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
💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔💔
So sorry Katia :hugs :hit:hugs
 
Here is my 2 for Tuesday (Holiday Edition)

Kiko & Gizmo

View attachment 2921183
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: View attachment 2921186
I wonder if my family will think that I'm a "crazy chicken lady" for sending out Christmas cards of the chooks 🤣
Brilliant photo! ❤️
They have such loooong legs don't they?
 
Thanks for the warning, I passed on even starting it though maybe another time I could watch it. So much death around! I don't like to see anyone getting killed, predator or prey, though I know it has to happen in our world. A hawk is blameless, just being itself. It doesn't choose it's way of living or how to eat to stay alive.

I hate that a big hawk killed Queenie, but I don't blame it for being who it is and I wouldn't get any joy out of it's death. Revenge doesn't bring Queenie back. If I had been right there I would have done what I could to fight it off and prevent Queenie's death, and if it had died because of me fighting with it then that's just the way it goes, that seems fair. But now, the hawk's death serves no purpose.

Killing a hawk that is looking for an opportunity, that also does not seem right. I think, what the right thing to do is to make your chicken's area not hospitable to hawks (noise, lights, patrolling dogs) and to prevent the opportunity arising, or at least bettering the chickens' odds (shelters, netting, etc). Because if not this hawk, then another, and another. At least where I live, it's like batting away mosquitos. Yes killing the one that's biting you or trying to bite you is satisfying and okay, but what about the many behind that one? And even mosquitos serve a purpose in the world. We have a few bats left here, they need them to eat.
You're right of course CB.

I posted the video to illustrate that roosters can be pretty effective flock guardians. Even taking on animals and birds you wouldn't expect them to "win" against.

It can be pretty distressing to watch. You have to be in a very dispassionate, scientific state of mind. Don't feel obliged.
 
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.

That’s what I see.

I don’t think the hens see the hawk until it is upon them.
I slowed the video down to quarter speed and re-watched it.
It looks to me like the hawk is going for the hens on the other side of a wire fence and hits the fence instead, then the rooster strikes while it is discombobulated.
It's hard to tell because of the poor video quality and the shadow of the tree trunk though.
 
I haven't posted about this until now on this thread.
I/we are very relieved to be able to state that my daughter is recoving from a Covid infection. Unfortunatley one of her gandmothers and another relative look unlikely to make it.
My daughter contracted Covid at the funeral of her husbands father which was held in Poland. While I know she was not high risk and had both vacinations one can never be sure that an easy revory is inevitable and naturally I've been under quite a lot of stress. We all live together and I am high risk and her husband while not high risk is not likely to fare as well as my daughter.
I posted this on the Covid thread.


My daughter is recovering.
Timeline is around 28/11/2021 is the likely date of infection.
She got back to the UK from Poland without needing a PCR test because she is vaccinated on 30/11.
Felt ill and did a antigen/lateral flow test on that day which lit up like a Christmas tree.
PCR test next morning. Positive.
Daughter renamed Sick Note and banished to the front room where she watched endless Netflix while her husband and I schemed on various ways to keep her glued to the sofa. Copius cups of tea and eggs for a few days.
Keeping her glued to the sofa became a critical problem. Husband and I retired to the shed with the intention of making a solid door with a feeding pophole.
I just can't help designing stuff with chickens in mind.:confused:
Sofa showing signs of fidget wear patches. Husband and I trying to work out if we could attatch weights to her legs and a movement sensor rigged to an alarm in case she found the strength to drag herslf and the weights out of the room.
05/12 containment no longer seemed a realsitc option. Husband and I considering whether out combined construction skills could make the shed habitable.
Apparently my design looked remarkably like a chicken coop and lots of unpleasant insinuations were made about my one track mind.
Husband and I considering hitting the Vodka brought back from Poland.
08/12 daughter did antigen test in morning and one later in afternoon. Both negative.
Daughter now fussing around the house cleaning and moving all the carefully acumulated junk her husband and I knew the exact location of.
Husband and I back in the shed wondering if a wee touch of Covid wasn't a bad price to pay for a few days peace and quiet.
Glad she is recovering. I hope there are no lasting effects. Covid safe hugs :hugs

When will you know if you and Husband have successfully avoided it?
 
So now it seems I have a new mission. Scour the internet looking for someone somewhat local to me that has at least 1 preferably 2 silkie hens available. I've found a couple with just hatched chicks, but I do not want to go that route as I might as well get eggs again. I want them ideally between 6 months to a year old that way I know I'm not getting another rooster to fall in love with. I know I don't need any more chickens, but in a way I'm doing this for Poppy. I'm less then thrilled with the idea of a 1 to 1 ratio and would like at least another pullet/hen Branches size so he does not focus all his attention on her. And we all know when introducing new hens to a flock its best to do it in pairs so I figure why not get 2 and have a 3 hen to 1 roo ratio. I'm sure all you enablers agree with this plan.
Why stop at 2 new hens? :lol:
 
She looks very happy (dare I say smug?) to be with Daddy. 🤗
She is very sweet. She even asks before jumping up. She was very happy to be held like that.

Tax
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