Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Lady Red]

BLANCHE IS GONE
My best girl Blanche didn’t return from foraging on Saturday evening.
I knew right away it was bad news as she never does that. I took the dogs and searched our whole property but not a sign.
There were no particular tell-tale feathers I could discern, either, especially since all three white birds have been molting and the coop, run, and backyard area are littered with white feathers.
I can’t even describe my emotional state of mind.View attachment 2921002View attachment 2921003View attachment 2921012View attachment 2921013

Oh beautiful girl, I hope you find your way home healthy and whole.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

One Killer MugView attachment 2920037

I know, that shocked me. I thought they were more inclined to perch up high and then dive-bomb their prey.

Both the video and the photo make me think now this is a juvenile Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Breast streaking through the belly and the call on the video. I'm no expert though. Anyway, same threat, just smaller. If this is really close to 15" head to tail tip (seemed smaller than that to me on the video) it's a big female.

They along with Cooper's are common predators near feeders or anywhere that would attract small and medium-sized birds and mice, chipmunks, snakes, lizards. Perching and very fast close-flying chase is the hunting style. They don't need height to get speed like a soaring, dive-bombing bird, the wing shape enables quick acceleration and quick maneuvers in small spaces.

Beautiful mug shot, and I can't blame her for being hungry, but I hate that she killed Sylvie (and I wonder about Legertha frankly, a near miss causing a bump on the head in her escape to shelter?) This hawk is more a threat to Phyllis than the larger girls in the tribe, but I wouldn't put anything past her, especially a young and inexperienced but hungry hunter, where she might seriously injure someone in an attempt on them.

OK I know you said no advice but here it is - be sure you close any coop run doors after you when you are going in or out. This is a bird that will happily hunt in the shadows and small openings of a canopied woods.

 

[ChicoryBlue]

View attachment 2920060

View attachment 2920065View attachment 2920062
Oct. 2018 my original 6 white leghorns Cooper Hawk stalked out and found a way in
ate the one on the far right

LG horned owls, they DO come out in the day time
View attachment 2920073


Bald Eagles and I did have one Golden Eagle
These guys have free range- they do what they want - I just go out with the dogs and yell at them
View attachment 2920066

Nov. 12th
We had visitors, 3, they spent quite a bit of time scoping out the chicken run,,,I hope you can see them. It was hard to take a pic. Eagles,
View attachment 2920082

That might be a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, given the big dark streaking down through the belly. A male could get through 2x4 welded wire. Tail tip shape? What other signs make you think Cooper's? (I'm interested in learning, not trying to challenge you).

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

I think I got lucky that I realized my cochin was trying to go broody very early. She's put up a bit of protest but she didn't get the chance to go full on broody. If she had managed to hide from me for a day or two I would have been in for a full on fight with her. Now if she chooses to try this again around the middle to end of February I'll let her fluffy self have as many eggs as she wants.

 

[RoyalChick]

Both the video and the photo make me think now this is a juvenile Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Breast streaking through the belly and the call on the video. I'm no expert though. Anyway, same threat, just smaller. If this is really close to 15" head to tail tip (seemed smaller than that to me on the video) it's a big female.

They along with Cooper's are common predators near feeders or anywhere that would attract small and medium-sized birds and mice, chipmunks, snakes, lizards. Perching and very fast close-flying chase is the hunting style. They don't need height to get speed like a soaring, dive-bombing bird, the wing shape enables quick acceleration and quick maneuvers in small spaces.

Beautiful mug shot, and I can't blame her for being hungry, but I hate that she killed Sylvie (and I wonder about Legertha frankly, a near miss causing a bump on the head in her escape to shelter?) This hawk is more a threat to Phyllis than the larger girls in the tribe, but I wouldn't put anything past her, especially a young and inexperienced but hungry hunter, where she might seriously injure someone in an attempt on them.

OK I know you said no advice but here it is - be sure you close any coop run doors after you when you are going in or out. This is a bird that will happily hunt in the shadows and small openings of a canopied woods.

I did wonder about all that climbing. The only really close encounter I have had with a hawk here was when I was walking through a part of the woods and there was a loud thud to my right and I saw a hawk rising (with difficulty) from the ground with a rabbit. I think the hawk had been high up and the thud was it dive bombing the rabbit - like a cannon ball dropped from on high.
Very different from Bob's nasty.

 

[cfonts]

BLANCHE IS GONE
My best girl Blanche didn’t return from foraging on Saturday evening.
I knew right away it was bad news as she never does that. I took the dogs and searched our whole property but not a sign.
There were no particular tell-tale feathers I could discern, either, especially since all three white birds have been molting and the coop, run, and backyard area are littered with white feathers.
I can’t even describe my emotional state of mind.View attachment 2921002View attachment 2921003View attachment 2921012View attachment 2921013

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear about Blanche

 

[Marie2020]

Like the magpies?

That reminds me of the girl on the bike

 

[Marie2020]

BLANCHE IS GONE
My best girl Blanche didn’t return from foraging on Saturday evening.
I knew right away it was bad news as she never does that. I took the dogs and searched our whole property but not a sign.
There were no particular tell-tale feathers I could discern, either, especially since all three white birds have been molting and the coop, run, and backyard area are littered with white feathers.
I can’t even describe my emotional state of mind.View attachment 2921002View attachment 2921003View attachment 2921012View attachment 2921013

I'm so sorry

 

[Marie2020]

Oh beautiful girl, I hope you find your way home healthy and whole.

 

[cfonts]

Here is my 2 for Tuesday (Holiday Edition)

Kiko & Gizmo

I took this photo of them back in September for this years Christmas Card. They look a lot more grown up now!

Here's how the Christmas Card turned out:

I wonder if my family will think that I'm a "crazy chicken lady" for sending out Christmas cards of the chooks