Washingtonians

[Farmin Momma]

Farming mama I have no personal experience with predators but, I have been doing 3 years of BYC surfing and remember alot. You mentioned just a bloody spot under one wing - I've read that can be a mink or weasel, they drink the blood but, don't eat the victim. also you said the birds refused to sleep in the coop. Many times this is because "something " is in the coop scaring them.
This could be anything from snakes, rats, weasels etc.

I would go over your coop from top of bottom, inside and out, to see if there are any tunnels dug under or around it. Or any signs of life other than chickens. If it passes the strictest scrutiny then I would put them in the coop despite their wishes - they are after all 'bird brains,' and I mean that in the nicest way. But, I think humans have to do the big decisions. Sleeping outside the coop proved disastrous to them. So sorry for your loss.

Search BYC for predators especially mink, weasels etc. To see how to guard against them and how they attack their prey.

Well that would explain why the bodies were intact.
I am prety sure the reason they were not sleeping in the coop is because when I moved them out of the growning pen and into the coop I did it durring the day and forgot to lock them in at night. So they just sletp where ever.
Thanks for the idea.

Quote: Well I think I have more than one type of predator, I know for sure I have cyotes.

Quote:

Quote: I too wanted to attend the processing class and the last meet up, but we have 5 kids and DH works late a lot plus not to many people want to take on that many kids at once for me. Oh well, I will make it at some point. Hope you can to.

Well, it was inevitable since Prince Will the peacock had a broken wing. The coyote got him this morning.

And now I can't find my last peachick.

Oh I am so sorry!

 

[Totalcolour]

Quote: Well, it happened when he turned the blower on, everything died. So he thinks it was an electrical short, circuit breaker. We'll know more after the tech looks at it.

 

[JNB]

Thank You all for the ideas and information... Very much appreciated!!

Make it bigger. Get more chickenz!!!

Dirt floor.

I'd have all the coops at least a foot of the ground to make underneath less inviting to rodents, and easier to pop them with a bb gun. High enough that my german shepherd can get under to kill them would be even better.

We poured a concrete floor on ours no rodents can get under there. And its easy to sweep and do a deep clean.

You would have kept with a dirt floor? What do you have now?

I like my dirt floor... easy, peasy to scoop.

 

[Teva]

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife does not classify coyotes as game animals, but a state license is required to hunt or trap them (RCW 77.32.010). The owner, the owner's immediate family, employee, or a tenant of real property may kill or trap a coyote on that property if it is damaging crops or domestic animals (RCW 77.36.030). A license is not required in such cases. Check with your county and/or local jurisdiction for local restrictions. Except for bona fide public or private zoological parks, persons and entities are prohibited from importing a coyote into Washington State without a permit from the Department of Agriculture and written permission from the Department of Health. Persons and entities are also prohibited from acquiring, selling, bartering, exchanging, giving, purchasing, or trapping a coyote for a pet or export (WAC 246-100-191).

http://wdfw.wa.gov/living/coyotes.html

 

[Chicken Rustler]

Well Hello to every one. It's been a while since I've been on the forum. (I was 1100 posts behind, still am and I don't have time to catch up) I thought I had better say Hi so no one thinks I've gone over the rainbow bridge.
My girls are doing fine all nine of them. 7 RIR (original flock) and I added 2 Eng Orpingtons from RisingStar, that was several weeks ago and they were 10 weeks old then. The RIR are 21 weeks now and the Orps are bigger then them.
The RIR started laying about 10 days ago. Small eggs to start but progressively getting bigger. Got my 1st Large egg yesterday and they're avg 3 eggs/day which I feel is good.
Trying to catch up on some maintenance here and get in some fishing too. Bought a new boat, (just a jon boat but it gets me out on the lakes) so that brings me up to date and the reasons that I've not been on the forum for awhile.

Come on tell the truth ya was just noddin off nappin until some guy called ya last night to see if ya was still around !

 

[Totalcolour]

Well, this is a first for me. I finally let my Barnevelders out into Gen Pop after being in Quarantine for 3 weeks. I did it last night, just before dusk so the two cockerels could take a look at each other but not have to fight at bedtime (wasn't sure it would work). There were no ruffled feathers - himself put the 3 pullets and the cockerel on the roost and all was quiet.

This morning, I went out to check them. While they followed each other about, there seems to be NO aggression from either on to the other! Maybe it's because they are both young, I don't know. They are both very nice birds, and so far have been good around me and the other critters. So, keeping fingers crossed.


Duncan on the left, (tall, leggy Marans/Ameraucana/Cornish) and
Barnabus (Barnevelder) on the right


I'm hoping that Duncan, being a cross, will have an olive egger gene
for the Ameraucana girls.

 

[Totalcolour]

Right now, I *think* we're going through about 4lbs/day for my 12 girls, which is completely normal from what I have read.

Oooh, you are so lucky. We are going through about 60 lbs a day, and that's only ducks and chickens. We also have goats and rabbits . . .

 

[JNB]

From what I have learned so far Duckweed or Lemna minor L and Azolla is an amazing source of protein and it seems fairly easy and inexspensive to grow. Im thinking of using an old stock tub out near the coops. If I get time Im gonna go talk to a lady that runs a store near me . She specializes in water gardens, ponds etc.. Hopefully she wont have a fit when I tell her I want to raise a plant that many in her field HATE and work hard to kill.. Since mine wont be near any orher water sources I think I should be ok. If I do decide to try it I will tell ya all how it works out.

We were talking about Lemna minor L, (lesser duckweed). There are other species grouped in the "duckweed" family of Lemnaceae. I fed my hens some water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes L.) and they chowed through in no time.

Thank You Raz.... I was hoping to find someone that knew the species because from the reading Ive been doing there seem to several variety.

Yea, I wish my coops had dirt floors. Now I have vinyl over plywood. I use a deep-litter method, but in Yakima it is so dry that I never get a compost going, not even a slow one So I'd rather have the dirt floor to help with the deep litter composting idea.



You need to ask Rainwolf about duckweed -- she'll know.

I will look for her and see what she has to say TY

 

[RainyDayChicken]

No lip gloss...I have screws and hinges in my purse, lol. But here is the visual for you. and yes, I got some wide-eyed stares while we were rolling down meridian. We had some jazz music for their enjoyment too, haha

Here we are all loaded up neatly and ready to head back home. The Lowe's guys are highly amused with me, I have been there three times this week. Three guys asked if we needed help this time and they looked soarly disappointed when I said no thanks, lol.

This is my daughter in the mustang, She is my accomplice for this coop building expedition.

hi
That is so cool a lady w/ a mustang and loves to build. I am sure that is what everyone was thinking as you went by them.

 

[RaZ]

Most of my girls start laying around 5 months but it does depend on the type of chicken you have.

Even within breeds it varies, last fall of 3 BSL's, 1 started laying at 20 weeks while her sisters waited until 30 weeks. This year, 3 ISA browns started at 21 weeks (July 7) and all 3 have been an egg a day layer since then. The new BSLs haven't started yet.

I was the project engineer for that convertible and we never designed it for that purpose!

We did design the topstack to support a prom queen to sit there during parades. Seriously.

Thank You Raz.... I was hoping to find someone that knew the species because from the reading Ive been doing there seem to several variety.

Please avoid the Azolla. Even if you don't live in direct contact with open water, you still live in a watershed and that plant can escape. Here in Michigan, one of my favourite aquatic plants "parrot's feather" has been outlawed even though it is not winter hardy. The DNR has imposed hefty fines for having it, even bigger fines if you are selling it.

If you have questions on aquatic plants, drop me a PM. Aquatics were a major part of my master's programme work.