All Creatures Great and Fabulous Bill Nobes

Predator kills this years have been epic. Most decapitations which are usually done by Racoons, Possums, or Weasels.

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvjtoCSKuI4

It took us years to understand the pros and cons of different breeds. In our latest webcast we discuss and show some of the differences between breeds and how best to select what's right for you.

You can also watch a larger version on Blip.tv or
download it as a podcast in iTunes
In this eposide we cover:


What breeds are good for what climates
Behavior differences between breeds
Hybrids vs. pure breeds

Dealing with predators is on of the most difficult parts of running a poultry farm. In this episode we discuss how to identify which predators are getting your birds and tips how to reduce your predator risk.

A larger version can be seen here:
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5936519
Or download via iTunes
Some of the tips we discussed:

From October - March keep your birds under a run until Noon-ish. Hawk attacks are much more likely in the morning.
Fox hunt the most heavily around March, when they are feeding pups, and late fall when newly mature fox are setting up new hunting ranges. During these time the deadly hours are dawn and dusk. So don't let your chickens out too early and close up your coops as early as possible in the evening.
Trapping an releasing small mammals (raccoon, possum and such) seems to keep them away. My belief is that a trapped animal is likely to leave scent markers (pheromones) warning other animals to keep away.
Predator urine seems to help too. You can purchase some or just pee along your fencelines (or in a bucket if modesty is required).

Links from the show:

http://www.predatorpee.com/

It's been a hard winter on the farm and we've lost about 30 birds. In our first webcast we discuss the mistakes we made and how to avoid them.

Click above to play or watch a
larger version on: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5615242
Please leave a comment to let us know what you thought of our webcast or suggest subjects for upcoming episodes!
A quick recap of what we've learned:


Always put down rat poison in the barn before bringing in a new brood (rats ate 28 chicks)
Do NOT introduce pullets into a weather stressed coop.
DO turn off your winter laying lights before bringing new pullets in (this is REALLY important).
We're not sure yet on this one but it may be very important to introduce your pullets during the brief time when they are full pullet size but still chirping like chicks.

EDIT: One our twitter followers suggested feeding hens pinto beans or tofu before introducing pullets as the attacks might have been partly motivated by protein deficiency.  Although our feed is supposed to have the right amount of protein these birds have been off grass for months due to record snows. It's more than worth a try!
Links from the show:
http://www.animalwelfareapproved.org/
http://www.fernbrookfarmcsa.com/
http://www.idealpoultry.com/
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/