Ever been in a chicken explosion?

[scooter147]

I had explosion experience yesterday evening.

I was in the run giving the hens some scratch and all of the sudden a coopers hawk appeared at about three feet above the ground from the side of the coop in which no one saw it coming. My hens exploded in every direction. SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH. Man their reactions to this thing was in a blink of an eye. Keep in mind all their heads where down feeding.

I have several robins that stand outside the fence to be fed along with the hens (didn't know robins like seeds but they do in my area) so I am sure this is what he was after. He wasn't successful. He flew up into the oak tree and looked highly disappointed.

And this my friends is why I have netting over my run.

 

[Chicky Tocks]

Netting is good! My DH last year was trying to actually attract hawks. We had a nest right over the chicken coop, a mother and her two fuzzy butt babies. DH watched them everyday. He wanted them to stay, so he created this crazy looking platform with a long nail that he threaded a hot dog on. A hawk feeder if you will. Well the hot dog ended up shriveling and it stayed there for about six months. The hawks weren't interested.

My coop is completely enclosed and because of that, I've never lost a chicken to a hawk thank God, because then I would have to kill my DH.

 

[Jenski]

scooter, now you know you have smart hens.

Kudos to both of you for keeping your girls protected. Having hawks fly around outside the run like that is quite a sight, even when you know they can't get in. . .

 

[scooter147]

Jenski, I have two redtails that are doing the mating circling ritual above the place recently.
They make that hawk scretching sound. Reminds me of the Walt Disney films that use to be on Sunday night. (oops, just dated myself).
The girls always have an eye skyward while they are doing this, I think they know they are perfectly save in their run.

 

[ranchhand]

Our chicken area is under huge trees- but when a hawk or buzzard flies over main roo gets everybody back in the coop in a hurry! It is quite something to see, he stay up high and watches his flock like....................well.........................a hawk!

Sounds like your hens have good instincts. Did you duck, too? I always do!




I didn't see the pun coming until it was too late.

 

[scooter147]

Ranchand, I didn't duck or turn chicken

but man did I jump out of my skin and then got that fast heart rate and "fear feeling" as the adrenaline kicked in.