BYC Café

[N F C]

I had my first close call with a hawk this morning. I let the chickens out into the garden while I spot cleaned their coop. When I came out of the coop with a tub of messy bedding, a hawk had just lit on a tall stump not 10 feet from where the girls were. I let out a yell and prepared to throw the tub at it, when it took off. Were my girls worried? No! They just kept their heads down and didn't even seem to notice. I bustled them back into the run (they protested the entire way).

That's the closest I've seen one to my flock...sure don't want to see one any closer.

I might have to have another cup of coffee Scott.

 

[3goodeggs]

When we had our rooster he always had one eye to the sky. He was a great early warning system. He'd tell them to head for cover and they scattered..

 

[N F C]

Part of what seemed so strange about all that is that the chickens didn't even notice. A car horn will honk, they freak out. A lawn mower starts up and they head for the run. I shake out a trash bag and they scatter.

A hawk watching them 10' away? Nope, not a twitch.

 

[3goodeggs]

maybe he hangs out with them so much they don't notice anymore.
We had given the chickens a turkey carcass to clean up -post rooster- and a hawk flew down and started helping them.

 

[N F C]

You mean the hawk was right alongside your chickens and didn't bother them?

 

[3goodeggs]

No. They need to dive bomb them to get the talons into them. My birds looked like they out weighed him by about six pounds anyway.

 

[3goodeggs]

I still yelled and had him fly away. The girls were completely non pulsed.

 

[scottcaddy]

I had my first close call with a hawk this morning. I let the chickens out into the garden while I spot cleaned their coop. When I came out of the coop with a tub of messy bedding, a hawk had just lit on a tall stump not 10 feet from where the girls were. I let out a yell and prepared to throw the tub at it, when it took off. Were my girls worried? No! They just kept their heads down and didn't even seem to notice. I bustled them back into the run (they protested the entire way).

That's the closest I've seen one to my flock...sure don't want to see one any closer.

I might have to have another cup of coffee Scott.

Sorry I'm late

Had a hen on a walkabout without a note from Momma, she's back in her pen now and a bit upset about the whole thing.

NFC, do you want a bracer in it also?
Scott

 

[scottcaddy]

lol


I'll take six hens eggs over hard, and the same number of bacon, not crisp tho throw a couple of cat head biskets with honey, and leave me with my big cup of coffee!

looks good to me also!!

Scott

 

[Bunnylady]

I still yelled and had him fly away. The girls were completely non pulsed.

I'm feelin' a bit that way this morning . . . . .

Sun's out, gonna be a lovely day . . . . we just won't look at the pasture, which is flooded again, right? *sigh*

I know that rooster growl that means "hawk" so well . . . but it doesn't prevent losses. When I had birds free-ranging, I had hawks attack them against fences and other places they had tried to take shelter, like under downed trees. I remember seeing someone say on a thread in the predator forum that they chased a hawk off that had pursued a chicken under a deck/porch on the back of their house. Young hawks can be astonishingly persistent when they are hungry.