Fermenting Feed for Meat Birds

[ChocolateMouse]

Bee, I would not be posting online if that thing was still in my yard.

No, it looks pretty scrappy because it had been flopping around in the mud. But that is an adult Rough Footed Hawk that killed a much smaller chicken earlier in the year (one of my juvenile CXs when they were about 6 weeks). It came back again and again only targeting the CX's even when they were 8lbs. Security improved after the first attack and it hasn't touched a bird since but it still would try.

So it entered my chicken tractor which has a door in the top that is like a wire funnel; easy to get in hard to get out. It got in, attacked the chickens, realized they were three times it's size and tried to get away. Next thing it knew it was stuck and being trampled by terrified 15lb chickens as it would try to fly and then fall on the ground. To get it out I had to release all the birds. The chickens bolted, the hawk moved about two feet and just SAT there terrified, wings out and panting. I ended up having to carry it out of my yard to get it out. I wrapped some blue jeans around my hands and arms and carried it out by it's feet!

It ended up hiding under a neighbor's bush. I think it's still there. :| I wanted to let it go because it probably learned it's lesson (this bird was in a worse state than my chickens!) but what I really want is for it for be relocated with a rehabber. Not sure I can get ahold of any, though.

My beau now has a photo of me in my jammies carrying a muddy hawk out of my yard with blue jean hands.

Bitteroot; it was certainly grounded. Not sure about injured. May be just shock. I could go throw a towel over it and bring it back in if you want to come get it. Next time it shows up it might not survive my husky. She was fearless in trying to attack it through the tractor wall, even when it's talons caught her mouth.

 

[Bitterroot]

I'll send you a PM with some contact info, Chocolate. They may not be able to personally help, but I bet they'll know of someone near you. Thanks for turning him loose and not killing him.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Bitteroot; I would not kill an animal or let it die unless I felt it served a good purpose (like feeding me). If I loose one chicken a year to this hawk, that is a perfectly fine toll to pay... But this bird has kept coming back time and again. 9_9 It's my only hope that this freaked it out enough to go far away and never return.

Tried to catch it for the rehabber but it flew off kinda lopsided when I did. Hope it learned it's lesson and stays faaaar away from my monster birds....

 

[Beekissed]

Poor fella entered "The Meaty Zone" and will have to spend a long time grooming THAT out of his feathers!

I'd be in shock too.....

The only chicken I've ever lost to a predator in the past 10 yrs was to a Great Horned Owl and it carried it to the next field and only ate the head. That was a Barred Rock hen that wouldn't roost in the coop, but would roost in the hay shed outside of the reach and protection of the dogs. It's the only predator that could have gotten that chicken...no four-legged pred could have gotten past the dogs, as they would have went right through their boundaries to kill it.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Wow, is it too late to say good morning! Holy smokes! I'll bet you're wide awake!

 

[BCMaraniac]

OMG! BC & CM! Ack! Hope you two will be able to deal with these raptors. I do find them beautiful, but annoying when they're after my flock.

I once had a golden eagle drop down behind me into a tree to grab some prey. I was walking with my young, free range ducks at the time to show them the pond. Too close! I wondered why it didn't just grab a duck. I'll never forget those gargantuan wings!

Just thinking...I might try some thick gloves & bodily remove that raptor from your chicken tractor. Very carefully!!!

Shellz,

I am thankful that I have two dogs who alert, bark, and chase flyovers. My chickens have two roosters watching over them, and a ton of places to duck and cover. I am quite sure that eagle could snatch a full grown chicken!

CM, I am glad you got it out of your tractor, and your birds are OK. I can't imagine. I hope he learns his lesson, especially if you can't get him relocated.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Lacy, I am definitely more awake than usual. I trained myself to bolt out of bed when I hear chickens screaming after the incident with the stray cat a few months ago so....

For those who care, this is a better shot to give you an idea of the size of this bird. Not a juvenile at all. This is me carrying it off. In my jammies. The building on the cinderblocks is my chicken coop and the tarped up one is my outdoor rabbit hutch. All the hens were under the hutch during the attack.



Look at how wigged out he looks! This was the only way I could pick him up, he kept sticking his claws out and falling on his back.

BC, haven't actually checked the birds yet. Going to do that shortly. There may be some emergency butchering depending on the damages.

 

[Beekissed]

Nice jammies....

He's a good sized bird! I bet he recovers just fine when he dries off and gets over the shock of it all. How neat, though, to get to see one so close.

I picked up a hawk about that size off the road one day and tried to find a rehab place that would take it...none of them would. I gave it to a co-worker that lived high on a mountain that had a large outside bird cage to keep it in and nurse it back to function. She didn't even need it...as soon as she opened the cat carrier the hawk jumped out and flew away. Seems he was only stunned and in shock from being hit by a car.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

He really is. Bear in mind, I am about 6 feet tall. So that critter was no tiny lightweight. He really felt he could take on these CX's... They're just bigger than they look.

I went out and checked on all the chickens with the beau. The egg layers are all fine; smart chickies just ran and hid. The CX's all have some damage to their head-region... bleeding combs or a few bad nicks. The worst injuries were to their wings... From them flailing around inside the chicken tractor and beating them against the walls of it. Every wingtip and their second joint are red, bruised, a bit bloodied and possibly broken. Hard to say, really. Two of them are acting normal, the third is all huddled in on itself. They are soaked and muddy... We just had two feet of packed snow melt and it's raining. Honestly they did more damage to themselves that the hawk did. They may have done more damage to the hawk stepping on it like that than the hawk did to them.

I'm going to keep an eye on them the rest of the day and we'll see how they are this evening. If they're not doing well by then, they're going to have an early processing day.

 

[Beekissed]

You'll be surprised at how tough those CX really are. I had a few really injured out of my first batch..one had a puncture wound in its throat so deep that bubbles of blood were coming out each time it breathed and it was scalped. Within a few days I couldn't even tell which ones were injured...particularly after the dog licked their wounds.