Homesteading Chicken Coop Build, Chickens, Pond, Garden & Projects

Kinda like this morning.....

Count how many come out on the first try

 

The dogs usually bark when it goes off. Should get something that sounds like a shotgun

 

3 have names outta 16.

Spotty is the rooster. He had some spots and grew fast, so he got named.

Buckbeak...... somehow cracked his upper beak somehow, so properly named

Buttercup- broken toe, Dawn named her.

She says others are tips and tippy, but I don't know which ones.

 

Warning shots or rubber buck shot.

 

16?

 

16 did not come out.... close though.

 

15

 

Well, we temporarily have a baby duck. The head mechanics wife at Dawn's work seen it by itself on a road and hopped out to save it. She waited, no siblings or mother anywhere too be found. She brought it in, where Dawn volunteered to tend to it until fish & game were available. So it's currently in a small brooding container awaiting fish & game tomorrow morning to tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully the north woods law cameras don't show up. (Yup, she'll be on it next season from another happening at her work)

Here it is.... already been hanging out in the bowl of water

 

Spotty is slowly losing weight and walking much farther from the coop! They ate good at the g2g!

 

On June 2nd, 7:50 pm as seen on my post on page 7, a fox was lurking! He attacked this evening! 12 days went by without an issue until tonight!

I let the chickens out of the run around 5pm, to free range. I am usually in and out of the house often, normal day. I unloaded a load of laundry and was hanging it in the master bathroom closet when I heard the fuss. Window right there, I saw it, 95% sure a bird was in its mouth- I yelled at it like a drill sergeant, ran towards the front door, only shorts on- Dawn already bolted out the door knowing EXACTLY what was happening. She jumped down all the steps I was right behind her. Fox ran into the woods, I ran barefoot right after it like Tarzan! I went back to the coop where Dawn and Matt were rounding then into the run. We did a head count, not the 16 we had but 15. DAMM! I'M PIZZED! I'm realistic, but didn't care...... I grabbed my gun and went looking for the fox that would eventually take out the whole flock! I spent an hour searching out leads, feather trails especially, along with poo! I will get this thing! Obviously no luck. I followed a trail down into the woods heard a chicken squawk, seemed close, but figured it was one in the run. I kept searching, no luck. a solid hour went by, i hung my head leaving the woods behind. I headed toward the coop to see if there were any injuries to the others, when i heard a squeak, squeak. I look down and here from the woods our 16th came up to me. What, what?! I yelled to Dawn and said look what just came outta the woods! Of course she was so happy! We did a full inspection, son of a b*tch she's a lucky girl, either went in a tree, or who knows!


We're realistic......We know we'll lose some, but we don't want to see that happen if we can help it! Close call tonight!