Recent content by jhm47

I would caution everyone to be aware that raccoons nearly always carry a roundworm parasite that is known as "raccoon worms". I would encourage you to google it. An infestation of this parasite is as bad as rabies.

The chick most likely will lose the foot. However, I have had a peahen that lost her foot to a dog attack several years ago. She does just fine on one leg. Maybe not as fast as the rest of the flock, but she seems totally healthy and has raised her own brood of chicks. I'd give the little...

Should be fine to eat. As to shell color---crosses like these often have some variation in their eggs.

I'd do a thorough cleaning job on the coop. After that, I'd get some Tempo insecticide and spray it on the floor and walls and especially in any cracks/crevices that you can find. Tempo is quite safe, and lasts a long time. You might also keep any wild birds (sparrows, starlings, etc.) away...

These incubators are nothing but junk. The so-called 2 year warranty is a joke if you can't contact anyone to return them to. Ebay won't stand behind them, since they can find dozens of loopholes to get out of their supposed "guarantee". The one I bought had a defective power cord. The...

Bought an Eggcubator through Ebay about a month ago. When it arrived, I tried to set it up, but it wouldn't do anything. I contacted Eggcubator through the Ebay website and told them about it. They assured me that they would send me a new power cord on the following Monday. I had tested the...

Yes, my birds came back negative. However, since my daughter is a teacher at the Hutterite Colony that was infected, she and her children are not allowed to visit us, and our birds are in quarantine until they pass another test in about two weeks. The Colony will likely not be allowed to...

I'm in South Dakota. The H5N2 avian influenza has hit a very large flock of turkeys about 5 miles from me. The state veterinarians visited with me yesterday, and sent a federal vet out today to test (swab) my small flock of birds. They were very professional, and did their best to inform me...

A large commercial turkey farm about 6 - 7 miles away from my birds has contracted the H5N2 virus. 750 turkeys died on Sunday, and thousands more the past couple days. Thousands of waterfowl are migrating through our area, and it's suspected that they are spreading the virus through their...

Get a dogproof coon trap. They are safe (you don't have to worry about catching non-target species), and catch coons much better than a live trap. I got one to protect my birds, and caught 6 coons in a week. They are easy to bait, just put in a couple handfuls of cat food. Just be SURE that...

The mating will not result in a fertilized egg. The genes will not match up, and even if the egg became fertilized, the resulting offspring would not be able to survive. The peacock must be a real pervert!!! LOL

Bobbi-j: No, not in MN. South Dakota, but only about 6 miles from MN. It's now -16 here at 0430. Sure glad I bedded the cows down well. It'd be pretty cold lying on the ground tonight. Wish I had a good supply of cornstalks. Wheat straw is good, but cornstalks are better for bedding, and...

Hope Lobo turns out OK for you. I find it kind of humorous that you are complaining about the cold. We are forecasted to have -15 - -20 here tonight, and a high tomorrow of -1. This has been a strange winter, with an abnormally cold November, fairly cold December, and a very warm January...

Get yourself a dogproof coon trap. They work great. Caught 6 coons in one week with ours, and never caught a dog or cat (or anything else). Cost around $20.00. Be SURE to have them staked down extremely well. Coons are unbelievably strong, and can drag off traps. I had one fastened to 2...

The "dog proof" coon traps worked very well for me. You don't need to worry about catching non-target animals, and they work very well on coons. I use cat food as bait. I caught 6 coons in a week after we started using ours. The coons had killed all of my chickens and most of our peafowl. I...