July 30Jul 30 If you already have a .22lr, Aguila sub-sonic ammo is the teets. Doesn't cycle in a semi, so make your shots count. Bolt gun or lever action would be optimal.
July 30Jul 30 3 hours ago, BabaYaga said: If you already have a .22lr, Aguila sub-sonic ammo is the teets. Doesn't cycle in a semi, so make your shots count. Bolt gun or lever action would be optimal. This is the way. I had a fox that nabbed a half dozen or so chickens and two ducks at my last house (in a neighborhood). Smell is one thing. If they ever get the taste of chicken, they'll be coming back indefinitely. The day it nabbed the ducks, I found the head of our drake about a half mile down the road in Godfather fashion. Foxes are some of the coolest animals... until they gain that affinity for your birds. Finally got him with a sub-sonic .22 round in the cloak of darkness. Held the spot light under the stock of my old lever action iron sight .22 and popped him between the eyes at about 30 yds.
July 30Jul 30 There's also big bore air guns if you want something with a little bit more power. https://www.airgundepot.com/big-bore-airguns.html
August 1Aug 1 Get a .22 pellet rifle. Bigger pellet and subsonic. Less noise than hammering a nail. I know. Need to get subsonic rounds. Issue is the house behind me. Put a pellet in his ass last night. West German rifle. Pretty good pop.
August 27Aug 27 Well, we have a new predator. Meow. Built a new coop tractor to breed the Ayams Baby chick on a swing! They’re fun to watch ElecPanel2_2025-08-21T23_24_02.mp4 IMG_7517.mov Edited August 27Aug 27 by UT_OB1
August 29Aug 29 Pretty new to the chicken game. This is our first "flock." Got 12 eggs from a friend of a friend. Five hatched. My wife was told the possible breeds, but she forgot all the names except Easter egg. Looking for some help on a few things... identification, concerned about the health of one, and I need to get rid of the rooster(s). Identification: After a bit of digging, I've got some ideas, but looking for confirmation from those of y'all that have been in the game longer. I'm guessing the two white ones are leghorns? The speckled white one... that the easter egg? The plain brown one...no idea. Then the one that's obviously a rooster, I don't really care. He'll be discussed below. Health: The plain brown one. Doesn't really have a comb, and its beak is all over the color spectrum. Anything to be concerned about? If I knew the breed, I'd probably be able to answer this question on my own. Should be able to zoom in on this one to get a better look at what I'm talking about. The rooster(s): I think there's only the one, but if any of the others look like roosters let me know. I'd rather deal with them before they piss off the neighbors. My wife thinks it's a great looking cock, but I've never seen one in person so I wouldn't know. First, is there enough meat on this guy to be worth the trouble? Second, if not, anybody wanna take him off my hands? Edited August 29Aug 29 by SquishMitten
August 29Aug 29 I've tried editing to remove some of the duplicate pics, but they keep coming back. Blame immamac
August 29Aug 29 1 hour ago, SquishMitten said: I've tried editing to remove some of the duplicate pics, but they keep coming back. Blame immamac Always blame the Lake Monster.
August 29Aug 29 You sure he/she is a rooster? I only ask because we’ve had a couple Cochins and at least one ayam with largish combs. Not enough meat to eat yet. How old? They can look pretty unusual young, especially if they’re mixed, so I wouldn’t say anything is unhealthy about that one. If it’s eating, drinking, and not shitting blood or worms you’re probably good. Not sure where you live, but be careful w the chicken wire. Raccoons can tear through it. My wife goes overboard on the 1/2” cloth wire, but you might want to have a 2’ wide roll around the bottom Lays eggs, comb to body ratio made us think she was a male when she was 2-4 months:
August 29Aug 29 I don’t know wtf that forehead penis is for, but I don’t like the way Apollo is looking at me
August 29Aug 29 1 hour ago, UT_OB1 said: You sure he/she is a rooster? I only ask because we’ve had a couple Cochins and at least one ayam with largish combs. Not enough meat to eat yet. How old? They can look pretty unusual young, especially if they’re mixed, so I wouldn’t say anything is unhealthy about that one. If it’s eating, drinking, and not shitting blood or worms you’re probably good. Not sure where you live, but be careful w the chicken wire. Raccoons can tear through it. My wife goes overboard on the 1/2” cloth wire, but you might want to have a 2’ wide roll around the bottom Lays eggs, comb to body ratio made us think she was a male when she was 2-4 months: They’re about 15 weeks old. 99% sure about the rooster. It’s just started its noisy morning routine the last couple days. Still hasn’t perfected it, but it’s getting pretty loud. I’m in West Lake Hills. Never seen a coon around. Plenty of foxes and coyotes though!
