Pipd's Peeps!

[Crazy Maizie]

Ugh, rats!! Definitely keep the feed up out of reach at night, chickens don't eat after dark anyway. I don't know about the water, but, yeah, it might be for the best to remove it as well just to have as few things to attract them as possible. Hopefully patching things up with the fence is enough to deter them!

As far as the birds go, if they're perching way up high, they should be pretty safe even if a weasel does happen to show up. Get them to a secure coop at night if you can, but I do think they'd be all right if you can't, so try not to worry too much.

No worries at all about long posts, I don't mind if y'all talk about your birds or vent or whatever else!

Thanks for the support!

Today I thought I heard something in the rafters of my shed. So, did a deep clean and got rid of stuff that wasn't needed. There was nothing in the shed at all - no chew holes either. So, now I'm thinking maybe the scratching was under the shed and the noise just bounced a different direction? Anyway, no rat in the run last night. But, apparently under my shed? Idk.
The hardware cloth arrived so I will be working on that soon. But, I think tomorrow, I might just take it easy and nothing transpires between now and then.
I removed all feed and drinking water. I don't want that critter in their drinking water anyway. I left the swim water for now. It will be emptied this weekend.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

A sweet story!

Pictures of the new enclosure! Bonus with the babies in them, lol.

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This is a nice enclosure. I like your tree limb. I'm always on the hunt for a few good ones.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

@pipdzipdnreadytogo Reuben was such a handsome guy.

 

[NagemTX]

This is a nice enclosure. I like your tree limb. I'm always on the hunt for a few good ones.

It was pricey... came down out of our Arizona Ash tree on the well breaking a connection back during a bad storm.

 

[Crazy Maizie]

It was pricey... came down out of our Arizona Ash tree on the well breaking a connection back during a bad storm.

Yikes. Well, at least you got good use out of it.
Also, forgot to mention your flock is nice looking.

 

[NagemTX]

Thank you! Those chicks are most of what was hatched in April and May!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I don't want to hatch too many random mixed breeds, but... a couple chocolate frizzle x EE eggies ending up in the incubator couldn't be too big of a deal right?

Oh, of course not! You're just adding a bit of spice to your flock, after all.

A sweet story!

Pictures of the new enclosure! Bonus with the babies in them, lol.

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LOVE the new pen!! Wow! Looks like the gravel is doing the trick for the wet spot, too. And such a lovely assortment of little ones you've got in there!

That stinks about the circumstances of where that branch came from, but it's such a great addition to the pen and the birds will love it.

I think I'm starting to like the Crevecoeur breed for crested as they have a bigger body type than the Spitzhauben.

I'm a big fan of the pointed crest on the Spitz... but yeah, they tend to be scrawny little things from what I've seen of them.

Thanks for the support!

Today I thought I heard something in the rafters of my shed. So, did a deep clean and got rid of stuff that wasn't needed. There was nothing in the shed at all - no chew holes either. So, now I'm thinking maybe the scratching was under the shed and the noise just bounced a different direction? Anyway, no rat in the run last night. But, apparently under my shed? Idk.
The hardware cloth arrived so I will be working on that soon. But, I think tomorrow, I might just take it easy and nothing transpires between now and then.
I removed all feed and drinking water. I don't want that critter in their drinking water anyway. I left the swim water for now. It will be emptied this weekend.

Spooky! Are there any limbs or anything nearby that may have been moving in the wind and rubbing against the outside? I know that sort of thing has gotten me a few times in the past.

I have a raccoon or something that gets into the chicken yard almost every night and plays in any of the waterers I leave out, filling them with mud and generally making a mess, so I empty them every night as well. All except the duck's swimming water, that is. I figure if that critter is so desperate to play in water, it can have the nasty, muddy, poo-filled duck pool water.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Picture of the day for today, day 19. It's a dark, overcast, rainy morning, so the girls are staying under cover for the most part. Here is Findlay staying dry. I feel like I have so few pictures of Findlay! She's just such a quiet, unassuming hen that generally keeps to herself and is usually only in the background if anything.

For runners up, here's poor old Wynne. She's had a kink in her neck for a couple weeks now. Wish I knew a chicken chiropractor I could bring in to help her work it out. It's hard getting old!

Some of the Easter babies staying dry under the tarp.

And... A face that's probably getting to be quite familiar to y'all. Nosy buzzard!

 

[Crazy Maizie]

Spooky! Are there any limbs or anything nearby that may have been moving in the wind and rubbing against the outside? I know that sort of thing has gotten me a few times in the past.

I have a raccoon or something that gets into the chicken yard almost every night and plays in any of the waterers I leave out, filling them with mud and generally making a mess, so I empty them every night as well. All except the duck's swimming water, that is. I figure if that critter is so desperate to play in water, it can have the nasty, muddy, poo-filled duck pool water.

Unfortunately there is nothing close to the shed except for the run.

Funny about the raccoon. They can definitely be characters. I watch a lot of hilarious animal vids and raccoons are entertaining.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Unfortunately there is nothing close to the shed except for the run.

Shoot. I was really hoping it would be something simple like that for you.

Funny about the raccoon. They can definitely be characters. I watch a lot of hilarious animal vids and raccoons are entertaining.

They can be! When I was very, very little, before chickens (B.C., if you will--it was practically long enough ago to be B.C.! ), my parents rehabbed raccoons in our woods. They were cute and quite charming in that setting! Too bad they have such a taste for chicken.