Category: Critters (Page 1 of 2)

We put up a Purple Martin house in October of 2023. It was fun to construct and I planned to add a few more, once the Martins arrived. Unfortunately, last summer was disappointing as various other birds took the spots and there were no signs of any Martins present at all.

Well, the planets have aligned this year and we’re excited to have some new feathered residents to welcome to the farm. There seems to be quite a few of them and most seem to be fairly young – with only a few fully developed adults.

But they certainly seem to be enjoying the place and there is quite a bit of activity building nests inside with many birds coming and going continually. Close to sundown, they all take to the air depleting our area of flying insects so we are happy to have them around.

Initially, I thought we’d put up the house and be done with it. I have since learned there is a bit more to it. The houses need to be cleaned out after they migrate south. This one is bolted to the top of a 15′ 4×4 so I’ll be changing that design to make access easier. I’ve also learned about a threat to these beautiful birds by sparrows and starlings, who compete for nesting spaces as well as attack the very young in their nests. So I’ll be modifying the openings to deter those attacks as well.

They really are entertaining though. I must walk between the garage and the shop a dozen times a day and pass right under their house, where they all greet me and will then take to the air to accompany me on my trek. They are quite active and it’s a hoot to watch them during their swooping flights – chattering all the way.

It’s really an ideal location for them though. They are on the corner of the garden, just at the edge of our farmyard with 9 acres of pasture open to them right out their door. There are 3 (maybe 5) more locations around the garden where I plan to add more so I’ll be building some more houses this winter.

It gets busy at sunrise. Luckily, it’s only for a half hour or so AND it is entirely of our own design by spoiling our critters with gourmet feasts to no end.

Most “chicken folk”, throw the days ration of store-bought generic feed on the ground as they let the birds out of their coops. For us?

Prepare chicken feed:

1. In a large bowl, add 7 scoops of organic/non-GMO feed.
2. Add 3 hard boiled eggs and any eggshells used the previous day.
3. Add a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese and or cottage cheese/yogurt.
4. Add 8 good shakes of cayenne pepper (organic of course – as all ingredients are).
5. Add 8 good shakes of oregano.
6. Add 6 good shakes of garlic powder.
7. Using a potato masher, grind up and mix thoroughly all ingredients.
8. Set bowl aside.

Prepare feral cat breakfast:

1. In a bowl, add scoop of cat kibble.
2. Mix in about 1/3 of a can of mackerel/salmon or tuna.
3. Sometimes, we’ll crumble in some stale white bread or buns.

Head out to the barn with both bowls. I first ring a cowbell as I walk out the back door to summon the cats and announce breakfast. I’ll typically feed the cats first so they stay out of the way while addressing the chickens. (The ferals also get another helping of the same at closing (coop) time, which is sundown).

Returning to the counter outside the front coop, for the chickens, I’ll scoop 3 cups of the feed mix into each of the 2 larger feeders, which are 4″ pvc pipe cut in half lengthwise to make 2 trays. Lacking protection from the elements, these go in the back chicken run/barnyard that is protected by the barn lean to roof.

As I venture to the back with the trays, this is when I’ll know if there is something in the live-trap I set out there (with peanut butter bait) overnight. More days than not this week, I’ve either trapped another possum or more often another skunk. If it’s a possum, I throw a towel over the trap and carry it to the back of the barnyard by the big gate. These are turned over to a local trapper who is releasing them at his farm, since he claims their numbers are way down (you could have fooled me). If I can’t reach him, I’ll release them in the National Forest up the road about 5 miles. However, if it is another skunk, they are humanely dispatched and I drag the trap over to the gate. Later, I’ll dump their carcass in the opposite corner of our property and the coyotes typically haul them away within a day or 2.

With that out of the way, once I place the trays in their holders, I fling open the barn door and the chickens rush out to feast.

