Arizona Chickens

[Banaynaychicken]

Quote:

He really is, he's starting to do the ittle tipy toe mating dance, but he's doing it to Mercury, who is a man XD

(Merc crowed yesterday while I was holding the other two. He was lonely and let me know, for sure)

He knows Mercury is a rival, and that tippy toe dance is a message... "beat it or I'll kick your butt"

Or he is just a cute little confused teenage boy.... theese three boys live by themselves in a large coop.

I sure hope it was just Benny being his antsy self.

(I seriously need to get them a flock of females...........)

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

He really is, he's starting to do the ittle tipy toe mating dance, but he's doing it to Mercury, who is a man XD

(Merc crowed yesterday while I was holding the other two. He was lonely and let me know, for sure)

****. I was so hoping! Figures, 4 out of 4 were boys. No chance pretending?

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

Or he is just a cute little confused teenage boy.... theese three boys live by themselves in a large coop.

I sure hope it was just Benny being his antsy self.

(I seriously need to get them a flock of females...........)

Keeping my eyes out for you. I'm thinking after the new year of another order. I need more girls. There are a few specific I'm after, but I'm not fully committed yet so it'll probably be a variety again.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

OK, but if egg weirdness. Found a soft shell egg in the box this morning. It pulled off the contents when I went to pick it up. Inside was the white & what turned out to be a dark, round egg that has more white with a bloodspot. I'm thinking my older red sex link who was laying the lash eggs this past summer. Anyone have this before? Ideas? Should I be worried? I figured she was done laying early, she's not even 2. She's had a head waving thing since day 1. First egg of this type. Apart from the color of the soft shell based on size of could be one of my polish. Either way, ideas?

 

[Banaynaychicken]

Quote: No pretending with this boy.

unfortunately >.> *glares at Mercury*

Oh well, a breeing project was simply a bonus.

Im adoring their cute little buts no matter their gender, they greet me at the door every morning I go out to feed.

Benny even hopped up on my lap and snuggled me!! I felt so privileged XD

Bowie is warming up to me and wont flip his lid when I pick him up, but poor Merc still panics and attempt to run through walls if i try to catch him.

hoping he will warm up to either Nathaniel or I so that I can show him this April with ease.

I'm leaving on Friday to go ski in Breckeridge, Colorado, going to have my boyfriend Nathaniel take great care of the boys, he definitely fell in love with them. (He has a "thing" for Bowie XD)

 

[MagicChicken]

The other day my 12 week old broody-raised pullet disappeared. She had begun spending a lot of time away from her mother. I figured the local coopers hawk got her.

Today I went into the hoop coop and discovered a neat pile of dove feathers with a bloody but otherwise cleaned-out dove skull. No other body parts. Just the top part of the skull. No skin or brains or anything. Just bone and a smear of blood. Whatever killed that dove either ate everything but the skull right there in the coop, or it surgically removed the skull, plucked most of the feathers, and took off with the rest of the carcass. It killed the dove without much struggle because the feathers were in a neat pile in the middle of the coop. If there had been a struggle the feathers would have been everywhere.

Trying to figure out what kind of predator I'm dealing with. The only access to the coop was through the chicken pop door. We have a neighborhood cat who has been hanging around the yard, and the coopers hawk visits several times a day. In the past I have had loose dogs kill birds in that coop. Thought my new fencing would have eliminated most dogs, but maybe one has figured out how to get through. The fencing wouldn't stop a cat. Or a hawk. Or something else I haven't thought of.

Any ideas what predator I might have?

 

[FeatherPugs]

The other day my 12 week old broody-raised pullet disappeared. She had begun spending a lot of time away from her mother. I figured the local coopers hawk got her.

Today I went into the hoop coop and discovered a neat pile of dove feathers with a bloody but otherwise cleaned-out dove skull. No other body parts. Just the top part of the skull. No skin or brains or anything. Just bone and a smear of blood. Whatever killed that dove either ate everything but the skull right there in the coop, or it surgically removed the skull, plucked most of the feathers, and took off with the rest of the carcass. It killed the dove without much struggle because the feathers were in a neat pile in the middle of the coop. If there had been a struggle the feathers would have been everywhere.

