My new Roo - Page 11

Chicken talk. Gotta love it.  I got an order of 25 day-old pullets and 2 day-old roos on Sept. 18 [long story why so late in the season...suffice it to say my aged Welsummer roo appears to be sterile now, and my Silver Marans roo dropped dead in June from old age]. First time I ordered from this hatchery [Ideal Hatchery in TX], but so far I'm very happy with what I got.  Did lose two pullet chicks right off--one within 2 days, the other a week after arrival--but they rest are doing great, and have moved from the hatching house into the chicken coop with the rest of the flock. I'm sticking with the Cuckoo Marans [both clean-legged and feather-legged varieties] and Welsummers, just because they lay gorgeous, deep dark brown eggs, and they do very well free-range.   Had to order a minimum of 25 chicks, so also ordered 10 Ameracauna pullets for a friend to complete the minimum, and still have them here with mine, and they're also pretty nice looking chicks as well.

hexe, in your 8 lines i learned more about chicks than i knew before this morning....:)

The loss of chicks would give me some concern though.
Unless it was something that happened post arrival.

 

So, after jumping off couch all night from every noise I heard last night, I think these mutts are getting my birds early a.m.. Every morning the kids from down the road walk up to get n the bus, their little dogs follow them.. I think when the kids are getting on the bus, and the dogs have to wander back home, they are making a stop at my chickens.. I was down there in the chicken house, checking on everyone and the wiennie dog came running in.. It took off with it's beagle friend in tow.. I went down to the owner's house AGAIN, and the broad just looked at me crazy when I warned her that we are going to start having to shoot whatever is caught messing with the birds.. I told my husband maybe we should just get a live trap, catch her and take her off to a shelter.. IDK..

Hexe, I've ordered from Ideal a few times, the birds I got from them grew up into pretty, healthy birds.. They are reasonable priced also.. I also have chicks right now, this late in the year LoL.. As long as they have a heat lamp n them, they do ok... I think I might be a little addicted to hatching chickies out in my bator.. LOL..

Erin,
it's worth the price to get a fence charger and does keep the critters away.
Just make sure your critters don't get into it..lol

Moons, both chicks looked to just be 'poor doers' from the jump.  The only reason the second one made it for a week is because I separated it out from the rest on the second day and gave it ICU level care for that week, after I found the 1st one dead; neither one ever showed any evidence of development past where they were on hatch, whileby day two the rest of the bunch were already starting to lose the chick down, gaining size and fledging. Ideal does guarantee their chicks, so if I'd called them they would have given me my choice of replacements or refunds, but I didn't consider it worth the time for a couple of bucks. I've had the same kind of 'chick fade' when I've hatched out eggs from my own hens, both via incubator as well as broody hen...so the loss of those two didn't worry me when the rest have continued to be so crazy healthy.

erin, I have to admit I'm more of a fan of using broody hens over the incubator...it's a lot easier to have them teach the chicks how to forage along with how to survive as a free-range chicken that way.  That's my primary concern about the chicks I have now--hoping they keep a close eye on what the adult flock is doing, when the time comes that they feel brave enough to venture out of the fenced chicken yard.  Right now the chicks are content with exploring their yard, and haven't headed out with the adults to hunt and gather on the rest of the ground.  WRT to your dog predation issue, are they getting into the chicken coop itself, or is this happening after you've let the chooks out for the day?  The electric fencing may be all you need to deter them, but they might just decide the mild shock was worth the reward of catching a chicken.  :( 

LadyF, glad I could help enlarge your knowledge of chicken keeping!  If you've never had real farm-fresh eggs, you don't know what you're missing--and most residential areas even allow for the keeping of a few laying hens [note HENS only, they all prohibit roosters!] for personal use, so it's worth considering giving it a try next spring!  Doesn't take much, and they're easy to keep if you set up a 'chicken tractor' arrangement [do a web search on the term and you'll be amazed at all the different options for nearly every living situation].  Commercially-produced eggs just don't have any taste after you've gotten used to eating fresh ones laid for you by your own hen!

I have a hot box and wire, but it's mostly for the goats... We are on 20 acres, so I let my chickens free range.. These mutts are getting them after I let them out for the day.. I have some large black australopes and dominques and RIR (spelling) hens that put themselves up in a shed with a chicken ladder at night, but nobody really messes with them because they are grouchy old B words LOL.. These dogs are hitting my smaller birds, like my frizzle chochin hens and young birds..  I have 8' by 4' runs with  houses attached for them, but I do like to let them out to enjoy the yard.. Just so tired of my animals being killed or bothered by other people's dogs.. They stay right around their pen and my house, they do not leave our property.. The other day those dogs attacked my kid's 2# Chihuahua.. Now if I let my big dogs on them, they will kill them, but I don't really want my dogs getting into the habit of attacking dogs.. Well my male won't attack the female dogs, which has been causing a problem in itself, since their dogs are all in heat, coming up trying to breed with my dog :/ So now I get to deal with him, being on lock down inside.. he just tore up the linoleum  by laundry room door trying to get outside to them.. Lovely neighbor's who take dog ownership seriously! Oh and now there is a few strange male dogs hanging around, looking after the females.. So I'm looking forward to an explosion of mutt puppies running the neighborhood now..

Sounds like you have people problems as opposed to animal problems. 

What about the paint-ball idea Melba, made before, instead? That would make a great statement and the irresponsible owners would be cleaning up the mess, not you.

I'll look into the paint ball gun thing.. I have been tagging them with BBs, but that only keeps them away for so long.. But maybe the paint balls would work more on the owners, let them see that it could have actually been shot.. LOL, that's funny Bee, those people don't wash their kids, let alone would be concerned about cleaning the pooches up.. I actually got the # for child protective services because when I knocked on their door and she opened it, I could see filth everywhere.. Their living room floor was covered in trash, clothes, junk.. Just looked like a freaking tornado hit.. And the stink.. Came all the way out from just the opened door.. Nobody should make kids live like that.. So I'll be making some calls and get a few other neighbors to call also..
Those kids are the only real reason I haven't done something drastic earlier, since they are their dogs.. I really don't want to hurt a dog, let alone a kid's dog.. I'm just at the end of my patience, feeling like I am going out of the way and rearranging the way my animals are kept, to deal with these people's irresponsibleness.. Now my little rat can't even enjoy time outside in his play pen, since he got attacked, I'm worried since he is one of those freakishly small, inbred messes you find in Chihuahuas lol.. He isn't even smart enough to get away, the dogs try and kill him and he is still wagging his tail trying to play..
  Things you learn after moving to a new area!! ;)