A Beautiful Miracle...An Update to recent Losses

[ladychicken&Ducklover]

I havent posted in several months.

In late January , I lost , now, my 3 biggest and regular size hens to a weasel.

Ive had all my birds for 2 years and never had a problem until and within 1 week, I lost them all !!

Their rooster is a WCBP who was injured in his attempt to save his girls...

Sadness doesnt even begin to describe how my son and I felt.

My rooster was all alone now...

We put him in with our 3 Silkies, 1 Millie and a Cochin. We had a divider of course, so we could monitor him...

We found 1 lonely egg left in the coop where we lost them..

We took the egg and put it under my only Broody, a white Silkie, just for kicks.

The birds all got along fine, so Phil joined his new girls..

So, the days turned into weeks UNTIL just about an hour ago when my son came in and told me to " follow him".

Into the Silkie's run we went..

There is another 4x8 coop that they sleep in..

My son said " Shhhhh..do you hear that ?"..Oh no, I thought, not another weasel.

I then heard the familiar sound of " CHEAP CHEAP "!!

Surprised doesnt describe me..LOL

I looked in, and there, under my Broody, a Blackish Brown ball of fuzz with legs and a beak, popped its head out from under his/her "Mama !!

Then, another !!!

OMG, I have never had nature brood babies, so Im new at this version...LOL..

So, 2 little miracles arrived probably 2 days ago !

The legacy of one of our lost babies, lives on, along with a CRAZY combination of a full size , White Crested Polish and Who Knows as the Mama..

I feel strongly that what God takes away, he always will give back....albeit in some strange and silly ways..lol

So....My question is :

Does anyone else have a cross between a Full Size Polish Roo and a Silkie??

If anyone has pics of theirs, I would love to see them.

Once mama lets her babies out, Ill be able to get pics and post them..

 

[scratch'n'peck]

It is so sad that you lost some chickens to a weasel attack. But I am glad that Phil healed and gets along well with the other hens. It sounds like a Polish x Silkie cross would be awfully cute. I look forward to seeing pics as they grow. Enjoy the chicks!

 

[Suzierd]

Where you able to kill the weasel? Looking forward to pic's of the babies!

 

[ladychicken&Ducklover]

Where you able to kill the weasel? Looking forward to pic's of the babies!

There were actually a total of 3 weasels...the first tore up my huge Salmon Favorelle rooster around his comb, wattles and under his left eye. We found him literally frozen to the ground. My son and I snatched him up and immediately put him in the little chicken hospital that we have set up always.

We brought in a space heater, towels , Blood Stop powder ( the best stuff ever ) and Blu Kote. I sat on the floor , wrapped him up and sat for an hour thawing him out, cleaning his wounds and bringing in HIS girl so he could see that she was OK.

We set out 2 " Catch and release " traps and baited it with liver from the butcher.

After 3 days, we had it. My son drove it 8 miles away into the woods and released it.

Since we didnt kill it, and since we live miles away from anyone, my son felt it in his heart to fire off 3 rounds in memory of the 3 we lost..We keep the shells in memory.

2 days later, I heard the most blood curdling screams coming from my tightly enclosed Silkie run in which there is another 4x8 coop.

I had NO shoes on, I was alone, it was below 0 when I ran out and into the run just in time to find ANOTHER WEASEL on top of my Blue Silkie.

I managed to save her, however, this weasel was so bold, that it kept running between my feet and kept chasing all my other ones .

It took all I had to keep it away from them..

There was NO way I could leave to go get my shotgun and shoes, but I knew my son would be home any minute, so, I just stayed there until he came home...

We didnt catch this one, but I found a hole no bigger than a quarter, that it escaped from..

We took care of that hole and did more predator proofing and baited another trap...Caught another one 3 days later..

Got rid of it..

2 days later, another one...hes gone too..

The bottoms around our coops are covered up the sides with 4 feet of snow still, so we cant check the perimeter around the bottom until the thaw.

I cant wait to see how many eggs actually hatched and get pics of them..

I can only imagine a cross between a Silkie and White Crested Black Polish roo...its gotta be extra cute and fluffy..

I will post them as soon as they wonder out from under their warm " Mama "...

 

[Suzierd]

Wow! Glad you where able to save your blue Silkie, and I hope your Roo is doing well. I think weasels are the hardest predator to keep out, hopefully you got them all.

 

[b.hromada]

Awwwwww, that is so sweet!

I'm sorry you lost all your babies.

But now, you've got some of "their" babies to live on.