Not a question

[jnap31]

Just wanted to say it was so cold at my homestead this Am I had to defrost the chickens feet to get them unstuck from the roosts. Not really LOL but I did have icicles hanging off my winter beard when I finished hauling out 10 gallons of water off the wood stove out to the barn, feeding the animals,Braking ice on the pigs waterer, Glad the milk goat has warm teats!! and taking 130 2 month old chicks out of cages,I have to put them up at night till they are 3 months old to keep giant barn rats from killing them. what would be the odds of finding a cat that would not kill chicks just rats? guess their was a question in here after all!
People dont get chicks in the winter because they pile up and suffocate trying to keep warm I knew this from prior experiance but I kept them in the wash room for a month at that point my DW was threatening me bodily harm so out to the barn and at 20 degrees even with heat lamps on them 15 dead with in two hours had to take a bunch in a box to the wood stove everynight to keep warm and it's a good 250 feet to the barn. some times DW has to remind me that I wanted to be a farmer LOL Have to go home and unload 8 bags of feed and feed the critters now Ya"ll take care I should have a computer by summer and will be back in force next winter.

[AngieM2]

Sounds as if you are having fun on your BIRTHDAY!.

Happy Birthday Jesse. (remember you could be where you were last year, and wishing to be home).

Angie

[Phantomfyre]

My chickens are jealous of your chickens!

Happy Birthday!!!

[Ernie]

Though the sun is out here in beautiful Northern Illinois, it feels colder than ever. There's moisture in the air and the wind has picked up. The chickens aren't enjoying it at all but they did like the new lamp I put out in their coop.

[bugstabber]

Happy birthday. It's cold here too.

[HilltopDaisy]

Happy Birthday Jesse! It's really cold here, too. I just hung blankets over the front door, and will be leaving the water trickling tonight, for sure. They say -20 with the wind chill.

[nehimama]

Brrr-rrr-rrr! Won't you be glad when the next heat wave rolls in?

I have a couple of Jack Russell Terriers. They are heck on rats, and CAN be trained to LEAVE THE CHICKENS ALONE. (If you shout that enough times at them, they eventually get it - LOL!)

NeHi

[Shinsan]

Hi Jesse,

Happy Birthday!

from Downunder.

[LFRJ]

Hey Jnap, if you find a solution to your rat problem, please let me know. We're having a terrible time! I'm fighting them with everything I can think of but they won't take poison bait, steer clear of the snap traps, and won't come out anylonger while I'm present in the chicken run because I popped two of them with a pellet gun. Kaboom!
They were swarming my feet at feeding time until that little episode. It was cathartic at the moment, but the varmits are so smart, they quit showing their face immediatly after their two buddies went down. (How did they know? DId they just learn from watching?) I finally took the pellet gun back because it was a waste of time waiting for them to come out.

Now, the cement floor of my coop is the lid for an underground city, and I doubt we'll ever get chicks. In fact, they steal the duck eggs from the floor somehow. Maybe this is fodder for another thread, but if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.

Admirable efforts your making there for your little guys. Update?

LF

[sammyd]

We have had good luck with peanut butter in the newer snap traps. At least one rodent a day.

[wogglebug]

RATS:
Dig hole (couple of full shovel's-worth) cutting across their tunnels.
Three-quarter's-fill a can with sulphur (sulfur).
Set the sulphur alight. It smoulders (smolders), with a lot of smoke - sulphur dioxide - heavier than air. Tip it so the sulphur is at the level of the rim - rest it on loose earth. It will melt. You don't want it running out, but you also don't want the smoke to smother the fire before air can feed the fire.
I repeat, you really don't want burning molten sulphur running around a rat's nest that may be bigger and deeper than your barn, filled with whatever combustibles rats have gathered.
Put a sheet of metal, or maybe fibre-cement board, across the top to confine the smoke. The sulphur dioxide will fall downwards into the tunnels, then fill them up from the bottom.
You should have thrown a shovel-full of dirt over any exits you know of, then heeled it in, and be watching with an air-rifle for any escapees through routes you didn't block.
Know that this is poison, so you won't want to leave your livestock there while it's going on. You either, to whatever extent you can manage it. This is a chemical weapon, banned by the Geneva convention. Don't let it screw-up your lungs.
Know that this is fire in a building, so keep aware, and don't leave it unattended. You burn the barn, your insurance won't cover it, so stay awake.

[MelissaW]

Happy Birthday to you!

Yep, it's a cold one. It's one of those days when the snow squeeks when you step on it! I was just figuring out my spring chick order. The easiest batch I ever raised was in July, but I'll probably go with early May because I don't want to wait that long!

[red hott farmer]

whoo Hoo Happy B-day! I love farmin also! feedin and mikin and Water upon water of warm H20 to the animals. I love it too.
105 Layin hens
50 roosters
25 broilers
50 pullets
4 guineas
12 geese
35 rabbits
5 goats
1 burrow
1 dog
4 kats
3 turkeys
spread around 20 acres in differtent pens fo Use the land well.

[Maura]

Happy Happy B'day!

Get a rat killing dog. A rat terrier, or other terrier that will take care of them. I've read that rat terriers make very god companion dogs, which is good because I don't think they would do well in really cold weather, that is when they stop running around and killing things and keeping themselves warm through exercise. You can train a dog to leave nonmice and nonrats alone. One way is to put them in with chicks as puppies, so they accept them as "friends". You'd have to discuss this with someone who breeds such dogs.

