# Chicken Little



## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Well, unfortunately we are only down to two hens...from five!


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## trueblue (Jan 22, 2008)

Wait....I see 3 hens in that pic. Am I finally starting to lose it? 

Number of hens notwithstanding, great photo. Your kids are beautiful! And Miss Posh looks more like the protector of the chicken than the eater of the chicken, no?


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

I had a friend who had chickens and the same thing happened to hers. :frusty: She never did find out where they were disappearing to. 
Lovely photo of your children with the hens and Posh!


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Kim, two pictures, two hens. The first picture is of the kids with the hens "chalking" our bridge and the second is of Posh resisting chasing Catherine as she "flies" towards the bridge.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

I thought there was only one picture but now I see there's two. :doh:


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## Judy A (Jan 13, 2007)

Amy, you should put those two pictures together just like it is...fill in the white area a bit...WOW, that is so awesome as one picture!!! I love it!
OK, looking at it a little bit closer... the perspective is off a bit, but it's still pretty neat. The top one is really a great photo by itself, but I did think it was one picture and if you could play with it, I think the two together would be a really great picture.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

I love how the two pictures almost look like one. I love Posh the Chicken Herder!!


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

That's funny because I thought it was one photo for a bit also.

Amy, I think your husband has a point about the names. They were destined to be murdered with names like that!


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## Dawna (Aug 3, 2006)

It's a tough year for chickens. My husband's grandma lost two chickens last week......set out a live trap (she's 86) and caught a BOBCAT!(no bobcats were harmed in the typing of this post) aaaaaghhhh
Dawna


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Dang girl, first a beautiful Havanese, fabulous looking children and now the best darn looking chickens I've ever seen. I swear I was in a feed store the other day (my first ever) and I seriously thought about getting a few just because of you! I'd love to see mine herd chickens. What a hoot!

I am sorry though that you've already lost some to the wild vermin. You're going to have to get Posh some gunslinger lessons.


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## Havtahava (Aug 20, 2006)

Dawna said:


> It's a tough year for chickens. My husband's grandma lost two chickens last week......set out a live trap (she's 84) and caught a BOBCAT!(no bobcats were harmed in the typing of this post) aaaaaghhhh
> Dawna


YIKES! Okay, that gave me chills.


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## Dawna (Aug 3, 2006)

I know! I was expecting something fairly benign, like a possum (******* for opossum) or a raccoon..but NOPE. She lives in a rural community, on a golf course, but not way out in the boonies or anything.


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## Lina (Apr 26, 2007)

Amy, great pics! I'm sorry to hear about your other hens, but hopefully these two will stay safe!


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## Diana (Oct 23, 2007)

Amy,
Love the pictures, it brings back such fond memories for me. My grandmother kept a large chicken coop while we were growing up. It was so much fun as a child!


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## havaluv (Oct 15, 2007)

I always love your posts, Amy.  I'm a sucker for a great photo every time.


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## EstrellaVila (Nov 30, 2007)

Amy sorry to hear about your chickens! That sucks. Posh looks very handy at herding the chicken in the bottom photo, I love that shot.

You take some great pictures!


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## KristinFusco (Jun 5, 2007)

Hi Amy!

Sorry to hear about 3 of your chickens. I had a flock of 40 growing up, they were my egglayers and they were free-range. It was like Easter every day, lots of egg-hunting throughout our 66 acres . Over the years, coyotes, foxes, and Fisher cats had picked off all but 4. The 4 that were left were extremely smart (sort of survival of the fittest  ) and they knew all the great hiding places. When we sold the farm I was 16, and I brought them to the local lumberyard, which had a big petting zoo for some reason, and they joined the menagerie there quite happily.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Amy, I am now thinking of a way to get you back. The minute I read about your "2" chickens and looked at the picture and saw "3" chickens -- I poured out the glass of wine I was enjoying. I thought the second glass was just overdoing it tonight.  Now that I've finished reading the rest of the post...I really need the glass I'm on now! ound:


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## suzyfrtz (Nov 12, 2007)

Amy,
Loved your photos. We had chickens for a while back in the '70's. My DD, then a little girl of 3 or 4, was terrified of the chickens because they pecked one another. It was her job to hold the bowl for the eggs while I checked the nests. I can still see her, standing in the corner of the chicken coop, clutching her bowl in front of her like a shield.  Happy Memory. Sigh. (Enjoy your little ones.)
Probably the chickens all had names but the only one I remember was Mrs. Cluck Cluck. 
Suzy/Sue


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Dale you are a hoot as always.

