Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[ValerieJ]

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

 

[goldenfingers]

Those look amazing! Ok, and run under the deck??? BRILLIANT!

Thank you!

 

[CluckerFamily]

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

I am the same way.
But if cull is the last resort and my BIL in unavailable, I will have to cull.

 

[Grandmas Coop]

What type of chicken is that? They are all beautiful!!!

Mr.Bob is a 21 week & 4 day old Leghorn

 

[Grandmas Coop]

Oooh. I want try out my new skills at identifying chickens. Those are Leghorns.
Did I get it right?

 

[Shadrach]

That rooster is just so beautiful!

He's the best looking one here imo. Unfortunately he's not the best at anything else.

 

[ValerieJ]

Mr.Bob is a 21 week & 4 day old Leghorn

I need some leghorns...and Sebrights

 

[Shadrach]

Good girl! I would have been worried SICK. Seriously, I would have been completely distraught. But mine are much more “domesticated,” and perhaps not savvy enough to hide from all our nighttime predators (fox, bobcat, raccoon, coyote, great horned owl, to name a few).

We have nighttime predators but since I've been here no chicken has been taken from a tree at night.

 

[Shadrach]

Holy smokes that rooster is gorgeous. Like... WOW. Remind me which one he is again? And the little hen? (pullet?) Precious!!!

He's called Punch and he's the son of Harold and Blue Spot. He's the senior rooster in Tribe 2. It's his half brother Mag that does all the work.

 

[Shadrach]

Yup. They are very large and have no fear of humans at all. There are way too many around my house these days. On a calm clear day you can hear them calling out in the distance. I know that @CrazyChookChookLady has seen a Bald Eagle up her way. I've never seen one around my house. Nor have I seen any Owls but I know they are around.

For me, arial attacks will come from red trailed Hawks almost exclusively. Its a hard lesson I learned when one of them killed Dolly while she was out free ranging.

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.