Hi everyone. I have a 2-part question and didn't know where to put it, so I finally decided to focus on the positive.
It has been a rough 2 weeks around here. We have been loosing a chicken every other day or so to what we are assuming is hawks. The only evidence is a small handful of feathers each time, in about the same place also. (within a 15 feet diameter area) Whatever it is got my favorite pretty boy Earl, a gorgeous 17 week old Black Giant cockerel. My poor baby...I just cried and cried.
I have been keeping the girls and my one remaining rooster confined to the coop and the run now, but I would love to let them free range again. Any ideas on detering hawks???
Secondly, the evening when Earl went missing I was searching everywhere and found my first egg!!!!!
It was under a mower mulching shell. I assume it was laid by one of my 5 red sex links, who all turned 18 weeks old yesterday. Today I got 4 more eggs!!!! I am thrilled! Since I have kept them cooped and confined to the run the past 2 days , they laid the four today in the coop (we REALLY need to get those nest boxes built!). However I am hoping to be able to start letting them out more again. How do I convince them to keep laying in the coop and not outside??? The eggs were all so cute! Bigger than I thought they would be too. Or at least they were bigger than banty eggs. I was expecting teeny little eggs. Is that just a sex-link thing? Will my more "traditional" birds lay the tiny little pullet eggs you hear about?
It has been a rough 2 weeks around here. We have been loosing a chicken every other day or so to what we are assuming is hawks. The only evidence is a small handful of feathers each time, in about the same place also. (within a 15 feet diameter area) Whatever it is got my favorite pretty boy Earl, a gorgeous 17 week old Black Giant cockerel. My poor baby...I just cried and cried.
Secondly, the evening when Earl went missing I was searching everywhere and found my first egg!!!!!