Dawna that is too crazy about the bobcat. Yikes! Let's hope we don't see any of those.

Thanks again everyone for the photo comps and I'm so glad to hear you guys talk about good old farm life, I hope my kids will have similar memories one day.


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## Dawna (Aug 3, 2006)

Can't beat it with a stick. Country kids have such deep roots and so much life experience that involves memories that last a lifetime. I grew up on my grandparents ranch (it's still in our family) only a few miles from the one where we now live. I feel so lucky and I think my boys feel that way too.


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Oh yes, farm life makes for a wonderful childhood. I know this will freak some of you out...but my mother use to hang a chicken up by it's legs on the clothesline and cut it's head off...dunk it in a pot of hot water...and hand it to me to pluck it's feathers off. I can still smell the old wet chickens...gross. I am always telling my grandsons about the good old days. When my 8 year old spends the night with me he will say, "Nana, will you tell me the Naked Chicken story one more time." ound: Oh, there is nothing like good old simple country living...good memories.


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## Judy A (Jan 13, 2007)

Then Dale, you got to slop the pigs, too, huh? Garbage served a purpose at my grandparents farm. I loved staying with them as a kid and into my adulthood. There was nothing like snapping the beans or shuckin the corn under the "old oak tree" while drinking a nice cool glass of homemade lemonade! Bailing hay and walking the beans.....checking on the cows with Grandpa then heading over to Ida's cafe for an orange soda....
My grandmother went from Grandma Huston to Grandma "Farm" with the birth of her first great granddaughter......just too many grandparents to remember and this was the easiest way! So, all of her grandchildren started using it too! She lived to be 98......drove 20 miles three days a week for water aerobics until she was 93. I MISS MY GRANDMA! My mother and her siblings had to sell the centennial farm a few years ago...leaves a big hole.


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## arampino (Jul 14, 2008)

are thier wings clipped?


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## Mizell26 (Aug 2, 2008)

Okay so I have just been looking around since I joined...because I do not have a havanese just yet but on this thread I have to comment. Wow! I did not ever have the opportunity to visit a farm I lived on one and it was horrible...LOL! However, looking back now I am glad I did. My father has chicken houses still to this day...the other day with the heat he lost 700 one day, 300 the next, and then only 65. I felt so very sorry for him...because of his age and no help. I was at a workshop and told him I would help the next day....was dreading it but I would do it. I got lucky because he sold chickens. He has many, many cows...and did have pigs at one time. Only 2 chicken houses which house I suppose 20,000 chickens. So yes I have many not fun chicken memories...but they are good memories


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## LuvCicero (Mar 31, 2008)

Judy, I guess you could say I've had the best of both worlds. Living in the country outside of Atlanta, Ga. was like two different worlds. Yes, I have so many good memories of country life. We had hogs, chickens, cows, horses, goats and I loved talking care of the animals. My grandparents lived about 30 minutes away and my father bought their large farm when I was young but they lived there till they died. We helped my grandparents and I loved getting to bushhog the pasture at 10 years old. One of my best memories is when I was very young and we would kill hogs, my daddy would give me the 'eyeball' and I would go around to the neighbor kids scarying them with it. ound: What a mean little girl I was!!!

We also went to the big city to shop and spend the day, go to a movie, see the lights. And it was good to go back home to the simple life. My grandsons have always loved my stories of the old days. We basically live in the same area now, but it has changed and grown, but still not big city, just not many farms because of sub-divisions and strip malls. DH and I both grew up this way and we have been lucky with his grading business and secure, but we still just love the simple life. The old farm -- Daddy split it up into 5 acre tracks and many family members live there now, including one of my daughters. I'm thrilled my grandsons get to have a 'small' piece of country living because that is rare here now. 

One thing I have grown to understand. Most country people got to experience the city life on occasions with trips and shopping and more so as they got older -- but the city kids didn't get to experience the daily jobs of country living, taking care of farm animals, working in gardens, picking cotton, playing in the barn and riding horses all day long on dirt roads. I wouldn't take anything for the way I was raised!!!
Sorry this post got long.........


