New
#1771
Last One To Post Wins [123]
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New #1777
I have a sad tale to tell about my chickens.
As you all know, I built a pen for my chickens and they’ve resided there for somewhere around a year. I had a mixed breed rooster, three Production Red hens, one Araucana hen and one Leghorn hen. Two Production Reds and Lucy, my Araucana are no more. Mr. Roo, Legs the Leghorn and newly named Red (only one left) are all I have left. The ladies are being very nice and still laying eggs for me.
About a week ago, something got into my pen and killed one of the Reds. Another one was badly mangled but survived. I went around the pen looking for where it might have gotten in and found what I though was its entry point. That hole was patched well enough that nothing else could get in, but then a couple nights later, a second Red met her demise. I found another hole, then patched that one up. Whatever that thing is, it can seemingly make its own holes! Two nights ago, it got Lucy, and Cyndi and I found where it had pushed 1/4” hardware cloth (galvanized mesh wire) away from the edge and gotten in that way.
I have now gone all the way around the pen, as have both Cyndi and Russell, to check for any more holes. The fencing is chain-link, cemented into the ground so nothing can go under. However, the top (to keep birds of prey out) is plain chicken wire which is still intact. The chicken killer must get in through where wire and chain-link join, so . . . I have now placed plastic lattice on top of the chicken wire all the way around the main fence and wired it to the chain-link. I don’t believe anything can pry its way into my pen now!
Yesterday, Cyndi and I went to WallyWorld and as I got into her car, Cyndi asked me why in heck we hadn’t put our traps out to catch the killer. Four of us and not one of us thought to do that; we have two Hav-A-Hart traps between us!
So, Russ and Cyndi came down yesterday evening to set the traps. We had to find Lucy because she’d be the first one to get caught in a trap baited with cat food. She finally showed up, but she ran when I tried to catch her. She doesn’t like to be caught when she’s outside. In my most authoritative voice, I said, “Lucy, you come here right now,” and crooked my finger at her. I kept ordering her to come to me and amazingly, she slowly inched her way to where I could grab her. Objecting mightily, she was carried into the house and locked in.
The other night, Gracie and I went out to be sure things were locked up. She ran into the woods in attack mode. I don’t know what was there, but she ran it off!
This morning, both traps were sprung, the cat food tins were licked clean, but there was no critter of any kind in either one! Sheesh! We’re going to set them again tonight, in a different way, so maybe we’ll catch something. Lucy came in to get some food and water and is now trapped in the house.
For now, I lock my chickens in their house at night, so they’re safe. Although I’m pretty sure at this point that nothing else can get into the pen.
Whatever we catch, it will be relocated about 75 miles from our house!
To be continued. . .
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New #1780
Sammy does not go near where I'm spraying, and if I spray in the evening, when Sammy is done going out, after this stuff drys on the weeds, its safe for dogs after that. But Sammy also can smell the chemicals in it, and does not like the smell at all, so that is another reason why Sammy won't go near it.
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