Chipmunks
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Prep of The Day Thread
- Thread starter Uzi2
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Treating one of my Brahmas with VetRx for an upper respiratory infection. Hopefully she recovers. She wasn't showing any signs yesterday, today has a rasp and coughing. Still eating and drinking a lot, has some loose stool. Black one on left. She was dust bathing when I took pic, so im hopeful.
That happened to me last year. every time A tomatoes was ready to pick there was a bite out of it. I eventually set up about 20 rap traps around the perimeter. Even put a couple on top of the fence behind the plants. In two days I got two Chipmunks, squirrel and opossum. After that it was smooth sailing.
![[frown]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/003.gif "Frown [frown]")
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UGH! Guess I’m going to have to break out the Havaheart traps and execute as necessary. I mean release as necessary.
![[shocked]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/007.gif "Shocked [shocked]")
![[laugh]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/012.gif "Laugh [laugh]")
And maybe the chipper dipper as needed
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Good luck they are sneaky, I tried that routeUGH! Guess I’m going to have to break out that Havaheart traps and execute as necessary. I mean release as necessary.
And maybe the chipper dipper as needed
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My cat was sick for a week. He was sneezing out white boogers, and eating them back up again as soon as they came out. Sometimes, it just went down the lip and back in. Wicked gross. I thought we were going to lose him for a while there. Then I was wondering if he had Corona, and was gonna get us all sick. Was funny/sad/scary when I was trying to get him in at night (he's a black cat), and I couldn't see him, but heard him sneeze in the side yard. NOT very stealthy against the coyotes.
Try giving her some probiotics to help with the loose stool issue. I've done it by taking some soft bread, put the probiotic powder in it and roll it into a ball. A little probiotic bomb. Almost all of my girls will eat out of my hand. If others are around I distract them with plain bread. Or do it when they are on the roost before bed.
Also, if you like her to the point of medicating her you can try bird antibiotics, You'll just have to figure it out by weight, When I've done it I give it to the bird in the evening and put her in her own cage. ( Also easier if you roll the pill in bread and then dip it in some water so it slides down but once they think there is a pill inside you'll have to pry her beak open and shove it in) Then give her the AM dose and let her out for the day with the others. Repeat for 10 days. You're not supposed to eat their eggs if they are on ABX.
Did you look for tomato horn worms? They can make a good sized hole in a tomato. I've never had chipmunks climb tomatos and bite into them.
I'll try the prebiotic. Not gonna do the ABTs. We have 52 right now. I separated her from the flock until this passes or she passes.
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I’m looking. Haven’t seen one. I have found them on my father-in-law’s garden last year, so I’m familiar with them. The eaten tomatoes have been about 1 or 2 foot off the ground. My plants are about 8 feet tall.
I never would have believed it until I watched it happen. Hanging on with two hind feet and chewing tomato on next branch over. You never would have thought the branch they were clinging to would support their weight but I saw it so I've got to believe it.
Freezing is so much easier. No jar prep, no new seals, no glass storage when not in use... etc...
A tip for people that freeze. Allow your product to cool but is still warm. Use large zip lock bags and fill them to the point that when laid flat, the bag is filled and squeeze out a bit of air on the top. On a flat baking sheet, lay the bags down and pile them up. Freeze on the sheet and the next day, separate the frozen bags and you can stand them up and store them vertically in the freezer.
To thaw, toss a bag in the sink and fill the sink with hot water. They will thaw enough to empty in 5 minutes.
Are the lower leaves eaten? If so then possibly a ground hog. I've also seen another type of tomato worm. It's about the size of the hornworms but brown. That one seems to only eat the tomatoes and not the leaves. I don't see them that often but they can also do that type of damage.
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I checked the 2 traps this morning. Both had the bait taken. One trap failed to activate. The other trap activated but I forgot to put the locking arms in the correct direction. 
So, it’s definitely an animal and not an insect. It’s small enough to get into those rodent size traps. So, I’m thinking chipmunk, rat, squirrel possibly. If it’s a rat. It will be able to get out of those traps. I’ll have to set up a bait station. I’ll set them up again tonight. Probably have something in the morning.
So, it’s definitely an animal and not an insect. It’s small enough to get into those rodent size traps. So, I’m thinking chipmunk, rat, squirrel possibly. If it’s a rat. It will be able to get out of those traps. I’ll have to set up a bait station. I’ll set them up again tonight. Probably have something in the morning.