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## Judy A (Jan 13, 2007)

Dale....I don't think there is anything better than farm life, especially for kids. I feel so fortunate that I got to experience it as a child, even if it was just to visit. My grandparents lived 20 miles from us, so we got to go often. I "vacationed" there all throughout my childhood and brought friends home from college to stay there. When I was a Deputy Sheriff, their farm was on my patrol so I got to stop in almost daily to check on grandma and get a free meal! She thought that was pretty cool! I did too until I locked myself out of my squad car and my uncle had to come rescue me!! HaHa! What a dork.......


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

I'm so jealous of all of you that have experienced farm life. My girls just went to their first feed store yesterday and had a ball. Now that we're living much closer to a rural area, I'm really hoping that I'll be able to give them more of the "country" experience. And because of Amy, I am seriously considering one of those beautiful chickens - I'd love to have fresh eggs and see my Havs herding them around. We went to a nursery yesterday and they keep a herd of 22 stunning chickens for bug control. They also have a free cutting flower garden. You buy the vase and they give you scissors and send you out and you can cut away to fill your vase. It was so much fun! I've already investigated three feed stores and we can't wait to find more. 

My oldest Lauren adores horses and as much as I'd prefer her to stay in the dog world, we may just end up with a ranch someday. Talk about living a dream - horses and dogs. But boy, I was looking at the cost of tack and hay, way more than we've ever dreamed of spending on our Havanese. 

And Judy, I'm ROTHFLMAO over your sheriff story. You've got to post a picture of yourself in uniform. Since Melissa suggested I change my name to Three's Company, I'm nominating you for "The Sheriff". Gosh what a hoot!


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## Judy A (Jan 13, 2007)

Lisa, I think there is only one photo of me in uniform...and I don't know where it is! I look like I'm about 16 in it, so know wonder people looked at me kinda funny when I'd stop them on the highway! LOL


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Oh do find it Judy. I'd love to see it. I'll bet you did get funny looks appearing to be only 16.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

*Now I want chickens too!*

Okay Amy, it's all your fault, but after seeing your beautiful chickens, I'm in love with the idea of having a few myself. I spoke with people at the feed store and they said as long as I didn't get a rooster, I could probably get away with having a few "in town" here. Although they did recommend just getting a few "ornamentals" rather than egg layers since they are a bit friendlier. You can hand raise the egg layers and they'll be a bit nicer they said.

Oh and to prevent the wilderness from eating them, you've got to dig down to put a fence line underground so our raccoons don't dig and get them at night. They also recommended a pen rather than allowing to run free in the yard to prevent hawks from attacking. They are getting some more chicks in next week - so I may just check out this Cuban chicken flock herding rumor myself. LOL


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Awesome Lisa! The hens are really quiet and we have been keeping them in their run instead of letting them range. We do let them range a couple of hours before the go in the coop at night to roost.

There is a great book called LIving with Chickens by Jay Rossier you can check out.

Can't wait to see/hear what
you've decided!


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Amy thanks for the book reference - I did a bit of review and really want the scoop on the poop. Is it bad to clean up? Also I've looked at our "livestock" ordinances and can't seem to find a rule one way or the other. How did you find out whether you could have livestock in your neighborhood? All these questions but as you can tell, I'm enthralled.


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

Lisa check out the egglu. It's seemingly expensive, but man, I think we ended up paying about that much once we added up the time and money we spent on designing our own.

The poop isn't as bad as I thought it would be, and with the two chickens we're down to cleaning the whole thing every two weeks or so.

Also, we didn't have to comply with any zoning laws as we live on 8 rural acres not really in a "neighborhood." We just have really one crazy ass neighbor in the original farm house that they spit the acreage up from. 

I think if you were to go online to your town's website it should show you the local laws, and will usually mention chickens. I know Minneapolis is okay with you owning up to 4 chickens, and that it's usually the neighborhood housing association that puts the kabosh on owning chickens, not the municipality. 

Let me know...


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Cool thanks Amy. I'm thinking of just calling the city from a pay phone so they don't know which resident is calling just in case. Are I terrible?


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

They still have pay phones in California?

I watched them remove the last ones in "my neck of the woods." It was a silent adios from a bygone area, and I felt a little sad.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

*Look at the Eglu*

Wow - this is so cool, plus they ship it with two egg laying chickens - starting at the end of August. Thanks so much for the link - what a totally cool concept and perfect for a small set up like I'd like to do. Plus I checked our zoning laws and we can raise up to 10 chickens, geese, or rabbits. Just watch out for the roosters. What a deal. Oh goodness this sounds like fun!


