Washingtonians

[itsren]

MOST but not all chickens won't eat bees. In fact the one in my pics had a bee chasing her and we were ROFL at her trying to get away. It is so easy to direct the bees to keep them above heads.

My EE must not be the brightest in the bunch. I can't even count how many fuzzy bumblebees she ate. She was quick, too. Got them every time. Thankfully, the Rhododendrons are done blooming, deadheaded and pruned back. Now the bees can move onto flowers that are out of my EEs reach. I never saw my RIR or Brahma eat any.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: Also another great idea is to make small bee blocks. Let the bees fill them then give as gifts at Christmas etc.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

That was for Renee. Sorry, I suck at navigating this forum.

NOT TO WORRY ! ! ! We all had to learn it. Take a deep breath and be patient IT WILL be OK !!!
And In case ya sneeeeked by

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Quote: That was my first thought. Mink They are loose here. Either way they are the same, BAD and need a lead injection.

 

[itsren]

Locals around here say they gotta be Mink

Here's an interesting story about minks and chickens. Don't know if it will help you, but it was a good read. http://goodlifeprogress.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/the-stakeouts/

 

[Totalcolour]

Quote: CL, I don't think they are Ferrets, ferrets are domesticated animals so a pair of them is unlikely but perhaps a relative, polecat or weasel. All ferrets sold here are "fixed", so they can't reproduce. Also, they rarely grow over 20 inches long (I know all this becasue we kept them as pets, and also to help get rid of the mole in the garden - I adore them!).

Even if they are somebodies pets that have escaped, they won't hurt you. They do kill chickens though. We fed ours live mice sometimes, and of course, chicken!

Traps will work best if you have LIVE bait!

Hang in there!

 

[Sudsy Chick]

Here are the co-mamas with their newest baby - the little yellow one - transplanted from Hallerlake's

 

[Zgoatlady]

Quick question: I am stocking my chicken first aid kit. Where can I find Corid in WA?! I bought Sulmet today and also have Duramycin-10 (which seems to have been a useless purchase since I can't actually find a use for it on the forums other than everyone saying "There's better stuff for whatever you're trying to treat" Doh!) So yeah, where can I find Corid? If we have a problem I don't want to have to start with Sulmet since my birdies are still so young.

We have it out here in Enumclaw at the feed stores and if not there the vet on 400 carries it.

 

[Zgoatlady]

Wow, that's no fun! I hope your week is better. I hate the hospital!

The Bantams are Silver penciled and silver laced cochins. They are my very favorite. They let David pet them. The afro-heads are Silkies, I think they are blue or mottled. The big girls are Black Copper Marans, and the rooster and his gal are Wheaten Marans. The thought is to bred him with black coppers to make Blue Copper Marans.

I started out with the vision of all BC Marans, but starting collecting chickens, and ended up with a chicken husband. He has decided to build a big stationary coop for the big girls.

Please dont breed Wheatons to Black Copper , it wont make blues even if its a Blue Wheaton. You will really mess up the gene pool for Marans. I dont mean to be harsh. Now if you tell eveyone what you have done before you sell them I guess its ok.

 

[hallerlake]

Ferrets !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


We left yesterday about 9 AM & stopped at a few stores in Aberdeen & then on to Elma to have a nice Dad's day with the family.
We had a great time & left about 3 PM & were alarmed when we pulled in the driveway there was a pullet running loose.
How strange, how in the world did she get out as she was in a totally enclosed pen right next to our cabin !
Got out & caught her and found a grisly scene !
Dead chooks everywhere, feathers all over !!!!!!!!!

One pullet was drug head first into a 1 foot deep hole that was freshly dug under the cabin...we just buried 12" of hardware wire there !
The pullet's body was too big to fit down the hole, so the killer just took her head.
There was another drug under a pallet, legs sticking out, and another drug to the pen fence, head through to the outside, head missing but the body once again too big to allow the killer to drag off the entire body.
Like this is exactly 3 feet from our cabin's front door !!!!!!!!!!!!!

The hole dug down 12" under the buried wire was the size of a baseball........I went further & discover yet another pullet, this one a Blue Jersey Giant

dead & drug into a deep dark corner, inside the next coop.
Did not find any more after that.
DH set up the web cam & recorded a DVD last night and as we watched, we could see something big & long under the cabin barn !!!!!!!! INSIDE Under !
It went under the 12" of buried wire & is IN THERE!!!
I got 3 almost adult cockerels from the bachelor pad & put them in this pen.
DH has the Hav-A-Hart trap set up with ground beef...but none were caught over the night.
We replayed the DVD this morning & sure enough there is one, and DH thinks a pair, of ferrets, much too big to be a weasel with bodies nose to atil about 2-3 feet long !!!

Right on the front porch !
These things are viscious and UNDER the cabin RIGHT NOW & can pop out and kill a mess of birds at any given moment, even in broad daylight while we were gone yesterday !
I am afraid to even sit here that they may be out trying to kill right now!
I for sure cannot go anywhere & have the .410 loaded & sitting next to me.......................everytime a cock jumps a hen & she squeals, I run out thinking the killer is back.
It is so awful...hard to describe how I feel, especially when we work so hard at security, to have these critters UNDER our cabin ?!?!
You'd think they would attack a coop far away, but this pen only had pullets in it.
I feel like I have been assualted, and the perp is still in the house.
I cannot hardly eat & have been physically sick.......................I will try to get updates when I can.

We have ferrets?

How awful for you. I hope you get the buggers!