Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[bgmathteach]

Hawk Attack - not how I planned to spend Fluffy Butt Friday!

At about 12:45pm the sun came out and I thought I would let the chickens out to play in the sunshine before having some soup for lunch.
I was sitting with them and getting ready to post a FBF picture when I heard a thump followed by a lot of chicken squawking. I saw what I thought was Bernie aggressively attacking Pooh and I jumped up and ran towards them shouting at Bernie to leave Pooh alone.
Then I saw Bernie running towards the fight and I realized that the bird that was beating up Pooh was a hawk.
The hawk took off moments before I got my hands on it. Pooh and I stood there looking at each other in a mutual state of shock. Bernie was also clearly quite shaken.
While this was going on I saw, out of the corner of my eye, Babs herded some others into the run, but Sylvie was left outside. She hid herself under old dead twigs and was frozen completely still and would not budge.
I started checking. Both Pooh and Bernie looked superficially OK. They could both walk and both ate some grains.
I found Piglet and Tassels hiding in the nest boxes, but there was no sign of Calypso. She was literally nowhere to be found.
I was absolutely sure the hawk did not fly off with her. The heaps of feathers looked like they belonged to Pooh, Bernie, and maybe also the hawk. No black feathers.
So I spent the next 4 hours crawling through undergrowth and calling for Calypso.

It was just about dark and I had pretty much given up hope, when Calypso showed up shouting to be let in. I burst into tears with relief. I had moved my cameras to look outside the Chicken Palace for signs of Calypso - but none of them picked her up - she just materialized in the run shouting. So I still have absolutely no idea where she went.

Tonight Pooh is roosting in Bernie's prize spot with Bernie's permission - and indeed Bernie is roosting next to Pooh.
My blood pressure and pulse have nearly come down to normal and my temperature has moved up such that I can feel my fingers and toes again.

I do so hope Pooh is not badly injured. I was too cold and shaken to do an examination immediately - though I did observe her walk about, eat and drink so I could see she was roughly OK.
I am now wondering if I should pluck her off the roost in the middle of the night or should just watch her closely over the next 24 hours. Plucking her off the roost feels like it might be terrorizing her all over again.

That hawk came out of nowhere and it must have seen that I was there and just didn't care. Terrifying. Meanwhile, this was the fluffy butt photo I was in the middle of posting when this all happened.
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so, very late to the party...but my 2 cents:



DO check Pooh - hawks have very strong, long talons, and Pooh may well (most likely will) have puncture woulds. They are, as I am sure you know, very hard to clean thoroughly, but do try if she has any - you don't want to find - 4 or so days out - that she has developed an infection and you catch it because if her subdued behavior because she is feeling like crap from the infection.

Good Calypso. I know it must have been horrible not being able to find her, but it DOES mean she was doing what she should do - hide and remain motionless. That she stayed so long meant she was really quite scared herself AND that no one gave the all clear signal.



Hugs to you and the girls. I hope Pooh is okay! This was a great learning experience for Bernie and the others - and it seems to me like Bernie is taking her job as top hen seriously - to be protective of Pooh afterwards. I know this is not the way you want it to happen, but this just might be an event that makes the whole flock gel together a bit better as a flock.

 

[Ponypoor]

I have netting around the magnolia tree to close off areas that become vulnerable to Cooper's hawks after the leaves have dropped. Even with all of my losses to the hawks I can't keep them locked in all the time. It does not protect them for me to be out with them. The hawks don't care.

Their best protection is their own system of defense. My ladies always have someone filling the roosters duty as a Sentinel. It is obvious who is responsible for everyone else's safety. Mine have learned the hard way that this is necessary and they are quite diligent about it. The role is shared but some never take it. Hattie is never Sentinel. I believe this is because she was on duty the day the hawk killed Sylvie and they no longer trust her. Phyllis is also never Sentinel as she cannot see upwards. The rest all take turns. Glynda and Lady Featherington have been taught the danger and the job by the others. These lessons are learned and passed down. I expect that @RoyalChick tribe will be making adjustments and will be much safer moving forward.

RC, did it get very quiet before the attack? Did the song birds stop talking? That has happened before all of my Cooper's Hawk attacks. The song birds know they are there and go into hiding. That is a warning hopefully your girls now know.

That does not happen when a red-tailed hawk attacks. They come from much higher up and everyone is surprised.

I plan on netting around the trees in the run, it has to be something easy enough to put up and remove fast, those pine and spruce trees drop needles all year long so I need to be able to clean it off easy.

The one thing I noticed with the chicken mesh is that the pine needles get hung up on the wire, and they are not easy to remove. I’ll have to play around with netting and try some different types, see what works best.

 

[featherhead007]

I feel like I’m invading a private conversation, but Jaffar he no cocorico this morning. I found him off his perch in the coop. Not making a sound. I brought him inside, to check on him. He seems fine but no cocorico Now he is with Shenandoah having breakfast in the chickens room.

