BeccaOH: Update of just STUFF

[Javamama]

Oh noo! that coon has a death wish. I think I'm going to get a gun for my Christmas present this year.

 

[FarmerChick]

Put peanut butter in the trap. Coons love peanut butter....at least these southern coons do..HA HA

we trap and shoot all the time. have too cause land development of adjacent farms means their coons etc. move to our farm. population is insane....so we have to do what we have to do.

 

[BeccaOH]

Put peanut butter in the trap. Coons love peanut butter....at least these southern coons do..HA HA

Smeared PB on the bottom wires of the cage last night and sprinkled cracked corn down. No bowl this time. And still no coon caught.

 

[BeccaOH]

Friday night I had more drama in the coops.

At 1 am my dog started barking fierce. I went out to find a coon trying to slip through a very narrow area between coop roof and board/wire fence. I grabbed a shovel and beat at her, but she finally got in and started running circles to find another way out. The area was too small for me to go in and face her with just a shovel. She settled on a beam up near the roof and my mom got on the phone to call a neighbor.

Party boy wasn't home. Other neighbor just got in late for work and his wife couldn't rouse him out of first stage deep sleep. Couldn't find # for a third. Then Mom called the 76-year-old farmer just up the road and he came. All the while I stood on guard with flashlight and shovel to see that she didn't move or touch my 6 young hens. He came, but it was a really tricky shot to have to take. He wounded her (there is quite a bit of blood in the coop), but as we regrouped to take another shot, she jumped down and ran right past my neighbor, myself, the dog, and my mother to our pine tree. We searched but never found her or more blood.

It would seem the coon doesn't like Dr. Pepper because she didn't take the toxic drink I left out at 3 points around the yard 2 nights in a row.

FINALLY on Sunday morning I woke to find a coon in the trap. Sardine can barely opened made a good bait. Now this is how I like to see a coon.

My "sleepyhead" neighbor did the honors of dispatching her. She was definitely a mama. Still I reset the trap last night and will continue with it for a few more nights.

This is the "dog house/coop" set up. Coon slipped down along fence to the right.

 

[Dace]

wow, glad you caught her! Is this the wounded one?

Good luck catching the rest of her family!

 

[BeccaOH]

I finally got a decent night's sleep last night, though I could always use more.

Here are my happy ducks. Baby, the one with homing instinct, is in the tub bathing.

Here is my Tommy with my BS hen. Tommy gets a new BR wife on Wednesday. I'm hoping for good breeding.

Here's one of my mutt chicks. Not sure if it is a Welsummer/Buff or what.

 

[BeccaOH]

I didn't notice a wound on her while she was alive and didn't inspect her body. :/

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Congrats on getting rid of that pesky coon! I hope there will be no more!

 

[BeccaOH]

After losing those 20 chicks to the coon, it is so nice to have new life in the house again.

My incubator full of BBS Orpingtons and Buff Orpingtons and Brabanters is hatching. I've got 16 chicks at last count with at least one more pipped.

In the other incubator, I'm down to just 2 BR turkey, 4 peafowl, and 1 guinea in eggs. Those should start pipping around the 24th.

Saturday I brought home a trio of BR turkeys that are around 2 years old. Aly and E kindly picked them up at the swap for me after I had arranged the purchase by phone. I already had a young BR tom, so I'm thinking I may not keep the old guy. How would his meat be for butchering?

Tomorrow I should get some Pekin eggs to try hatching. Also, Friday I did a Cackle Hatchery order sort of on a whim. Found some Gold-laced Wyandottes that I'd like for a breeding set. I had 2 hens that I love. So I ordered 6 straight run and also added on 2 BA cocks for breeders, some Partridge Rock, and some Blue Splash LF Cochin for brooders. So, Saturday I get this call on my answering machine that the order I placed Friday and marked to have shipped ASAP could go out MONDAY! Talk about service!

For the last 10 days or more, I've been very busy helping set up for our church camp meeting up near Berlin Lake (or 1.5 hours from home) that started last night. I help with the bookstore where all proceeds go to missions work. It is a lot of work, but rewarding.

I feel very sleep deprived after those long nights keeping an ear open for coon activity. Still want to work on making sauerkraut. Had to get more fresh cabbage, though. Blackberries should come in soon too, and I want to do jam and fresh some berries.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Know what you need to do???







Stop blaming ME for your addiction!!!! I most certainly did NOT introduce you to Cackle Hatchery!!!!! You found that one on your own!!!!!!!!!!