Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[Ponypoor]

Tassels is THE boss hen. In the night when she turned into a banshee I wondered about giving the chicks to one of the other broodies, but they are low on the totem pole so I thought that might be asking for trouble.
I wonder how Piglet and Sylvie will react to chicks. Piglet went broody a few days after Tassels and Sylvie a week or so later.
I haven’t tried breaking either of them.

I have given chicks to bottom rung hens, it worked well. But my gang is used to chicks running around…

Maybe if this goes good make anotjer drive!

 

[RoyalChick]

Filtering Audobon to "hawk-like" and "New Jersey" gave me 16 birds. Listening to calls, it sounds rather similar to a Northern Harrier female. A juvenile Goshawk is also a maybe. Peregrines and Kestrels hit similar pitches, but don't match the rhythms.

I put ZERO filters in for looks of the bird beyond hawk type.

Northern Harrier from the Audubon Bird Guide https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/northern-harrier

Hmm... I'm wracking my brain.

Depending on location lots of hawks have a lot of variation in color and pattern. Red tails won't actually always have red tails, and juveniles don't develop that red coloration until they get their adult feathers. There are a lot of subspecies of red tailed hawks. Krider's red tails are very pale, almost completely white sometimes. Harlan's red tails are dark, almost black. Here's the different subspecies in the US.

Red shoulders also have variations in color based on location/subspecies and juveniles are much paler on the belly than adults.

I'm not familiar with all the raptors of NJ. I'm guessing it's a Buteo hawk though. Possibly a juvenile red tail. They have a shrill, squeaky call like that. Listen to around 1:32 in this video and compare:

Thanks both.
I also have Red Tailed hawks - they have a more raspy cry and aren’t nearly as vocal.
I keep trying to notice distinguishing features when it swoops over me, but I am usually distracted by making sure the chickens are under cover.

 

[Ponypoor]

What kind of hawk?
Can anyone tell me what hawk this is from the sound? They have unfortunately moved in to the tree above the Chicken Palace and they shriek all day every day.
Ignore the video of the hippy curtain and the background clicking of broody Piglet. It is the shrieking sound I was trying to get.

It is white underneath and I haven’t noticed a red tail.
Red shouldered hawks are supposed to be very vocal, but I don’t think they are so pale underneath.

Do you think a Goshawk? It could be a youth calling for mama and dada.

 

[RoyalChick]

I have given chicks to bottom rung hens, it worked well. But my gang is used to chicks running around…

Maybe if this goes good make anotjer drive!

Can you spell e-n-a-b-l-e-r!!

 

[bgmathteach]

What kind of hawk?
Can anyone tell me what hawk this is from the sound? They have unfortunately moved in to the tree above the Chicken Palace and they shriek all day every day.
Ignore the video of the hippy curtain and the background clicking of broody Piglet. It is the shrieking sound I was trying to get.

It is white underneath and I haven’t noticed a red tail.
Red shouldered hawks are supposed to be very vocal, but I don’t think they are so pale underneath.

Sounds like a Sharp shinned or a Broad Winged hawk according to Cornell. (Wasn't sure if it is a juvenile....?)

 

[SimpleJenn]

We had a hawk in the backyard this morning, on the ground then went up into a tree over the run when I opened the door. Shreiked at my dog for a minute and then took off into the woods. Everyone is safe but poor Navy had a panic attack, the integration pen is just half wood/half wire without a proper "coop"
I may put them inside Riddicks coop tonight if I can.
Navy has kept her rank, and her sisters are glad she's back. "Aunty chocolate" and "aunty Delft" are especially fond of the babies, and Riddick is a proud papa.

I believe Gentle is also allowed around the babies, either her or Squatch.

Chicks in the insulated coop, they are settling in as well.

Finally, Diva is looking very grown up!

 

[MaryJanet]

Well, I got up at 3am today and did a thing.
View attachment 4193866

It was a nerve wracking few hours sitting in the garage in the dark listening for sounds of imminent murder. But everyone is still alive this morning!

It was not entirely plain sailing, and I am not sure we are fully out of the woods yet, but so far so good. I am putting a longer description of how it played out in the spoiler below (nothing gruesome, just a long post because I need to get the play-by-play off my chest!).

Spoiler: Introducing Tassels to her chicks

As some of you know, the process started on Friday when I moved Tassels out of the Chicken Palace and the nest she has been sitting on for 3 weeks, and into the garage. I knew this was a risk, but she is a very committed broody so I didn't think it would break her. The idea was to reduce the total viral (Marek's) load the chicks would encounter before the 7 days it takes for their vaccine to fully take. So, I dusted Tassels with a microfiber cloth and then blew the hairdryer at her to try and reduce the dust she was carrying. And then I set her up in a dog crate in the garage with clean cardboard as a liner and clean bedding. The chicks will still get exposed if she is shedding, and of course no dusting is perfect, but hopefully at 5 days post vaccine they will have mounted enough of a response to cope.
As expected, Tassels settled in on her fake eggs after a brief inspection of the cardboard rooms in the dog crate. What I did not expect is that she would go crazy pecking at me. She has never pecked me when broody before. So I was a bit worried that the change in venue had upset her. I let her be to calm down and was happy that she accepted a blueberry and a grape (these are the drug of choice for Tassels!) and then settled down in her new place.
Then, at 3am today I gathered up the chicks. One piece of context is that they are only ever under the heat plate at night, rarely in the day. And Geronimo (of course) it turns out doesn't even sleep under the plate.
Armed with my red headlight I went into the garage and opened the dog crate and started to insert chicks under Tassels. That unleashed the hounds of hell! She was merciless. She pecked chicks, she pecked me, she growled. Poor Chippy found herself cornered and facing an onslaught so I risked life (well at least limb) and pulled her out and then tucked her firmly under Tassels. I retrieved as many of the fake eggs as I could but did not want to risk riling Tassels up any more so beat a retreat to my kitchen stool in the garage and sat in the dark and listened. I also watched on the doorbell camera that I had placed on the top of the dog crate.
Tassels spent the next hour grumbling bad-temperedly and apparently randomly lashing out. But then I saw her scoop rather than peck Geronimo (who was of course not actually under her), and I saw Chippy peak out and then go back under. So I relaxed a little.
Then, just before dawn the chicks were out from under her and running around. Tassels heard the commotion and spun around and went into full-on battle formation. I think she thought they were mice that had invaded her nest. She was ready to eat them all. But then they made eye contact and she did a double-take and I think realized that these crazy chicks were the ones she thought were keeping warm under her!
Since then, she has tried to tuck them under her (they won't go) and has been sharing a food bowl with them.
They have been jumping up to peck her face (which she tolerates) but have not gone back under.
I don't know if that is just because they aren't cold, or if they don't recognize her as Mom.
So, I think we can say that Tassels is now a Momma and has her babies. It is less clear that the babies believe they have a Momma!
Tomorrow, assuming it is all going OK, I will move the dog crate into the Chicken Palace as that will be 7 days post vaccine and it will hopefully be working.

This is wonderful news! I'm so happy for Tassels and hopefully things will go well for the chicks.

 

[Ponypoor]

Can you spell e-n-a-b-l-e-r!!

Oh there are LOTS of enablers here.

Take Whiskers for instance - she is such an enabler and trying to entice me to let her be a mama - sheesh!

I have locked her away for her own good!

No more being gifted someone else’s eggs and no more stealing eggs!

She can stay in there for the next few weeks