace the rails. Found a pretty drawer knob already. I'll use different color stains and the wood burning to make the design pop out and add some wood hardener to the top right before I stain. And using marine spar varnish since it's for a young lady still prone to spilling beverages occasionally. I won't have time to sand the varnish back to satin since it has to cure for a few months before that works well. But I can do that at a later date. Only a month to get it done so going to have to work on it at least some every day!

Your guitar time with the chickens sounds so enjoyable! Are your fingers getting sore or did you still have some callus left from before your year hiatus? Some lucky chickens you have there

If your feed store has all flock available...you can usually get that in a range of protein upto 22% I believe. Might be what your looking for.

Yes, my fingertips are stinging some. The calluses are pretty much gone. I've been playing my acoustic guitar and it has fairly heavy strings, so my fingers are getting a good workout!

I don't think they have an all flock, but they have game bird, which is something like 30%. But with summer coming on and more bugs coming out and my chickens out foraging much of the day, they might be getting a good natural dose of protein by eating insects. I might be able to go with a lower protein feed during the summer and fall. I see them run down and catch flying things sometimes. Pretty cool little raptors!