• bedwyr@piefed.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    5
    ·
    2 days ago

    Man piss will help ward them off, the testosterone in it is said to scare off predators.

    • modus@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      13
      ·
      2 days ago

      That’s why I don’t allow women near my coop. Predators can smell their periods.

      • bedwyr@piefed.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        2 days ago

        I am a man and pissed around my coop, and a bear or something came by and wrecked my shit anyway, so idk about the piss scaring off everyone. Although we get a good bit of rain so maybe the piss didn’t stick around and washed away.

        My dog killed 3, the bear killed 6, leaving one, then came back in a month and killed the survivor. (I didn’t have enough money to completely fill out a secure area I guess. Thought it was good, but it was not, and chickens are fucking stupid which doesn’t help. I’m getting guinea hens next, after I can afford some more hardware cloth to finish my coop off.

        • backalleycoyote@lemmy.today
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          2 days ago

          Ah, simple mistake. You can’t just piss around the coop, you have to confront the bear and piss directly on it to assert dominance.

          • bedwyr@piefed.ca
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            5
            ·
            edit-2
            2 days ago

            If it came to that, I’m going with Mad Monkey. Where I grab a stick and jump up and down and holler like an angry monkey while beating the stick on the ground, throw the stick at the bear, then beat by chest with both hands.

            But honestly, I care more about the bear than the stupid chickens. I would scare it off, but never kill it for killing stupid chickens. (The chickens never bonded with me despite a lot of effort to do so. My bloodthirsty dog singlemindedly trying to murder them might be a factor, but still.)

            • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              4
              ·
              2 days ago

              For chickens to bond, you gotta start really young. If someone else is hatching them nd you get them later, they have to put the time into socializing and helping the birds recognize humans as part of their “flock”.

              An older chicken that hasn’t had the time put in will never really bond. They’ll get used to you, be nice even, but they won’t see you as part of their in group.

              • bedwyr@piefed.ca
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                2
                ·
                edit-2
                1 day ago

                I got mine as chicks from a hardware store, and I’ve heard they are less friendly than ones hatched from someone’s flock. I did spend a lot of time trying, feeding them, often giving them sprouted grain and other good foods out of my hand.

                Which apparently did not win them over. I’ve never had trouble bonding with such animals before, I’ve even had pet birds.

                • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  2
                  ·
                  24 hours ago

                  Yeah, they tend to have less connection because of all the process of going from hatchery to store, and the lack of interaction before they get bought. They’d be fine layers, but less fine friends.

                  And breed factors in too. The ones usually out for sale in a store will be bred for laying or meat, and that means no attention to more than bare docility. Some breeds though, they’re known for being friendly rather than just calm. We have a marans that prefers human company to other birds most of the time. Since she was also hand raised before we got her, I’m not too surprised she tends to amaze people with how friendly and loving she is.

                  I think if you get more, find a local breeder and you’ll have way better luck