How Many Eggs Did You Get Today?

[WVDoug]

I water candled them this evening, WVDoug. They floated so high in the water that they looked like corks and even after letting the water settle there was absolutely no sign of any life. We'd had a egg explode in the nest last week so I can't say I'm really surprised. Disappointed though....I so wanted a little Scout or two out there. But Agatha is looking so bad. She's exhausted, dirty, and she's lost so much weight she's just feathers - and pretty ratty looking feathers at that. So it was just time to say, "That's enough, Sweet Girl" and let her get back to the rest of the flock.

That's too bad, Blooie. I hope I have better luck with the 39 my three remaining broodys are on.

9/13/26

 

[karenerwin]

When doing the water test ( water candling) first make sure there is NO external pip at all, or else you will drown the little chick.



10 eggs yesterday & 10 eggs today out of 15.

Does anyone have a good way to trap/catch a raccoon? We have a havahart trap out there ( 2 actually, but nothing has ever gone in the smaller one!).
The coon steals the bait, even if it has been tied down. The trap is always tripped, but no coon inside. I am thinking that maybe it is too big to fit all the way inside & the trap only closes all the way after the coon backs out. I can't really tell because those pictures are too dark to see. I have put 9 solar powered lights out there to try to provide enough light to get better pictures, but so far all I know for sure is that it is a raccoon & it looks big. We have caught skunks & raccoons ( and silly squirrels) inside the trap in the past.
Any ideas?

 

[gander007]

7 chicken egg's found in the normal places

32 egg's were found by the grand children under a shed ,,, the cook able ones will be cooked up for the chicks

Momma Goose brought these out last Sunday

The two incubating Mammas and Papa who make it most difficult to get good photos of the Goslings

Oh Papa is the one closest or facing the camera ...

 

[Blooie]

When doing the water test ( water candling) first make sure there is NO external pip at all, or else you will drown the little chick.



10 eggs yesterday & 10 eggs today out of 15.

Does anyone have a good way to trap/catch a raccoon? We have a havahart trap out there ( 2 actually, but nothing has ever gone in the smaller one!).
The coon steals the bait, even if it has been tied down. The trap is always tripped, but no coon inside. I am thinking that maybe it is too big to fit all the way inside & the trap only closes all the way after the coon backs out. I can't really tell because those pictures are too dark to see. I have put 9 solar powered lights out there to try to provide enough light to get better pictures, but so far all I know for sure is that it is a raccoon & it looks big. We have caught skunks & raccoons ( and silly squirrels) inside the trap in the past.
Any ideas?

Good point, karenerwin, and one I should have mentioned. Obviously there were no pips in these eggs...just gas... but I did remember to check them first.

Can't help you with the raccoons. I know what I'd be doing, and it involves a lawn chair in the dark, mosquito spray, and my little .22.

 

[WVDoug]

Good point, karenerwin, and one I should have mentioned. Obviously there were no pips in these eggs...just gas... but I did remember to check them first.

Can't help you with the raccoons. I know what I'd be doing, and it involves a lawn chair in the dark, mosquito spray, and my little .22.

That seemed the best way to remove the one I found in my coop one morning. Nasty, snarly, growling, hissing, mean thing.

 

[cornfedhogedito]

We started keeping track of the daily egg count and I am glad we did. We get 3 or 4 a day and from 4. One month we totaled 123. the next we got 85? WTH? got to talking with my neighbor our coops are 10 feet apart, turns out that one of our roo's was visiting his 2 hens and apparently so were 2 of my hens! Well, I fixed that costly mistake, cut their wings now the just look at each other through the fence and my egg count for last month was 123!!! man what shocker. just goes to show you should keep a log of what your ladies are producing. It shows if something is fish. My neighbor is bummed he thought his new hens were laying 2 eggs each some days!

 

[chooks01]

4/7

 

[Spartan22]

8/8/23 + young pathetic sounding crower

 

[Blooie]

8/8/23 + young pathetic sounding crower

Oh, oh.....someone's voice is changing? I think early crows are so funny - sound like a kid who is just experiencing the voice change for the first time! A little pride, a little embarrassment, and a lot of practice!!

 

[TJordan]

When doing the water test ( water candling) first make sure there is NO external pip at all, or else you will drown the little chick.



10 eggs yesterday & 10 eggs today out of 15.

Does anyone have a good way to trap/catch a raccoon?  We have a havahart trap out there ( 2 actually, but nothing has ever gone in the smaller one!).
The coon steals the bait, even if it has been tied down.  The trap is always tripped, but no coon inside.  I am thinking that maybe it is too big to fit all the way inside & the trap only closes all the way after the coon backs out.  I can't really tell because those pictures are too dark to see.  I have put 9 solar powered lights out there to try to provide enough light to get better pictures, but so far all I know for sure is that it is a raccoon & it looks big. We have caught skunks & raccoons ( and silly squirrels) inside the trap in the past.
Any ideas?

Get the bigger cage, cover the back with a dark cover so it can smell but can't reach in, bait it with tuna but hang a few pieces of aluminum foil from the back where it catches the light just enough to shine. Raccoons are curious critters and can't pass up sparkly objects like that. My dad would catch them like that. He has another method but it's not nearly as kind. It involves drilling several 1" wholes in a log deep enough to have a paw go into, hammer 3 nails in a triangle pattern where tips are coming out inside whole and dropping tuna and foil into whole. Coon will reach in but 9/10 times refuse to let his treasure go. Then just pick it off with a gun.