Graduate School *freaking out a bit*

[Rainier]

Best of wishes to you on your grad school and your DH on his surgery.

How are the new chicks doing?

Thanks. I'm actually pretty excited. I miss school!

I posted this in predators pest forum but I'll repost it here:
"We heard the chickens making a huge fuss. Yesterday something got one of my Lemon Cuckoo Orpington (15 weeks old) that I just got for a breeding project. She was in the front and not near the flock when she was killed. We thought it was a feral cat (we have many around here) after talking to a neighbor. He too lost a hen the other day.

My heart was pounding. That hawk was so close to me. Our backdoor opens out into the chicken yard. Afterwards I was an awe that I was that close to a hunting hawk and can admire just how beautiful he/she was.

That being said it will not protect it from SSS should it come back."

Of course the one he/she got I think was a pullet

 

[N F C]

Oh no, sorry to hear about your bird! When you first mentioned Lemon Cuckoo Marans, I looked them up; beautiful birds. If I remember correctly, you still have a few more, right? Were you going for some fertile eggs to hatch?

As for the predator issue, I'm with you on the s-s-s bit. After all the time, money and emotional investment we put into our animals, it hurts to see them killed. Plus, I believe it's a responsibility to protect the animals that are entrusted to us. Where we live, we don't have dirt so much as sand so as DH always says, "The digging is easy".

 

[Rainier]

These guys are Lemon Cuckoo Orpington.

I still have three left and I think (basing it on color) I have two cockerels and one pullet. They are still very young, only 15 weeks now. I really don't know much about breeding and genetics (color) so I'm still doing a lot of research!

The lemon's are small enough to fit through the gate and got in the front. Had they remained with the flock the cockerels would have protected them! This was a very young hawk who saw an easy meal and took it. Something scared it off though because he only killed her, didn't eat any of her! We have a murder of crows towards the back of the neighbor area (wooded and a stream) that chased off the hawks that got to close to our area. The day after the hawk tried to get our other birds the crows were back in force! Between our dogs, neighbor dogs and the crows the hawk left. We do have a hawks that breed and raise their young close to us but they never have attacked any chicken flocks so they are not teaching their young to do it either. I think this guy was just hungry, really hungry and went for what he saw as an easy meal.

I have since fixed the gate and as soon as we butcher the two turkeys we will have them in the front again. The flock loves being out there but the turkeys attack and killed one of my cockerels so until they are gone I cannot have them mingle.