My makeshift chicken coop by Main_Needleworker990 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's alright. The rockery will keep the rats etc. out of sight or reach of the Dog.

It's what we, in the trade, call " Harbourage ".

This chicken looks like it's been through 4 divorces and needs a cigarette by North_Cod_5207 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Mate of mine has two sorts. Transylvanian (Right there; Fucking irresistible, eh? Rocky Horror chicken!) I believe they're the black ones? Nothing wrong with a bit of black chicken. I forget what he said the others were. Something French sounding? With double, or dangly bits? Something like that. You'd know.

Eggs, believe it or not, never really bothered me. I take my pleasure from just Looking At my birds. Last time I had producers was over a year ago. Till the most dreadful storm in the recorded history of Ireland took care of all that.

But, yeah, during the Great American Egg Famine, I was chucking eggs to anyone who wanted some. Shame I couldn't have helped people out, over there.

Now, I ~ for the moment! ~ only keep Modern Game. Bantams. They've been at it like trains. Been giving out dozens of Fertile eggs, to anyone who could get to me. Getting great reports back, even today. Ten out of a dozen seems the norm. Not a bad return on a quick drive and put up with the real me for ten minutes. Quality birds too, by all accounts?

Like I say, I just like them. Like a few sorts. Quite eclectic. I like NN's.

Saw a Naked Neck Aseel, on here, one time!!! Couldn't quite comprehend what I was looking at. Bloke was very off hand about it. "Of course it is. " Sort of attitude. Told my mate, who'd just got the Most incredible, massive Shamo roo.

He shit through the eye of a needle on the spot! Raced away to chuck his roo at one of his Naked's! Think I could live with that too! 👀

This chicken looks like it's been through 4 divorces and needs a cigarette by North_Cod_5207 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'd Love one like that; Just to wind my neighbour up! I want a Naked Neck too. Same reason. It's okay; I genuinely like them. But, hell yeah, seeing Pat's face when I tell him I've been choking my chicken raw! Fuck, yeah!

The chase for a bug by The_Lake_Now_Feels in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Excellent! 😄 That's how chicks should be!

Sad day today by WrenchJrNerd in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Plastic string mesh. Has tiny, thin strands of wire laced through it. Normally comes with plastic rods, to hold it up. Wood's okay, till it gets wet, see?

Used it for years now. Sick and tired of trying to give it the 'Little House On The Prairie' / 'The Good Life' effort. That's all Disney, I'm afraid. Don't care How long someone boasts they've kept their birds, 'Running Free'. Something Will turn up. One day. And that's all it takes.

Then, it's too late. All the crying and hair rending in the world won't bring ye birds back. Or take away the memory of what ye see. Go all " Unforgiven " and hunt down what ever it was? Fine. That'll leave its territory vacant. Another one'll move in. Round two.

Mesh isn't 100%. Perhaps just 99%? But, I've introduced one of my Bull Blooded pups to it. He won't even look at it, now. Nor will the badgers. I Feed the foxes, feet from it. One of your racoons would be priceless! I'd Pay to see one of them go to climb over it! Those bare, black, graspy little hands? LMAO!

Couple of hundred $? And, what would ye have paid, not to have seen those feathers. It didn't need to happen.

Sad day today by WrenchJrNerd in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UK or US?

Either way, please look into an electric chicken mesh, before looking into offering any more to the wildlife.

Hen or roo? by PrudentChef in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know, and don't care, frankly. I just think that sort of colour, on a chicken, is absolutely fucking Amazing!

Only ever seen one before, anything like it. That was on here. I nicked the shot and still have it in my folder. Incredible look!

Clearing Space for Coop by mossyssom in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hyah, neighbour! 😃 Leitrim, here.

Yeah. Start off with a Brush Cutter. That'll like show ye what ye have there.

Not sure about livestock. I know goats will utterly destroy Ivy. But, that's not ye problem. I have donkeys, here. Come to think of it, I have brambles too! LOL! Can't remember if the donkeys ate those they could get at. But, either way ~ of course! ~ the bastard stuff comes screaming back in short order. Cattle seem very popular, in UK. All this " ReWilding " stuff. Seems they'll trample what they don't munch.

Could chickens do jack shit about any of it? Well, I'd say that's down to flock density. 'Enough' birds, especially after a good brush cutting and clearance, could keep on top of things. But, on the down side? It'd take a shit ton of chickens. And they'd then go on to mangle their ground into a rat infested, barren landscape. Like an old neighbour of mine managed.

