Coronavirus, Covid 19 Discussion and How It Has Affected Your Daily Life Chat Thread

[ChocolateMouse]

I mean it was certainly memorable for me and the hawk.

Good news is, it turns out that a solid rooster and a healthy flock keep my hawk losses really low these days. Other good news, my new rooster is the craziest mad lad I've ever seen/heard of, and he stands in the middle of the pen screaming challenges at hawks while the girls hide. Haven't lost a chicken to a hawk with him yet and I had some sitting on the FENCE last week.

He also attacked a raccoon that decided to stop by for a snack before the sun went down last month. Came out a little early to lock up the birds before it was too hard to see because the ladies were making a lot of noise only to watch him jump on top of the raccoon. They tousled about for a moment before the coon ran like the dickens. Rooster walked away golden, not a scratch on him.

I sure do love me a good rooster and he's even better than my last one in that regard.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I mean it was certainly memorable for me and the hawk.

Good news is, it turns out that a solid rooster and a healthy flock keep my hawk losses really low these days. Other good news, my new rooster is the craziest mad lad I've ever seen/heard of, and he stands in the middle of the pen screaming challenges at hawks while the girls hide. Haven't lost a chicken to a hawk with him yet and I had some sitting on the FENCE last week.

He also attacked a raccoon that decided to stop by for a snack before the sun went down last month. Came out a little early to lock up the birds before it was too hard to see because the ladies were making a lot of noise only to watch him jump on top of the raccoon. They tousled about for a moment before the coon ran like the dickens. Rooster walked away golden, not a scratch on him.

I sure do love me a good rooster and he's even better than my last one in that regard.

What breed is your protective rooster?

 

[ChocolateMouse]

What breed is your protective rooster?

Blue wheaten ameraucana. The last one was a black wheaten am from someone else - not as brave but still good at keeping hens away from hawks, and a little more human relaxed.

He stays a solid 6'-8' away from me when I'm in the pen or he's out of the pen. But if the fence is between us he'll mock charge me to within a couple feet if I'm handling one of his hens and she squawks. If I pick up a hen and she squawks and there's no fence she goes undefended. He just stands away and screams at me, giving me stink eye. He knows I can't cross the fence so he acts big and tough when he knows I can't get at him.

 

[Folly's place]

Handsome bird!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Very. (Except for those white legs.) And surprisingly large and well muscled. He's not small or wimpy at all. He's a REALLY solid chicken under the fluff.

Now if only all the hens he came with from the same breeder layed blue eggs I I would be SUPER thrilled to have him.

 

[ShrekDawg]

I think the only picture of me on this website is the one where I'm carrying a hawk out of my back yard while wearing jammie bottoms.

I need to see this picture!!!

 

[EmmaDonovan]

Blue wheaten ameraucana

He is gorgeous!

 

[SnapdragonQ]

I need to see this picture!!!

Um, ditto!

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Um, ditto!

Haha, that's fair. This was several years ago before I got my rooster.

This colossal idiot got itself stuck in my chicken tractor with four 6 MONTH cornish crosses I was sort of "detoxing" for a few weeks after getting for free on CL. (It made a big difference in their condition at the time. They'd been fed nothing but scratch and kept indoor in the dark at their old home.) I suspect it was the same bird that had eaten a couple of one month old cornish crosses that spring It saw white birds in the same spot and decided it was the same snack.

The top was just a hole in the top with a loose bit of chicken wire over it and had popped open. From months of reaching arms in, the door bent into a funnel shape. The hawk managed to get in the top but found itself overwhelmed by the 14lb birds it tried to pick a fight with and couldn't get out.

I woke up to the birds making a bunch of noise, and it was muddy so I poked my head out and counted my CXs (who were all muddy and brownish) and realized I was counting an extra bird in with them(!?) so I threw on a hoodie and ran straight out. It was just leaping from wall to wall, then getting trampled by 60lbs of terrified cornish crosses, then jumping to the next wall. I ended up lifting the tractor to release all the birds at once and the hawk kinda stood there shell shocked.

I had a bunch of egg hens and chicks not 30' away I didn't want it to decide were next so I wrapped my hands and arms in blue jeans just in case it attacked me, and scooped it up and carried it out of the lawn. I was gonna send it to a rescue/rehab after that but it ended up recovering enough to fly away by the time I got through to them so I didn't.

 

[Folly's place]

Good save all around!
Mary