Yep, they do that sometimes.
Gina :-)
-- Gina Hall Studios: http://www.ginahallstudios.com Home of Country Chickens, Pegasus Design, Watercolor Gallery, Animal House, small to med dog boarding
Yes they will. We switched ours over from crumbles to pellets, it took a couple of days but they switched.
Robbie
Black Crow Farm
Located in the woods of Wisconsin
________________________________
From: Rita <ritabohn2001@yahoo.com>
To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2012 9:53 AM
Subject: [CHICKENS-101] Pellets vs. Crumbles
Brought home 2 bags of pellets instead of crumbles – and the ladies are not at all interested in the pellets –Right now they are running around the yard/garden cleaning things up, but once there is snow they will be restricted to their run.
So my question is – will they eat the pellets if they get hungry enough?
Thanks in advance
Rita
Surround your coop/chicken yard with 3 strands of electric fence. The top strand should be the height of a bears nose, the bottom should be just above the ground & the middle one in the middle of these two. Make sure that each strand isn't touching anything & purchase the highest out put fencer box you can find. Once the bear touches the electric fence with his nose he'll/she'll think twice about coming back.
Robbie
Black Crow Farm
Located in the woods of Wisconsin
________________________________
From: betty <bettyvuletich@yahoo.com>
To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, September 30, 2012 10:23 AM
Subject: [CHICKENS-101] Bear
I hope someone can help how do I keep a bear away from my chicken pens,or I would guess it was a bear went out to feed this moning and the top chicken wear was all pulled back looked like someone walked up and just pulled it back,my other chickens were in a small warecage the cage was all pushed in,God had to watching after my chickens they all ok and still in their pen and the ones in the cage was ok just had a hard time getting them out. Do you all think it was a bear no tracks as i could see
If you want to try and confirm "bear" (or whatever else), you could put some powder (lime, perhaps, as the cheapest) to see if you get any prints. It could conceivably be a raccoon--they are stronger than you'd think, and ordinary poultry netting or chicken wire would normally be something they could pull at easily.
Lights, etc., as deterrents might work, but it will depend somewhat on how human-habituated the critter is. (We had a bear a couple years ago that spent every night for weeks making a warm crater for itself in the top of the manure pile--less than 50 yards from the barn, which has an outside floodlight. My mare was NOT HAPPY.)
I'd strongly suggest the electric fence. The charger could be one which runs off a power receptacle, if one is within reach of a heavy extension cord; could also be hooked into a deepcycle battery; could also be a solar-charged. Plug-in is your cheapest option; with a small area to surround, you shouldn't need a huge output or weed-burning capability. Be sure to get some good long grounding rods, and you might pour some water down the holes for them, or otherwise make sure the ground is damp enough for a good ground (strong "zap"). For a small area like that, plus best zap, I'd suggest plain wire--they say aluminum is most visible at night. Easiest option for posts is usually the step-in fiberglass posts--if you already have good wooden posts for your chicken run, you may be able to find plastic insulators that will stand the wire out away from the existing chicken wire.
Remember that a bear (or coon!) has pretty thick fur--good insulation--so you have to make the first few "zaps" memorable. Beekeepers' advice is to lay several pieces of bacon on the wire--when bear smells that and goes for the easy treat, the tender nose gets the zap. Hopfully if the wire is baited for a while, he learns to avoid wire...
Same basic idea ought to work if it's raccoon. You'll want a second, lower wire, in that case, maybe only a foot or so from the ground. Be sure to keep grass and weeds cleared away from under it, so there's no short.
Good luck with whatever your would-be predator is.
Sidesaddle Hall of Famer
Five-time US National Sidesaddle Champion
> I hope someone can help how do I keep a bear away from my chicken pens,or
I would guess it was a bear went out to feed this moning and the top
chicken wear was all pulled back looked like someone walked up and just
pulled it back,my other chickens were in a small warecage the cage was all
pushed in,God had to watching after my chickens they all ok and still in
their pen and the ones in the cage was ok just had a hard time getting them
out. Do you all think it was a bear no tracks as i could see
I would ask animal control if you have that in your area or talk to people
in your area if they have heard of any bear sightings.
the only thing that I have heard of that keeps bears out is electricity,
meaning electric netting or something like that. You could also try a
product called "night guard" that seems to work well for some people and is
a lot cheaper than putting up electric fencing. If it was a bear it will
most likely come back, so you've got to be prepared for that. maybe get a
motion sensor light, noise maker or spray and place around your chicken
area.
Marlene
Nevada, USA
www.anatolians-of-zaltana.com
My friend feeds her chickens organic pellets and has done so for years as she says there is much less waste than with crumbles. I was feeding my ladies organic crumbles because the lady at the feed store said that chickens prefer crumbles. On a fluke, I decided to give the pellets a try. No go. My chickens refused to eat them. My husband said that if they were hungry enough they would eat them.
Not wanting them to starve :), I started stirring kefir milk, milk, water, buttermilk - whatever liquid I had on hand - into the crumbles to make a porridge. The ladies gobbled this up!
--- In CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com, "Rita" <ritabohn2001@...> wrote:
>
> Brought home 2 bags of pellets instead of crumbles – and the ladies are not at all interested in the pellets –Right now they are running around the yard/garden cleaning things up, but once there is snow they will be restricted to their run.
> So my question is – will they eat the pellets if they get hungry enough?
>
> Thanks in advance
> Rita
>
I hope someone can help how do I keep a bear away from my chicken pens,or I would guess it was a bear went out to feed this moning and the top chicken wear was all pulled back looked like someone walked up and just pulled it back,my other chickens were in a small warecage the cage was all pushed in,God had to watching after my chickens they all ok and still in their pen and the ones in the cage was ok just had a hard time getting them out. Do you all think it was a bear no tracks as i could see
Brought home 2 bags of pellets instead of crumbles – and the ladies are not at all interested in the pellets –Right now they are running around the yard/garden cleaning things up, but once there is snow they will be restricted to their run.
So my question is – will they eat the pellets if they get hungry enough?
Thanks in advance
Rita
Remember a few months back someone posted the cartoon of the chicken who was regretting the night of passion she'd spent in Paris with the good-looking ostrich? And she was laying a humongous egg?
I think that must be what one of mine has been up to--maybe the wild turkeys?? There's normally one egg first thing in the morning, then the second hen (just 2 laying so far) lays hers around 9:00-10:00. No egg this morning, but I figured, she's still new at it, she might be having an off day. Looked in again around 1:00 P.M.... No wonder she was late, the egg was *enormous*! The lid of the egg carton will barely close over it. I took a picture of it, along with her yesterday's effort for comparison.
Rhonda
Sidesaddle Hall of Famer
Five-time US National Sidesaddle Champion
Attachment(s) from sidesaddle5@yahoo.com
1 of 1 Photo(s)