Then, I’ll return to the front and scoop out 2 more cups of feed into each of 3 more trays (2″ pipe). 2 go into holders in the front chicken run. Depending on the weather, I’ll put on the “roofs” to these if needed. Then, I open the front coop door and that flock rushes out. Some instantly go directly to those feeders. Others rush to the back to eat out of the bigger ones with no roof, and a surprising number of them skip the feeders altogether and go out into the barnyard to find worms and bugs in the morning dew.

The 3rd tray goes in the middle chicken run, outside the infirmary and middle coop, which we call the battered hens shelter. This also gets a roof if needed.

With everyone in the barn now fed, I’ll check all the water stations and top off as needed. The chickens will get a 2nd helping as I replenish the trays from the remainder in the bowl around noon – usually 6 or so more scoops.

Meanwhile, the dogs are watching my every move in the morning because they know they are next. As I return to the house, they excitedly run to the front door for they know I’ll be coming out the front to retrieve their dishes from the porch. Once I do, they sit patiently at the door and will whine if I close it as they like to watch me prepare it. To pacify them during this, I give them each a pro-biotic chewy to munch on.

Prepare dog(s) food:

1. In each bowl, add 1 tbsp of coconut oil.
2. Add about 2 cups of veggies. These are the store-bought frozen variety and is typically a mix of carrots, squash, beans, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower etc.
3. Add a large tbsp of cottage cheese or yogurt.
4. One tbsp of raw ground meat. This is purchased from a local butcher shop and is labelled as “pet nutrition – not for human consumption” and is either ground chicken, pork or beef.
5. I’ll also conceal a omega-3 fish oil capsule inside the glob of meat.
6. Add 4 or 5 chunks of organ meat. We started with partially cooked beef liver but now prefer beef hearts since the liver is where toxins are filtered out. We’ve also used beef tongues when that is all that is available.
7. Add 1 raw chicken wing, purchased frozen in a big 10 lb bag.
8. Add 7 shakes of apple cider vinegar (about 1/4 cup).
9. Add a cup of 2 of “organ juice” from when we thawed/partially cooked the organ from step 6 or will use organic beef broth when that’s all we have.
10. The final topping is a sprinkle of frozen blueberries.

I’ll set their bowls down on the front porch and they both eagerly “wolf” them down. They both save the chicken wings until the end and will carry them off to their favorite places to munch and enjoy. In the evening (sundown), they simply get kibble – which is also their treat/reward during the day for frisbee time or other activities. They are very easy to bribe!

Prepare Luther’s food.

Luther is our remaining domestic cat who resides on the front porch, when he’s not out hunting. As I let the dogs out to pee at 5am, he is already there on his perch by the door whining for food, as his dish is often raided overnight by the ferals and is always empty by morning. So I will scoop him some kibble until I get some coffee in me. However, when I feed the dogs, he is ready for more but not more kibble. Instead, he gets a simple delicacy that is easy to prepare. In a small dish, he gets about a teaspoon of fresh tuna bathed in a good portion of hot water. He sips the water mostly but sometimes will eat the tuna as well.

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That’s it. That’s my morning. What do I eat? Who has time for that?
No wonder I am getting so skinny 😉

They KEEP coming! make that x4!

After trapping 3 of the beady eyed critters in the past 3 days, I’d say it is once again, Possum season. Just like last year, the first was bigger (probably mama) and those that follow are the smaller youngsters. I believe last year, we topped out at 8 or 9 so I’ll continue to set out the trap each evening until they are gone.

When we first noticed them (again), they were inside the coop in the barn but likely were just stealing eggs and didn’t mess with the birds. They can do much damage and decimate your flock,… if the conditions are right. But, they are opportunistic and typically won’t mess with adult birds during the day when they are awake and alert. If they were to get in the coop (or inadvertently locked in) after sundown, they will likely attack the sleeping birds on their perches. We are doing a better job of “sweeping” the barn at sundown now but there would still be plenty of places to hide and remain undetected so we’ll see how that goes.