Lost our Brahma this morning. She was up all night. Had her inside she was still eating some this morning but struggling to breathe. I think she fell asleep due to exhaustion and suffocated 
36hrs from no issue to death. I'm really hoping she's the only one.
36hrs from no issue to death. I'm really hoping she's the only one.
Lost our Brahma this morning. She was up all night. Had her inside she was still eating some this morning but struggling to breathe. I think she fell asleep due to exhaustion and suffocated
36hrs from no issue to death. I'm really hoping she's the only one.
That's too bad. She was a nice looking bird. I hope to add some Brahmas to my group someday.
I had one that had egg peritonitis. She basically filled up with fluid and died within 48 hours. Nothing you can do about that. If their abdomen feels hard and they don't want to sit that's a clue to that illness. We also had an older favorite hen and I think she had heart failure. You could see fluid build up in her feet over a few months, just like a human. She was OK and 20 min later just died. Hopefully it was just a weakness in that chicken and not something contagious. A few times when I've had one with what looked like a chicken cold I've put colloidal silver in their water. I figure it can't hurt.
Chickens hide their illnesses pretty well. They know they are prey animals and they also don't tolerate weakness in their group.
Prep of the day...yesterday.
A friend has a bunch of blueberry bushes so I picked berries and made jam. Also multitasked and made a batch of zucchini relish to add to the garlic dill relish I mad a few weeks ago. I was hoping for a bumper crop of green beans to can but they aren't that great this year. Giant beautiful plants with no beans and few blooms.
Winter squash however looks awesome and they will keep for months in the basement.
A friend has a bunch of blueberry bushes so I picked berries and made jam. Also multitasked and made a batch of zucchini relish to add to the garlic dill relish I mad a few weeks ago. I was hoping for a bumper crop of green beans to can but they aren't that great this year. Giant beautiful plants with no beans and few blooms.
Winter squash however looks awesome and they will keep for months in the basement.
Sat out with the flock for a bit. No one else seems sick at the moment.
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
Canned 18 quarts of vine ripe tomatoes this morning with lots more ripening on the vines.
Is it OK to plant berry bushes in the fall? I may want to plant some currants and lingonberries and some more blueberries.
All three should be planted in the spring after danger of frost.
Canned another 11 qts of tomatoes today, then turned the wood chip piles with the loader.
Serviced my 23 year old Honda rototiller, cleaned out the tines, changed the oil, new spark plug and new recoil start pull rope.
Bought in 1997 and used yearly since, the thing still starts first pull even after sitting for months. Over the years it has gotten a new set of tines ( worn to knife like shape but still worked ok) , a couple of spark plugs, a $30 dollar carb, 2 air filters, and this was the first pull rope replacement.
Best small engine appliance I've ever owned.
Bought in 1997 and used yearly since, the thing still starts first pull even after sitting for months. Over the years it has gotten a new set of tines ( worn to knife like shape but still worked ok) , a couple of spark plugs, a $30 dollar carb, 2 air filters, and this was the first pull rope replacement.
Best small engine appliance I've ever owned.
I have Honda push mower. When I moved to current house it came with a Cub Cadet. I parked the push mower in the back of the shed. I pulled it out this summer. I did nothing. It still had gas in it. I pulled the cord and it started before I was done pulling.
Honda knows how to build a 2 stroke engine.
ETA - 3.5 years it sat in the shed outside.
Honda knows how to build a 2 stroke engine.
ETA - 3.5 years it sat in the shed outside.
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Mine is a four stroke ( regular gas) but yes, they build great engines of all types.
Had a 76 Honda Civic in the early 80's......engine wise it was the best I ever owned.
Seven more quarts of tomatoes in the canner. ![[thumbsup]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/044.gif "Thumbs Up [thumbsup]")
Sauer Grapes
NES Member
^ How big is your garden?
The current one I'm working out of is about 60x60. Its soil is 12 inch deep composted woodchip soil, amended with a 19-19-19 fertilizer and some peletized limestone. The tomato plants are indeterminate types that continue to flower and produce fruit....about 35 plants this year......up to 150 past years.
I have Roma tomato plants that produce hundreds each of slightly larger than golfball size tomatoes.......seems like forever. They are great for canning/ saucing.....meaty, very few seeds.
I have many acres here that I can rotate my gardens to year after year.
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