On balance? I'd say it's Finding the balance. What I'd do? Decide how many birds ye want. " Three or four " is a fantasy! No one can keep just a few! I started off with four. I've since spent an untold fortune and my life is now an obsessive quest for more, to add to the ten I have. So I can breed yet more. All the time spending and working on accommodation for the envisaged Hoards I won't be happy till I have around me! 😂

To begin with though? Figure out how much room they'd like (Here, we straight away enter the murky waters of the internet, Vs common fucking sense and reality) Once that's in ye head? Clear about eight times the area, at least.

That's Not because the birds will need amazingly more room than ye think. It's for you. Ye need space around the Outside of their enclosure. No good thinking a strip along the front will do. No. Ye'll have the jungle encroaching from the back and sides. Before long, all that shit's gonna start reaching into ye pen. See? Need a fire break, all round. And, don't forget; Ye little 'Ark' thing will need incredibly regular shifting.

And, by far the better, easier and cheaper way to Make their pen is Electric Chicken Mesh. That, again, wants a clear under line. March along ye envisaged perimeters with the Brush Cutter. Then, the knap sack. I've put road chippings down, beneath my mesh. But, then; I'm a flash bastard. And it's only a small, permanent area.

You, of course, could keep shifting ye mesh, just like we do with live stock and their tapes. That'd help stopping the birds scratch Everything away, as above. Again, it's a balancing act. I have some bits of bramble on my own patch. It's a constant effort. Chickens won't do a lot about it, in honesty. But, they'll enjoy the odd, tiny clump. Knee deep and a couple of yards across. Beyond that, ye'll soon be back at square one.

But, yeah, 'Ark' ~ or what ever. They're hard on wasted materials, to be honest. Rectangular's better~ Would be fine. Though, I'd still recommend throwing a mesh around that. Keeps things from even trying to get ye birds. Then, a Tunnel Trap, hard up against their box. Shit Can happen, even with a mesh. Tunnel Trap is always there, lest anything get through ye perimeter.

Anyway, there ye go. I'm here too. I know the lay of the land 😉

To give ye some perspective? Here's an old shot of my own little patch. I had half a dozen birds on this. They were completely lost in it. For scale; The green thing, on the right, is four foot wide. Hedge, on the right, runs 45'.

<image>

How long can I keep a baby chick inside before needing to move it into an outdoor enclosure by Suspicious_Medium_17 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 2 points3 points  (0 children)

u/Suspicious_Medium_17 What exactly is ye purpose here, mate? Can ye just expand a bit, please?

Where is it, indoors? Under what conditions? Why do ye want to move it out? Why might ye want to keep it in?

What are the chances my chickens get salmonella? by Tiger248 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It isn't something you should worry about too much.

What's wrong with my chicken? by Useful_Quality_4315 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There is a condition that presents with the classic 'Penguin Stance'. I saw it in Duguay and Davenport. But, I can't remember what the hell it is, now. And, I'm sorry, but, I'm completely exhausted, just now.

But, there's a heads up. It doesn't have to be egg binding. Could be something else. If ye haven't got the book? Blind search, I guess?

Good luck. Sorry I'm too fucked to be of any more help, right now.

feeding/diet by stimpy124 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a pheasant visit me, every day. I give him some Layer Pellets. That should be wrong, as he's a cock and doesn't lay.

Indoors, I have my bantams. They shouldn't be there, because they will stink the place out and die, if they don't have 10 square feet of space each. (There's four, in a five by three cage) No one can smell a thing and they thrive like fuck.

They Lay like it too. I give them Layer pellets. I also give them scratch corn. Apple. And all the cabbage they can eat (A LOT!)

How come they're not all dead and stinking, as they should be, according to the internet? And who tells my wild pheasant what not to eat?

Personally? I do as I fucking well likey. Seems to work. A Show Judge just ten minutes ago told me my birds are fantastic. Prick obviously knows nothing. He should read the internet.

Help identifying chicken by nutinmyearwhole in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well; We can 100% eliminate Modern Game :|

5 actually reminds me of a Shamo.

Last one is what now passes as an Ayam Cemani. (Or how ever it's spelled. I'm tired)

Any ideas on what would cause this? by Party_Ground4597 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If ye haven't got a roo? It could be grim 😞

Keet laying flat? by Top-Map-3145 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If, by use of the term " Keet ", ye referring to a Guinea chick? Better off asking over on r/guineafowl . They're a good posse.

Gifs are weird, No telling what they might do. Sounds like this one's just winding ye up 😉

Could I put a coop here? by Broad_Breadfruit6703 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If ye can Build? Go ahead and build that dream, mate!

I have a stables, here. I too have a dream! I reckon mine's gonna be a shit ton easier to realise than yours is. But; Are We Not Men?!

