Chicken/egg question

[EastenerWesterner]

I mark every night, but have caught a possum on camera and a fox since I started. I just killed the possum. Tried to give it away but no takers. My husband asked why I used the .22 rifle instead of 9mm. I said he would have looked like a donut with parts everywhere. There is lots of blood though.

I wasn’t thinking and got a coon inside the carport with the 44 rifle. Fortunately the only damage was the blood. Think I may have a hollow pt in.
With the 9m, I do have a mag loaded with frangibles in case that situation arises again.

 

[Cindyd]

I mark every night, but have caught a possum on camera and a fox since I started. I just killed the possum. Tried to give it away but no takers. My husband asked why I used the .22 rifle instead of 9mm. I said he would have looked like a donut with parts everywhere. There is lots of blood though.

At least you know he wasn't "playing possum" after you snipped him...

If so, that blood n guts always a nice touch!

 

[Mountain trapper]

I use .22 CB Caps on my trap line. It does the job and does very little damage to the pelts. I seldom kill any fur bearing animal until the fur primes up. A couple weeks ago a rancher called me to come and trap some otters he saw in his pond. I told him I'd be glad too, but not until November.

 

[GaRp58]

Came home late yesterday and found 4 eggs in the box from 3 chickens in 1 day!!!!! I think we are doing something right, OR??

 

[Cindyd]

Haa! Did u get 3 day before? Or only 2 and one laid late after you checked, and it carried over from day before?

 

[GaRp58]

No, we got 3 the day before too. Opened the coop around 7:00 am.
Pulled 3 eggs, went to have a birthday party around noon, came home around 2 am and closed the coop up and found the 4 eggs. Gotta be proud of the ladies doing their job. Helena was talking about selling or freezing the ducks and getting more chickens. Also we are getting a hen and a rooster from a german lady whose dog killed 5 of her 6 hens.....................and wants us to take them over the winter, get the hens happy with the rooster and maybe give her some new hens next year in spring...thats the plan, we'll have to see if it works out like that tho.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Starting to put up the rafters on the wife's coop expansion. She wanted a covered area for her girls to be outside, and out of the snow. Got the floor built for the new meat bird coop. Probably won't get it finished before spring though.
When she ordered chick's last spring the hatchery ran out of several of the breeds that she wanted. Because of that the hatchery gave her first dibs on 2023 chick's. She called her order in a few days ago for June 2023 delivery. I recommend ordering chick's and supplies early. Could be a lot of shortages next year.

 

[user 7704]

The one night I didn't take my stick with me, the rooster noticed and decided it was a good time to attack.

I picked up a plant and whacked him. Sorry PETA.

 

[user 7704]

Why molt when it is freezing? Looks like Summer would be a much better time.

 

[user 7704]

She is almost bald.

 

[user 7704]

Neighbor called and said there is a really big fox at her house. Not good for my chickens.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Got the trusses up on the chicken coop expansion today. It warmed up to 25 degrees so it was pretty nice working weather.
We're looking at buying an automatic chicken door. What brand is the best? We'll need to get one that runs off of solar.

 

[user 7704]

The fox is all over my camera this morning. I had a cage set, but he didn't take the cornbread bait.

I made a mistake and let the ladies out to eat. I should have left them in the run. I'll keep a gun close by in case I hear them yelling.

 

[Mountain trapper]

The fox is all over my camera this morning. I had a cage set, but he didn't take the cornbread bait.

I made a mistake and let the ladies out to eat. I should have left them in the run. I'll keep a gun close by in case I hear them yelling.

You'd be better off using a can of sardines for bait this time of year. Of course you'll also catch coon and possums with it too. Fox are kind of difficult to catch in a cage trap. Just make sure the trap is well camouflaged with just the front uncovered.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Why molt when it is freezing? Looks like Summer would be a much better time.

Ours molt in the fall and winter too. Even when the temps drop down to around zero it doesn't seem to bother them.
They really don't care for deep snow though, and will stay in the coop during a storm.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Over the last few days we lost 3 more ducks to an owl. I never see it during the day time to get a shot at it. But today the wife finally got the remaining ducks herded in to the run. Hopefully they'll be safe now.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

X2 on sardines. Canned cat food too.
I can catch a fox easier than a coon in a live trap. Just sometimes some are federally protected it’s tough live in between ranges of fox.

 

[Mountain trapper]

We're down to our last 3 ducks. I set up a camera to see what was getting them. It was an owl. He was coming in through the gap in the wire netting from when I built the extension. I put up some chicken wire netting over the opening, hopefully he won't get in anymore.

 

[GaRp58]

I insulated the walls and roof of out little chicken coop with 2 and a half inch thick polyurathane and put a small light rope thru the coop to make a bit of warmth for the winter. We got a beautiful rooster for free from another german family in the next town and he is doing really well with our 3 hens. They are still laying in the near freezing temps. Helenas brother was here to visit and just spit on the ground after seeing how pretty, healthy and active our hens are...then again after hearing they were still laying eggs. His are molting, skinny and no longer laying.
Here is the new boss and my ladies in laying:

 

[Cindyd]

He's a beauty!

