What did you do with your flock today?

[ChicksnMore]

This is nice. I shut garden gates and let pasture cockerel out of roo pen for a little freedom. After awhile he hopped the fence and uneventfully mingled with the flock. Just like that.View attachment 3335622
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My chickens are awesome. I wonder where everyone will go to sleep tonight?
It has been raining off and on all day. A little heavy right now and pretty awesome. Good day today.

That's a handsome pasture boy too! I'm so glad he came in so peaceful! Did he sleep with the flock?

Ugh you guys…I gotta find a way to get rid of the RATS!! I found a whole corner of my big coop door chewed off today so they can get inside the coop! Little jerks!

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Wow. I still have coop cams on my to-do list.... curious what I'll see. I have multi-catch traps that don't harm them. For the tender hearted, it lets you release them elsewhere. To be honest, quick kill might be more humane though because a lot of relocated critters die before the find everything they need to survive. That's a hard, slow death Im guessing.

Have my fingers crossed. Fighting moles today. Got some of those light up smoke bombs you stick down the run. Additionally, ran my blow dryer to force the smoke down into all the tunnels. Had smoke coming up through the grass and other places. Kept the flock locked up until the air cleared. They were not happy for that time, but later got to play in all the fallen leaves.

I use mothballs dropped down the holes for rock squirrels...it might work for moles too. Doesn't kill them but does beautiful to drive them away.

 

[ChicksnMore]

Can't remember which day, but my kids got me a goat! She's an 8 week old Nigerian doe.

My oldest bringing her home.

Me meeting her. Excuse the jammies and ratty bathrobe!

My youngest giving her a cuddle.

Not sure why they got me one...lol . But she's a doll. Now I have to look for a friend for her though...lol

 

[Shetland lover]

Right! And it doesn’t help when you have people selling “chicken coops” without ventilation. There is a lumber yard not far from me that selling random things to kinda help make ends meet. One he sold was a chicken coop. It was a shed without a shred of ventilation. Not even a window. He wanted $2,500 for it. Im not paying that anyway when mine that is bigger than that and made right cost less than that. And on top of that I would have to cut out some of the wood you’re selling me.

Another was at an auction. I don’t remember the measurements on that one but it was just a little bigger than the one I just got. It even had a cute front porch. First look I was like ok…I would pay a good amount for it. Then I look into it. Part of the back of the coops plywood was just flat out missing. The ventilation was more of drafts in the winter. Right on the roosts, and right behind the nest boxes. You can’t really put the roosts down, they would be basically on the floor. If you closed those up for winter there wouldn’t be anywhere close to enough ventilation. I did take pictures of this one. But it went into a bidding war and finally sold for $600. I wouldn’t have spent that knowing all the things I would have to replace. When I first went to look at it the roost bars where there, when I went back to take pictures of it, they were down…

It's pretty -or could be - but I'd not have paid as much as that for it either. My 'big' coop cost me £30 second hand. It's handmade, not a prefab. It has an apex roof which I hinged for easy access and added some extra ventilation. I don't have great pictures of it but these might give you some idea. The brown, tatty hen is Peggy, the day I adopted her from the battery cages.

 

[Shetland lover]

I went to a livestock auction in Colorado. Also saw the regular auctions from far. I can see it being a very exhilarating and addictive adventure. I loved the big swapmeets too. The coolest stuff.

I hope to go to a few when I visit the mainland. The and antique shops.

I daren't go to auctions. I'd be bankrupt by the time I came home and DH would moan about where we're going to put all the 'crap' I'd bought.

 

[FBMcrazy8]

I went to a livestock auction in Colorado. Also saw the regular auctions from far. I can see it being a very exhilarating and addictive adventure. I loved the big swapmeets too. The coolest stuff.

I hope to go to a few when I visit the mainland. The and antique shops.

I went to livestocks when I was a kid but those were boring to me then . I want to go to one now but I’m not really looking for cows yet. I would love to look for goats but most of the time it’s cows that are being auctioned. I also love going to antique shops though I haven’t been to any in a long time.

I will want to see your finds when you do go!

 

[Shetland lover]

That's a handsome pasture boy too! I'm so glad he came in so peaceful! Did he sleep with the flock?

Wow. I still have coop cams on my to-do list.... curious what I'll see. I have multi-catch traps that don't harm them. For the tender hearted, it lets you release them elsewhere. To be honest, quick kill might be more humane though because a lot of relocated critters die before the find everything they need to survive. That's a hard, slow death Im guessing.

I use mothballs dropped down the holes for rock squirrels...it might work for moles too. Doesn't kill them but does beautiful to drive them away.

My Grandad used to swear by mothballs for moles so it does work. Can't get mothballs in England now though. The active ingredient, napthalene, is banned.

You all need my mom's cat for mole catching. He once dropped one - alive - on the dining table in the middle of Sunday lunch!

 

[Shetland lover]

Can't remember which day, but my kids got me a goat! She's an 8 week old Nigerian doe.

My oldest bringing her home.
View attachment 3335957Me meeting her. Excuse the jammies and ratty bathrobe!
View attachment 3335959My youngest giving her a cuddle.View attachment 3335961Not sure why they got me one...lol . But she's a doll. Now I have to look for a friend for her though...lol

She is beautiful i want one - or half a dozen!

 

[FBMcrazy8]

Can't remember which day, but my kids got me a goat! She's an 8 week old Nigerian doe.

My oldest bringing her home.
View attachment 3335957Me meeting her. Excuse the jammies and ratty bathrobe!
View attachment 3335959My youngest giving her a cuddle.View attachment 3335961Not sure why they got me one...lol . But she's a doll. Now I have to look for a friend for her though...lol

Omg!!!!!! How stinking cool is that! I wish my kids would bring me one But then I would have to ask where they stole it from

 

[Shetland lover]

Little Stanley is 12 weeks old today and nearly as big as his mom. He's going to be a total snugglebug like his dad. I really hope he and Ferdy continue to get on as I haven't the space to separate them and I don't want to have to re-home him. I took some pictures of him earlier, not great as he wouldn't keep still..

 

[kurby22]

What kind of traps have you used?

I tried sending some links but they went all sideways. Anywho, I'd try the electric since you have a few rats and it's reusable.

Only the humane traps that they completely ignore right now. We’ve also got the rat poison traps they also ignore. Sighhhh. I don’t want to kill any of them and I hate using poison…sooo I bought some ultrasonic sound makers my mom suggested that worked for my brother in laws neighbors (they all ended up at his house!) I also need to fill their holes under the coop they created. Why they gotta be so relentless, I think they’re so cute when NOT HERE.