Like the others, these are being released at a local trappers property so he can restore their numbers (which seem fine to me). But now, I am having second thoughts. The trapper told me that the very first one (that was shot last year), yielded about 12 ounces of “possum oil” that he is selling for $60/ounce!!!

Apparently, possum oil is a valuable commodity in antique firearm circles
(cap and ball, muskets, muzzle loaders), as a superior lubricant that doesn’t
break down over time as other oils do. So now, I am looking for YouTube videos
on rendering wild game. And from what I’ve seen, it’s not too difficult. Ka-CHING!

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And on the “GOING” side of things

Today we lost one of our Cinnamon Queen auction hens. She’d been sick for a few weeks so it wasn’t too surprising. When I fed everyone this morning, she was still upright but had such a terrible posture that I knew her time had arrived. She didn’t move and ignored the food I brought to her in the infirmary. When I checked on them a few hours later, she was already on her side and stiff as…. a chicken in the supermarket. So, I prepared a fire in the burn barrel and she is “cooking” in there today as I write this.

She had long stopped producing eggs so it was just a matter of time before we had to decide to cull her anyway. So thank you Lillian, for saving us the trouble.

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Update: 2/13/2025
Any suggestions dealing with that exotic skunk “fragrance” wafting in the air?

After waking the past 3 mornings to another possum captured in the live trap each day, I could tell today would be different before I even turned the corner to enter the chicken run. Sure enough, I managed to capture Pepe LePew. This is the 2nd time now. Like the previous time, this one took the “22” train to skunk heaven. I feel guilty dispatching a caged animal but what else can you do?

It had already released its “olfactorical delight” (likely when the trap sprung shut) but I wasn’t willing to be bathed in it to humanely let it out. Then, I dragged the trap to the far corner of the barnyard and will dispose of it in the woods later.

But for now, everything reeks. The chickens came out to eat but quickly ran back inside the coop so we moved their food inside for now. It’s also pretty cold (15 now, high of 30) so using the hose is out of question. We had to change our clothes so they could be thrown in the washer and am certain our noses are retaining some of it – but it’s much more intense outside the barn and wondering if there was a powder that could be applied to absorb the odor.

The area where the trap was located is gravel and was up against a pile of hay being stored under the lean to for Sherry’s goat farmer/friend. I think I’ll try to scoop out as much gravel as I can. But there won’t be much I can do if the hay got sprayed – other than insist they take it now, instead of later.

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On our journey for a more perfect planet (and a desire for more eggs), we decided to add some more hens to our flock. Egg production has been down to 1-4 eggs/day out of 11 hens lately (which isn’t abnormal for this time of year). But when we feed 1 or 2 back to the flock in their feed each day, that doesn’t leave many for us. So now that we’ve got our current flock of 13 pretty much under control, it was time to expand.

Seeking to avoid another batch of auction birds, that are often factory hatched, typically received in poor health and are often bred specifically to produce fast out of the gate, but with little sustaining ability, we knew that now 2 years into it, we needed some new blood to keep up production.

In talking with others, we want to get to the point where we can just keep rotating new birds in and, for lack of a better term, cull the older “class” or group when their production drops. I am still not proficient processing them but each time it gets easier so will keep at it. None of these are “meat” birds so when “processed”, they’ll be destined for the freezer as future dog food.

Did you know…
The chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) is the closest living relative to the Tyrannosaurus rex of millions of years ago? Thankfully, their diminutive stature keeps them from preying on us. As of 2023, there were 26.5 BILLION chickens sharing this planet with us!

Anyway, we got a tip from a couple at church, who told us of a home breeder/brooder in Pomona (about 40 mins away), so we made contact and arranged a visit.

On Saturday, we ventured over and saw a virtual chicken heaven. Dozens and dozens of beautiful birds, all free ranged and healthy so we picked out 9 young hens to bring home.

