"Baby"silkie update after vet :(

[Juliechickens]

I'm sorry to tell yall that Baby died in surgery while trying to wake from anesthesia. She had an injury in her side where the hawk had bit her that I did not see. The vet didn't see it very well till he opened her up. He told me she would not make it if we didn't do the surgery and if we did she had a 75 percent chance of pulling through. The mass in her chest was an air pocket but he wasn't concerned with that right now he said. He was amazed at how calm and sweet she was for him. She even laid on her back while he checked her belly well. I told him she had been held daily and was very loved. I can't believe she is gone.
I am going to have to fence an area for my birds with netting over head. I am on the hunt for some sort of netting to do this with. Does anyone know of anything out there and where to buy it? I had thought of netting that they use for batting cages or even a mesh netting. I hate to stop my birds from their free range area but I know the hawk will come back. This is the 3rd bird of mine he has taken. Please let me know if you know where I can buy some net. I can even sew large nets together so they will have bigger space to roam. Sad night for us.
Chat later, Julie

 

[rooster-red]

Sorry for your loss.

Home depot and lowes carry bird netting designed to keep birds out of fruit trees, and also carry deer netting.

I hope this helps.

 

[eggcetra_farms]

I'm so sorry for your loss. She seemed like a fighter, but there's only so much their little bodies can handle.

The only netting I can think of is this bird netting I've seen at the plant nurseries. It's the type you can put up to keep birds from getting at your plants..... sorry, guess I'm not much help in that department.

Take care

 

[fallenweeble]

i am so sorry to hear you lost your little bird.
thank you for doing all you could to help her. you are a very good chicken mom.
i've seen "bird netting" at home depot but i don't know if that is strong enough to keep a hawk out. you could, perhaps, also use some type of wire cloth i suppose.
good luck and hang in there.
f. weeble.

 

[mamaboyd]

So sorry for your loss

 

[arlee453]

Several of the online poultry supply places carry poultry netting. It's heavier, and more expensive, but I'd think more effective at keeping out hawks than deer netting.

I believe I've seen it at stromberg's website.

The deer netting they sell at Lowe's is surpisingly strong, though, and may be enough to deter hawks, but if they got caught up in it, they could probably tear through it if they were big.

 

[sammi]

very sorry you lost your Baby...
she sounds like she was a sweetheart.

big hugs.

 

[dlhunicorn]

oh drats... must admit I did suspect an internal injury of some kind...you did all you could so dont beat yourself up about it...sooooo sorry :aww

 

[jackiedon]

I am sorry for your loss.

jackie

 

[TerrasCritters]

I am SO sorry Julie!
I would go with the bird netting for the trees, I was going to do the same thing as I lost a second bird to a hawk yesterday. But I have decided on building another tractor out of PVC pipe instead, where they can still graze in the yard for bugs, and I can move them around the yard to new grass. They will be protected from the Hawks too.

http://backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=26846