Midnight adventures

Cyngbaeld · #1 06/24/11, 11:54 AM

Heard a hen screaming, ran out with the .22 revolver and big spotlight in hand. Took a few minutes to find her, under the ramp to the back deck, right where it is lowest and I can't see under. Finally caught a glimpse of silver scales and feathers thru a crack. Managed to get a round thru snake without hitting the hen and he let go. So I'm looking and looking thru the cracks trying to see him, turn around and he is coming up behind me! I put a couple more rounds in him and he dropped down behind the deck. This morning I dragged him out with the rake and buried him in the garden. Couldn't get hen out to check her but she moved around when I poked her. She doesn't want to leave the rest of her eggs, poor thing. Hopefully she'll come out this evening when I put grain out for the yard birds. That is when I usually see her. I'm going to have to fence the underneath of the deck off to keep the birds from nesting under there.

Y'all have any midnight adventures lately? LOL

RebelCowboySnB · #2 06/24/11, 12:19 PM

Had a rat loose in my brooder... Someone was online watching my brooder cam as saw the chicks freaking out. They called me at something like 1:30 AM to tell me. I went out an set a trap behind the divider an got him.

Cyngbaeld · #3 06/24/11, 05:27 PM

That is a good use for a chick cam! Glad you got him.

Wisconsin Ann · #4 06/24/11, 06:01 PM

Wow! Snakes and rats? ewwww. Can't stand either critter. Your poor hen, Cyngbaeld! she must be just terrified.

My biggest adventure with the animals lately was accidentally beaning one of the hens with a rotten egg. (that did NOT go over well)

We do have some massive racoons around lately tho. Artificer shot one not too long ago that was the size of our dog. He said he saw the coon at the same time it saw him..and the race was on. Artificer up the stairs for the .22, coon out the door heading for the woods. Fortunately, the coon got distracted by a pile of corn from a broken sack.

alpacamom · #5 06/24/11, 11:11 PM

Your poor hen, Cyng! Good for you hitting the snake without hitting the hen though...I'm not sure I'd have been a good enough shot!

Millroad · #6 06/24/11, 11:15 PM

What kind of snake was it?

oregon woodsmok · #7 06/25/11, 01:05 PM

You buried him? Your chickens would have loved to eat him.

Cyngbaeld · #8 06/25/11, 01:39 PM

Rat snake. Chickens won't eat one unless I grind it up and mix it with something. Usually ends up stinking.

lauriej57 · #9 06/25/11, 04:13 PM

The other evening, we had the problem cat right at the run, causing the chickens and the roo to go off, which brought my attention to it.

Hubby shot the gun off, right above the run to scare the cat away, since he couldn't shoot at it, it was right in front of the run, and that just set them off even more.

They were disturbed all night long, kept crowing, cackling, you name it, didn't want to go in the coop, they kept waking me up, I went out a few times just to make sure nothing was in the coop, I couldn't even get them in so that I could close up the coop. Their run is secure so I wasn't worried, but they had the young ones in the smaller coop/run all bent of out shape to, their run isn't quite so secure, so I was crawling around in the mud chasing and catching and putting them in for the night!

We have no idea who the cat belongs to, it's none of our friendly neighbors, that we know for sure, and I believe it's probably feral, or close to it, or it wouldn't be right up to the run with the sun just starting to go down. It'll be one dead cat if we get a chance at it.

It was just a crazy night.

dragonjaze · #10 06/25/11, 07:37 PM

Sorry, I still live in suburbia, so I have no poultry stories to share. My midnight adventures consist of tripping over the black cat that insists on laying in the middle of the stairs when I get up to let Mr.Tiny Bladder out.

**gone-a-milkin** · #11 06/25/11, 10:29 PM

Had the dogs barking a few nights ago, towards the turkey pen.
Got the biggo flashlight and yep, a little possum baby was sniffing around the pen.
Went in the house and got the DH to come finish it off.
Silly little thing had decided to curl up on the tarp that covers the woodpile (easy target).
I held the flashlight, DH put a couple 22 rounds into him.

Good dogs! Good DH!

Midnight adventures at about 10:30 pm. No poultry were harmed, this time.

Old Swampgirl · #12 06/25/11, 11:09 PM

My snake adventure wasn't at midnight, but in the morning in broad daylight. A couple of wks. ago I found a big cotton mouth moccasin curled up between the automatic waterer & the tin wall inside my chicken house. Tried to kill him with a dull shovel & the bad end curled back around & tried to bite me & he got away thru a hole. Guess I should say, we both got away. Well he came back last wk. & managed to kill 3 chickens. I killed him with my 12 ga. shotgun even though my shovel is now sharp.

Cyngbaeld · #13 06/26/11, 12:03 PM

Good for YOU! SG. I remember once in Alabama, when we lived rather out in the country. My little brother, age 6, was playing on the back porch. Dad had leaned the old luggage rack (shaped like a wide ladder) against the wall of the porch and Keith was playing right under it. I came around the corner just behind my sister, Katherine as she dropped everything and starting screaming. There was a huge cottonmouth draped around the rack and about to strike. I ran for Dad and he grabbed Keith with one hand and jerked him off the porch. Then he whacked the snake with the hoe. That was in broad daylight too.