Behaving Chickens Who Knew?

 

I did not know it was possible but apparently even chickens can learn something when the fear of being torn to death by a monster mutant racoon looms over your head. Every day now when I go out to feed grain to the retired geriatric sheep and goats the last remaining chickens are already in their coop and looking out the door at me waiting to be shut up for the night. These pampered birds that lived in chicken heaven all these years used to scatter at dusk and dare us to find them so they didn't have to go to bed. It was easier to get my son to bed when he was a toddler than it was to get all those birds into that coop. These last two though know that to not be locked up at night is a certain death sentence now.

I know at least a few of the neighbors were always entertained by my unruly and arrogant chickens. They would laugh at me when I tried to get em out of my way while mowing when they drove by and a couple have even asked me where the birds are. I guess I am going to have to figure out how to raise a new flock on my own as that was always my son's job.  So many people would ask us to take in unwanted birds raising new chicks is not something I have ever had to do myself. Years ago we used to actually have broody hens who raised chicks on their own believe it or not. Mostly they raised roosters it seemed but when the old watch dog was around and on the job no predator was brave enough to come near the place. Not even the hawks as I watched that dog follow the hawks that flew over and would bark at them until they flew on. Sadly the place has become an open air all you can eat for predators it seems.

Now days the animals only have my old stiff wobbly limping ass to protect them so they are going to have to be more aware and cooperative I guess or end up coon food.

We are adapting it seems.

My guess is eventually the varmints will be forced to move on as the prey becomes scarce. I suspect what I am dealing with now is just the end of the ecosystem the local animals had in place and there was easier closer options that are now gone so the predators came here but they will be forced to move further out soon.

They might be dozing the neighboring corn and bean fields into parking lots with tons of gravel but so far it looks like all the new house lots are staying half a mile or so away and nothing new being started. Lets hope it stays that way for the rest of my days at least. Last time civilization came this close it took em almost 15 years to get back here so there is hope.

The only hope O'bummer era Democrats ever gave me as a matter of fact I called it Hope for NO Change and it worked for years thankfully.

The last time I had a real predator problem was a raccoon as well about the time the old watch dog's eye sight got so bad he couldn't do much at night. The unruly hens then liked to roost in the barn rafters where I could not get em down and the coon would get them up there cause it could go up after them. What eventually happened of course was the ones that would not learn got eaten BUT a few of them adapted and figured out that the florescent lights I had hanging from thin chains in the barn were good roost spots as the coons could not climb down the thin chains to get them. This worked for months for them until so many chickens got on one light fixture they broke the chain. 

I have since removed all electricity from the barn so all those light sources are gone anyway. Only light I use in the barn now are battery powered LED or portable from a socket that is installed outside now as fire in that 120+ year old barn is my largest worry. I put outlets from the outside poles or directly from a couple of outbuildings I use when electricity is needed but turned all the power off into the barn itself and removed most of the early 20th century wiring. Which is also why I started using an outside coop too but I think I am going to look back into redoing the inside coop and building one kinda like a large enclosed cabinet or building within a building kinda thing that I lock the chickens into rather than an enclosed wired in area I had before.

I can also use all the extra space as sorta an inside run for when the weather is bad too. The chickens usually head there anyway and spend rainy and snowy days inside anyway.

Now that lumber prices are beginning to get more reasonable who knows?

Gotta make it to warmer weather and longer days first but so far I still have two chickens left.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!