Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ValerieJ]

I haven't seen eagles here but I get lots of hawks of various types and owls. And whole armies of Turkey Vultures (who I think are pure scavengers),

Well, thank heavens for the turkey vultures! We'd all have dead animals all over the place without them.

 

[RoyalChick]

Well, thank heavens for the turkey vultures! We'd all have dead animals all over the place without them.

Indeed yes. They are quite intimidating. When it is really cold the congregate on the top of my chimney to keep their toes warm and I feel like they are just waiting for me to drop down dead so they can have some easy pickings!

 

[Shadrach]

They encourage hunting around me in order to control the population. I don’t hunt myself (don’t think I could do that) but I am a hypocrite and have a freezer full of venison.

I don't hunt. I have in the past. I get wild boar meat from the hunters when I can though.
I don't condemn hunting as such. Unfortunately there are hunters and people who call themselves hunters who crash around in the forest here letting off firearms. I've had a few run ins with the second type.
What is very odd is the pro hunters hunt at night with crossbows. This is illegal here. The day time hunters with the oversized guns, bugles and dogs are legal. Around here the daytime hunters have mistakenly shot peoples dogs, each other and house windows.
I get meat from the nighttime hunters. They come and ask if they can hunt on your land. they are quiet and from what I've seen, serious and skilled. The others are a bunch of cowboys, wounding more then they kill.

 

[Shadrach]

I'm a hypocrite too. I eat chicken, but I cannot cull and eat my own chicken.

I only eat chicken raised and killed here.

 

[MaryJanet]

Sure do!

View attachment 2377363

This hen is saying "Best. Slippers. Ever."

 

[Shadrach]

Until the government steps in and disrupts the eco system of the river. Then hungry bald eagles will eat chicken. Trust me on this one. I lost 3 chickens to them, and a couple neighbors lost several of theirs. I guess once they tasted chicken they decided they like it just fine.

Bird netting helps. They have to have the room to swoop in on their prey. They can't drop straight down like I've seen the owls and hawks do. My chickens are safe now, after the eagle attack. Owls and hawks can't drop through the netting either. Mine is a knotted nylon net. Not sure the plastic ones would work.

You've been unlucky then I think.
Here there is only one serious aerial predator and that's the European Goshawk. They don't come much more serious than that. The Goshawk has been responsible for 90% of the chicken attacks here. We have weasels, but they aren't large enough to take on a grown chicken. Lots of attempts resulting in bum bites and large patches of missing feathers but only one adult chicken has been killed by one to my knowledge. they will take chicks though.
We have Martens and Pole Cats and Genet cats which will climb trees and we have had Mink which are an invasive species here and generally dealt with by the park wardens reasonably effectively. I've seen two in ten years.
We have foxes, but so far they only hunt at night. They are out at dusk, but the dogs here keep them away.

 

[Shadrach]

I don't know what this says about my intelligence but I have been thoroughly outwitted by my chickens today. Not once, but twice.
The first time I was trying to give Maggie some extra food away from the flock because she is molting badly and you know I wake up every day thinking it will be her last day on earth.
So I got her in covered run #2 of The Chicken Palace, and carefully closed the door to keep her sisters confined to covered run #1. I sat down with Maggie and a nice bowl of oatmeal, beef, and canned mackerel. Imagine my surprise when I saw there were 5 beaks in the bowl. I had failed to close all the chicken doors and they navigated the maze and came up behind me. Sigh.
The second time was shortly after, when the plate was cleared I put it down on the step with the spoon that I had been using to hand-feed Maggie. Elizabeth picked up the spoon and dropped it neatly down between the floor boards of the vestibule where it is now buried deep under the vestibule floor - the one area that only the mice can get to.
Sigh.

Just one of those days RC. I think we all have them.

 

[Kris5902]

The deer hang out right outside the fence line and the chickens pay no attention. But, oh boy, if my dog Ruby sees them, that is great sport. She loves chasing them away. The deer are welcome neighbors in our community. I have several neighbors who regularly feed them. I find them very peaceful in the yard, but they do eat my flowers and hostas, and that doesn't make me very peaceful.

I also like seeing them grazing and have gotten to writhing 5’ of a really majestic 3 point buck. But they are my raspberries back to twigs three times this year!

My gun does have a laser pointer, so I probably wouldn't miss. But, again, I've never even shot it at a target. That's why it stays locked up. When we are allowed to congregate again, I will take a gun safety and use class. Then I might be more comfortable with it. I'm rather afraid of it now.

Excellent plan. Gun restrictions are much stricter in Canada, and you have to take the courses before you can get one here. It’s always good to get first hand experience with an instructor in a safe environment. But yeah, if it’s you or the cougar I would probably just go for it too

 

[MaryJanet]

Seabrights are on my short list too. Unfortunately I haven't found a reputable breeder here yet.

Someone down my way is breeding them Ribh. Bit of a drive though. And maybe the border is still closed.

 

[Kris5902]

The bald eagle is a scavenger. It's very unlikely to try for a chicken. They will fish but you are more likely to see a bald eagle eating road kill for example than you are seeing it hunt.
It's a bit like the buzzards we have here. They look and act the part but we have lots here and they need to be desperate to try for live prey.
The falcons and proper hawks here are a different matter.

Sssshhhh! Remember where this conversation always takes us? The Mighty eagle, majestic predator... fierce screams! (They are incredibly lazy here too, mostly because of the offal pit. Ours were also mostly spared from the DDT poisoning because they were too lazy to fish.)
Edit to add: ooops! too late, it went there already