HAWK Attack! I'm SOOO distraught. *UPDATE #2 re: Survivor* see post#1

[ADozenGirlz]

I just went out to check for eggs only to find not one, but THREE hawks doing unspeakable things to my Easter Egger, Ethel. Upon further inspection, my Blue Splash Marans, Windy is missing. She had just started to lay beautiful eggs within the past 8 weeks. AND BOTH of my Ameraucana hens, Bessie and Clarice are gone too; they were only 28 weeks old and were just about ready to start laying blue eggs. I am beside myself.

RIP girls. SO unfair.
This is Ethel in the foreground on the far right:

Ethel in the foreground:

Madonna was stunning. I don't know what her sister will do without her brooder-mate. They were inseparable. I rasied them since they were just bullseyes in a shell.

Windy & Madonna (in background): (UPDATE: MADONNA CAME HOME!!!!!!!!!)

My Ameraucanas, Bessie & Clarice. I hatched them too.:
(UPDATE: ONE OF THEM CAME HOME TONIGHT!!! Although, I don't know which one b/c they were only distinguishable by size comparision to the other.)

The surviving Ameraucana (Clarice, I think) laid her first egg today! It was a bittersweet discovery knowing her sister would've laid her first egg soon too.

 

[CMV]

So sorry. Maybe the missing girls are hiding out. I hope so. Devastating.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
From your lips to God's ears.

Now I have to try to find some Ameraucana eggs from quality lines as well as some new Marans. <sigh> All of those hens were such sweet birds.

 

[chick-in-florida]

so very sorry for your loss. heartbreaking. that is the risk we take giving the chickens freedom to roam. i have heavy tree cover in my yard and still the hawks try to descend.

 

[LarryPQ]

I hope your missing girls show up. Keep us posted?

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Quote:
Thanks sista. I will.

 

[coloradochick]

OMG Kathy this just stinks

!! So sorry. My heart aches for you because I know the pain youre feeling

 

[Nifty-Chicken]

Ugh, that's so terrible! Very sorry for your loss.

We have a handful of red-tailed hawks around, but we've never had a problem. I hope it is because they don't care for our big heavy birds vs. that we've just been lucky. I'd hate to have to keep all our girls locked up or have to string netting all over.

 

[alaskachick]

I had that exact thing happen to a friend of mine. She lost 5 chickens, but turns out while the hawks were tearing away one chicken, the others were fleeing for their lives and they came out of hiding right back to the coop 2 days later. She was so happy. She got 3 of her girls back but the 2 were lost. Hope yours come home when they feel safe.

 

[ADozenGirlz]

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. I suppose it's a foreseeable risk of having free-range chickens, but it doesn't make it feel any better when it happens.

The worst part is that I hatched the Ameracaunas and Marans this summer from shipped eggs.

The Marans was a heavyweight- I can't fathom hawks lifting her. I'm hoping against hope that they were able to run away and hide. All of the other chickens wisely ran into the coop and run.

(we interrupt this program to interject that I just sent my husband outside to chase the hawks off again...the girls were going nuts in the run.)

Not sure what to do now. Time to rebuild the flock. I hadn't planned to hatch this winter, but...things happen.