Arizona Chickens

[Billiam]

Sorry to hear of your loss beehappy. Hopefully the run build goes quickly so your chickens can be free to roam soon.

 

[AZTiff]

Worst day ever! Stupid hawks attacked my birds today. I lost my favorite rooster and my favorite chicken of all time! I cried and cried and cried and then had to bury them and then cried some more. In total 3 hawks took out 5 pullets, 1 laying hen, and 1 roosters. We thought we lost the whole flock at first because when my DH found them it was just the dead ones but when I rushed home and went out and called them the rest of the flock started showing up from various hiding spots. Good thing is it forced me to call a friend that is a contractor and he starts the new run tomorrow that is fully enclosed and predator proof. I hate that they wont be able to use the whole yard but I cant go through another day like today. I figure if anything when I am out in the evening and can be with them I will let them out till they go to bed. Poor sophie, I will never find another bird like her

I'm so sorry for your loss. This sucks.

 

[Billiam]

Has anyone seen the Back to Eden film? www.backtoedenfilm.com The fertilizer he gets from his chickens is amazing! I think I'm going to get me some wood chips.

 

[MagicChicken]

Quote:
It makes sense that they were Harris hawks. They cooperatively hunt in groups like wolves of the air. We have a trio that live at the end of the street and I dread the day they discover my birds. I'm sorry about the coyotes adding insult to injury. Good luck over the next few days.

There's also a chance the coyotes made the inital kill and the hawks were taking advantage of it. Were they bantam chickens? I'm having a hard time picturing a Harris Hawk taking out a large fowl chicken. Pigeons, yes. Rabbits, yes. Large fowl chicken? Maybe. Five large fowl chickens at once? Sounds more like dogs or coyotes. Five bantams at once? More likely than five large fowl but I'd still suspect dogs or coyotes. In a way it doesn't matter. Now that all the predators know there's meat in the back yard it is going to be a target. I'm sorry for your loss, beehappy4ever. Hope you can get the enclosed run built soon.

 

[itsredcandy]

Mama Hen, Paprikash, seems very happy with her baby chicks. After sitting on eggs for nearly a month, her chicks have arrived safe in the mail and were placed in the 'brooder' with her today. She looks so happy. So far they are all staying near one another. Can't wait to watch this relationship develop with her adopted clutch. I was so glad to toss the rotten eggs she's been setting on. I turned my quail cage into the brooder for the time being to help her keep the chicks safe away from my dog and the other hens. I'll let her keep them there for several weeks until all seems safe to move them all to the hen house.

Here are pictures of Paprikash and her babies within moments of meeting one another.

 

[Fuzzybird]

So wonderful and so cute!

 

[Demosthine]

Worst day ever! Stupid hawks attacked my birds today. I lost my favorite rooster and my favorite chicken of all time! I cried and cried and cried and then had to bury them and then cried some more. In total 3 hawks took out 5 pullets, 1 laying hen, and 1 roosters. We thought we lost the whole flock at first because when my DH found them it was just the dead ones but when I rushed home and went out and called them the rest of the flock started showing up from various hiding spots. Good thing is it forced me to call a friend that is a contractor and he starts the new run tomorrow that is fully enclosed and predator proof. I hate that they wont be able to use the whole yard but I cant go through another day like today. I figure if anything when I am out in the evening and can be with them I will let them out till they go to bed. Poor sophie, I will never find another bird like her

I was reading somewhere on this Forum about the Nite Guard Solar Predator Light and there were some people vouching for it saying it fixed all their problems. Supposedly, it will work to keep the air and ground troops from invading your territory. Overall, the Amazon reviews come on generally positive, at about 3 1/2 stars.

Alternately, although I'm not sure how it would work with the chickens, the Scarecrow Activated Sprinkler might be an option. The reviews are excellent on that one and it seems to be the more popular item.

One last product is the Coyote Roller. It's an aluminum rolling bar that mounts to the top of the fence. Each 4' section runs $28 according to their website, so it would be quite expensive to do a good sized yard. Depending on how serious you are, though... If you're creative, though, you can probably make some that are far less expensive out of some good, high quality PVC pipe or electrical conduit. Put an end cap on both ends and drill a hole in the center. Use a dowel and some sort of mounting bracket. Just a thought.

I'm sorry to hear about your day, though. I'll probably have similar problems once my wife finally allows me to have some chickens. She's really warming up to the idea of chicks, so I may luck out here very soon. The end of our street is State Trust Land, so seeing coyotes and large predator birds is a common thing out here. Don't waste time on the electric fence that lines the top of your brick fence, either. I've seen many a coyote clear a 6'+ brick wall and never touch it. They are phenomenal jumpers.

 

[fmk602]

Worst day ever! Stupid hawks attacked my birds today. I lost my favorite rooster and my favorite chicken of all time! I cried and cried and cried and then had to bury them and then cried some more. In total 3 hawks took out 5 pullets, 1 laying hen, and 1 roosters. We thought we lost the whole flock at first because when my DH found them it was just the dead ones but when I rushed home and went out and called them the rest of the flock started showing up from various hiding spots. Good thing is it forced me to call a friend that is a contractor and he starts the new run tomorrow that is fully enclosed and predator proof. I hate that they wont be able to use the whole yard but I cant go through another day like today. I figure if anything when I am out in the evening and can be with them I will let them out till they go to bed. Poor sophie, I will never find another bird like her 

How terrible!! So sorry for your loss. What a nightmare.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

There's also a chance the coyotes made the inital kill and the hawks were taking advantage of it. Were they bantam chickens? I'm having a hard time picturing a Harris Hawk taking out a large fowl chicken. Pigeons, yes. Rabbits, yes. Large fowl chicken? Maybe. Five large fowl chickens at once? Sounds more like dogs or coyotes. Five bantams at once? More likely than five large fowl but I'd still suspect dogs or coyotes. In a way it doesn't matter. Now that all the predators know there's meat in the back yard it is going to be a target. I'm sorry for your loss, beehappy4ever. Hope you can get the enclosed run built soon.

Yeah, I agree, it does sound very unlikely that five adult large fowl birds would be killed at once, even by Harris hawks (which tend to eat smaller prey). The hawks she observed were almost certainly Harris, given the group of three, but perhaps they weren't the killers. They are known to occasionally eat carrion, so maybe something else did get them. The conditions of the bodies would have been telling. I doubt coyotes were the killers--they usually carry them off to eat elsewhere. Dogs are definitely a possibility. Whatever it was, there is a good chance it will return.

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Mama Hen, Paprikash, seems very happy with her baby chicks. After sitting on eggs for nearly a month, her chicks have arrived safe in the mail and were placed in the 'brooder' with her today. She looks so happy. So far they are all staying near one another. Can't wait to watch this relationship develop with her adopted clutch. I was so glad to toss the rotten eggs she's been setting on. I turned my quail cage into the brooder for the time being to help her keep the chicks safe away from my dog and the other hens. I'll let her keep them there for several weeks until all seems safe to move them all to the hen house.

That's awesome!