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I have lost 2 flocks of chickens to a combination of raccoons, foxes, and skunks. Interestingly enough none of those could kill my turkeys - they are big enough

I have lost 2 flocks of chickens to a combination of raccoons, foxes, and skunks. Interestingly enough none of those could kill my turkeys - they are big enough to fight them off I guess. They don't lay as many eggs though. It is a lot of work, but after my last group was killed off 2 months I have not impressed by store eggs, so I'm planning on re-enforcing my coop so I can get another group of them soon.

theonething 2y ago
> I have not impressed by store eggs Curious to know what differences do you discern between store and fresh eggs? Not doubting you, just curious to know.
- binarymax 2y ago
  Not the author but for me the taste is obvious. It’s like the difference between the cheapest eggs and the pasture raised you get at the store.
  - declan_roberts 2y ago
    Also the yolks are noticeably bigger and darker on the home flock. More yolk has a big impact on flavor.
- MrLeap 2y ago
  In my experience they taste richer. The yolks are more orange than yellow.
- latentcall 2y ago
  Backyard chicken eggs for me are much richer and fuller flavor. I also keep Black Copper Marans and those eggs are delicious.
- bombcar 2y ago
  Go here: https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chicks.html https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chicks.html and click "good/better/best" for egg production. Note the wide variety. When you're doing a backyard chicken coop, you can pick whatever you want, for whatever reason (Rhode Island Red for hardiness, say, or a combo for variety). So not only do you have feed variation, you have breed variation, which can contribute to taste differences. You also have freshness, as you use the eggs within a day or so of laying.
- oaththrowaway 2y ago
  During the summer I was getting ~9-10 eggs a day, and we probably averaged eating 6 a day - so besides the size and taste, a big thing is that unwashed eggs last a long time.
joe8756438 2y ago
i have a simple system for keep my birds safe from land predators. so the birds get a point for each level of protection they receive. each group needs two points to be safe. i mainly raise geese, which are tough, not going to be bothered by a hawk. geese (turkeys similar) start with one point. an electric fence is one point, a fully enclosed coop is one point, night light (.5?), guard animal (.5?). chickens are always inventing ways to die, so they start with 0 (should probably be -1). fingers crossed i haven’t lost any geese to land predators in three years and only one chicken that flew the enclosure. hawks have taken a few chickens, but never when the geese are around.
- declan_roberts 2y ago
  I know people here who specifically add a "guard goose" to their hen flock for protection. They swear it helps against predators. We have a very reinforced coop and an automatic coop door so we've never had any issues.
  - joe8756438 2y ago
    yeah, they deter aerial predators, but you can’t have too much room for them to roam away from the geese. in my experience you need to have the geese and chickens together within about 200sq feet.
reginald78 2y ago
Do skunks hunt chickens? We lost ours when we were a kid to raccoons and weasels. The later being better suited to getting into the coop. Our neighbor's chickens were devoured by black bears twice. They had one wily chicken that managed to escape both events however.
- oaththrowaway 2y ago
  I've never seen one actually kill a chicken but I killed one a little bit ago that was in there eating a carcass. And that's what I've seen come sniffing around the traps I leave. I've trapped 2 skunks in the last year - only 1 raccoon, and he was able to make an escape. Smartest animals I've had to battle in the wild.

theonething 2y ago

> I have not impressed by store eggs Curious to know what differences do you discern between store and fresh eggs? Not doubting you, just curious to know.

binarymax 2y ago
Not the author but for me the taste is obvious. It’s like the difference between the cheapest eggs and the pasture raised you get at the store.
- declan_roberts 2y ago
  Also the yolks are noticeably bigger and darker on the home flock. More yolk has a big impact on flavor.
MrLeap 2y ago
In my experience they taste richer. The yolks are more orange than yellow.
latentcall 2y ago
Backyard chicken eggs for me are much richer and fuller flavor. I also keep Black Copper Marans and those eggs are delicious.
bombcar 2y ago
Go here: https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chicks.html https://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/chicks.html and click "good/better/best" for egg production. Note the wide variety. When you're doing a backyard chicken coop, you can pick whatever you want, for whatever reason (Rhode Island Red for hardiness, say, or a combo for variety). So not only do you have feed variation, you have breed variation, which can contribute to taste differences. You also have freshness, as you use the eggs within a day or so of laying.
oaththrowaway 2y ago
During the summer I was getting ~9-10 eggs a day, and we probably averaged eating 6 a day - so besides the size and taste, a big thing is that unwashed eggs last a long time.

joe8756438 2y ago

i have a simple system for keep my birds safe from land predators. so the birds get a point for each level of protection they receive. each group needs two points to be safe. i mainly raise geese, which are tough, not going to be bothered by a hawk. geese (turkeys similar) start with one point. an electric fence is one point, a fully enclosed coop is one point, night light (.5?), guard animal (.5?). chickens are always inventing ways to die, so they start with 0 (should probably be -1). fingers crossed i haven’t lost any geese to land predators in three years and only one chicken that flew the enclosure. hawks have taken a few chickens, but never when the geese are around.

declan_roberts 2y ago
I know people here who specifically add a "guard goose" to their hen flock for protection. They swear it helps against predators. We have a very reinforced coop and an automatic coop door so we've never had any issues.
- joe8756438 2y ago
  yeah, they deter aerial predators, but you can’t have too much room for them to roam away from the geese. in my experience you need to have the geese and chickens together within about 200sq feet.

reginald78 2y ago

Do skunks hunt chickens? We lost ours when we were a kid to raccoons and weasels. The later being better suited to getting into the coop. Our neighbor's chickens were devoured by black bears twice. They had one wily chicken that managed to escape both events however.

oaththrowaway 2y ago
I've never seen one actually kill a chicken but I killed one a little bit ago that was in there eating a carcass. And that's what I've seen come sniffing around the traps I leave. I've trapped 2 skunks in the last year - only 1 raccoon, and he was able to make an escape. Smartest animals I've had to battle in the wild.