I have raised chickens for eggs for almost 16 years. While we consume our share of eggs, we give eggs to family and sell the surplus to friends, neighbors, and co-workers. I will be placing an order to a regional farm supply outfit for 8 more Rhode Island Red pullets on Monday. Today, my wife had two of our three dogs at an event in New Hampshire all day, leaving our female standard poodle Lucy Petunia home with me and my father-in-law.
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| Her Majesty, Princess Lucy Petunia |
Our dogs have a fenced in yard they access through the walkout basement. With the boys away with Mommy, Lucy could be out in the open area of the property where she stays close by. When the boys are home and all three dogs are loose they tend to run off into the woods out of sight and come back when they feel like it. Outside free separately, they come when they are called.
The dog yard is separated from the chicken yard by a 5 foot high wire fence and a gate. Once every few weeks, we let the chickens into the dog yard to go on a tick search and destroy mission. Today with the boys away, I let them have at it.
I only allow this when I am home, due to the fact that the fence surrounding the chicken yard is secure from predators, where the dog yard is not. So, as insurance against predators, this was handy near the door to the deck overlooking the dog yard.
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| 1971 vintage Marlin 336 in .30-30 |
I would have a clear shot from the deck down to the yard at any critter after my birds. The magazine stays empty but the sleeve on the stock contains 9 rounds of Federal 150 gr softpoint ammo and the scope is a Bushnell Trophy zeroed at 100 yards. I can lock and load quite fast on my way out the door. The 150 gr lead pill will instantly evacuate the chest cavity of all vital organs for a fox or bobcat.
I bought the Marlin 336 second hand back when I first started raising chickens and realized I did not have a proper firearm for predator control. It cost me $265 and had the Marlin scope mount already on it. I had the Bushnell scope and mounting rings in the safe not mounted to anything. With the Federal ammo, I can shoot quarter sized groups at 100 yards. Closer and I just aim a little lower. For larger predator trouble I have some Federal 170 gr that shoots 2 inches lower at 100 yards with the same scope settings.
You sure she is not stopping off to visit Irish?
ReplyDeleteI miss having chickens, also Reds, to me they are the only ALMOST fool proof prepper thing around.
Nice rifle, been hell for 2 years finding ammo even tho for the last year I slowed way down window shopping. Dad's which I don't have probably vintage 40's or 50's
@Bear Claw Chris Lapp: I luckily have a good supply of the Federal .30-30 ammo. I also recently acquired some Hornady .30 caliber bullets and a good recipe for .30-30 reloads. I always kept all my brass so I have a supply of that, too.
DeleteDamn... I WISH I could bring something like that into play here at Rancho Whybother. The back of my property backs up to a plant nursery. If I miss the coyote I might hit the nurseryman. We lost fourteen birds last spring to coyotes. Those things can clear a five-foot fence like walking through a door. They actually DUG UNDER a SIX-foot fence and then DUG UNDER and into the coop run to get my birds! I proofed the coop against another breach like that, but I always need to be looking out for the coyotes' next trick.
ReplyDelete@Peteforester: Luckily coyotes stay away, I had trouble with foxes and my own dogs. I lost a hen to Lucy Petunia last week because it got airborne over the fence and we didn't know it. I found the half eaten bird by the back door. Thankfully Lucy didn't try to bring it inside.
DeleteEven if you hit the coyote that 30-30 will continue for a long while unless it doesn't ricochet off the dirt behind your target.
DeleteI find a 10-22 carbine quite enough to keep my chickens safe. The last bobcat found three 40 grainers enough to chase it away to die somewhere else. Or at least it didn't return.
I once had to deal with a feral dog pack. THAT's a Dangerous situation and I felt very under gunned with the 22. Happily, my Aunt joined in with her pistol and the surviving dogs fled.
@Michael: I would be shooting downward into the yard from the deck. Any over penetration would go into the ground. I do have a scoped Marlin Glenfield Model 60 that might work, but I'm afraid it would take a mag dump of .22's to dispose of a fox or larger critter. Or something as fierce as a fishercat.
DeleteI live in the Granite State and ricochets off the gravelly dirt is a real problem at our shooting sites. So far, I've only seen one maybe Fisher cat over the past 2 decades. Heard some weird howling's but..
DeleteLOL when I was in that dog pack problem, I was carrying a Glenfield Model 60 and those 14 rounds in the tube were used up carefully.
I've seriously thought about upgrading to a Keltec 22 mag carbine as in the bad old days crop damaging deer were taken with that round.
I fear the same poor economy that had folks dropping off dogs will be happening again.