What did you do with your flock today?

[Jaime918]

Today we are building a door I can insert and lock in place at night for extra ventilation. With the 8 vents we have and their fan, it just wasn't cutting it with a low of 84° at night. I can't add more vents without messing with the structural integrity of the shed so this is our next best option. It'll roughly be 26" wide by 66" tall (~2 ft. x 5 1/2 ft.)

I'll be placing it where the red box is in the photo, butting the doors to it and bolting it at the top and locking the sides in. And I mean literally locking at night people steal chickens out here.

Let hope it works to plan.

 

[ChicksnMore]

It's been a quiet couple days here. I gave away 2 hens and two roos to a fellow one of my daughters met through work...hes a nice fellow that bought a good chunk of land and wants to homestead. My kid told him my theory on egg size versus bird size, so he wanted to give the dwarf chickens a try as possibly more feed efficient layers. I'll be curious to see if he agrees with me on that.
I trimmed my overgrown oregano and treated the birds with it. Our wash is filling up with purslane after the rain, so I thought about picking them a bucket of it...maybe tomorrow. The ducks have finished off their treats and are back to empty water so I should grab them another bucket of pond plants too tomorrow. Think I'll go back to painting and finish off that coop too... tomorrow...lol.
Boy, tomorrows going to be a busy day!

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Well, last night I got the chickens outside in their coop. First night out and so I was a little nervous. We hadn’t seen the coon for 2 nights in a row and hadn’t seen anything of him being around still. However, he has shown up randomly before. So at 10:30 pm I went to check on them. They were quite and I opened one of the boxes for the nests. They are all sleeping and doing great. I go out at 11:30/11:40pm for just kinda “one last check” and I hear it. A raccoon close to the coop. It was up in the tree next to the coop. And unfortunately I couldn’t find where my husband put the BB/pellet gun. I do know that we made this coop as secure and possible and a raccoon would have to REALLY work to get in this coop. Of course I still didn’t really well sleep all night.

Woke up and went out to check on them. They are alive and well! I let them out for a while before I head to town for a little. And because it wouldn’t be long but enough I wasn’t comfortable leaving them out I put them back in the coop. We don’t have the netting to go over the coop yet. And though we don’t have many hawks or flying predators that we see everyday, they are there.

Got home and let them back out. For whatever reason I looked in the tree. Normally you can’t see coons in trees during the day but I did. He was just hanging out…sleeping…but not hiding very well. I pointed it out to my husband and we got the pellets and pellet gun. Now we have been trying to catch this thing for MONTHS. I do mean months. Tried everything to get him into the live traps but he was too big for it. His butt kept open the door while he ate. My brother caught a few in it but he had the same problem. We caught eye of him and we did know he was big.

So we shot him down, yes dead. And this one WAS not big. He wasn’t a baby but wasn’t the same one. We haven’t seen the one for 2 nights prior and last night would have been 3. He still isn’t around tonight either. But the coon near the coop in the tree closest to the coop is no longer going to be a problem.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Sure glad you got him! You where smart to take him out.

 

[TropicalBabies]

Good morning gang!
Wow! Coops and predators. Most exciting thread to read .

Good job on protecting your new little flock ♡ must be hard @racyfamily .

I think your coop looks awesome @ChicksnMore

My dmv appointment was yesterday and I am happy to say I aced my 🏍 test with 100%. I'm legal Planning quick overnight camping getaways with my honey already! Who knows when we will find the time or pet care though... lol. Good to dream.

Today I start packing my truck with 3rd load for the mountain. Hope to make it up for real in the next day or 2.

Gotta scrub the house for my honey b4 I leave and make some yummy food- big salad and spaghetti ot to last him a bit.

Flock is handling the heat pretty good so far. Got the electrolytes going, frozen fruits and no scratch, mister in the garden and hose under trees during the worst, but can't expect dh to do my routine. Still waffling on who's coming up with me. I want everybody ♡ Good news is I am only 30 minutes away from home and have cameras so can adjust as I go.

Think I will have to capture some kitties too. I'm selfish, want my kitties.

Just not sure if they will have me lol

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Sure glad you got him! You where smart to take him out.

Thank you! Looked today and there was another. We got that one too. He must of been up higher in the tree. He took the spot the other one was in. Still not the one we have been trying to catch though. We think this might be her young. But we haven’t seen that one 4 nights now. Not in our trash or digging up plants. But if it is her young. Chances are that this one is all that is left.

 

[Happy hen lover]

It's been a quiet couple days here. I gave away 2 hens and two roos to a fellow one of my daughters met through work...hes a nice fellow that bought a good chunk of land and wants to homestead. My kid told him my theory on egg size versus bird size, so he wanted to give the dwarf chickens a try as possibly more feed efficient layers. I'll be curious to see if he agrees with me on that.
I trimmed my overgrown oregano and treated the birds with it. Our wash is filling up with purslane after the rain, so I thought about picking them a bucket of it...maybe tomorrow. The ducks have finished off their treats and are back to empty water so I should grab them another bucket of pond plants too tomorrow. Think I'll go back to painting and finish off that coop too... tomorrow...lol.
Boy, tomorrows going to be a busy day!

I JUST REMEMBERED I TRIMMED MY BASIL YESTERDAY. !! Oh man it was 100 yesterday and is 102 right now guess it's already dried!?! Tee hee hee. Guess I better go collect it.

 

[Happy hen lover]

I forced the 4 youngest flock (10 week olds) into the main run with all other birds. They have been hiding in their area away from older flock. I think the roo has convinced them the main flock are KILLERS! lol
They have upset their waterer several times , ripped insulation off of ceiling out of boredom.
When I look in on them they are so hot it's nuts the main run is watered w/ 4 waterers, covered with roof, and has lots of perches to fly up on.! So I made decision today after laying is done they are going to nudged out of coop so they see they aren't going to DIE ! . I've pulled their feeders and now I will pull their waterer from that side to entice them to integrate.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Thank you! Looked today and there was another. We got that one too. He must of been up higher in the tree. He took the spot the other one was in. Still not the one we have been trying to catch though. We think this might be her young. But we haven’t seen that one 4 nights now. Not in our trash or digging up plants. But if it is her young. Chances are that this one is all that is left.

That's awesome coons 0 humans / chicken 2! Yay

 

[FBMcrazy8]

That's awesome coons 0 humans / chicken 2! Yay

Oh for sure happy about protecting the chickens. Would have loved to have relocated them but never caught any of them. No matter what I did.

My oldest is having such a hard time with it. She doesn’t get why we have to get rid of them and what it will do to our chickens. I tried to explain that we have grown attached to the chickens and picking them up after they are torn apart is worse than killing a coon.