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

I'm so jealous. Our coop is cute, but I love the egglu. It reminds me of my old Mac computer, they even come in a variety of colors!!! Keep me posted Lisa. Glad the zoning issues won't be an issue. Your girls will love your girls.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

I'm jealous of the Eglu too - I read just the shipping charges and thought the whole thing was $170. They run over $500 + the $170 shipping since they are only made in the UK. So we may go just the cheap route to begin with. But darn I've got the wants now. LOL They remind me of my first apple green imac too. Although I was an original Mac owner - so I had one from 1986! Probably a collector's item now and I just gave away three in our yard sale.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

*Amy...we got our first flock of 5 chicks!*

 Our Chickens Are Here!
To complete the transition to our new countrified lifestyle, I finally bought us our egg-laying chicks (hens only!) They are three days old and absolutely darling. We raise them in a small tub for eight weeks and then they can be placed in a coop/cage out in the yard. At eight months of age, egg production should start.

We have our own local expert with our neighborhood bird sanctuary. The director's name is Suzanne, or "the bird lady" as the girls have affectionately nicknamed her. She's been very helpful and has extra supplies and cages for us. Our babysitter's family lives on a small farm, so she was able to give the girls lots of good instruction about raising chicks.

Depending on how many of the five make it to adulthood, I'll add an ornamental or two to round out the flock. Five is supposedly a minimum number to encourage good egg production since chickens are social animals. Should we tire of them, we've got many small egg producing hobbyists in the area who welcome full grown layers. Of course the girls have named them, so despite being good meat birds when they stop producing eggs, I don't envision any of them ending up on our Sunday dinner table. _(P.S. If I were you and got a Sunday chicken dinner invite, I'd recommend declining. LOL)_

I don't have pictures of our chicks yet, but here are photos of what they'll look like as adults. The Barred Rock also has a chick photo...that's exactly what our little Raven looks like.









Three *Ameraucanas, named* Rachel, Cheetah and Christiana;

















*a Rhode Island Red* , named Jessica;
 







*[Plymouth] Barred Rock,* named Raven.









This new trend was reported on _in a Time_ magazine article entitled "Urban Animal Husbandry" in the August 17, 2009 issue which can be found here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1914991-1,00.HT


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## SMARTY (Apr 19, 2007)

Amy, how are the remaining hens?

Lisa, love the coop and the chickens. Boy do those chickens bring back memories. We called the black and white ones Domaneckers (?), I always that thought that was the real name. LOL 

I’ve thought about chickens several times but know they would bring visitors out of woods that I would rather not. Too many critters like to make a meal out of the chicken and the eggs. Snakes, foxes, raccoons, and coyotes, etc way more issues than I want to deal with.

My childhood ran parallel to Dale’s. Shopping in Atlanta, small farm about 20 miles east, a great childhood, I just didn’t realize it at the time. The majority of what we ate came for our small farm. Always a big garden, the veggies were frozen or canned. Our meat came from the pigs, chickens and calves. I would not trade it for anything but it was not always fun. We helped with it all. Feeding the animals, mixing the “slop” for the pigs, we bottle fed the little bulls, they were always given to us by the dairy down the read. We also knew all of these would end up in the smoke house or freezer. 

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Keep us posted on your birds.


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

congrats lisa. unfortunately all of our hens have bit the dust. all nine of them murdered by a mink.

we've sealed the coop and our chicks will arrive in april. it's really sad to look out and see the empty coop.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Well, I will add to your thread. I have five hens and two roosters. One of the roosters is a beautiful large one and the hens are his. The other is a little bantam and he needs a hen of his own. I finally got rid of the yard dog stray and turned the chickens loose in the fenced area of my yard. They love it and so do I. Rosie just naturally strarted herding them--except for the big rooster that is bigger than her. He tolerates her to an extent; but if she gets to close he flaps her wings at her. She thought this was a new game and finally got to close and got a full flogging. Now she just herds the hens. She puts them back in the hen house very quickly. How do they instinctly know to herd? I hope to get pictures soon. 

As to the poop, it is going to get bad on the concrete walks and patio. I can see that I will have to limit their free time soon, Rosie rolled in chicken poop the other day..ugh! However when dry, it is easy to sweep off.

I also have a calf fenced in in another part of the back. He had a minature horse companion that I gave away last week. The women who came to get the horse wanted the calf also. They thought he was a pet. When I told them his true calling they got upset and wanted to tell me how cruel that was--they get their beef at the grocery story and don't have a clue. Now the husband is afraid that the humane society will come by. Luckily we live in a rural area and I am not worried.


