Took the chicks out to enjoy the spring weather and then saw a hawk playing in the breeze not 100 feet from their outdoor pen. Their outdoor pen is designed only to keep them in and the hens out since we and the dogs are always nearby when they're out.
Fortunately, the hawk seemed totally uninterested. It was rising on a thermal, diving and then catching the thermal to shoot back up in the air again. It was, however, much more fascinating to watch once the chicks were safely caught and placed back in the garage!
It's the closest we've ever seen a hawk to our property. They're all around (We've even seen two bald eagles less than a mile away!), but we have a murder of crows that roosts 1/4 mile from the house and they hang out in the field just west of us, collecting the left over corn. I know a lot of people try to attract them, but how do you attract them to protect your chickens and still keep them out of your garden?
We had at least 200 crows the day before the snow hit!
Anyway, working on chicken tractors so hopefully the site of a hawk won't give me any more heart attacks. I really do love watching them. Or did before I had chickens!
Fortunately, the hawk seemed totally uninterested. It was rising on a thermal, diving and then catching the thermal to shoot back up in the air again. It was, however, much more fascinating to watch once the chicks were safely caught and placed back in the garage!
It's the closest we've ever seen a hawk to our property. They're all around (We've even seen two bald eagles less than a mile away!), but we have a murder of crows that roosts 1/4 mile from the house and they hang out in the field just west of us, collecting the left over corn. I know a lot of people try to attract them, but how do you attract them to protect your chickens and still keep them out of your garden?
We had at least 200 crows the day before the snow hit!
Anyway, working on chicken tractors so hopefully the site of a hawk won't give me any more heart attacks. I really do love watching them. Or did before I had chickens!