August 29Aug 29 1 hour ago, UT_OB1 said: I don’t know wtf that forehead penis is for, but I don’t like the way Apollo is looking at me Prepare your anus?
September 2Sep 2 On 8/29/2025 at 3:07 PM, SquishMitten said: They’re about 15 weeks old. 99% sure about the rooster. It’s just started its noisy morning routine the last couple days. Still hasn’t perfected it, but it’s getting pretty loud. I’m in West Lake Hills. Never seen a coon around. Plenty of foxes and coyotes though! If you weren’t 4 hours away I’d take him off your hands. Probably can get someone to take him for free on FB, Nextdoor, or Craigslist. another weekend, another coop. I’m exhausted and soon to be broke building coops. This one is for the Silkies. Wife wants to raise them and sell them. They are a little smaller so it is a little smaller. Still need a door and ladder, and I have to put bird netting up around the fenced area for them before they can roam. Will get the kids to paint the non pt siding on it.
September 12Sep 12 Another week, another coop. Hope to wrap this one up tomorrow so this little guy and a few of his friends can have more space Edited September 12Sep 12 by UT_OB1
September 15Sep 15 Finished except for staining after the pt wood dries (forgot to take a pic after roof). 18 more eggs in the incubator tonight. Wife said I can stop building pens/coops when I’m dead.
September 15Sep 15 On 7/30/2025 at 9:55 AM, BabaYaga said: If you already have a .22lr, Aguila sub-sonic ammo is the teets. Doesn't cycle in a semi, so make your shots count. Bolt gun or lever action would be optimal. On 8/1/2025 at 9:29 AM, InkaUtexas said: I know. Need to get subsonic rounds. Issue is the house behind me. Put a pellet in his ass last night. West German rifle. Pretty good pop. Maybe this was just me, but my 10/22 takedown will cycle using Aguila subsonic ammo and a Q El Camino suppressor, provided that the lockup is clean and tight. YMMV Edited September 15Sep 15 by Bozo_Casanova
September 23Sep 23 We’ve been mixing a few leghorn hens with our Ayams. It down-poured yesterday and the Ayams wouldn’t let the leghorn in the hoop coop, and the hen was just too dump to walk under another shelter in the pen, so it just gave up on life and stood there unmoving for about 10 minutes. Wife had to go grab it and put it in the barn. stupid chicken.
September 23Sep 23 I have a neighbor who lets his chickens free range. For some reason, a rooster heads my way and has been waking me up crowing between 3 and 4 in the morning all summer. I’ve complained to him about it and he basically just shrugs his shoulders. The little bastard was crowing in my yard this morning, so I shot the fucker with a .44 magnum and deposited what was left of the carcass on the hood of the neighbors truck on my way to work. Very much looking forward to that conversation if he has the stones. Hens are cool, roosters suck.
September 23Sep 23 3 hours ago, mooseoutfront said: I have a neighbor who lets his chickens free range. For some reason, a rooster heads my way and has been waking me up crowing between 3 and 4 in the morning all summer. I’ve complained to him about it and he basically just shrugs his shoulders. The little bastard was crowing in my yard this morning, so I shot the fucker with a .44 magnum and deposited what was left of the carcass on the hood of the neighbors truck on my way to work. Very much looking forward to that conversation if he has the stones. Hens are cool, roosters suck. Based on some of your stories I think I’ve read, hopefully this is not a neighbor that will try to shoot you. Our roosters stay in our yard (well except the time the coyote got in). They only wake me 🤦♂️
September 23Sep 23 22 minutes ago, UT_OB1 said: Based on some of your stories I think I’ve read, hopefully this is not a neighbor that will try to shoot you. Our roosters stay in our yard (well except the time the coyote got in). They only wake me 🤦♂️ Nah, this is another idiot that moved in recently. It’ll be their first winter. I doubt they make it. Update on my psycho neighbor…I heard through the grapevine he has severe heart failure (insert that’s a shame gif). I’ve been wondering why I haven’t seen him around all summer.