Trying to figure out what kind of predator I'm dealing with. The only access to the coop was through the chicken pop door. We have a neighborhood cat who has been hanging around the yard, and the coopers hawk visits several times a day. In the past I have had loose dogs kill birds in that coop. Thought my new fencing would have eliminated most dogs, but maybe one has figured out how to get through. The fencing wouldn't stop a cat. Or a hawk. Or something else I haven't thought of.

Any ideas what predator I might have?

Fox?? Badger?? We have badgers in our area and they did big, deep and fast so we usually know they are there before they find the chicken yard. Don't know other than the cat. Our feral cats don't bother grown up chickens but a young pullet may be too tempting.

 

[DesertChic]

The other day my 12 week old broody-raised pullet disappeared. She had begun spending a lot of time away from her mother. I figured the local coopers hawk got her.

Today I went into the hoop coop and discovered a neat pile of dove feathers with a bloody but otherwise cleaned-out dove skull. No other body parts. Just the top part of the skull. No skin or brains or anything. Just bone and a smear of blood. Whatever killed that dove either ate everything but the skull right there in the coop, or it surgically removed the skull, plucked most of the feathers, and took off with the rest of the carcass. It killed the dove without much struggle because the feathers were in a neat pile in the middle of the coop. If there had been a struggle the feathers would have been everywhere.

Trying to figure out what kind of predator I'm dealing with. The only access to the coop was through the chicken pop door. We have a neighborhood cat who has been hanging around the yard, and the coopers hawk visits several times a day. In the past I have had loose dogs kill birds in that coop. Thought my new fencing would have eliminated most dogs, but maybe one has figured out how to get through. The fencing wouldn't stop a cat. Or a hawk. Or something else I haven't thought of.

Any ideas what predator I might have?

My first thought is Kudamundi. We've been seeing a lot of them around here lately.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

No pretending with this boy.

unfortunately >.> *glares at Mercury*

Oh well, a breeing project was simply a bonus.

Im adoring their cute little buts no matter their gender, they greet me at the door every morning I go out to feed.

Benny even hopped up on my lap and snuggled me!! I felt so privileged XD

Bowie is warming up to me and wont flip his lid when I pick him up, but poor Merc still panics and attempt to run through walls if i try to catch him.

hoping he will warm up to either Nathaniel or I so that I can show him this April with ease. 

I'm leaving on Friday to go ski in Breckeridge, Colorado, going to have my boyfriend Nathaniel take great care of the boys, he definitely fell in love with them. (He has a "thing" for Bowie XD)

Have fun skiing. That's awesome about Nathaniel & Bowie.

Those 3 & the other 1 were really the wild, crazy, OK love you-I'm done, let's run & play babies. From day one. I'm glad they're settling down for you. Benny was a ham too. From what I'm seeing with the polish boys I've here they seem to be mellowing. Winner if that's a polish roo of just a roo thing.

 

[bunsnpupsnchick]

The other day my 12 week old broody-raised pullet disappeared. She had begun spending a lot of time away from her mother. I figured the local coopers hawk got her.

Today I went into the hoop coop and discovered a neat pile of dove feathers with a bloody but otherwise cleaned-out dove skull. No other body parts. Just the top part of the skull. No skin or brains or anything. Just bone and a smear of blood. Whatever killed that dove either ate everything but the skull right there in the coop, or it surgically removed the skull, plucked most of the feathers, and took off with the rest of the carcass. It killed the dove without much struggle because the feathers were in a neat pile in the middle of the coop. If there had been a struggle the feathers would have been everywhere.

Trying to figure out what kind of predator I'm dealing with. The only access to the coop was through the chicken pop door. We have a neighborhood cat who has been hanging around the yard, and the coopers hawk visits several times a day. In the past I have had loose dogs kill birds in that coop. Thought my new fencing would have eliminated most dogs, but maybe one has figured out how to get through. The fencing wouldn't stop a cat. Or a hawk. Or something else I haven't thought of.

Any ideas what predator I might have?

No, but would netting hung up help with a hawk? Not sure for the cats.