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

> The women who came to get the horse wanted the calf also. They thought he was a pet. When I told them his true calling they got upset and wanted to tell me how cruel that was--they get their beef at the grocery story and don't have a clue. Now the husband is afraid that the humane society will come by. Luckily we live in a rural area and I am not worried.


Lucille, that tickled me because I have a friend who lives in the NC mountains who rescues the animals from the Biltmore House petting zoo when they start getting too big for the children. Now her farm is a zoo of huge animals! I told my DH if it were me, he would probably come home one day and the the black angus calf (who is now huge) would probably be in the freezer, and the two humongous pigs would be in the skillet! We tease our friend about it, but she has no children and these are her babies. She also has goats, sheep, chickens and a rooster, a 30 year old retired police horse, two Great Pyrenees, a rescued Plott Hound, and three potbelly pigs! I understand the GP dogs will fight to the finish to protect the animals which is why they got them. They have only lost one chicken over the years.

Our neighbor has bantam roosters and chickens and has actually seen a hawk carry off one of the roosters. I used to keep an extremely watchful eye on Jackson when he was little and went out in the back.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Oh Amy, I remember you posting about their "murder", by a mink none the less. Our sancturary had a small bantam rooster who got carried off by a hawk, so our run is going to be covered. Hopefully, we'll get wire that's small enough that the raccoons can't put their paws through. Apparently that's a real mess to come out and find.

Since we are in a suburban development surrounded by four backyards, I'm hoping that we're not too bothered by the "wild things."

If anyone has a great place to get coop plans, please share. I found some nice ones on www.mypetchicken.com but it's nothing like the beauty that Amy's husband built. I lust after that one!

Kathy I adore Great Pyrenees...they are one of the few true giant breed dogs that weren't overbred for their size so they live a long time, unlike so many other giant breeds. Apparently lifespans as long as 15-16 years aren't unusual.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Lisa, you have to get the really good wire to cover your run and sides of the coop. Regular chicken wire won't do. Any **** or possum can tear it and Hawks...let me tell you about the HAWK. I went into my chicken house a few years ago looking down and saw white feathers all over the floor, then dead and mangled chickens came into view, then I looked up at the nesting boxes which were at eye level and there sat the the biggest hawk with the BIGGEST talons you ever saw. He was the big red-tailed hawk and I was trapped in there with him. Slowly I backed out and quickly slamed the door. 
He had tore through the wire and decimated my hens, only two were left. After I got over the fear of nearly being attacked by him, then I got mad. A shotgun through the screen blew him to you know where. (yes I know that was not legal--but he shouldn't have been in my chicken house). Well we spent the extra money and re-screened the chicken house.

I live in the city limits, but the back part of my property is in the county and is heavily wooded. ***** and possums are regular visitors--it is war all the time at my house. My chicken house is within 30 feet of my back door in an enclosed 6' high wood fence, yet it is still impossible to keep out the wild critters. I expect to lose one or two each year, so have to add to my flock a chicken or two along to keep up; but it is worth it to have the fun of watching them from my kitchen table and the grandchildren love getting the eggs. When they are here, the eggs come in as laid. The kids stand and wait for them.


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## kelrobin (Jan 21, 2008)

Lucile, you go girl!!!! :fencing:


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

love these stories.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Luciledodd said:


> ...then I got mad. A shotgun through the screen blew him to you know where. (yes I know that was not legal--but he shouldn't have been in my chicken house). Well we spent the extra money and re-screened the chicken house....


Oh Lucile, that is priceless. Reminds me of the stories they tell about my great-grandmother on the homestead...but she wasn't shooting chickens...it was Indians she was aiming at. Since my daughter is part Native American, I find that especially fitting that she's now got "***** blood" in her precious family tree. LOL

But truly, thank you for the information. I'm thinking I'm going to build an enclosed coop where little is visible from the sky. We have hawks overhead every day and the Turkey Vultures are constantly soaring just a few hundred feet away.

I'm scared to death of raccoons and what they can do to dogs. Supposedly they'll grasp on to their underbellies and eviscerate them with their claws. Not my precious furbabies!









Talking of coops, does anyone know of where you can get some nice plans other than www.mypetchicken.com?


