Buckbeak RIP and predator

[Isadora]

Oh, wow. You are waging and winning the predator war over there. Good on you for eating your kills. Did you ever read “Where the Red Fern Grows?” Great little book about a little boy who works hard to save for his first coon hound pup and all about his adventures in life and hunting coons. Great little story (even for grownups). Thank you for sharing your exciting experiences in the predator wars.

But it's such a sad ending!

 

[cherrybombuk]

But it's such a sad ending!

Yes. Some of the most beautiful stories, for people and animals, are tragedies.

 

[poirotgrl]

There is a big debate on some blogs about whether or not opossums eat chickens. Sadly, I can tell you for certain that they do.

Sadly, last week an opossum killed Buckbeak just after he turned one year old. He was a rooster I tried to find a home for yet never rehomed. It is tragic how little roosters lives are valued. No one wanted to lovingly care for a crossbeak rooster. Due to the pandemic, I didn't go back to the UK on time.

I tried torpedo feeding him yet he hated it. Then I tube fed him twice a day for a while (after having a vet show me how to do so properly). That didn't work out well. He didn't like it, and sometimes his comb would turn blue from oxygen distress. So, instead, I gave him and Peach Fuzz (slight crossbeak companion) a mixture of feed with eggs and unsweetened apple sauce mixed in to make feed gruels of varying liquidity a couple of times a day. I would sometimes put grubs in the mash mixture or give them chopped or shredded greens or other treats (sometimes blueberries).

Remarkably, Buckbeak thrived, he continued to get bigger and bigger and was a beautiful young rooster.

Then, one night about a week ago he must not have gotten into the Eglu coop before the auto door closed. I was engaged in an errand and did not see that he was out. When I got back, I shut up the chicken chalet (put back on the panels) and didn't hear or see that Buckbeak wasn't up safe in his coop. That night, as I sometimes had recently, I slept with headphones on (which I now feel guilty about).

The next morning, a disaster of the heart. Feathers everywhere and a hole dug under the flange wire and into the run extension where Buckbeack lived with his friend hen and mate Peach Fuzz. All of the chickens, everything is close by, were traumatised. I can only imagine that Buckbeak screamed for help and got none.

The next two nights, I was out flashlight in hand, at every sound and caught the HUGE opossum coming back (hoping for seconds). Sometime before midnight, I ran out and saw the glowing eyes. I grabbed a large two-foot stick at hand and ran forward.

I chased him through the dew-damp green grass, the flashlight making a moving beam of light in the black of night, into a huge old hollow tree. Then there he sat, staring out at me, as big and ugly as a criminal. Yet didn't have the heart to kill him (he was only feeding himself and his family). He was a mean-looking big fella, man, those opossum sharp teeth and squinty eyes are something to behold staring out at you from the darkness of an old hollow tree lit by flashlight.

As a predator defence, I spread a 5" band of hot ground chilli peppers with seeds and powder around the entire coops and runs (that's a lot of heat) plus added a string of fairy lights plus made certain that the chickens MP3 player was always charged to play their classical music at night.

Plus, I made certain that the motion detector lights were turned to face the sun for solar charging all day. I also tried an AMAZING predator (fox) light from Azon, though my dear SIL took it down (he's a night owl and the weird flashing was too much for him, it flashed red, white, and blue lights at odd, unpredictable moments).

The opossum only came back two nights before it got the message. Stay away from our bantam chickens.

I've ordered more solar motion-activated lights and chilli powder because several days later, the night after a lot of rain which washed away the hot chilli powder defence, the opossum came back and tried to get in at the chickens. He dug deep holes in 3 places around the coops and walk-in and other runs.

Anyway, that is the end of Buckbeak's story. I have learned a lot about chickens in the last year, some of it wonderful, surprising, lol funny (they are such quirky, lovable little creatures), and some of it tragic. Roosters lives are not valued by many. No one wanted Buckbeak, and he came to a sad end.

In good news, Peach Fuzz is finally getting a rest. Her poor little vent was a bit bedraggled from frequent loving from Buckbeak and her near-daily egg-laying (one hen is not enough of a harem for a randy funloving lad of a rooster).

Peach Fuzz is a sweet little peach feathered Bantam Easter Egger hen and for now, living solo in a connected run and different Eglu coop. I have tried introducing her to the other hens, but there has been too much pecking as they seem to have forgotten her face. Going to take our time introducing her back into the flock. For now, the chickens are all right next to each other.

At $100, the "Foxlights Night Predator Deterrent- Predator Control LED Light. Protect Flocks & Crops! 1 Unit Flashes 360 Degrees. Scares Away & Alarms Wildlife. Professional Farmers & Ranchers use This!" is highly recommended if you can get it. I would feel a lot more confident about the chickens' safety if we were able to continue using this. The thing kept everything away in the dark of night. Good luck facing your predators.

I'm so very sorry about Buckbeak. It hurts so bad to loose your birds. I've recently had a great horned owl take all but two of mine. And, yes, it's a shame how people feel about roosters. God bless you for taking this little man in and all the love you have. Just remember that you gave him the best life possible until his untimely passing.