 

[Ponypoor]

The morning after

The wind and rain have made the runs completely soaked (even though they both have a solid roof). Not a bad thing as it encourages composting and worms, but it makes everything look muddy and sad and damp.
The ladies however were keen to come out into the run (yesterday they wouldn't leave their house and some wouldn't leave the nest boxes).
They all ate a hearty breakfast of mash with some stewed beef, chopped nuts, shrimp tails and some kitchen scraps.
I watched everyone very closely. Everyone ate, drank, and moves normally. For a moment I thought Pooh might be favoring a leg when she jumped down off things but I think I am being paranoid. I will keep a close eye.
Pooh is also being much more vocal than normal. It doesn't sound like fear or pain or distress. More like she is telling everyone about her exploits. She is having her Henry V Saint Crispian moment (@Ponypoor, this one is for you!):

Gather round ladies and listen up,

...
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.’
...
...
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
...
...
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

William Shakespeare, Henry V​

I think Bernie has lost some of those long flight feathers and some feathers on the crown of her head. Babs may have been more involved than I thought as she has some ruffled patches on her side.

@BY Bob did tell me to examine Pooh and Bernie last night, but when it came to it I really wasn't sure because as @RebeccaBoyd said I was worried about really tipping them into shock. Pooh in particular still looked really terrified when I went back out in the night with the intention of taking her off the roost to examine her. I just couldn't do that to her.
That may have been the wrong decision but I did what I thought was best in the moment, and what is done is done (or rather what was not done was not done).

I will definitely examine them tonight and will watch for signs of infection over the next 3-5 days. I will see if I can book a vet appointment for mid week (I can always cancel it). If there is infection it should be obvious by then and the vet can help me properly examine her.

Pictures of Pooh this morning and one of Bernie showing her long wing feathers not sitting quite right.

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Wow chooks and Shakespeare I am treated well today with such honours

I am also glad your ladies seem to be ok, looks like Bern’s feather is a bit askew, might be loosened in the tussle.

 

[rural mouse]

I have seen the freeze call too many times. It is amazing to see. So quiet. It's like they are whispering but everyone hears it immediately.

We have had a lot of crows here lately. I love that they are hanging around.

Crows, magpies, ravens, starlings, sparrows: all wonderful birds. They will sound alarms and gang up on larger birds of prey. They can be a nuisance stealing eggs, but well worth it for their vigilance and territorialism. I used to try to chase the magpies off of Castor's food dish. Now, it simply gets brought inside....and the chickens raid it before the magpies can.

 

[rural mouse]

Wow that is amazing. So glad it didn't visit your place.

Oh, it did visit. Nobody moved, leaving the hunting hawk still looking and moving on.

 

[RoyalChick]

Oh, it did visit. Nobody moved, leaving the hunting hawk still looking and moving on.

Clever chickens!
And yes, where were by crows yesterday? They are usually what the Princesses and I use as a guide to hawk activity.

 

[rural mouse]

I can't even imagine that cold. Will you do anything special for the chickens? Or will they be OK?

When it's that cold, nothing moves around much. Crock pot in the coop keeps water liquid and warm. All food (including scratch) is going in the coop. Opening the door once per day to conserve their warmth and refill. They will want out when it warms up, and extra goodies get added to the food now and when they go back outside too.

 

[rural mouse]

Clever chickens!
And yes, where were by crows yesterday? They are usually what the Princesses and I use as a guide to hawk activity.

I saw no crows or magpies when the hawk went through either. Sometimes they're elsewhere.

 

[rural mouse]

The morning after

The wind and rain have made the runs completely soaked (even though they both have a solid roof). Not a bad thing as it encourages composting and worms, but it makes everything look muddy and sad and damp.
The ladies however were keen to come out into the run (yesterday they wouldn't leave their house and some wouldn't leave the nest boxes).
They all ate a hearty breakfast of mash with some stewed beef, chopped nuts, shrimp tails and some kitchen scraps.
I watched everyone very closely. Everyone ate, drank, and moves normally. For a moment I thought Pooh might be favoring a leg when she jumped down off things but I think I am being paranoid. I will keep a close eye.
Pooh is also being much more vocal than normal. It doesn't sound like fear or pain or distress. More like she is telling everyone about her exploits. She is having her Henry V Saint Crispian moment (@Ponypoor, this one is for you!):

Gather round ladies and listen up,

...
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.’
...
...
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
...
...
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

William Shakespeare, Henry V​

I think Bernie has lost some of those long flight feathers and some feathers on the crown of her head. Babs may have been more involved than I thought as she has some ruffled patches on her side.

@BY Bob did tell me to examine Pooh and Bernie last night, but when it came to it I really wasn't sure because as @RebeccaBoyd said I was worried about really tipping them into shock. Pooh in particular still looked really terrified when I went back out in the night with the intention of taking her off the roost to examine her. I just couldn't do that to her.
That may have been the wrong decision but I did what I thought was best in the moment, and what is done is done (or rather what was not done was not done).

I will definitely examine them tonight and will watch for signs of infection over the next 3-5 days. I will see if I can book a vet appointment for mid week (I can always cancel it). If there is infection it should be obvious by then and the vet can help me properly examine her.

Pictures of Pooh this morning and one of Bernie showing her long wing feathers not sitting quite right.

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That first pic of Pooh! She looks like "I have CONQUERED the BEAST!"