So, I was inside working on making lunch for everyone. Hubby was outside with little man doing some chores. Hubby comes in to tell me he thinks crows have been attacking our flock - they're swooping and cawing like crazy and one hen has blood on her wing. I asked him if he was sure it was the crows and not a hawk. He said he only saw the crows....
Went outside to see for myself. Hubby followed. Crows are, indeed, swooping and cawing like crazy and most all of our flock hiding under trees and bushes. Looked across the field... there's a brown and white bird out in the middle of it. Doesn't quite look like one of my hens and definitely not one of my roosters, but I can't tell for sure as it's too far away. So start heading out there.
It's a hawk!!!!
Suspected since it was on the ground, it had one of my birds. Started running - hawk flew off with a screech with a bunch of crows hot on it's tail feathers!
Yep. It killed one of my pullets hatched out in late August. Poor baby wasn't dead when I got to it tho', but it died in my hands.
My other (6) babies had apparently made a beeline for the run when the attack came. They were all safe... Hubby went and buried the poor little one we'd just lost...
I had a few of my flock make it into the coop for protection... the rest were under trees and bushes... I started clapping my hands and yelling for them to come to me - most all tentatively stepped out, looked around quickly, and then made a beeline right for me! I hustled them into the chicken run... went looking for stragglers... found them, finally convinced them to come out and also go to the run. They're all locked up safe and sound now, chattering away to one another. (You know what they're saying, right???)
Looked for the bird hubby first referred to when he came in. It was one of our favorites (Snow Leopard) and she does have blood on her wing, but to be honest, I couldn't tell if it was from the hawk or maybe that the rooster had mounted her and/or if during this tryst the attack freaked the rooster out so bad that he drew blood himself or if the hawk had actually gotten ahold of her... Looks to me like the rooster did it since it's right in the general saddle area. At any rate, the blood had already clotted on her, so no major emergency to worry about. Just cleaned her up and put tea tree oil on the wound.
All the while this is all going on, we can hear the hawk screaming. It'd get closer and scream... move away... scream some more... Pretty sure it was angry it'd lost it's meal and it was telling me it'd be back!! So guess my girls will be staying in for awhile.
Went outside to see for myself. Hubby followed. Crows are, indeed, swooping and cawing like crazy and most all of our flock hiding under trees and bushes. Looked across the field... there's a brown and white bird out in the middle of it. Doesn't quite look like one of my hens and definitely not one of my roosters, but I can't tell for sure as it's too far away. So start heading out there.
It's a hawk!!!!
Suspected since it was on the ground, it had one of my birds. Started running - hawk flew off with a screech with a bunch of crows hot on it's tail feathers!
Yep. It killed one of my pullets hatched out in late August. Poor baby wasn't dead when I got to it tho', but it died in my hands.
I had a few of my flock make it into the coop for protection... the rest were under trees and bushes... I started clapping my hands and yelling for them to come to me - most all tentatively stepped out, looked around quickly, and then made a beeline right for me! I hustled them into the chicken run... went looking for stragglers... found them, finally convinced them to come out and also go to the run. They're all locked up safe and sound now, chattering away to one another. (You know what they're saying, right???)
Looked for the bird hubby first referred to when he came in. It was one of our favorites (Snow Leopard) and she does have blood on her wing, but to be honest, I couldn't tell if it was from the hawk or maybe that the rooster had mounted her and/or if during this tryst the attack freaked the rooster out so bad that he drew blood himself or if the hawk had actually gotten ahold of her... Looks to me like the rooster did it since it's right in the general saddle area. At any rate, the blood had already clotted on her, so no major emergency to worry about. Just cleaned her up and put tea tree oil on the wound.
All the while this is all going on, we can hear the hawk screaming. It'd get closer and scream... move away... scream some more... Pretty sure it was angry it'd lost it's meal and it was telling me it'd be back!! So guess my girls will be staying in for awhile.
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