Arizona Chickens

[Mahonri]

He had 24 chickens and a coyote came one night when he forgot to put them away and killed 12 he said. He said he has never had a bird of prey try to take any.


The comment about never having a bird of prey take a chicken is what I have heard for a long time for I have been in Audobon Society and they say that hawks do not take chickens. Has anyone actually seen a hawk take a chicken?

I had chicks in a grow out area on my north back lawn. I watched a hawk get more than one of them on more than one occasion. Once one tried to take one of my hens that was free ranging and my golden retriever had the hawk by it's tail feathers and it let go of the hen and flew away.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

He had 24 chickens and a coyote came one night when he forgot to put them away and killed 12 he said. He said he has never had a bird of prey try to take any.


The comment about never having a bird of prey take a chicken is what I have heard for a long time for I have been in Audobon Society and they say that hawks do not take chickens. Has anyone actually seen a hawk take a chicken?

YES! Cooper's Hawks are THE chicken hawk, and there are many of them in the Phoenix area. I have seen them take my birds, and come back again and again to try or to feast on one that they had previously killed that I did not get cleaned up right away. Not all hawks are predominantly interested in chickens, but htere are plenty that are. Sharp-shinned are another, although they are much smaller. Hawks will not always be able to carry the bird off, but will eat it in place if it is too heavy. Ditto for owls, although owls are as interested in killing as in eating. A Maricopa county extension officer referred to them (Great Horned Owls) as "killing machines" in a phone discussion I had with him several years ago.

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/36/overview/Coopers_Hawk.aspx Be sure to look under "Feeding and Foraging" on the Behavior tab.

 

[Fuzzybird]

Ok that sure clarifies that for me. It is the Coopers hawk and Sharp-shinned that take chickens. I have never seen a Coopers Hawk. I looked it up in my Audobon's book and they are called Accipters. I got my Audobon experience in the Mid-west and the farmers were calling Red-tails, chicken hawks and they are in the family of Buteos and they don't take birds.
I have only seen thr Red-tails in my area. I do hear owls at night but the chickens are all in coops then.

 

[SherrieT]

Does anyone know if anyone, other than Widget Creek Ranch, has Sulmtaler eggs or chicks for sale? I mean within driving distance of Tucson. Wickenberg isn't that far but I'd rather find a closer source if possible

Sherre

Eta: why is it that all these off the wall breeds just fascinate me? Dorkings, EO's, SFH's.and now want to add Sulmtalers, Cream Legbars and Isbars..........

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

My experience with hawks has been somewhat different. We have a greater density of Cooper's hawks in Tucson than anyplace else in the world. In fact, their numbers are an order of magnitude greater in town than in the surrounding rural riparian areas, largely due to the huge numbers of doves we have here. I don't think there has been a day when we haven't seen a Cooper's hawk in the yard, yet they've never attempted to attack one of the fully grown chickens. The chickens mostly ignore them. There have been unsuccessful attempts at juvenile chickens and I wouldn't trust them for a second around them. Perhaps the great abundance of their natural and easy gotten prey might explain the few attempts at adult chickens, but I also think it is due to the small territories that they hold here. Our resident Cooper's have lots of experience with the what goes on in the yard and I don't think they see the adult hens as potential prey. Because of their small territories, they also vigorously defend the space against other Cooper's and other raptors--individuals that might not have as much experience with back yard chickens (and probably no experience with mine). Last year a very large Red Tailed hawk moved into the area and we were treated daily to aerial combat between it and the Cooper's. Unfortunately, that was a battle the Red Tailed hawk eventually won. That morning, after the Red Tailed hawk finished eating the Cooper's, it swooped down into the yard, making several passes at the chickens. Even with me there, waving my arms and yelling at it, it swooped around me within a couple feet trying to snatch at chickens until I could get them to safety. We ended up locking up the chickens for a few days. It visited frequently, until another Cooper's occupied the territory of the deceased bird. After that, the new Cooper's kept the larger Red Tailed hawk away from the yard.

Here was our resident Cooper's. It would regularly hide on top of the coop in the shadows of the eucalyptus tree and fly out after doves.




Here is the Red Tailed hawk eating the Cooper's:




I have to say, I get a great thrill every time I see a Cooper's take a dove. They've even taken to collecting them out of the chicken run. This has happened a couple of time since these pics were taken:

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Does anyone know if anyone, other than Widget Creek Ranch, has Sulmtaler eggs or chicks for sale? I mean within driving distance of Tucson. Wickenberg isn't that far but I'd rather find a closer source if possible

Sherre

Eta: why is it that all these off the wall breeds just fascinate me? Dorkings, EO's, SFH's.and now want to add Sulmtalers, Cream Legbars and Isbars..........

I haven't heard of anyone in Tucson getting Sumtalers. I can't imagine that there are all that many around the state yet; it wasn't that long ago that ca imported them. That is one rare breed in the US!

 

[SherrieT]

I haven't heard of anyone in Tucson getting Sumtalers.   I can't imagine that there are all that many around the state yet; it wasn't that long ago that ca imported them.  That is one rare breed in the US!  

And if it wasn't for BYC I would probably be perfectly satisfied with farm store chicks

Eta: when I had my flock in WA we got so many incredible eggs from EggBid. I miss them

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote: I know!!! Now I'm already thinking about all the possibilities for replacing my old girls. I sometimes feel like a kid in a candy shop--it's a constant test of my resistance to chicken math.

 

[SherrieT]

I know!!!  Now I'm already thinking about all the possibilities for replacing my old girls.  I sometimes feel like a kid in a candy shop--it's a constant test of my resistance to chicken math.

Well I hope you know that, as soon as I am settled, the EO's, SFH's and dorkings are going in breeding pens. All you have to come up with is a broody!!

 

[Fuzzybird]

awsome pictures Gallo! That Red-tail must have gotten a taste for bird but then he never did get a chicken.