After moving our existing flock to the back 2 coops/runs, we settled the new girls in the front coop/run, since it is the most secure. Besides the quarantining required when introducing new birds, we wished to keep the 2 randy roosters away from them while they acclimated to their new surroundings.

Unfortunately, we quickly learned that area wasn’t as secure as we thought. Within 2 hours in their new home, a new arrival hopped over the entry gate and was free ranging in the yard. We managed to capture it and return it. Then, we added a barrier above the gate to prevent future escapes – or so we thought.

Live and learn. Within an hour, we had another escapee. This one was difficult to catch and ended up squirting through our yard fence and buried herself in the vacant property next door which is thick with brush and thorns. After a futile effort of trying to retrieve her, we gave up and guessed she would be some other critters dinner that night. I continued to check the fence line throughout the afternoon, hoping I’d see her again, but, there were no signs of her.

However at dusk, when we were putting the rest of the flock to bed, I glanced out at the driveway in front of the house and saw her pacing back and forth at that fence trying to get back into the yard. It was quite a happy reunion. We opened the gate and got her back inside, and returned her to her mates in the coop. This one will be named Emelia (Earhart) for her uncanny ability to disappear.

Lessons learned?

• All of the 9 new birds had a wing clipped – although, this doesn’t seem to deter much. It may disturb their attempts to fly (straight) but doesn’t seem to inhibit their ability for the short leaps needed to scale the gate.
• I literally had to turn their run into a fortress. It is already covered with bird netting to deter eagles and vultures but the flimsy lattice I initially added above the gate was reinforced so they no can longer jump up into it and have it bend forward (and down) so they can escape. After making the modifications, we enjoyed watching them leap against it – only to be rejected/bounced back into the run with no more flex to assist their escape.

We are hoping they’ll eventually give it up and figure out the best place for them is right where they are now. In a week or 2, we’ll open the internal gate (between the runs) and they can enjoy the whole barn yard with the rest of the flock. It’s always interesting to watch how the (now 20) hens sort out their pecking order.

We’ll see how that goes but we got 8 eggs today!

Strange! We awoke this morning to NO (feral) cats. Insert your own inappropriate political/immigration joke here if needed but I’ll pass on that low hanging fruit.

Luther (our remaining domestic feline) is still hanging around on the front porch but the 5 feral cats have all vanished. Being feral, they often disappear but that’s 1 or 2 at a time out hunting and we always have at least 3 (usually 4) around at feeding time. Today’s breakfast is still sitting out in their pen wondering what happened to them. Every morning up to now, they are fed same time as the chickens and usually are lined up on the coop roof awaiting their breakfast.

I don’t know if they “sense” something in the area we should be concerned about and are hiding but none of the other critters, including the dogs, are acting weird.

It figures we’ve recently spent a couple hundred dollars getting 2 of them fixed with plans to do another as soon as we can catch it and get it in a cage (no easy task that we’ve failed at twice now).

I realize we need to get used to the comings and goings of the critters but it’s always hard when a loved and trusted pet departs. With that, we gave Lola a proper send off on Friday evening.

Wouldn’t you know, the very next morning we just got done with the morning feeding and discovered 7 (count them 7) new kitties born overnight in the feral cat lair. The other 2 feral cats are ALSO pregnant so we’ll soon be overrun with them.

All appear to be healthy and have the preferred darker coloring – meaning no Donald clones. “Donald” is the brother of the 3 hyper-fertile mommas that populate our barn cat enclosure and is the one continually impregnating them. Thankfully, we haven’t seen him in weeks and he will be chased off if he shows up again.

Did you know a majority of orange cats turn out to be male? Something like 85% turn out to be male. Now that “Donna” (one of an earlier litter) has grown a bit we checked and sure enough has now been renamed to Don Jr.

These (and the upcoming litters will all be looking for new homes when they are ready. Actually, they are pretty easy to get rid of as others are always looking for barn cats. All it takes is a trip to the Walmart parking lot, or in our case the Dollar General in Summersville and they are claimed within 20 minutes.

