Araucana thread anyone?

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Check out the Showbird Auction site http://showbirdauction.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.pl?category=dayoldchicks&item=1336332831

thats a nice site! but I would like to buy from someone on BYC!

 

[Ray_n_Debi]

I am having a hawk problem, and I am TRYING to keep a small sense of humor about it or else I would really blow my top. I am looking for any suggestions to keep the hawks away. Covering my outside pen is simply NOT an option - it's too big of a space. I have put metallic pinwheels throughout the space, and my kind old neighbor, thinking he solved the worlds chicken/hawk problem, put up a fake owl for me. I don't think the owl will do much, but the since the pinwheels I haven't had any more losses. The problem is that there is now a field of pinwheels and I don't think that helps the chicken-annoyed neighbors feel much better about my chickens.

My husband is trying to help. So far his suggestions have been:
1. Teach the chickens karate.
2. Put spiked collars on the chickens (the hawks go for the neck).

As you can see, I really good use some more tried and true ways to keep the hungry hawks at bay. Does anyone have any other suggestions that have worked for them?

I hung a lot of old cd's on strings. The problem with most 'scarecrows is they don't react, they don't change. A hawk gets used to the decoy and realizes it won't attack. A cd on a string reacts. I hung them from branches of trees. When the wind blows they spin, at night they reflect the moonlight and look like blinking eyes. In the daytime if a hawk comes near, the flapping of their wings makes them spin faster and faster. They swing back and forth and round and round. I still have hawks flying around and they don't come near anymore. You can even draw red eyes with a marker on them.

 

[cashdl]

The link for showbird auctions is for Gary Rameys birds. He is banned from BYC ( don't know why) but I will say if you get an opportunity to have his birds you shouldn't pass it up. He has more araucana than anyone I know. I sell chicks everyonce in a while but usually they are all presold and I struggle to hatch chicks to fill orders. Everyone wants rumpless and tufted and they make up about 10 % of the chicks out there so there is usually a long waiting list.

Having said that. I have a double tufted birchen pullet ( very tiny but there tufts) and a cleanfaced birchen roo I would sell as a pair. Both are rumpless and I want $85.00 plus box and shipping which usually runs about $80.00 combined.


The brother to the above pullet is for sale also and he is tufted but again small tufts and he throws the most huge amazing tufts on his chicks and lots of them. I do not have a hen or pullet available to go with him. He is a birchen also and while he doesn't have big showy tufts, he does pass them on and I am asking $65.00 plus box and shipping for him.

Shannon has the brother to the two above mentioned birchens and she can tell you about the nicely tufted chicks she is getting from him.


Lanae

 

[MA Mama]

I have been having a hawk problem here lately too and don't really have an answer for you other than cover at least part of your run and put places for the birds to hide under. Get a Rooster if you don't already have one, they will keep an eye out and sound the alarm when they see one coming.

I have a poor cattle dog that the hawks keep busy. Between keeping the deer off my lawns and keeping the hawks off my chickens the poor dog is run ragged.


Lanae

I do have an Araucana roo, but unfortunately he's never acted like a roo (he's just a love) AND he is paralyzed in his leg leg due to a dog attack. I am going to have to make a decision soon about whether I can cater to him hand and foot all day for the next 8 years or not. It's been a bad week. My dogs are useless, and my guineas don't even sound an alarm. I have chicks in the brooder so another roo or two can't come soon enough... In the meantime someone PM'ed me that putting raised pallets around the yard would give them something to hide under. I might improvise and make it look better by using logs/branches.

I think my pinwheels are like the CD idea. Here's hoping...

 

[Rumbull]

Ditto to the CD solution. My parents farm is half wooded and there are plenty of hawks around. They have hung Cd's around the chicken pen with great success.
I live in the city. We have hawks here as well. The black crows in the neighborhood are the best hawk alarms around. Every now and then I hear the crows making such a ruckus. There is a hawk in the area the the chickens get under the tree house.

 

[Illia]

My two bits of advice for hawks -

1) CD's. Hang em up on a good wire over the area, let em blow and dangle or spin in the breeze, and the glimmer seems to keep them away.

2) Get a good rooster or good genetics for such going in your flock. I myself am trying to actually aim for my boy Marango's spur growth rate and shape as well as his behavior to continue in the flock, as he's the perfect man. He's quite protective over the flock, has actually fought off something before, and his spurs unlike some of the other boys are perfectly sharp, well curved, and of perfect length to do the job. I saw a post earlier about a rooster successfully taking down a bird of prey and that lifted my hopes. But yes, I do understand the legal issues one would have to work with, being that their rooster just dealt with a protected bird.

A while ago I had a Crele Polish rooster who was so incredibly good about protection, even if I would grab a young pullet or cockerel, and it would panic and scream, he'd run to the rescue and instead of blaming the victim bird like most roosters I know, he went right for my hand. Even when I tried moving the "victim" in his way, he still found his way around to make sure he got my hand. Pretty smart. But, eventually he got truly aggressive and was put down. But I gotta admit, all of my Polish are really good sound-alarms. The Araucanas do a good job as any rooster would, but some of my Polish boys are LOUD and keep any hen's eyes up for the skies.

 

[cackleberrycoop]

Wow, there is so much I wish I had the time to respond to here or ask more questions about!! It's been busy here lately! I can't pass up posts about predators without mentioning our Anatolian Shepherd Flock Guardian Dogs. Honestly, they were the best money I have ever spent - lots of money especially FENCING money, but they are incredible dogs if you have the space for them. We lost our dear, sweet, precious boy to liver cancer a couple of week ago and we miss him so very much, but his sister is still going strong and our birds get to live an incredible life thanks to her. She does - Casper did also - watch for hawks and keep them off of the chickens. I just can't imagine trying to manage this flock with out her. I know that not every chicken owner can justify the expense of flock guardian dogs, or have the space required, but if you can and do, they are very much worth looking into. But RESEARCH them first as they are very, very different kind of dogs and absolutely not for every family.

 

[Ashburnham]

I use those tiny little stick on mirrors you can buy in craft shops (for making mirror balls or something)
I stick them all over the place on mobiles and xmas decorations etc - spinning in the breeze- very effective.

 

[collaire]

thats a nice site! but I would like to buy from someone on BYC!

I helped Gary ship chicks and eggs Tuesday. You should be so lucky as to get chicks from him. Of the 50+ we shipped at least 20 were tufted, all were rumpless.

 

[MA Mama]

I helped Gary ship chicks and eggs Tuesday. You should be so lucky as to get chicks from him. Of the 50+ we shipped at least 20 were tufted, all were rumpless.

I have chicks from Gary's hatching eggs and they are beautiful birds.