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first fun labor day in a while


Trigger Mike

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we finally moved to the country and did things on labor day we could never do in town. I have a fire pit in the back yard(something I never had in town) and so I cooked breakfast over a wood fire for every one. This saved my wife a dirty kitchen. I cooked some bacon in the iron skillet and some on the grate, some of which burned a little. I even toasted bread on the grate, what a good taste everything had. We ate it in the screened patio. We then took the Gator and rode all through the woods. We even splashed in some deep puddles to the thrill of the children. My 1 yr old fell asleep while we drove through the woods. We saw two snapping turtles in the woods. We gathered some more oak limbs for supper's fire. We then had my wife practice with her Smith & Wesson Governor so she can carry it while walking in case she runs up on a rattle snake. My oldest daughter practiced with her 10-22. My sons used the Bearcat 22. My oldest boy wanted to shoot my sig sour, I asked him if he meant my sig sauer. We then cut up a large oak branch to help further cook supper. We cooked steak and baked beans on the wood fire. We had a fun day. The only down side was I discovered something ate 4 of my chickens. All of these things were things we never got to do in the city. Life sure is better when you have space to run and play.

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we finally moved to the country and did things on labor day we could never do in town. I have a fire pit in the back yard(something I never had in town) and so I cooked breakfast over a wood fire for every one. This saved my wife a dirty kitchen. I cooked some bacon in the iron skillet and some on the grate, some of which burned a little. I even toasted bread on the grate, what a good taste everything had. We ate it in the screened patio. We then took the Gator and rode all through the woods. We even splashed in some deep puddles to the thrill of the children. My 1 yr old fell asleep while we drove through the woods. We saw two snapping turtles in the woods. We gathered some more oak limbs for supper's fire. We then had my wife practice with her Smith & Wesson Governor so she can carry it while walking in case she runs up on a rattle snake. My oldest daughter practiced with her 10-22. My sons used the Bearcat 22. My oldest boy wanted to shoot my sig sour, I asked him if he meant my sig sauer. We then cut up a large oak branch to help further cook supper. We cooked steak and baked beans on the wood fire. We had a fun day. The only down side was I discovered something ate 4 of my chickens. All of these things were things we never got to do in the city. Life sure is better when you have space to run and play.

I'd be looking around to see if Lickskillet Charlie was anywhere near your neck of the woods yesterday. He don't go by "Lickskillet" for nothing. Now I ain't saying he's a chicken thief....he mighta just ran up on those 4 chickens and fount'em laying dead in the woods. Just sayin....

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Sounds like you had a great time with your family. I hope you took a lot of pictures.

 

As for your chickens, I'm sure you'll get plenty of tips. Anyway, if the chickens were killed during the day, that lets out a lot of predators. Plus it depends on what the evidence looked like. Could have been feral or domestic cat. They'll kill and eat the meaty parts. Usually a dog will kill for fun but not eat the birds. If the chickens were not actually eaten or only mauled a bit, but killed and maybe lined up, it was probably a dog......yours or a neighbor's.

 

As far as wild predators go, most forage at night, but coyotes and bobcats will hunt all day. Fox, and raccoons are the other prospects, but as I said, ALL of them are usually night hunters. If you see a skunk during the day, it's likely rabid, so stay away and blast it. Grown chickens are too big for a rat, usually, but they'll maul the chickens. Weasels/minks will pull off the heads and go for the throat, drinking hte blood. Bobcat also like to kill and come back later, maybe even the next day, to eat.

 

Shotgun loaded with any size buckshot will reliably take out any of the larger predators. Shot sizes are different, so if you use shot shells use the biggest size(s) available to you. Obviously a rifle will work, but depends on whether you have close neighbors. You can leg trap or live trap (best way) or use buckshot if you have the patience for it......they're all pretty wary.

 

For dogs, first talk to the owners. But for persistent dogs (if that doesn't work), take out the shot, leave the powder charge and refill the shotshells with pinto beans or navy beans aim for their hindquarters. Don't shoot them too close in!

 

Out here, coyotes and bobcat are the big threats, followed by (brave) hawks.

 

Hawks......here's an anecdote. My roosters love a good fight (I keep them separated). A couple years ago I was standing about thirty yards out and saw a huge redtail hawk swoop in and hit one of my roosters. It was a mistake; there was no way in the world he could have made off with that rooster. The rooster shrugged that hawk off like a cheap suit, then hit the hawk hard (good shots), repeatedly while he was down, in just a few seconds, digging in those long, untrimmed spurs, flogging the crap out of that hawk. I ran and was only about ten feet from grabbing the hawk, but I didn't get to him in time and he limped along, flapping with my rooster after him until he got airborne, leaving in a bloody mess. That rooster celebrated for the rest of the day, and for few days (until he calmed down), even decided I was fair game. :)

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Now if city politicians would just keep their mitts off the country folks, we'd be fine!

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whatever got my chickens(they were about two months old) only left feather behind. My older chickens are still fine. I keep hoping for my own eggs, but can't if I keep losing my chickens. I have string across the top of the pen so it was not a hawk, at least I don't think so. I have seen a red fox in my back yard. I was just about to get a bigger coop for them all and glad I waited. I have them in a 10x10 dog kennel that inside has a rabbit house for their coop.

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Now if city politicians would just keep their mitts off the country folks, we'd be fine!

 

OH, but they're enlightened, and know so much better than us how we should live, don'tcha know. <_<

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