Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

Oh it's awful to know you were so close , yet so far away. We had another visit today also. I was cleaning pens and when I came up for air everyone was quiet.
Silkies all buried under the hazelnut tree, coro's hiding in the pony shelter and everyone else low on the ground. Took me ages to spot him, but there he was in the gum tree, not much I can do but keep the youngsters locked up.
Sorry for your loss, the netting will keep him out, but remember that if the door is open , Hawks are very agile and he will land and hop in to the coop.


I've no experience with them before this so good to know they will do that. I sort of thought it was swoop risk only. Sounds like it was a goshawk from the way hubby described him and googling but not sure how big those get.

I've got a bit of a gap where some shade mesh I had up has sagged lower than the newer plastic wire so will fix that up. Do you think they would squeeze in or that's not a hawk thing? When hubby spotted him he was in a wattle tree directly above that spot.

Also means their extended run is too dangerous too now so they are going to be restricted to the small main run only.
 
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We just lost captain to a hawk attack. Smack bang in the middle of suburbia too.

Hubby went outside to talk on his mobile for better reception and spotted it up in the tree, big grey bird he said. They had been out on the lawn.

We found them all hidden all over the yard and then finally found captain down behind the pen. Just a few feathers plucked out so obviously it had just happened when he walked out.

Kids are devastated :-(

So, I've got plastic wire over the coop. Should I replace with something stronger now he knows they are there or do I just need something so he can't swoop in and that will be ok?


:hugs
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So... last week my husband ended up in hospital with appendicitis. Surgery to have it removed was last Wednesday and was home Thursday afternoon. So now I am playing nurse to a man who is some-what taking advantage of it!

In other chooky news - Whoopi the silkie and Squeak the dorking are both broody. I'm going to try to move Whoopi into the grower pen and see if she takes that. If she does, I'll put some of her eggs under her and see if it results in babies!
 
Well I have had a productive day. I finally closed in the last of their fence with wire that had just had plastic wire there. I ran some alsynite sheets to finish covering the roof, won't win any awards for the straightness of my cuts with the grinder but don't think the chooks will mind :)

And lastly, now free ranging is a thing of the past, I put in a grass garden bed in their run. I had a couple of sleepers lying around so ran them parallel, then put dripper system back and forth on then ground between and hubby brought me home some turf to put over it. In the morning I'm going to put some bird wire over it and attach to the sleepers. My hope is that they will be able to eat it as it grows through the wire but not kill it by scratching it up.
 
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Due to overwhelming chicken math and the hard decision to get a purebred rooster for breeding i have rehomed 4 hens 1 rooster and am chopping two more roosters tomorrow. :-(
 
So... last week my husband ended up in hospital with appendicitis.  Surgery to have it removed was last Wednesday and was home Thursday afternoon.  So now I am playing nurse to a man who is some-what taking advantage of it!

In other chooky news - Whoopi the silkie and Squeak the dorking are both broody.  I'm going to try to move Whoopi into the grower pen and see if she takes that. If she does, I'll put some of her eggs under her and see if it results in babies!

I feel for you, my hubby was rushed to hospital last week also. All ok now but definately 'milking it ' for all its worth.
I popped 8 eggs under a repeat offender silkie hen today. Put her in a little rabbit hutch inside the coop. She took one look at those eggs and literally jumped with joy, went right on in and snuggled down on them.
 
Aahhhh sucks about no free ranging appps. Mine will be saying goodbye to daily free ranging once i have a large enough coop built also will be once..mmaaayyybe twice a week then. Hopefully soon but hubby broke a bone in his right hand on the weekend so is also milking it lol.
 

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