Getting over the Paranoia of Putting them Out

[getaclue]

TO BYC. Glad you joined!

 

[Stephine]

Even cover does not always protect against hawks. We have Cooper’s hawks here; they hunt birds and squirrels! They fly around in trees and under bushes to pursue their prey. Yikes!
I let mine out by tgemselves for the first time after a year of outings only with close supervision by a person and a dog. For two weeks they were out with me inside the house and dog on the deck overlooking their pasture. Then a cooper’s hawk came to visit and they all screamed alarm. Dog went down and chased hawk away and we locked the chickens up. They were still upset and yelling an hour later. Then the hawk came back in the afternoon to stare at them in the run. Grrr. back to having to have the dog down there with them again...

 

[MinervaELS]

You all have made me feel a bit better! I know I have to accept losing one here and there unless I put them in the chicken version of Alcatraz permanently (which seems sort of sad) but I guess it's still an odd concept to me. None of my neighbors have issues with raptors apparently, which also seems odd since I know there are some around here.

Yesterday it rained a ton and today all of the flocks were out pecking around. None of them are down any chickens, in spite of free ranging unsupervised all day every day. I guess it's just one of those ideas I have to get used to, like people on motorcycles without helmets. That still makes me do a double-take even though I've been here for nearly two months! I'm sure once my chickens are older and larger and have spent time in their pen without managing to die I will be able to relax.

 

[lazy gardener]

You know what they call a motorcyclist who doesn't wear a helmet? Organ donor! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but some day. A lady at our church, older lady, so her husband was older also, I'm guessing in his 70's, just lost her husband to a motorcycle accident last week. He ALWAYS wore his helmet, but didn't that day b/c it was a hot day, and he wasn't going far. Now, she's a widow. His funeral was yesterday.

Yes, I always take note of the flocks out free ranging in my general area. Quite a few flocks. And I scratch my head. Their habitat is not a lot different than mine. Yet some days, I can't let my birds out to range for 10 minutes before there's a hawk screeching and circling overhead, or even more disconcerting: screeching from the woods that surround my property.