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Barnyard Buddies:  Help with Cats and Chickens  |
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Sweet Harvest Homestead
True Blue Farmgirl
279 Posts
Lindy
Stanfield
NC
USA
279 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 12 2006 : 2:28:54 PM
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Hi Girls,
Hope all of you are doing fine this evening.
I have a couple of questions for you.
How do you keep your cat from using the raised garden spot? He is an indoor cat and uses a liter box but when he goes outside he uses our garden spot. We yell and throw stuff at him but he does it anyay. I have heard that mothballs might work but I wonder if the chemicals would get into the dirt and then into my veggies and herbs? (is that last part being too picky?).
The next question is about chickens. I am new at this. We have had them for a couple of months now They laid eggs for a while, well, maybe 2 a week ( 6 chickens ). Is winter a dormant period for them?
I really appreciate your good advice.
Lindy
www.sweetharvesthomestead.typepad.com |
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2006 : 03:40:29 AM
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Sorry about your cat situation. One of ours does the same thing. Look at as adding to the compost. although if you dig w/ bare hands it is really gross.
Mothballs might help, but I'd be afraid of the smell permeating the stuff you eat. They are raunchy enough as it is! If you look in some of the pet catalogs, I believe there is somethinhg you can spray to keep cats or dogs out of vegitation. It's not bitter apple, it's something completely different. Look under JB Pet, Dr.s Foster and Smith KV Pet Supply and Care a Lot Pet I must be on every single mail order!
For your chickens......they lay according to light sources/supply. So these shortened winter days definitely have an impact. Some hardy layers will continue in cooler temps, but the quantity will drop. In the summer I can get close to a dozen a day, right now, I agervae 3-4/day. Molting may also be a factor. If you start seeing loose feathers all over everywhere and the chickens look rough, it could be a molt. And replacing new feathers is taxing, so energy is used instead to regrow new feathers and not for eggs production. A molt cycle takes roughly 6-8 weeks!
Some use artificial lights to keep egg production up, I figure why mess w/ the natural cycle. |
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Sweet Harvest Homestead
True Blue Farmgirl
279 Posts
Lindy
Stanfield
NC
USA
279 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2006 : 07:16:23 AM
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Hey Anna,
Thanks for the great info. I did not know about the pet spray. I will look for it.
Also, the chickens are molting. That must be the problem. I will know next time.
Thank you again for your great information.
Lindy
www.sweetharvesthomestead.typepad.com |
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MsCwick
True Blue Farmgirl
775 Posts
Cristine
Farmville
Virginia
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2006 : 3:51:44 PM
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| I have always used mouse or rat traps for the cats getting into things they shouldn't. Of course you should be home to keep an eye on the cat, but it should scare the bejebus out of him!!what about some chicken wire? |
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ThymeForEweFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
705 Posts
Robin
An organic farm in the forest in
Maine
USA
705 Posts |
Posted - Dec 13 2006 : 4:55:00 PM
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If you add a lightbulb to the coop to bring the hens up to 14 hours of light a day you should see an improvement. It shouldn't take long.
To keep the cat out of the garden - a motion detector sprinkler works wonders. Just don't forget it's there. Carnivore/omnivore manure isn't the equivalent of adding manure from an herbivore. There are different pathogens to consider. You can use this manure on non-food plants and/or hot compost it first. You definitely don't want these animals using the garden that produces your food as a litter box.
Robin
www.thymeforewe.com
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Libbie
Farmgirl Connection Cultivator
3579 Posts
Anne E.
Elsinore
Utah
USA
3579 Posts |
Posted - Dec 14 2006 : 09:28:14 AM
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Thanks, Robin, for the motion detector sprinkler idea! I definietly need one of these - as we have not only our one outdoor cat, but the neighborhood "strays" to worry about... Ugh. Where did you get yours?
I have this vision of forgetting it's there and getting sprayed...at least weekly! Oh well - small price to pay!
XOXO, Libbie
"Nothing is worth more than this day." - Goethe |
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Barnyard Buddies: Help with Cats and Chickens |
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Help with Cats and Chickens