Yes, “Hola” technically means hello but I am altering the meaning to say goodbye to Lola, our loving furry companion for the past 15+ years. He, (yes HE) has been with us since a bitty kitty and spent his first dozen years as an indoor cat in Lakeville. We’d let him out on the deck for some outdoor adventure, where he’d manage to snag an occasional songbird and usually always figured out a way to escape.

Sadly, Lola passed unexpectedly on 6/20/2024.

When Sherry got home from the goat farm that afternoon, we jumped in the pool to cool off. While soaking, we were discussing Jackson’s last days as he gets feebler and feebler as his rear legs are beginning to fail him. As an 18+ YO Border Collie, his longevity is already somewhat astounding.

Wouldn’t you know a half hour later, as we were feeding everybody, we noticed Lola was in distress. He is nearly as old as Jack and had his tongue hanging way out and appeared to be struggling to breathe. We felt so helpless. He’d still move around trying to get comfortable so Sherry grabbed a box for him to curl up in. Once he was placed in the box, he moved around a bit but ended up laying down on his side but his head was against the side staring up at us with his eyes wide open. I’m not sure if his eyes were seeing anything at that point but he was as loved as he could be. He was in there maybe 3 minutes and let out 2 (almost) “chirps” and he was gone. Thankfully, he passed quickly. Afterward, we repositioned him in a natural way and closed his eyes.

Lola is the first loved pet to be buried in our pet cemetery. The other burial there was the feral momma cat that left us with her hyper-breeding offspring barn cats. So for Lola, she got a burial with full feline honors.

R.I.P. Lola.

Sadly, we recently lost Ruthie unexpectedly. It was in the morning after being let out of the coop to the run. Soon after she was down on the ground but remained upright moving her head and the 2 roos kept “hitting on her”. I’d nudge them off but then we noticed something wasn’t right with Ruthie and she wasn’t trying to flee their advances as the hens usually do. Sherry picked her up and she was visibly in distress by this time and vomiting. She died within minutes. We are suspecting a heart attack but have no way to know for sure. We’ve kept close watch on the others and the rest all seem fine.

Luckily, she was able to have a Viking funeral. Maybe not a real boat but I had a huge brush pile built up with all of the tree work I had been doing and planned to burn it off now that everything has greened up. I added some good sized logs to arrange around her (in the shape of a boat) and set it off. It burned hot and heavy for a good hour and by the time it was all done in the evening, it was simply a small pile of ashes out in our field. I know I should have “processed” her but just didn’t have the bandwidth at the time. She would have been a tasty treat for the dogs and cats (or me) though.

It’s too bad. She was certainly our prettiest hen and a consistent egg producer.

Good bye Ruthie. Thank you for your service.

We’re not sure what we have at the moment but our feral cats have been busy. It seems more than 1 have been impregnated by their “brothers” and one “Caz” was certainly showing so we were expecting some little ones. Sherry set up a maternity room (box) in our feed room in the barn.

We were surprised to see not “Caz” in there but instead learned that “Mister Fatty Pants” is actually a “Missy Fatty Pants” as she was lounging in there with 6 not so new kitties. She must have birthed them elsewhere as they suddenly appeared in the box and look to be at least a week old already.

Knowing Caz still had to pop, Sherry set up another box. MFP moved her family back into the barn under the steps and has since disappeared with all of them.

Caz finally started popping them out but I believe she is having great difficulty. A few were born dead and we think a critter might have gotten a few as well (maybe the lurking possum family). We need to remember, none of these ferals had a mama around for very long as she died while they were still quite young and Caz seems overwhelmed with it all – not knowing what to do.

Then, Sherry noticed this one all alone, freezing cold, near death and no mama in anywhere to be found so she took it inside and started caring for it. We named it “Yoda” and while only a few days old, she is already doing much better.