the crooked little chicken house

“Judy is a tough bird.”

“I took her and her bin outside this am, and she stood at the door like she wanted to go back in the house. I wish she would go in the bin!

If she was attacked by a wild animal, it would be one thing, but the neighbors dog shouldn't be in my yard to begin with.
Pepper spray is on my list of purchases tonight.”

“I've lost a couple chickens in the past from loose dogs. The remaining chickens are a bugger to find. I usually had to wait until almost dark to see them come out of their hiding spots after being scared to death by the dog. Amazing what little cover they can use, as good as pheasant at hiding.”

“I talked to the neighbor with the dog - apparently my critters hang out in her dooryard making her dogs crazy...time for some fencing I guess!
She does plan on an invisible fence when the ground thaws, which really is about time for her.

She offered to pay, etc, but if Judy and the chickens are wandering down there, then I can't totally blame Riley.”

“In CA you can be sited by Animal Control.:( Kinda sucks for stray chickens etc.”

“yeah, here too...

Judy will be okay. I've never seen her beyond my yard, but if the neighbor says, then it must be so.

Broody hen has eggs sticking out from all directions...”

“My neighbor found a hide out nest inside her chicken enclosure, a banty hen was sitting on them. All roosters I think hatched out, she was finally able to give them away to someone for their Sunday dinners. With the commercialization of chickens, over the years, I only had two hens that got broody. I went on a weekend bp trip one time and had to quickly put a hen with a few of her chicks in a cage I had. She covered them too close to the edge and a raccoon got the chicks and bloodied her a little.”

“My goodness, I've had to catch up on y'all! I've had some bad misfortune! So here goes.

Y'all knew something got Big White, my fault that one was. Bout 2 days later, it/he/she/they got Brad Pitt, dammit!!!!!! He was the finest dang Americauna rooster you ever did see!

So now #2, who is one fugly Americauna rooster, is seriously struttin his stuff (except to Charlie Brown, the psychotic guinea boss). Anyhow, about 3 days later I noticed one of the Fat Chix was gone, a great layer, winedot. But, it hit before dark for sure this time, I've been monitoring them closely now.

So Friday we pick up the kids and eat out, real early. Come back about 5.30 or so, and find 5 chickens GONE! (So much for our dawg being worth a flip.) Found one body down at the cafeteria site along the jeep road below our house, dead but pretty much unmolested (here's where it's been chowing it's catch each time). So I chamber my 30-30 and wait ... til' there's no light. (Ya my dad laughed, wondering if I had a big enough gun.) Nothing tho, he/she/it/they must be stuffed. I have it in my freezer, perhaps later try to use it as bait. But 4 of the 5 were wonderful layers! Lost the other Fat Chick (winedot), our only Australorp, a Rhode Is.Red, a Sexlink, I cannot recall just now the last one..... oh, a comet.

So, we're down to 15 total. 2 are a pair of guineas, and 5 roosters.

I've tried to get a night scope or night vision monoscope or goggles or something, but none of my friends/family here have any. But one buddy told me to lose the 30-30, and get buck shot for my 12 guage. So tomorrow I'ma pick up some shot. I'm quite, quite sure it's coyote, and not coons or a nabe's dawg. Oh yeah, our #&%!$ is in heat, so tomorrow I also gotta pick up a BB gun to shoot the poor fellers that come around sniffing. We have a Brittany and thought about doing a round of puppies for the kids, but we many tire of that plan. Obviously our dearest Brit ain't much on chicken protection duties.”

“That's not good. Too early for a raccoon to come around. I'd go with the shotgun too, if something is running, a better chance of hitting it.”

“Yeah hd, that's what he said too. Funny, my female dawg who is in heat, was blurbed out as a cussword above, hehe.
That "beep" upair was supposed to say beeyatch.

I thank we're gonna scratch the baby dawgs idea, and just get her fixed. One poor fellow just cain't seem to get enough of smelling her delish pee.”

“He won't be poh long.:) Come to papa!:)”

“Doh! HD you naisty!! That's homosexuality AND bestiality!













Shew.........”

“oh my gosh, you have had some bad luck!

