MyKidLuvsGreenEgz .. .. COLORADO IS BURNING

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

What will I do with the white eggs? Add them to the cartons. We have only the 2 leghorns so at most we'll get 2 full-sized white eggs a day. Add that to the many blue, green, blue-green, light brown and soon dark brown, and we'll have lots of colors. My bantam eggers have been laying for a couple of weeks and I'm waiting for my bantam silkies to start (those will be creamy white).

I won't be saving the whites for customers who only want white eggs. Not worth my time. Take the combo in the carton or go somewhere else.

Forgot to mention ... while at the farmer's market on Saturday, I asked one of the vendors for info on selling my eggs. She said she'd love to take them ... eliminate me from setting up a booth. Just add to the other eggs and produce she sells. That her other 2 egg suppliers last week flaked out on her. Will take them for $2.50 a dozen and sell for $3.00. We usually sell for $3.50 but $2.50 is better than them going to waste and will help pay for their food.

Now ... (1) I need to find bantam egg cartons (I've looked everywhere) and (2) figure out how much to sell the bantam eggs for. I get about 2-4 a day and expect to get 10-12 a day at highest production.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

So tonight I go out my back door to round up the last straggling chickens and close up their coop but just as I open my door, a huge black cat darts out of an open chicken coop, squishes through a hole in my gate and slows down to a meander a few feet away, stops, turns and stares at me. DARING me to come after it.

I don't. Not yet. I turn back inside to grab a flashlight (was starting to get dark) and when I turned back around, that daggone cat was creeping back inside my yard! Went back, turned and stared again. I checked on all of the chickens, closed doors, counted, checked on the goats and found nobody missing. Just a bunch of feathers where someone obviously kinda got caught.

STEAMING MAD!!!


Put the last few eggs I gathered inside, came back out and found the cat YET AGAIN trying to get back in my yard. I chased that MF over to what I assume is his yard, next door, where the horrible neighbors live. Three dogs that constantly come over to terrorize my chickens and goats. Their kids come over and knock down baby trees I plant. Their horse gets out of their paddock and they automatically come to OUR door asking what we did with it! Like I'm hiding a horse in my garage! And now the cat!!!!

Went back and re-checked on my critters. Then I hollered at the top of my lungs "next time your cat comes over, it will disappear!" And it will, if I can catch it! Let's just say that I'll start going out with a little friend in my hand.

Anyway, came back in, got the puppy for his nigh-nigh pee walk, and walked him over by our mutual fence. It had gotten dark by then. I talked to the puppy real loud which woke up their dogs. All 3 barking. Aw. So sad. Maybe during puppy's 4 o'clock walk, I'll have to go back over thataway again.

I'm not usually malicious, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna go through raising chickens and goats from babies, only to have them be a snack for a horrible neighbor's cat or dog! ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!

Don't read into this that I'm against cats. I'm not. Thinking about getting a barn cat for our mouse problem. But I will not tolerate a predator on my property, feeding off my critters.

 

[Denim Deb]

I can't say I blame you. Maybe crossing your path will be bad luck for the cat.

 

[pinkfox]

most cats wont take on a full grown chicken...bantams are at risk, but a full grown chicken is more at ris form a few lost feathers form an overzealous chaser...
however stress in itself is a problem...
id suggest calling animal control and seeing if they have a live trap you can borrow (or keep an eye on craigslist ive seen livetras going for pennies on the dollar) bait it up with something incredibly tastey (tuna is usually a good one) and set it out neer the chicken coop.

if you catch him take him to animal control and forget about it...when they come looking for the cat you havent seen it in a while...

for the dogs, id call ac (or coutny sherrif or whatever) every single time, f you have to tell them the dogs are acting agressivly and are running loose.
people who allow their animals to run riot and terrorize their neighbors dont deserve pets, those animals would have amuch better life in somoene eleses hands.

your dog escapes once ill bring it home...
dog escapes a sedcond time ill give you a call...
dog escapes a 3rd time and you can go pay the fee to bail it out of animal controls kenells...

i love animals, beyond anything else...
but loose animals are a threat not only to other animals and eople but themselves.

good luck on the cat issue. cats are great to have around the coop for mouse and rat control...but if its botherng the hens then theres a problem.

our cats often sleep with the chickens lol

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

I have brooded chicks too ... last batch of 6 is 2 weeks old plus 3 that are a 5 weeks old. I find one of my 5-week-old chicks out walking around every morning. She's found a hole to get out of. Yes, I know. I need to shore up my coop. But I am concerned that the cat can find a way to get to them.

My standard ee rooster is too sweet. Not sure he'd fight (or at least, very hard) to protect his girls.

The latch on my bantam coop isn't all that sturdy. Thinking about chaining it closed.

These particular neighbors never have their dogs on leash and encourage critter and kid to run rampant. We're out in the country. Animal control won't come out here for just a stray; will have to be a mauling or something similar before they'll make the 30 min drive. But did talk with Hubby last night and he'll be putting together a trap for the cat. Until then, my poor chickens might not get to go out until 1 hour before dusk, at which time I'll be out there watching, with something in my hand! And maybe even the puppy beside me.

And as soon as we can afford it, we're getting a perimeter fence up. 6'. Solid panels. Been wanting that anyway. Still, may be a while before we can afford to start buying the panels and posts.

 

[Farmfresh]

Can I please join your rampage? I came home from fishing to find my cauliflower that was being grown in my front yard garden gone. Mind you not just the cauliflower - the whole PLANT was removed. A few days later and an entire purple cabbage plant is GONE as well.

I am afraid I have a case of the zombies.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Please, join away.

It occurs to me that if we're having this much trouble with zombies NOW, consider what it will be like if/when the poo hits the fan! (We need a "smilie" for that!). Would like to hide my garden but that's really impractical. Still, gonna work on growing more inside, and the bantam chickens in the garage. So we won't starve.

Went out this morning and there's a GRAY cat hanging around. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure it belongs to the other next-door neighbors who are very nice and have helped a great deal, especially with my kid's seizures (hubby is an EMT). Not sure what to do about that. Cat was only looking around so might not have been in predatory mode. Still, that black cat worries me. Tried to not let my chickens out to roam today but two escaped. Hope they'll be ok without the rooster to protect them. One is my favorite 3 month old and the other is one our first broody hatch 5 weeks ago.



ETA: Who on earth would remove the entire plant? Maybe these zombies don't understand how to harvest cabbage and cauliflower?

 

[Farmfresh]

The zombies are why I planted cabbage and cauliflower in the front garden. I figured no one would want to steal those. If it was someone hungry I would have given it away, but more than likely my veggies are being kicked around in some parking lot somewhere.

Is it possible that the cats are after something other than your chickens? Most cats I have been around will only attack chicks or possibly half grown birds.

 

[MyKidLuvsGreenEgz]

Could be after mice. Which would be great, but I do have lots of little chicks running around.

The Crisis Is Over

That's how the CBS news program just started their special report. The house and Senate passed that bill that will make us further in debt. The Prez has only to put his sig on it. ARGH!


Well, at least I'll get some money this month. But for how much longer?

 

[abifae]

So is senseless vandalism growing or has it always been x% of the population, we just have a huge population and therefore a higher number of vandals?

I mean... stealing an entire plant? And kicking it around after? Stealing to eat makes sense. Vandalism doesn't.