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

I insulated the walls and roof of out little chicken coop with 2 and a half inch thick polyurathane and put a small light rope thru the coop to make a bit of warmth for the winter. We got a beautiful rooster for free from another german family in the next town and he is doing really well with our 3 hens. They are still laying in the near freezing temps. Helenas brother was here to visit and just spit on the ground after seeing how pretty, healthy and active our hens are...then again after hearing they were still laying eggs. His are molting, skinny and no longer laying.
Here is the new boss and my ladies in laying:
View attachment 18159
View attachment 18160

Beautiful rooster and girls! Wish I had a rooster. Those hens look exactly like mine. They are all still laying an egg every single day!

 

[Mountain trapper]

Beautiful rooster and girls! Wish I had a rooster. Those hens look exactly like mine. They are all still laying an egg every single day!

We have a couple roosters, a Bielfelder and a Lemon Cuckoo Niederrhimer. They're just now starting to crow.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I insulated the walls and roof of out little chicken coop with 2 and a half inch thick polyurathane and put a small light rope thru the coop to make a bit of warmth for the winter. We got a beautiful rooster for free from another german family in the next town and he is doing really well with our 3 hens. They are still laying in the near freezing temps. Helenas brother was here to visit and just spit on the ground after seeing how pretty, healthy and active our hens are...then again after hearing they were still laying eggs. His are molting, skinny and no longer laying.
Here is the new boss and my ladies in laying:
View attachment 18159
View attachment 18160

Nice looking flock. I didn't insulate our coop, but it does have double walls. Unless there's a heat source insulation doesn't really help. We don't heat or add lights in our coop and the chickens all do fine. We haven't had a day above freezing since October, so we water them twice a day. They've learned to drink their fill before the water freezes.
Our hens should start laying any day now.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Here's our coop, with the new 6×10 lean-to roof on the front.

 

[GaRp58]

Beautiful pic Arctic. We just have a small, 6X6 foot brick coop and about 10X10 run in front. But they spend lots of time in the whole garden. We have no foxes, coyotes or other problems.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Beautiful pic Arctic. We just have a small, 6X6 foot brick coop and about 10X10 run in front. But they spend lots of time in the whole garden. We have no foxes, coyotes or other problems.

Thanks Gary. I built a 4×6 building two years ago that we use as a brooder. This spring I'm going to add an 8×10 foot section on the chicken coop and triple the size of the run. Last Fall I started on an 8×10 foot building for the meat chickens. We have 13 egg layers right now and want to increase to 25. We've been raising 50 Cornish X meat chickens every year. We're going to cut that number down to 25 since we don't have anyone to share with.

 

[GaRp58]

Well the run being only 10X10 means they do not spend much time there and have the run of half an acre in the garden chasing bugs, worms and lots of green grass and clover. The three provide us enough eggs and even more than we normally eat. Helena started making her own noodles out of eggs and flour now so we will not lose the eggs if we have too many and save the flour from getting old in the pantry. The rooster (we hope) will give us some broody chickens and a few chicks next year. Hopefully, for meat chickens just doubled in price here too.
Have to think of where to put the meat chickens still tho. Not lots of room here.

 

[Mountain trapper]

We're down to 2 ducks. The problem with ducks is they won't go inside the coop at night. We have the run covered with wire but the owl still finds a way in. I'm going to put a couple traps out and catch the owl. He'll never stop killing the ducks. We have more ducks, and chickens, on order for June delivery. This spring I'm going to build a new duck pen and put better netting over the top. It's impossible to do any building in winter.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

Predators are a real problem in the woods and countryside! I count myself as very fortunate that I managed to have our chicken house and run build securely.

Gary, the 10x10 is plenty of space for your hens. Of course allowing them to free range always makes hens happy and allows them to eat bugs! Meat birds don’t need as much space because you don’t want them exercising their feed away.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Predictors are a real problem in the woods and countryside! I count myself as very fortunate that I managed to have our chicken house and run build securely.

Gary, the 10x10 is plenty of space for your hens. Of course allowing them to free range always makes hens happy and allows them to eat bugs! Meat birds don’t need as much space because you don’t want them exercising their feed away.

Three years ago we tried Red Ranger meat chickens. We let them free range. We didn't like the taste at all. Except for that one experiment we've always raised Cornish X and have limited their space. The Cornish X aren't recommended for our elevation so we always loose a few.
So far we've only lost one hen to fox a couple years ago. Last summer the wife and I were sitting on the back deck when we saw a bear walk up to the coop. When the hens saw the bear they started squaking, the bear up a tree. Who knew that chickens can tree a bear.