September 25Sep 25 On 9/23/2025 at 4:54 PM, mooseoutfront said: Nah, this is another idiot that moved in recently. It’ll be their first winter. I doubt they make it. Update on my psycho neighbor…I heard through the grapevine he has severe heart failure (insert that’s a shame gif). I’ve been wondering why I haven’t seen him around all summer. Is the psycho neighbor the one with the chicken, or different psycho?
September 25Sep 25 The psycho neighbor is the one with heart disease. I won’t have to worry about him much longer. The grapevine says he ain’t lasting through next year. The neighbors with the chickens are a family that moved in last spring. Not trying to CR the thread, but they are a bunch of far right wing wackos who decided to move to the woods to protect their children from the ever present threat of trans/gay indoctrination. They have no idea what they are doing. All they know is what they find on youtube. They will not take the friendly advice of people who have lived out here for years. In fact, they have isolated themselves with their attitude. They have been living in a school bus while working on their cabin. They have not finished their cabin, nor have they procured sufficient firewood to make it through the winter. It started snowing today btw. 50 below zero in a school bus will be an eye opening experience for them.
September 25Sep 25 56 minutes ago, mooseoutfront said: They have not finished their cabin, nor have they procured sufficient firewood to make it through the winter. They’ll be renting in town by Christmas.
September 29Sep 29 On 9/25/2025 at 3:40 PM, mooseoutfront said: The psycho neighbor is the one with heart disease. I won’t have to worry about him much longer. The grapevine says he ain’t lasting through next year. The neighbors with the chickens are a family that moved in last spring. Not trying to CR the thread, but they are a bunch of far right wing wackos who decided to move to the woods to protect their children from the ever present threat of trans/gay indoctrination. They have no idea what they are doing. All they know is what they find on youtube. They will not take the friendly advice of people who have lived out here for years. In fact, they have isolated themselves with their attitude. They have been living in a school bus while working on their cabin. They have not finished their cabin, nor have they procured sufficient firewood to make it through the winter. It started snowing today btw. 50 below zero in a school bus will be an eye opening experience for them. Holy hell. How old are their kids? Are they in danger of freezing to death during winter at this point? The whole point of building it like this was to be able to easily walk in and out. What’s the first thing the wife does? Put a bunch of sticks right in front of the entrance that i stab myself on every time. Edited September 29Sep 29 by UT_OB1
October 5Oct 5 Chick hatching week. We put 60 total in over 4 batches, we know we have about 5 that didn’t develop. Ayams and silkies. First Ayam hatched early this morning. He or she is soooo tired
October 6Oct 6 Of the first 18 in, we’re 4/4 on the Ayams but the silkies are taking their sweet time. The chocolate silkies are pretty cute though. Hoping they all hatch. I like the way they look more than I was expecting.
October 10Oct 10 The chocolate silkies went 6/14. An expected but not great hatch rate for shipped eggs. We got 3 of the actual chocolates and 3 mauve. My bio major wife says we can breed the chocolates to our other silkies and we’ll know the sex as soon as they are born (we bought “show” silkies wtf? that are set to hatch Wednesday). So no need to raise extra males. The Ayams in this group went 12/14 so that’s pretty good. 12 more Sunday and 18 more Wednesday set to hatch. What are we doing? Help?… 😂
October 10Oct 10 Anyone have experience with skunks as they pertain to chickens and eggs? For the last few weeks, we've noticed a TON of feathers on the ground beneath the roosting bars in our coop. And, egg production has been down significantly. We attributed it to molting. We manually open / close the door to the coop every morning and evening. If we're going to be gone late one evening, we'll leave them in the coop all day. We're typically out to close up the coop within an hour or so of dusk. Two nights ago, I was out of town, and my wife went out later than normal (around 10 PM) to close the coop. She had an encounter with a skunk. LUCKILY, she got away before being sprayed. He ended up making his way out, and she chalked it up to a one-time encounter. Last night, we got home from dinner, and I went out to shut the coop door. That little SOB was in there again. I closed the door and went to get the .410. After Unfortunately, the way he came out when I opened the door, I couldn't get a shot off without blasting my coop. So, the question is... do skunks eat chicken eggs? Is he the culprit messing with our flock? I'm going to set out a have-a-heart trap (then blast him if I catch him) this evening.
