Good lessons, all.
My chickens are Black Jersey Giants, which are a good cold weather breed; more cold tolerant. Downside is that they are lousy brooders, rarely hatching an egg.
The henhouse is insulated, and has a storm door that is closed in winter...and we doesn’t gots possums. Oregon had them because the hillbillies who settled there missed possum hunting, so imported them in the early 1900s.
Today, I did use the double 12 to take out two attic/tree rats, AKA red squirrels. It’s bad enough that when they chew their way in that they tear up the insulation for nesting material, but they love chewing the outer covering off of electrical wiring, though rarely damaging the inner insulation on the individual wires inside. They do a lot of damage in the barns, given a chance, too. I’ve replaced a lot of wire over the years. Plug a hole, and in 6 months or less they’ve made a new entrance under the eaves.
Mine were Rhode Island Reds, good for NE weather, cold tolerant, and are excellent brooders.
and
Yeah , I have had to deal with the tree/ attic rats myself.
Around here the red squirrels are infrequent, although they have cross-bred with some of the greys here.
And yeah, eaves are generally where they tear open their front door. Thanks for the information about wiring insulation, I will have to check on that.
Right now I am in a rural village which doesn't allow firearms discharge; so I used an air rifle as a 'persuader' to keep it motivated to move elsewhere.
(and it's quieter so the neighbors don't get all nervous)
Try Speckled Sussex if you want a GREAT broody hen. They are heirloom breed, cold tolerant, small light brown eggs - don’t lay worth a squat in the cold months. Very smart.
I like the breed very much, but am down to one. Due to the lack of winter eggs I am on the fence about starting more of them.