We have 2 rabbits... had bunnies, but the bunnies were eaten a few days ago by a huge bull snake. :-( a Tom Cat a very talkitive parakeet several betta fish a Chameleon We are expecting our new chicks on Monday... Buff Orphs, RH Reds, Dominiques, partridge rock, Black Astrolorp, Silver lace and Gold Lace Wyandottes, golden campine and one Speckled Sussex Rooster. We want to find one purple and one coral blue guinea to replace the ones we had. Not only were they the greatest bug catcher in the world, they were quite entertaining too! We also have a fox that lives on government property on the other side of our fence, that paces back and forth near the edge of the pasture, trying to get in. Very unrabbit like...the rabbits thought it is entertaining(and VERY brazen!) to tease the fox, hopping back and forth on the opposite side of the fence! That fox was going insane and I freaked out! This bold behavior promted me to put the mommy bunny in a cage... Daddy bunny loves to be pet, but is too "wild" to put in a cage, he will hurt himself trying to get free. No common sense! We are making the coop and chicken area "ultra Fox free" Any and all ideas welcome! We also have skunks and raccoons around that we are deterring from this area. Now I am worried about the bull snake. I am fine with him being on the property as long as he only eats mice and rattlers and leaves me and my pets(and their off spring) alone!

Thanks for all the responses! It's interesting how a subject evolves. Great web-site you have there, Velvet Sparrow. Very helpful. At this point, I'm pretty certain they are just molting. Everybody is as perky, active and hungry as usual. The feather loss seems to be increasing some, but the skin and remaining feathers look healthy and I see no external parasites. Still, nobody looks at all bald, so I guess new feathers are growing in about as fast as they're falling out! Dust bathing appears to be no more or less popular than usual. I use DE sparingly in the boxes -under the carpet scrap I keep in the bottom of each box- and on the slab floor, before replacing wood chips every time I clean the coop. And nobody with chickens on their own place EVER enters my hen yard. So I think I maintain a healthy environment. I never have wormed them (they are almost a year old now), but after reading VS's view on that, I'm thinking maybe I should. I guess I'll ask my good old country vet for his thoughts. I would really rather use the DE for worming, too, instead of ivermectin, but I'll see what his experience reveals. Doc spent some years in research at Texas A&M before going into private practice, and he has some really unusual and practical remedies up his sleeve for various things. If I learn anything good, I'll pass it on! I've heard the roo sneeze about 3 times in the past month. The first time he did it I was terrified that everybody was gonna be sneezing and wheezing within days, but nothing developed. I'm thinking maybe ol' Silver Streak just has allergies! DH and I are sure suffering with the oak catkins lately. Yesterday I only got 4 eggs - an all-time low, but then on Saturday we had disturbed the flock with tractor work all day right beside their pen. I get such a kick out of watching the ladies watch us! They are quite the curious little mob. Even tho the tractor is loud, they crowd right up at the fence to see what we're doing. Only poor Streak seems truly upset by the disturbance. I found it interesting that after a good rain yesterday morning, the chickens spent the day industriously excavating a pretty deep hole in the mud. I couldn't see any worms or bugs, but they acted like they were finding plenty to eat in their hole. Guess I had better get them some meal worms next time I drive to town. I wish I could let them into my veggie garden to devour whatever is munching on my chard, collards and lettuce, but the birds do more damage than the bugs! All I can do is pick off the pests I see and toss them thru the fence to the chickens. (and of course they also get all the bug-eaten greens) pam

My chickens are bantams, and most are crosses between a black aracauna, assorted cochins and a gray silkie. I think they are beautiful & I get an assortment of brown & green eggs. I given my extra eggs away to friends and I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one that arranges the eggs so that they look especially pretty in the carton. I love having chicks, so by summer, I usually have 30+ chickens. I give the extras away, and I can usually find homes for all of the extras. This winter I am keeping two roosters and 10 hens and six chicks were hatched in November. I presently have a gray silkie rooster & a barred Cochin rooster. I have one black araucana hen, a partridge Cochin hen, a Golden lace Cochin hen & the rest of my hens are crosses. Some of my crosses are the prettiest hens I've seen ( says a proud mother). I let my chickens free range in the flower garden and prefer bantams for this, as full size chickens do too much damage. Janice in the Sierra

Thanks for your responses. I am beginning to think it is due to the mild winter we are having. The Siskins and Grosbeaks I usually have, are probably not coming this far south. Any Canadians having an increase and decrease of their usual feeder visitors? I have had a Brown Creeper visiting, which has been rare for me. Glad to see it, such a neat little guy.