The chickens are ganging up on me...
I noticed one day that the broody hen was off the nest and a red was sitting on the eggs...giving her a break I guess. Now, whenever I go near the coop, they all have a fit! two of the hens were still on the roost this am, and squawked at me for disturbing the little mother. I think all the hens are depositing their eggs in the nest for her to lay on...I can see them sticking out from different sides...
still no clue how many are under there.

Judy insisted on coming in the house this morning...I had to actually push her out the door. I wonder if she's scared now that she's been attacked...”

“naked ape, referring to the male dog hanging out. Sheesh.”

“lmao”

“poor Judy is now chicken”

“Do you know why chickens are such dirty birds?









They eat with their peckers.”

“Judy is pecking more these days, but she gets along well with my son...the rooster has figured out that if he can bully one guy, he can bully others...woe to men in my yard, LOL...

With complete disregard for my life I managed to get an egg away from the broody hen to candle it. I believe I saw the air sac, so it appears she will be hatching chicks in a week or so. Twice I've found egg shells in the nest, not sure what's up with that - maybe she eats the bad or unfertile ones??? Or, maybe one hatched and it's under her??

Soon as I have five minutes, I'm going to check this whole thing out. My chicken friend isn't doing chicks this year, so he's bringing in his brooder for me to use. I'm going to set it up in the coop.”

“Man, I'm ready to fry all of 'em, Judy included...”

“Naked, check for a small hole in the top of thehead of your dead chickens. That would be a weasel (my guess). A live trap might be a better choice.”

“OK, been keeping the chickens in their coop most of the time, only in the evening letting them out, when they can be watched. We do have weasels (or some such similar critter) here, they 'bout emptied our drop cage of babies (a drop cage is a cage w/ no bottom) last summer. Dug holes all around it one night .... feasted. The 2 coops are completely animal proof, w/ the exception of bears, which we have few of nowadays.

But while we had Hyway I just left them cooped up. Still trying not to put up a fence. I think I'd rather not have chickens than have to put up a fencing system. Our dawg ain't working out too good. She's a great gal, a Brittany, but one evening my wife looked out into the back yard and saw a young, matted looking grey fox jogging toward her favorite chicken. Gracie, the Brit, was laying on the back porch watching with absolutely no interest, hehe. She's a wonderful family pet, my brother wants her (getting her fixed tomorrow), and we are looking to get a 1 yr old'ish German Shephard to try, I'm not interested in a puppy. My wife grew up with them, has fond memories, so male or female would be good.

That young grey fox was about 4 days ago. 2 days ago I saw the absolutely beautiest fox! Possibly a red fox, I don't know. Bright, bright curry face and ears! Bigger than that scraggly grey fox. I'm'a hafta go back to Wal-Mart and see if they still make rat-shot for my 410. I just don't want to kill a fox or bobcat (it may be illegal, particularly for a red fox), just burn his rump up a bit.

But.... I'm getting a hurt rabbit coyote caller and that camo leaf suit and begin to actively hunt for our prolific coyote. Should be great sport! Any tips for you gun lovers out there would be great. I have a 12 ga, a 30-30, a single-shot 22 w/ hollowpoints....... I'm figuring 12 ga (chamber for 3 shells) with buckshot is the best bet. Downside is that a coyote ain't gonna let me get close, reason for considering the 30-30.”

“I never get to see what's at my birds, but I'm never home!

Looks like Judy got the what for again, I think Riley sees her feathers as a chew toy. She didn't come running one night when I got home at a reasonable hour, so I went looking for her. She was sitting out back and didn't jump right up. Started pipping when she saw me and looked like it took some effort for her to get up - like she was tired - though she is fat and getting old. Looked like her chest feathers had been bitten off and more of her back feathers. I crated her and brought her in for the night. She pecks at people more and more...she didn't want to go outside the next day, but won't stay in the crate outside, nor the coop. I guess if she survives long enough for me to get to it, I'll have to make her own pen. thing is, when they are in the 50'x50' pen, all Judy does is run around the fence crying to get out...She's just about plucked, and but for the bruises and abrasions looks like a freezer turkey.

