Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Sally PB]

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

I printed 1000s of Christmas cards at work over the years. It looks very nice. Good job!

 

[cfonts]

I printed 1000s of Christmas cards at work over the years. It looks very nice. Good job!

This is why I love this thread, I feel like I have found "my people" here since we all share a love for our chickens!

 

[cfonts]

Yesterday was quite eventful, as I had to deal with a rainstorm and possible flooding in the area. We get A LOT of rain here on the island, so I don't normally have to worry too much about the feral chickens in my backyard, since they know the drill and they usually find a safe spot to keep dry as the rainstorm passes. Some will take refuge in the trees, others in my garage. Chickadee & her little ones (3 weeks old) hung out on my patio most of the day yesterday... but as the sun was setting, they left my patio and went back to their "nest". I couldn't help but worry about them last night.

I am happy to report that Chickadee & her little ones are all accounted for this morning! As you can see in the photos, Chickadee is soaking wet, while her little ones are completely dry! She is such a good mama hen and never fails to impress me!

 

[Shadrach]

I watched again. Are those the rooster’s offspring?

Idk

 

[Shadrach]

Well if you scroll back to the start of the video you do see a few seconds before the rooster attacks. You can see the hawk flying down towards a group of hens (I assume) and the rooster racing to get there before it lands.

I don't see the hens trying to scatter.

 

[RoyalChick]

I don't see the hens trying to scatter.

True. Maybe they are clueless ex-batts!

 

[BY Bob]

Ok my Hawk Expert Friend (@ChicoryBlue). Are you trying to re-identify the hawk in question?

'm definitely not good at telling the difference, but now I think this is a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, the thick dark streaking goes into the belly, and the sound of the call when it was in the vines seemed closer to that than a Cooper's. It's not that much bigger than a Blue Jay, between a Jay and a Crow?

This got me re-checking measurements. I have excellent reference points with each photo to be able to measure them and I'm super confident in the sizes I am reporting below.

This hawk was 10.25 inches from head to foot.

This hawk measures 11.25 inches head to foot.

Could I Have 2 different hawks stalking my yard?

As for what kind of hawk, based upon the following differentiations, I think it is a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. Here is what I have found as a guide to differentiate them.

Field Mark​	Sharp-shinned Hawk​	Cooper’s Hawk​
SIZE	Similar in size to a jay or dove (avg. 10-14″ long). Female is larger and can be as large as a male Cooper’s Hawk.	Similar in size to a crow (avg.14-20″ long). Male is smaller and can be as small as a female Sharp-shinned Hawk.
HEAD SIZE	Head appears small compared to body.	Head appears large compared to body. The feathers on the back of the head are often raised, giving the bird a crested look.
EYES	Eyes appear to be close to half way between front and back of head.	Eyes appear to be close to the front of the head.
JUVENILE STREAK PATTERN	Heavy, bold, reddish streaks on chest and belly. Note: This field mark applies to juvenile-plumaged birds only.	Thin, dark streaks mostly on upper breast; lower belly mostly white. Note: This field mark applies to juvenile-plumaged birds only

Overall Size
Let's start with size. This is a little subjective. If we accept that this is a juvenile and not yet full grown, this hawk is already in the range of the Sharp-shinned. Assuming that it still has some growing to do I suspect it will wind up in the Cooper's Hawk range. If I judge using my personal eye, it sure seems larger than a Blue Jay or Dove. It is closer to crow sized to me.

Head Size
Again a somewhat subjective method for identification. For me the head seems plenty big enough in relation to the body.

Eyes
To me this is objective and cannot be argued with. The eyes are definitively very close to the front of the head.

Juvenile Streak Pattern
I do not see any reddish streaks. What I see are brown streaks. Now what gives me pause is that the belly does not end in white. However I have see a lot of photos online and it seems in those most juveniles have the stripes all the way down.

Everything I read says that these are very hard birds to differentiate in their youth. Hopefully I do not get to see it full grown.

 

[Shadrach]

True. Maybe they are clueless ex-batts!

Idk. I think there is something wrong there.

 

[BY Bob]

Great ideas! I gave brought shovels full of dirt and worms in for them in the past. And, Bob, don’t forget you can look for rice hulls as a “toy!”

Next on my list. I need to add entertainment to the complex for them for sure. Just like it is mid-winter.

 

[BY Bob]

My SHRA tax
View attachment 2920974

What a special photo.