Squirrel War

Shared first tomato from the ranch today.
Piggish to slice it into a salad.
Co-workers enjoy the peppery
heavenly joy of organic produce.
I did not work this hard to feed ingrates.

Included here are pretty photographs but the remains of this
post chronicles my war on squirrels who killed my baby chickens. If you're squeamish, or you love fuzzy tails, or
want the second amendment appealed, don't read. This is war on a nasty pest.
Almost eighty days in my new home
Compost piles cook, 17 tons of oak mulch disappears as I wheelbarrow it in place,
hugelkultur shrinks peppers climb on top.
Invested weeks of physical labor.
Don't mind the birds stealing half
the seeds I plant but these are murderous
critters that kill for sport (they don't eat the
chickens just bite them multiple punctures.)

What God created grey ground squirrels?
I'm losing a war with rodents.
I'm not in Aleppo without food or water;
but it's harder than planned.


I purchased these "solutions":
Haveaheart- zero results
what was I going to do with live angry pests?
After reading the instructions about drowning
them I gave the trap to my neighbor (3 miles down
the gravel road). He smiled about the battle.

Squirrelinator -the  male with striped panels
is able to open the door for his friends so they
can enter, enjoy a snack, relax in the shade, and exit.

Rat traps- 3 versions X 9 = no catches but one
empty jar of Skippy peanut butter

Wildlife Control Tube trap-
have reset the trigger nine times, last
time I didn't refill with peanuts as I think I
am feeding the offspring. Zero catches.

Airsoft gun, a Winchester one
I am able to hit a marshmallow on top of a can
at 90 yards BUT the creatures see the gun.
For hours I sat with a camo scarf over my head.
A cardboard wall in front hides my body.
Dark sweet Slemit cherries and peanuts wait in the
meadow.  Dam squirrels see me.

I upgraded my rifle to a better 12 gauge with
bird shot. Neighbor ranchers chuckle when I
hike up the mountain with the gun slung
on my back.
After practicing and becoming expert, I'm ready.
Buggers hide from the sound when I open the locked case.

The squirrels seem to rise at 11:00 AM then saunter home.
Rats with mink tails now work on more nests and get into
my attic.  They are asleep at 5:00 P.M.. It's a leisurely life.
There are plenty of tomatoes, okra, eggplant and squash
to gobble up and bury for later.
This morning I leave the ranch early for the office.
There one the hood of my car. A fat bushy tailed girl
stands upright eating a ripe tomato. I swear she flipped me off.

Don't suggest poison. Everyone says they are too smart, and
it will be the Great Pyrenees dogs that eat vile second hand.

How do I encourage Coopers Hawks and Red Tailed Hawks
to visit and stay?

See vase squirrels broke

Up-cycled Recovery

bird bath upcycled

Recovery

Bird Bath got holes

name of the use gone

Time for chrysalis.

Woodpeckers hunt worms.

Sparrows steal sunflower seeds.

Add sand and compost to

iron antique up-cycled 

succulent planter sprouts.

Get back on your search

stretch those chicken wings

and fly sister.

Ivory Billed Woodpecker is Endangered there are a few out of range here

where I live. 

Phil the water truck gentleman rescued one with a broken wing. 

Phil's a cowboy who looks like he played football.  He found

a vet who coached him online how to care for this wild creature. 

The bird was released yesterday - never looked back.  

We thought the bird would not make it to fly again.

I contacted two endangered species birding groups without response. 

Wish I had taken pictures of Connie (we assumed female) 

Phil had her wrapped in newspaper and a cardboard box in the 

cab of his big yellow water rig truck. 

Bloody and in shock Connie had crazy eyes

I found grubs in my garden. We fed her meal worms, baby chicken feed 

and chicken electrolyte water. 

The bugs wriggled in wet paper towels inside Kerr jars to give him to bring home. 

She didn't eat or drink for two days. 

Recovery was slow but she got stronger.

The day we released Connie someone from this rehabilitation center called me back.

Copyright August 9 2016 Caroline Gerardo

poem and images 

Mother Hen DIY Coop

Chicken Momma

OR Chooks Chookies Kooks and Me

Hatched the baby chickens.

A recent summary of my ranch adventures:

Lost one pullet to pasty butt. Spent three days and nights feeding her drops of vitamin water on the hour. Did you know Siri can learn the names of your baby chickens? This is helpful with an alarm at 3 and 4. Created Kleenex tissue life-safer to keep sick baby from flopping on her back, and the long process of cleaning her bottom. She died.
Next the vicious murder by grey squirrels. I now hunt bushy tails. Two squirrels poked holes in babies and tore one apart.
Horrible deaths, lost sleep and oh my, I’m a Mother Hen.

My house is next to the Cleveland National Forest. Mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons and other predators stroll on my driveway. There are two existing chicken coops. One is oversized and the other smaller one I'm adapting into Fort Knox.

The nearest hardware store is a forty minute drive away. First, I purchased chicken wire. After securing three rolls to the coop and play yard, I learn it is not strong enough to withstand hungry predators. I plan to use recycled materials. Chain link fence pieces, left over siding and a couple metal posts were found on Free-cycle. Five rolls of welded steel wire, 4 X 4 lumber posts and twenty varieties of wire I bought at Home Depot.

Country Living is not photo shooting my ranch for the coop. Painted houses with picket fences and screen windows would be torn apart by animals in a moonlit evening. The play house that your daughters grew out of is not safe enough for my hens. A raccoon tears through plastic.

"Raccoons eat plastic zip ties." I told the handy orange Apron at Home Depot.

Rolls of wire are to connect walls and ceiling for the play pen. I need to stitch the wire together and have no gaps.
"This ook wire with the nice package cutter is perfect." Orange apron tells me.
This product stinks. The cutter doesn’t trim the wire. The spool hogs the ends. Then when you just need a little a long center piece sticks out of the cardboard. As you ease the piece out to cut the rope becomes tangled in under layers. Send "Ook "frustration packaging to your enemies. Let their hands be torn bloody while they pull for the next piece. I never return purchases. Have you waited in line to face the humiliation of being asked why something doesn't work? Ook sucks, see the holes in my hands.

Another trip to Home Depot.

“Do you have metal zip ties?”

Strange facial expression from Orange vest guy.

“Perhaps in the electrical department?” he answers.

“I know metal conducts electricity. I am searching for cable ties that come in packs of 100 or more…”

“We don’t have anything like that, what are you using them for?” Frowny face from Orange vest.

I explain about the coop. He gives me the crazy lady bored face.

"J clips, hog rings, loxit rings and matching pliers?" I say as if speaking a foreign language.
Okay Orange County isn't the farming capitol of California anymore... Time for a real drive.

I make a third trip over the hill to real farming hardware stores.  Grangetto's sales person complements my cowgirl boots. They have barn owl boxes (next project) rainwater retention and grey water systems. I'm smiling. Next stops Tractor Supply and Kahoots.  


When I am finished I will post images of the darling Spanish Style Chicken High Security Vault and the shoot that opens into a play yard.