Chickens...now two hens are broody and the whole flock is in protection mode. If I was a scaredy cat I wouldn't be allowed in the coop at all. The non-brooders, including the rooster, are often on the roost when I go in. One hen walked the roost like a tightrope so she could stand in front of me and glare at me at eye level, LOL. The two broody hens were in the nesting box together...sometimes the red is on the eggs by herself, but usually it is the black hen.

Yesterday I picked up a brooder from Darryl - they may be selling their house, and are not having chickens this year. It's very nice, homemade, the tops lift and are covered in chicken wire, it has flooring on the bottom and is painted a nice lavendar - paint left over from his daughter's room, LOL.

So, I had to rearranged the whole coop again, seeing that is really is crooked, and the sides slope in - that was the design. I wished a million times that I had a good sized barn!

I needed to raise it so the other chickens couldn't get to it, so I put it on top of the old kitchen cabinet that is out there. It was perfect, except part of it was under the roost. So I moved the whole thing to a side wall, where it takes up more space because of the slanted wall. But it works. My first thought was to put the eggs inside and get the hen to lay on them so when they hatched they wouldn't get eaten, etc...

I picked up the nesting box, red hen and all - she is not as feisty as the black who growls and pecks and hisses...and she flew off. I put the eggs on the shavings in the brooder, under the heat lamp since the moms were gone. The hens would have no part of the new space, but the whole flock was looking for the eggs, clucking up a storm.

When I picked up the nesting box, I noticed it smelled really bad, so I was worried that the hens were laying on rotten eggs. Previously I had seen some eggshells in the nest, and assumed the hens ate them for whatever reason. However, under the nesting box was poop from some critter, probably something small that wintered over under the box. It hadn't chewed thru though...so back to the rotten egg theory. (though I do think whatever it was probably ate some of the eggs) I took the nesting box outside to dump it, and whew! nasty! I'd read that broody hens rarely left the nest and when they pooped it was a nasty smelly thing, and this smelled bad! so bad, I couldn't leave the box upright, I had to turn it over, as the wind blew the smell all around. yuck!

I didn't notice any smell on the eggs, but still...curiosity got the best of me, and yep, there are definately chicks growing in those eggs. Looks like another week if they all started at the same time, but I didn't think they did.

The moms hadn't taken to the brooder yet, and were frantically looking for their eggs, so on to Plan B. I set up the other nesting box in the same place, adding new shavings, put the eggs in and turned on the heat lamp. Black mom came in shortly after that, then Red mom came and was pissed because Black mom had rolled all the eggs under her.

So everyone is happy again, and I'll use the brooder for the meat birds. Whatever birds hatch naturally is fine, I only need replacement layers.

Darryl and I were talking this am, and I mentioned how b!tchy the birds were all getting. Pecking more, chasing people more, just being brats in general. He noticed the same thing with his - when they were younger they were more fun - curious, followed us around, not as aggressive or territorial...his theory is they go through the same stages as us, of course accelerated because of their lifespan.

I have to agree! :)”

“LOL twig, our roosters are starting to chase the kids. I taught them how to dominate them, we'll see if they don't run screaming.

Our little featherleg comet is a wonderful mom, she rarely leaves the nest. Somebody was pulling eggs out of her brooder box, and they were cracking on the coop cage. So I moved her and her nest to the other cage, where she's doing fantastic! Every time I get a new blue Americauna egg or turkin, I'll slip them underneath her, she has no problem with that whatsoever.

Twig I guess you need to decide of you're eating Judy or not. If you decide to, you better go ahead and "do the deed". Otherwise your dawg will further it's bad habits.”

“I was thinking the same thing myself, just not sure anyone would eat her. Then again, there is the humane aspect of it.

not my dog, or he would not be doing this!
He was a Hurricane Katrina rescue who was supposed to be part chihuaha (sp) or something...haha...no one mentioned the other part was wolf...”

“I think it's birthing time for some of the babies...though it could be that someone stepped on, or pecked (that would be Judy) an egg.
There is an egg, not under mama, that she let me pick up (bad sign) that has cracks on both sides of it.

The rest of the flock seems very protective, hanging out around the nestiing box.”

“I did not hit submit!

I'm going to check later, but I think that egg is a lost one.”

“as I suspected, Judy was eating the egg.