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

My chicken house started out as an aerie (sp) for my pigeons. It is 8 x 8 with tin roof and screened on three sides. The nesting boxes were up high. I used to have the chickens in the back portion of the property in a really nice house and run; but the wild animals could not be kept out even though I had electric wire on the top. So after feeding the wildlife for several years, I freed the pigeons and moved the chickens into the bird house. (pigeons are in husbands tractor shed and pooping on everything, he is not happy) . Dumb chickens won't use the nesting boxes for eggs. The perfer a corner of the house on the ground in the straw that was in the nesting boxes. I let them have their way about where they want to lay their eggs. Since I opened the door to the yard for them, they picked a shrub at my back door to lay under. They line up to lay in the same spot taking turns. My double-barrel shotgun is at the back door for any dumb critter that wants to try me. So far no problems. The turkey buzzards don't fool with the chickens; but would take chicks. Since the one red-tailed hawk met his demise, the mate must have relocated somewhere else as I haven't seen one. Biggest danger is at night and the ***** and possums can't get into the chicken house. I ringed the outside of the house with sulpher to deter snakes also. Good luck with your chickens and enjoy them. My four hens give me 3 to 4 eggs a day, so my employees don't have to buy eggs. That is a lot of eggs in a week for two old people and one little dog to eat. Rosie likes hers scrambled and gets one every time I scramble eggs. When I had a yard dog, I always gave him one every day -- just tossed it to him and he would eat shell and all.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Lucille, you make me yearn for the country life! It's just so honest and real. Thanks for the tips about the vermin and snakes...hadn't thought of those and chicks. I've got enough room in my garage to raise chicks, so I won't be needing to watch them become wild animal food. Although I am sad to report that one chick already didn't make it. But at least I'll get one ornamental to join the flock. Thanks for your good wishes.


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## Me&2Girls (May 11, 2007)

Lucille, you make me yearn for the country life! It's just so honest and real. Thanks for the tips about the vermin and snakes...hadn't thought of those and chicks. I've got enough room in my garage to raise chicks, so I won't be needing to watch them become wild animal food. Although I am sad to report that one chick already didn't make it. But at least I'll get one ornamental to join the flock. Thanks for your good wishes.


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

Since I have finally learned how to post pictures, I am uploading pictures of my boys and girls. These were taken the first of March and the grass hadn't turned green yet. Now they have lots of grass and seeds to peck at. Rosie pretty well keeps them off the concrete next to the house. Everytime they come there, I tell her to shoo them and she herds them back to the hen house. The big rooster is larger than her and has flogged her once, so she pretty well lets him alone. The Bantam rooster doesn't have a mate and the big rooster won't let him get near his hens, so he picks on Rosie. But she wins every time. I feel sorry for the little guy. We have 4 eggs nearly every day. If we just get 3, hubby goes out and talks to them--something about dumplings. Course I have assured them that is not an option.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Your photos are great and Rosie looks so cute with the chickens. Do you live in a subdivision? I think my neighbors would shoot me if I had chickens!


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

No I live inside the city limits but it is a large area-3 acres and 3 acres next to me that was my mother's house, which my children stay in when they come. The closest neighbor is an old man and he can't hear the roosters.


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

What fun! I love chickens and all the memories they bring to mind!


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## Lilly'sMom (Jan 28, 2010)

What a life!


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## Posh's Mom (Dec 20, 2007)

This is great Lucile! Rosie and Posh the little chicken dogs. Posh was picked on by our more dominant hens too. Poor girl doesn't even realize she could bite them if she wanted to. We don't have a rooster, but we are considering one...I'm not yet convinced. 

I'd rather have a boy hav and name him Rooster, my husband is the one I'd have to convince for that to happen.

I've been meaning to add some pics of our new hens. But I'm lazy.


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## Scooter's Family (May 23, 2008)

Just tell your husband you're getting a "Rooster". Then call the Hav that!


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## Luciledodd (Sep 5, 2009)

I enjoy the roosters. They are so funny and yes they crow a lot. The big rooster starts crowing as soon as he sees me--that means we want to be fed. He crows for his hens to come into the hen house at night. He crows at Rosie. The little one just crows for the hell of it. I think he is trying to convince the big hens that he is the best looking and they need to be his hens; but they are not having any of that. When they are feeling full of themselves, they strut. I love to watch. Yes the eggs are fertile; but gathered every afternoon and refrigerated so no problem. Actually, I am hoping that one of the hens will decide to sit. I leave the eggs until late just in case. It would be fun to have a hen and chicks. Rosie wouldn't have a chance with the hen though. They really will flog anything that comes near their chicks.


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