October 10Oct 10 10 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said: Anyone have experience with skunks as they pertain to chickens and eggs? For the last few weeks, we've noticed a TON of feathers on the ground beneath the roosting bars in our coop. And, egg production has been down significantly. We attributed it to molting. We manually open / close the door to the coop every morning and evening. If we're going to be gone late one evening, we'll leave them in the coop all day. We're typically out to close up the coop within an hour or so of dusk. Two nights ago, I was out of town, and my wife went out later than normal (around 10 PM) to close the coop. She had an encounter with a skunk. LUCKILY, she got away before being sprayed. He ended up making his way out, and she chalked it up to a one-time encounter. Last night, we got home from dinner, and I went out to shut the coop door. That little SOB was in there again. I closed the door and went to get the .410. After Unfortunately, the way he came out when I opened the door, I couldn't get a shot off without blasting my coop. So, the question is... do skunks eat chicken eggs? Is he the culprit messing with our flock? I'm going to set out a have-a-heart trap (then blast him if I catch him) this evening. They do. Kill that little shit.
October 10Oct 10 On 9/15/2025 at 11:06 AM, Bozo_Casanova said: Maybe this was just me, but my 10/22 takedown will cycle using Aguila subsonic ammo and a Q El Camino suppressor, provided that the lockup is clean and tight. YMMV This is assisting me with my squirrel problem…and my neighbor who loves the furry tailed rats. It works fine. Not completely silent, obviously, but certainly does not sound like my 22 cracking. But honestly, I have not shot subsonic rounds out of my Ruger takedown before.
October 10Oct 10 3 hours ago, Gatorubet said: This is assisting me with my squirrel problem…and my neighbor who loves the furry tailed rats. It works fine. Not completely silent, obviously, but certainly does not sound like my 22 cracking. But honestly, I have not shot subsonic rounds out of my Ruger takedown before. That’s a better option in the city limits anyway.
October 17Oct 17 So we are actually selling our first 6 chicks for $150 tonight. At this rate we might break even before I die! 6 of the roughly 15 Ayams we hatched that made it were selling. We’ll keep the rest to try to get another good rooster and another “clan” of hens for genetic rotation. We’re just doing this to do it, but I was a bit surprised at how fast the 6 sold. I’m not expecting to get rich or even make money, but if we can break even while enjoying our hobby that would be awesome Sold!
October 19Oct 19 I know nothing of chickens but a neighbor has them. They are on a well travelled road and they are out of the coop hunting and pecking for a good portion of the day. This portion of road gets, deer, fox, coons and skunks. Its dangerous. The chickens never get in the road. Why not?
October 19Oct 19 I solved one problem last night. But created another. Now, I need to figure out how to get the skunk SMELL out of the coop. I went out there today to try to clean up and get some of the old hay out of there. I couldn't even come back in the house without taking my clothes off and hopping in the shower. Just walking in the coop left me covered in skunk stank. Trying to air it out right now, but it's BAD. Went out last night after the UT game. Dude was in there. Shut the doors, and he climbed the ramp into the area where they nest. I ended up knocking a hole in the wire mesh covering one window to to coop, then got my wife on the far side of the nesting area with the water hose. He finally got down from the nesting area, so I had a pot shot with a light and the .22. I guess he sprayed right when I shot him. And that smell... I'm afraid that coop is going to stink for months.
October 21Oct 21 So no skunk fur cap? Hawk got one of our 3 month old silkies yesterday I had netting all across all of the “ceiling” of our pen (~70’x30’) and hadn’t gotten to the last ~40’ of the “wall” yet but it hadn’t been an issue. I know it’s going to happen from time to time with this many silkies but I wish they’d at least take the asshole chickens.
December 18Dec 18 More chicks. I think I like baby turkeys the most. And of course my wife had to do Christmas chicken pictures Edited December 18Dec 18 by UT_OB1
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