So sorry you're dealing with this. This is never easy and to have difficulties on top of it makes it all the worse. You made a difficult decision and it's done. She's no longer sick and suffering. That's the main thing.
Many people shy away at the axe method for obvious reasons, but it's about...
How bad are the fights? Incessant? Overly violent? The major key is to have enough space. Roosters routinely spar with each other. Many of these don't amount to much as long as there is enough space for the "loser" to get out of the area and back down. Usually, the big problems happen when the...
I would remove the pool. I raise several exotic/wild species and some benefit from wet brooding. Canadas (I'm assuming that's what you have here) and domestics really don't need it. Just more problems for you. Main thing is to make sure lamp is on and brooder is warm.
I completely sympathize...
Congrats on your goslings! What breed do you have? One of my Sebastopols just hatched my first two for the season. Like Evadig said, they are a little wobbly at first. Electrolyte will give them a good boost. I just let mine out after a week to graze with their parents. They're good at keeping...
I agree. I’m fairly certain a majority of states will have a statute similar to this, if not the same. Ours is pretty much identical here in IL. I’d imagine this is where the good part of animal control regulations come from within a county.
x2 on this! I have one out of seven that will hop the 4’ fence. Everyone else is content in their yard. Everyone does respect the 6’ fence that makes up one of the sides of their open yard. I used to keep some lighter breeds that would readily clear that too though.
Grass is always greener on...
Assuming the OP lives in the US state of Virginia as I have assumed from previous posts in this thread, this should answer any further questions and (hopefully) put the thread to rest:
§ 55.1-2820. When unlawful for animals to run at large.
It is unlawful for the owner or manager of any...
Absolutely. The jerks are the ones that drag you to court and want you to pay 10k in punitive damages over nothing. No one has to put up with someone else's cats, dogs, birds, bugs, or whatever else they keep on property they maintain and pay taxes on. Expecting so is unreasonable.
I'm just going to throw a scenario out that has happened to someone I know personally.
Bird owner has birds that are not penned and free roam a suburban neighborhood; a subdivision with a large pond in the middle of it. Neighbors get miffed at bird owner for some reason (whether bird-related or...
Hmph. Your luck in gender ratio is about the same as mine. Out of my last hatch of seven, five ended up male! :barnie
My Muscovy drakes aren't much interested in my domestics. That's not to say yours won't be. They can and do interbreed. Mine don't seem to have had the desire to cross the...
I think the bottom line really is that no one has the right to assume everyone will be fine with domestic animals running about the neighborhood unchecked. It presents a whole host of problems. Animosity with neighbors, messing with wildlife, and the biggest problem IMO: a disservice to the...
I'd check into the actual ordinances. There's been an increase of urban and suburban areas amending ordinances allowing for small numbers of chickens for personal egg production. If there's policy regarding coop placement and noise, I'm betting there's also fencing requirements, etc. Many of...
They have a wider range than what the chickens do and do tend to wander at times. Same with the turkeys. When I notice this, they get penned up for a few days, which will correct the problem. Although, this doesn't happen very often. Birds that are well-fed will tend to do decently to stay where...
I do really like them, but I've found myself giving parts of my flock to friends wanting to try them to cut down on noise. :lol: I had one hen that would sit on the eve of the barn and just "buckwheat" call from early evening to sundown. Every. Single. Night.
Then I end up letting them hatch...
Guineas are like burglar alarms. Burglar alarms that you've lost the code to disarm so it's stuck sounding constantly. If those birds see one little thing they don't like, if the wind blows in the wrong direction, if clouds cover the sun in a way they don't care for--they will yell about it. It...
Welcome! Very sorry for your rough start. I've ordered birds through the mail from both hatcheries and private breeders countless times. I've had three incidents with results similar to yours that stand out in my mind--nearly the entire order either DOA or not able to be saved. Unfortunately...
They'll probably thank you for it. The pecking order will re-adjust amongst themselves, but not much beyond that. You're certainly doing the right thing culling out a human-aggressive bird. Replace him with another if you want. There are plenty of docile males out there.