[ldc]

jnap, I have both a small dog and a big cat that kill rats (got them bad in the house after the snake - 6ft plus- fell OUT of the attic) and they don't touch birds. Got the cat by asking around for one that could handle a dog for a pal, but was hard on rodents. Word of mouth did it; he lived in a suburban neighborhood and killed vermin with such glee that the humans were uncomfortable, and happy to give him to me ...you need to put the word out in the 'burbs somewhere!!! Good kluck with this! ldc (a happy squash grower from your seeds!)

[LFRJ]

Thanks for the suggestions all - my pardons that this thread took a turn.

Okay, but let me get this one straight - a 6 ft. snake fell OUT of your attic? Had you put him up there? That is just bizarre! I would have to move - I'm so afraid of snakes! Otherwise, I'd ask in the burbs for a snake that goes after rodents that someone would like to rehome. No shortage of those I'll wager.

[65284]

Originally Posted by LFRJ

Hey Jnap, if you find a solution to your rat problem, please let me know. We're having a terrible time! I'm fighting them with everything I can think of but they won't take poison bait, steer clear of the snap traps, and won't come out anylonger while I'm present in the chicken run because I popped two of them with a pellet gun. Kaboom!
They were swarming my feet at feeding time until that little episode. It was cathartic at the moment, but the varmits are so smart, they quit showing their face immediatly after their two buddies went down. (How did they know? DId they just learn from watching?) I finally took the pellet gun back because it was a waste of time waiting for them to come out.

Now, the cement floor of my coop is the lid for an underground city, and I doubt we'll ever get chicks. In fact, they steal the duck eggs from the floor somehow. Maybe this is fodder for another thread, but if anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears.

Admirable efforts your making there for your little guys. Update?

LF

I had rats under a slab. I plugged every hole except 1 and topped them with a block . Ran a water hose down the last hole and put a block on top of it. Turned on water and let it run. It took a while before water started seeping out around the blocks and there was a lot of squealing. It took a while for the smell to subside but it was the end of my rat problem. I did it in the summer, may or may not work well this time of year.

[jnap31]

Really sorry folks just changed my profile I will be 31 on 31 jan. I had it right originally and some one pm's me and told me no one ever uses their real b-day for security reasons. Guess I am gullible everyone knows where I live and could find out anyway now that I am selling thru here if any crack pots show up they will be in for a surprise though. Shinsan I just got Steve solomons gardening when it counts on inter library loan today I love his web site I was the first to donate to his library back in 96 when I first learned ho wto use a computer, Have you ever been to Tasmania? I have an old friend he's about 75 now that lives there he taught high school in the marshalls as a volunteer when I was a student there. I just wrote this to shadow on barter board and thought I would share here as I have to leave soon. .......

I get on here about once a week at the library when i bring in my eggs to sell. During the summer I was working my but off growing and selling full time.Should have a computer by summer but no time to be on till fall I will be back on a lot next winter God willing, but if you ever see me stay on longer than an hour remind me I have children to play with. I had a really good season for the first real year at it full time I brought in 5k next year I have a plan to triple that or more I am investing 1k in compost and doubling the size of the garden last year besides my good 50 by 50 garden I just dug holes every 6 feet over a large area and grew melons and squash, You should see the piles of rocks I hand dug out of the garden really at a disadvantage but have seen worse in goat ladies neighborhood atleast I have good clay soil under my rocks and between them.Also made lots of restraunt connections and have a better idea of what makes $ now.Took my baker creek and sse catalog to a natural foods store where I sell all my 28 doz eggs in two days every week I get 2.50 doz they sell for $3.69! Anyway they were happy never had a farmer bring in a catalog before, I told them to mark with a red pen I brought and let me know how much they want in general to give me an idea of what to grow. Next winter I will give more details and share with everyone what I have learned works here anyway. Take care.

[jnap31]

Originally Posted by ldc

jnap, I have both a small dog and a big cat that kill rats (got them bad in the house after the snake - 6ft plus- fell OUT of the attic) and they don't touch birds. Got the cat by asking around for one that could handle a dog for a pal, but was ####### rodents. Word of mouth did it; he lived in a suburban neighborhood and killed vermin with such glee that the humans were uncomfortable, and happy to give him to me ...you need to put the word out in the 'burbs somewhere!!! Good kluck with this! ldc (a happy squash grower from your seeds!)

The one person I deliver eggs to in town at her house told me tuesday a small farmer 20 min from my house that runs a cat rescue operation she gave me her # I will see if she has a good one for us. thanks

[jnap31]

Originally Posted by red hott farmer

whoo Hoo Happy B-day! I love farmin also! feedin and mikin and Water upon water of warm H20 to the animals. I love it too.

50 roosters

spread around 20 acres in differtent pens fo Use the land well.

Why so many roosters? I had 30 over the summer but we ate them all just have another 4 left to eat they were the prettiest so survived a bit longer, I am just keeping about 1 per 20 hens to ensure fertile eggs.We do have one pet partridge cochin banty that will never see the pot she is named cutie and has more personality than the 500 plus birds I have had in the past.Take care and stay warm.