I know one, possibly two of ours that were killed and beheaded by a male great horned owl. The rest were taken by the red foxes. I really think the gray foxes were "collateral" damage.
But, come to a predator call out by The Lady`s chicken pen right now and you`ll collect a 22 longrifle solid in the head.
Have only seen a few red fox around here,,,, lots of yotes though,,,, it's amazing how our dog knows when the Eagles are around,,,,
I’ll take a look at Cackle. I ran the prices for 6 birds from McMurray last night and it was $350 after shipping!!!
I may be trying to find some locally.
Tractor Supply will have chicks starting very soon and they are at a economical price.
Ive got a 5x10 dog kennel. Tin laid across top to keep em dry. A couple 2x2,s stuck across the fencing panels for roosts and 2 nesting boxes nailed to a post. Works fine and simple
how many chickens though?
Just cause they have names don't mean you can't eat them!!I did chickens for 5 years. You can read my posts about it on here. I'm glad the last one was carried off into the night never to be seen again.
All of mine had names therefore they were off limits to eat. I would have and I would have rotated them out. They stopped laying after about 4 years. The feed was cheap I only supplementally fed them since they were free range. They were all very healthy.
With that said, they pooped all over the drive way under my deck and you couldn't keep mulch in the flower beds. I would mow and fix the mulch and the chickens would be right behind kicking it out.
I'm looking forward to not pressure washing my deck, sidewalk and driveway this summer.
I would get and keep more if it was under my terms. I disagreed with naming them and not eating them. They're worthless to me otherwise. I started with 14, 1 rooster who was quickly dispatched after he attacked me.
I did chickens for 5 years. You can read my posts about it on here. I'm glad the last one was carried off into the night never to be seen again.
All of mine had names therefore they were off limits to eat. I would have and I would have rotated them out. They stopped laying after about 4 years. The feed was cheap I only supplementally fed them since they were free range. They were all very healthy.
With that said, they pooped all over the drive way under my deck and you couldn't keep mulch in the flower beds. I would mow and fix the mulch and the chickens would be right behind kicking it out.
I'm looking forward to not pressure washing my deck, sidewalk and driveway this summer.
I would get and keep more if it was under my terms. I disagreed with naming them and not eating them. They're worthless to me otherwise. I started with 14, 1 rooster who was quickly dispatched after he attacked me.
Our secretary at work has 5 or so chickens. When she leaves in the mornings she opens the door and they free roam the yard and woods. In the evening they all come back to the coop and she shuts the door. I believe that she has only had 1 or 2 over the last 6 years or so that got killed and one was neighbors dog and the other had made a nest and started sitting.
We've got predators,,,, but we also have a door on our coop,,,, nothing gonna get in there,,,, it's just been so cold they've stopped laying,,,, tried the light thing,,,, no luck,,,, it's the temps up here,,,, come spring,,,, back to around 8 to 10 per day,,,, 12 birds,,,,
Would also like to say,,,, make sure that you wash the eggs and your hands after handling them,,,, our birds lay the biggest eggs,,,, and good,,,,
I don't have chickens but was told by an old lady that does, if you don't wash the eggs you need not refidgerate and can leave them on the counter for a cpl weeks and they'll be fine? Washing also affects taste?
I don't have chickens but was told by an old lady that does, if you don't wash the eggs you need not refidgerate and can leave them on the counter for a cpl weeks and they'll be fine? Washing also affects taste?
That`s true. Some countries don`t wash their eggs for this reason.
Some folks think you need a rooster to have eggs too. You don`t. A rooster will keep order amongst the hens, but with no rooster around an older hen will generally do the same.