:(”

“It's time to eat Judy. :-(”

“yes Stovie, I finally came to that conclusion...and guess where Judy is? In her crate, OUTSIDE...why does she choose now to act sensible?? And now her not going in the coop makes sense.

I imagine she's been an egg eater all along...or maybe only since the incubation began...?

I imagine I can do the humane thing and someone would love to have the meat - even my son likes her. I recently traded turkey for partridge pie. yummy!”

“LOL, lawsy twig, my eldest daughter said today that we need to go ahead and "kill" #2 and and one of the Scardy Twins, for they both will heckle here.
I told her if she acts chicken, then they'll treat her like a chicken.
Got another blue egg today, slipped it under little mamma.

I'll hafta ask my Italain dad how he dispatches turkeys.”

“...the chicken saga continues.....lol....I love reading this...thanks for sharing!!!”

“Never forget, farm animals aren't pets, they are food.”

“Ya Stovie, but the only prollem with that is that mine have thus far fed only the coyotes, fox, and coons around here. Oh yeah, one nabe's dawg, but I "took care" of that one.

Anybody ever seen a flying squirrel? One'a my kid's teachers brought me a "baby squirrel" that her cat caught and brought into their house last night. Altho little, it's prolly full-grown, but cute as a dickens! Today we are gonna set it on a tree by our house w/ an abandoned squirrel nest. I don't know if any live here on our hill tho.”

“We had a cow named Betsy years ago.
Later we were all sitting around having a nice steak dinner when one of my sisters burst into tears with "We're eating Betsy!"”

“I don't think we have flying squirrels around here at least none I've noticed. I trapped a squirrel that got into the basement last month and set him free in the yard. I still see him sometimes and he has a few nests up the street. Squirrels keep more than one nest in case one gets destroyed or infested with parasites. They are territorial too so if you already have a squirrel in your yard or nearby, he will run off an intruding squirrel. Males occupy about 15 to 50 acres and females have a smaller territory.”

“ugh...

there is a couple here at work who would take Judy and keep her for a pet...but I'm not sure...I guess they have a "no kill" policy, LOL...

yeah, my stepfather names all his cows, but we only know who we are eating sometimes. Somehow he remembers their geneology as well, LOL...

I've seen flying squirrels before, in a duck box - they are cool.”

“I always dispatched egg eaters or non-procuctive critters, they were not pets, so no reason to keep them on. Cost too much to feed them and have them destroy stuff.”

“True...

though lately no one eats much grain since they are eating bugs, etc...”

“I checked the nesting box last night and again there was a crushed egg shell in there. I had barricaded the area off so that Judy could not get in, and she couldn't/didn't. So there goes that theory - perhaps she was just joining in the feast the other day and ended up getting blamed for it. The chickens are still able to get in though.

So back to my idea of putting Broody girl in the brooder with the nesting box. I just picked the whole thing up, hen and all and set it inside without too much fuss from Broody girl. Closed the lid and put the lamp over them all.

My new theory is this...I read that they get off the nest to eat and drink. I don't think she is doing that. I do put grain in the box for her, but not water. Perhaps she is cannibalizing the eggs to get hydration?? and then one of the others - maybe the rooster - eats the chick. Or not, but that's what I'm going with now.
When I moved her to her new digs I put in some grain and set up one of the hamster waterers. She went right at that, so she obviously was thirsty. So that's where we are now - I'd wanted her in the brooder nayway so that when the chicks started hatching they'd be confined and protected. We'll see!

I've been fighting fle/sinus crap for a while now, and went to bed with a belly ache. I woke up around 3 thinking I was going to have the puking flu again and stayed out on the couch. I could hear the rooster loud and clear, crowing every 5 minutes. How do the neighbors stand it! :)

After I hit the snooze button for the second time, I heard Judy fussing out front. I looked out the window and some damn dog was chasing her across the road. I ran out the door with the broom and tried to chase the dog off. Judy was sitting in the ditch, got up and squeezed thru the fence and started running off. I continued to chase the dog who just kind of looked at me. There were some new Judy feathers in the front yard, but the dog stopped right in front of the house and was at something. At first I thought it was a black chicken, but as I chased him off I could see 4 birds on the roost in the coop. I had to chase him all the way back to his house. I should have gone right up to the door and talked to the owner (a cop) but it was getting late and I still had a turkey to find, lunches to make, and kids to get ready for school. On my way back I stopped to see what the dog was eating, and it looked like it may have been a starling. I have some that nest under the eaves.

