Almost lost them in a blink!

[Mom 2em All]

I took my juvies outside this morning, and after a while, while they were playing in a puddle I ran in the house to refill my coffee cup. I was only a couple moments- and I heard their alarm cries PEEP PEEP PEEP and I hurried out- saying, "I was just filling my cup, babies" and they were running across the yard. I heard a hawk call and looked up and TWO hawks swooped my yard!! I scooped up my babies and ran them back into the house.
The hawks had to be watching and waiting for me to go in. Too coincidental for them to just show up within the minute I was gone.

Enough excitement for the morning. The babies are back in my bathroom.

 

[ElizabethinNY]

Ugh, be very careful! I left my ducks and chickens in my fenced yard last weekend for only a short period of time, came back out to check on them and a hawk had killed my Millie duck. It must be a very hungry time of year for hawks. They are VERY bold right now. It's pretty frightening, isn't it!?

 

[Mom 2em All]

I guess they are feeding their babies right now- I know they have to eat too, but my ducks and chickens are NOT on the menu! Last year- perhaps it was the year before- a hawk swooped down with me RIGHT there and grabbed my pigeon and barely made it out of my yard. it had a hard time getting lift, my yard isnt that big so it didnt have much space to get up- my dogs were out and almost caught it.

I just cant get over how fast they came in- I was literally only in the house for half a minute- just enough time to pour coffee into my cup. We got lucky this morning.Very frightening.

 

[Amiga]

Perhaps it was not too cautious of me, then, to have netting over the duckling's pen outside.

I still have netting up, even though they are about full grown.

 

[J.R. Pigman]

Yikes! That's a close one! We had a falcon eating a starling in our garden the other day, and it makes me nervous, with the river so close and all. I know there are hawks and eagles around.

 

[ElizabethinNY]

My ducks and chickens have a hardware cloth roof over both of their runs. I had a hawk-netting roof over their runs, but a raccoon ripped it open on Monday, during the day, while I was at work, and luckily only ate chicken feed and not the animals. I had a guy come the next day and put up a proper top for me.

I have no handy skills myself, but have a nice handyman! My large fenced chicken yard that surrounds the coop and roofed runs is not covered--it's too big to cover, so it's now a supervision-only area. I put a lawn chair out there so I can read and watch the feathered creatures so they can be out sometimes.

I now think one can't be too cautious.