Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[LhickenChicken]

Tax for being gone for so long
Kali

Photogenic Lightning

Bessie


And I believe this is Parvati

 

[bgmathteach]

Hawks.

As mentioned I spent some time turning my sketch for netting on flagpoles idea into reality.

From this:
View attachment 3743307

To this:
View attachment 3743308

And then I watched the video on the thread attached, and have got a bit despondent. Why even bother to try?

The video isn’t gory, but it is alarming if you have hawks.

Thread 'Video: Cooper's Hawk get my white bantam; not graphic, but not for the faint-of-heart'
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...aphic-but-not-for-the-faint-of-heart.1611073/

So, I don't think that the netting will completely keep the girls safe. However, since you are out when they free-range - it will give YOU time to react and help your girls. Plus - it will take the hawk watching and seeing how the chickens get in and out before it will try to attack. Notice that the Hawk had absolutely NO impedence.

 

[rural mouse]

Any hawk experts (@rural mouse ?) can identify this kind of hawk? Sorry the picture is not great. I had to take it from far away. Maybe red tail hawk? I don't find the tail to be red though...
View attachment 3743801View attachment 3743802

If it's as small as it seems, merlin? (10-14 inches). They are agile, but mostly eat small birds which they catch in the air. Urban areas. They eat a lot of house sparrows. The only other birds to pop the color search for NC are VERY rare there (and almost double the size).

 

[BY Bob]

I’ll have to video her running

Oh please do!

 

[lightm]

If it's as small as it seems, merlin? (10-14 inches). They are agile, but mostly eat small birds which they catch in the air. Urban areas. They eat a lot of house sparrows. The only other birds to pop the color search for NC are VERY rare there (and almost double the size).

Yes, it's small. It does look like merlin after checking out more pictures online. Thank you!

 

[featherhead007]

If it's as small as it seems, merlin? (10-14 inches). They are agile, but mostly eat small birds which they catch in the air. Urban areas. They eat a lot of house sparrows. The only other birds to pop the color search for NC are VERY rare there (and almost double the size).

Merlin? Sleep well my friends

 

[TX Chick Noob]

First Eggs!

Hi y’all. Hope everyone is doing well. I really need to try to stop in more often. But I definitely had to post today because two of my pullets laid their first eggs! Not sure which two, will have to pay more attention to them the next few days. And they have gotten so big and fluffy!

Here is a pic of them, next to two from my older girls.

And here are the candidates for laying them.
Can’t see the leg bands very well. I think this is Indigo, Blue, and Henrietta in these two pics.

Jet

Henrietta

 

[Ponypoor]

First Eggs!

Hi y’all. Hope everyone is doing well. I really need to try to stop in more often. But I definitely had to post today because two of my pullets laid their first eggs! Not sure which two, will have to pay more attention to them the next few days. And they have gotten so big and fluffy!

Here is a pic of them, next to two from my older girls.
View attachment 3743933

And here are the candidates for laying them.
Can’t see the leg bands very well. I think this is Indigo, Blue, and Henrietta in these two pics.
View attachment 3743934

View attachment 3743935

Jet
View attachment 3743936

Henrietta
View attachment 3743937

Those are gorgeous eggs! I am amazed at the variety of colours they all have

And I can’t believe how fast they grow up - awww not babies anymore - they have grown into beautiful young ladies. Isn’t is amazing the variety of colours with the chickens themselves also have

 

[RoyalChick]

So, I don't think that the netting will completely keep the girls safe. However, since you are out when they free-range - it will give YOU time to react and help your girls. Plus - it will take the hawk watching and seeing how the chickens get in and out before it will try to attack. Notice that the Hawk had absolutely NO impedence.

I don’t think I can aim for completely safe and give them the freedom they love. But I do want to make it harder for predators.
I think their main defense is the abundance of other prey. So I am reassured by the rabbits and mice.
Also the crows who are back, and I am starting to feed.
I don’t sit with them all the time they are out, and it seems my presence made little difference, but as I reflect on it, I think my situation is a lot better than the one on the video.

 

[BY Bob]

Any hawk experts (@rural mouse ?) can identify this kind of hawk? Sorry the picture is not great. I had to take it from far away. Maybe red tail hawk? I don't find the tail to be red though...
View attachment 3743801View attachment 3743802

@ChicoryBlue knows hawks. It has a reddish striped breast like a Sharp-shinned Hawk.