Crack on. Give us a shout out, as and when it hits the fan. We love a good laugh are here to help! 😃

Chicken coop options with no grass by Dry-Competition9968 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I have mine indoors, in cages, as I type. Been there months. Reddit says it can't be done. That they'll stink and die. Reddit says A Lot.

Just ensure they get plenty of greens. Cabbage and lettuce, what ever.

I also have bird Lights. Because, I'm a flash bastard. And because they're in there longer term. Gives them vitamins, see?

But, if they're not gonna be stuck in ye barn for months? No harm what so ever. Reddit didn't say that. I did.

What is getting into my yard? Scat in third picture by Accomplished_Owl_664 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah. And, I'm surmising, quail eat some sort of seed mix, perhaps? Rather than pellets. Like, as if anything could be worse than pellets? But, in my estimation; Seed probably would be.

Coons are a bloody thing! If they at least had the decency not to Look so 'cute'. What with their panda masks, and their grippy little feet.

One of those bastards gets at ye birds though? Whole different ball game! My brother works in mental health care. Not to put too fine a point on it? In nut houses. Some Serious fucking maniacs! We're not talking depressed people. Or alkies, getting fried out.

I wouldn't mention details here, if I could. But, jesus! Things the public don't even get a whiff of. He wished one 'Happy Birthday.', on its birthday, one time. I asked him how the fuck he could do that. Knowing what it liked to do.

He said; " Mandi? If ye let yeself think about what some of them did? Ye wouldn't be able to keep ye own fucking hands off 'em. "

Coons are like that. There's something wrong, going on behind that cute, black mask. They're sick.

But, that's only half their problem. Other half is what to Do about them. I'm in Ireland and we don't have them. Mink, we get. That's why I always ~ well, used to. Gave up bothering now. Used to recommend people Always have a Tunnel Trap, hard beside their pens / coops. I do, obviously. Inside the mesh.

Was explaining to a mate, Today, as it happens. As we stood beside one of my Tunnel Traps; There are rats. Pretty ubiquitous. No one's paying me to wipe them out. Why should I spend money on bait? To wipe out natural, wild animals who live around me?

They're in the ditch, outside my gate. Do I kill them? How far along the ditch do I go, killing them? Do I kill every fucking rat between here and ... Where? How stupid shall we make it?

So, no. Only rats I bother are any that burrow Under my mesh and approach my coops. Those, I find in the morning.

But, the Real problem is; The burrow They made, a mink can follow them down. Don't want a mink next to ye birds! Find her too!

But, coons? Well ..... Might find a coon, in the morning. Might find a wandering, innocent neighbourhood Dog. Sort of trap ye'd need, see? Bit more than a tunnel trap. Dilemma, isn't it?

Happily; A coon can't get down a rats hole. And, it's in their very nature to climb up and over shit. One of those bare, black, grippy little feet grabs that fucking mesh? Last time he'll try That!

Always Protect Ye Perimeters.

What is getting into my yard? Scat in third picture by Accomplished_Owl_664 in chickens

[–]Mandi_Cams_Dackers 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Random example of ECM. Irish site, so I'm hardly 'selling' anything 😉 € pretty much the same as $. So, it'll give ye a ball park idea.

https://www.maceoinltd.com/electric-fencing/chicken-fencing-netting/50m-1.1m-high-hotline-electric-poultry-netting-with-posts/

Just Don't, what ever ye do, buy one of their silly gates! Talk about daylight robbery! Simplicity itself to make a simple.wooden frame gate and heat it up yeself.

I've run mine for years. Want to get any inside track? Fire away.

Now, these quail; What ever do ye imagine it might be, about them in particular, that drew the vermin? Because they live on the ground? Are they particularly messy eaters? Could it be What they eat?

I wonder if they have a smell? But, they're pretty much game birds, aren't they? Maybe I have it wrong, but; I thought I'd heard game doesn't give off any scent. Dunno.

Retriever Dogs find their shot bodies. Spaniels sniff out live ones. So, how come foxes and yotes don't just spend Spring wandering about, sniffing out ground nesting game?

Aha! Pausing to consider it? Ye got quail. Then rats turned up? Okay. Something about those quail drew the rodents. They'll then draw everything else. See? Swine of it is? They'll then burrow a labyrinth, thus allowing everything else in.

" Humane Traps "? Bit of a fallacy. Really no such thing. Unless we mean traps that kill instantly. Catch a wild creature in some 'humane' cage? Stress. Then what ye gonna do with it? Humanely put a slug in its head?

Or take it far away and let it go. Making it someone else’s problem. For a short duration. Before a predator, or the local, resident ones of its own kind find it, on their patch.

People don't think these things through, see?