Recent content by A Justice

I think the coyote take care of the raccoons here, I've only ever seen one. I recruited the assistance of my neighbor, he's been hunting and trapping since he could walk. He's got a box of traps for every animal that walks the earth. I had him help me set up a few at night, unsuccessful though...

For some brighter news, the one young chicken that just disappeared, reappeared about 24 hours later with a hole of a half dollar in his head (definitely this one is a roo), you could see his skull. He was totally fine, he acted like nothing was wrong. I treated with that purple gentian violet...

We got our first chickens in March of last year. Got a speckled Sussex roo of the same age about a month later from a nearby neighbor. Super friendly with people, and makes sure his girls eat before he does, I've never seen a rooster before with his good temperament. All had been great so far...

The staple is over two pieces of wire, that way if one breaks it's still somewhat supported by the other.

I used a bunch of regular staples to hold the hardware cloth in place, and then I used some of these to reinforce everything. If you nail them in over where the wire crosses, you get the strength of two of the hardware cloth strands, as well as the crown staple. Hillman 3/4-in Leg x 3/16-in...

Besides the other great suggestions- If you know anybody who hunts it could be used as a pre-season deer attractant. If you don't hunt, you could dump it out in the woods and watch the wildlife that it attracts. It would be especially neat to watch at night. I don't see why you couldn't...

The main door of my coop looks just like that, it's just a frame with half inch hardware cloth and 2x4's. We have dozens of coyotes, as well as other predators in the area, and nothing has even come close to getting through hardware cloth. As long as the rest of the coop is secure, you can...

I had the same freak out moment when my chickens started to fully develop. It's probably just the crop, a part of the stomach system used for pre-digestion.

I've heard that clay cat litter can cause serious digestive issues if eaten. It swells up and causes blockages. I use hay and sand.

What is your geographical location, as specifically as you're willing to give?

My girls go after small birds and squirrels all the time. My roo actually grabbed a squirrel once, but didn't seem to know what to do once he got it, so he let it go. I think it's totally normal behavior.

I'm sorry to hear about the loss, but I disagree about it being your fault. It's not possible for you to watch them 24/7, nor can you prevent nature from doing it's thing. It sounds like you do everything you can to keep them safe and happy.

Some of them are double, shes 11 months.

The majority of our eggs are around 50-60 grams, this one is close to 100g. Came from one of the Australorps, the closest one to this was 90g, she consistently lays monsters.