moxies_ Life on the HHP Ranch....Rain!!!!!!

[pinkfox]

agreed, digging + small k9 paw prints + bite rattle on the wire + faint musjy skunky smell, sounds liek you have a foxy in the neighborhood...this is around the time of year they start getting active so it makes sense timing wise.
right now he hasnt gotten any of your birds, so youve got a chance to dissuade him wihtout killing him if you wish, you want to keep everything locked tight between dusk and dawn, id suggest portable electric too if you have it and mabe sure everything is pinned down/extra secure.
those disposable pie plates hung all aroudn low in multiples (kinda like your making a mobile/wind chime) but hung on cage sides and around his height help dissud (generally antytig thatll rattle if he tries to get close or dig in ect)

generally if food isnt "easy" theyll move on within 2 weeks unless theres kits neerby...

However if he does get in (or if after a week hes still giving you issues) youll probably have to either trap/relocate or Shoot him...they generally want a quick easy meal....if its not available theyll usually move on...BUT if they manage a "cheap meal" or are abnormally persistent they tend not to want to leave at that point...

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Wow. We have a psycho hen. The broody hen. She is very protective and aggressively defends that nest. DH got home last night, and ran her off the nest, so we could check for new eggs. I wasn't putting my hand in there. She pecks ..hard. Gets her neck feathers all riled up and defensive. And will not move.

Anyway, he pissed her off. Rooster came up the ramp to see who was messing wit his woman. He saw DH, promptly turned around and went back down.
Broody got all squawky and pissed. I had no idea chickens could cuss so well.


I went back out about 2 hours later to round them up to the main coop....opened the top access panel up to check. She had pushed the golfball out, and 2 of the marked eggs were on the floor of the coop. The other one.....destroyed. She broke it and ate it. There was some yolk on one of the other eggs, but they were out. Now, the nest was exactly where DH had put it back to. Not turned over. Not flipped. Just emptied. Just some of the wet spot from the previous whole egg. Broody was down in the bottom, scarfing up feed like she was starving.

DH said he had never seen a hen destroy her nesting eggs before. He grew up with chickens, and had chased them off the nest numerous times. They would just refluff their feathers and hop back on. But those were all the domestic varieties. These are semi-wild game fowl. Not tame anymore.

Hmmm....

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Yep, that time I smelled "skunk"....it was like a fainter odor. Not like when one sprays or gets hit by a car. Just skunk like. I looked all around, some places was stronger than others. Never located any skunk activity. Nothing.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

No tears over spilled egg yolk here. These chickens, heck the whole property, is a grand experiment for DH and myself. It's almost like we are on another planet.

Here's a new one. Last night, when I found the destroyed nest....I gathered the 2 eggs left, took note that the nest was still where DH had put it, and I left the golf ball on the floor in front of the nest. Go out this morning, no golf ball.....but broody is sitting back on the nest. Giving me the evil eye and ruffling her fathers all up. So tell me...oh wise ones.....can a chicken pick up a golf ball and put it back into a nest? As well as an egg? I looked everywhere for the dang golf ball. All I can figure, it is back under broody.

 

[~gd]

No tears over spilled egg yolk here. These chickens, heck the whole property, is a grand experiment for DH and myself. It's almost like we are on another planet.

Here's a new one. Last night, when I found the destroyed nest....I gathered the 2 eggs left, took note that the nest was still where DH had put it, and I left the golf ball on the floor in front of the nest. Go out this morning, no golf ball.....but broody is sitting back on the nest. Giving me the evil eye and ruffling her fathers all up. So tell me...oh wise ones.....can a chicken pick up a golf ball and put it back into a nest? As well as an egg? I looked everywhere for the dang golf ball. All I can figure, it is back under broody.


http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/uploads/3884_hens_2.jpg



http://www.sufficientself.com/forum/uploads/3884_no_room.jpg

I don't know about chickens, but Muscovy ducks are very good at stealing and moving eggs. I used to keep mine with the chickens, and they went broody in the top tier of nest boxes. You could usually tell when they were about to go broody as the nests would have a assortment of eggs when you went to collect eggs each day. There might be three large white [Muscovy] eggs and 5-6 brown chicken eggs I thought it was possibllle that she was gettings hens to lay in her nest but I caught her moving eggs with the eggs in her bill. ~gd

 

[hqueen13]

Hilarious, Moxie!

Yes, that "faint skunky smell" is probably fox. I don't know what they do, but they have that kind of smell, but not as strong as a skunk if a skunk had walked in and sprayed.

I hope you can keep the sneaky one out!!

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

It doesn't look like the fox came back last night. The evil hens prolly cussed it out the night before. Oh, and found the golf ball back under the broody. I'm going to have to do some remediation on her. She all psycho now. DH freaked her out too much last night looks like. I'll just have to attempt to re-tame her. I put my leather gloves on and held her for a while....while she cussed me and pecked me with her sharp beak.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Ok...can I be tired now? I let them hem down on 1 pair of pants, moved a bunch of rocks to half of one flower bed border, shovelled 3 wheelbarrows full of dirt and wheeled it uphill to the hugelkultur garden, found and killed 1 black widow spider, separated the broody hen to a smaller cage so she could work on going un-broody, .....phew!! Now, to rest a bit before I start supper. Steaks on the grill and some broccoli for me, no broccoli for DH..potato something.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

Game hens may not be mean, but I just went out to collect eggs and caught an egg eater red footed. Been having a hen hogging the nest..but not broody. Yesterday, I had to roll her off to get 1 egg. Been getting 5. Well today, at 5pm, she was hogging the nest again. Grumpy and all get out...attacking my hand....but not broody. I got my 2 eggs, and she plumped herself back on the nest. Another hen, who had been waiting all day to get the nest, climbed on top of her and laid an egg. The egg eater reached around, and ate that fresh laid egg. After she ran down to the feed area slurping her fresh egg, she came back up to the nest and I grabbed her. I don't know if the others are now egg eaters too.

Guess who just ended up on the "cull list". I think she was the previous broody hen. This one has had a bad attitude since then.

 

[Wannabefree]

Bad chicken!!! I have an egg eater right now, but can't figure out which little feathered demon is doing it :/ I'll get them eventually