I located Judy as a white spot on the far side of the field. She'd obviously had it and was running away from home. :(
I found an opening in the fence and started calling her and walking toward her. She turned and was walking slowly back. When I reached her, I picked her up and carried her as I could see this could be an all day project.

In the mean time, the other neighbor came out with her dogs (one is Riley, the one I've blamed this all on) and if I hadn't said hi to them, she probably could have controlled them, LOL...but I held tight to Judy, Karen kept the doggies at bay, and we all made it back thru the fence.

I put Judy back in the yard, moved her crate into the coop, put fresh savings in it, and am hoping for the best.

Then I went in and woke up the kids and started the day.”

“Yikes, Twig. I have a similar problem with an unknown dog on occasion, but yours is much worse. Poor you, and poor Judy.”

“what I don't get is why people think it's okay for their dogs to run loose, and all over other people's property.

I guess my chickens and turkey do as well, but I don't think they are attacking anyone.”

“I finally dumped my camera into an album on webshots...toward the end there are turkey pictures.


last edited: 4/01/10 11:15:20 AM”

“http://www.boingboing.net/2010/04/01/architectural-hen-ho.html

Check out this hen house! You could scale it up for Judy!”

“LOL, goodness twig, all that before getting the kiddies up!

I'm in some pretty rural country too. All our dawgs pretty much run around, never a problem. But one that gets a chicken... always known to be not so good. If your dawg plays, you pays. Next time your dawg plays, IT pays! Only the stupid Yankees in these parts (which are all of them, 'less they been here 20 years) cannot understand that concept. Realtors should be fined that don't overemphasize to our Yankee brethren that in the rural kuntry South, responsibility is required.”

“all is quiet in the crooked little chicken house today....

Judy must've been off laying an egg last night, I couldn't find her anywhere. There was an egg on top of the brooder last night so I put it in the nesting box and the hen rolled it under her.

I guess it's spring...the house birds (parakeets) were mating...wonder if I should put a nesting box in the cage just for more fun. ha!”

“that would be a chicken egg on top of the brooder, I can't edit my post....”

“Realtors should be fined that don't overemphasize to our Yankee brethren that in the rural kuntry South, responsibility is required

That pretty much goes for rural EVERYwhere.”

“So...

Saturday I awoke to the rooster alarm, and looked out to see the damn dog racing toward Judy...
I chased him with a stick all the way to his mommy's door, where I tattled on him. His mom said she'd "try" and keep him in the yard. Ha.

Anywho, I actually ran uphill over water saturated lawn when I chased the dog, which I've never been a good runner, and having had a bronchial thing for weeks now, I was proud and bragged. LOL...Ariana vouched for me as she was watching out the window.
(imagine a fat braless out of breath woman with a stick at your door first thing in the morning) hehe

Judy has a thing for flip flops and we are a flip flop wearing bunch...she came in the house last night and nipped at my toes, so I put her out. This am she got all excited over my blue flip flops and was a riot chasing me back to the house. She is an even bigger hoot running than I am (I think) I was laughing so hard.

I'm not happy with the broody hen, I think she is eating her chicks as they hatch. I've changed her food and added shell to her diet. Basically she is sitting on a bunch of eggs in a stinky box. I'm borrowing Darryl's incubator, and getting her off the nesting box.”

“braless out of breath woman

You say that like it's a bad thing... ;-)”

“(imagine a fat braless out of breath woman with a stick at your door first thing in the morning)<---- twig

I thank I'ma be sick.

Twig I can tell you how to "take care" of that dang dawg. I had that same prollem ... BLAM! As they say in these parts "That dawg don't hunt no more." Actually, later I got a BB rifle, one that you pump, I just pump it only 3 times, and it stings enough to get'em a'goin. After 2 stings, they don't come back anymore. A good investment.

Today we got 15 baby Americaunas, OMG cute little thangs! We have them in our big jet-tub (finally a good use for the thang, hehe).

Incredibly, no losses to predators as of late!”