My chicken Cookie has been living on her own for quite some time and has developed an irrational fear of magpies. Just the sight of one, even when its far away, would cause poor Cookie to go sprinting back to the coop like some racing car (just watching her turn sharp corners. woah shes swift). They would come by every once in a while and swoop her. Its only one magpie each time though, but I'm not sure if its the same one or not because I think there's a family of 6 that hang around the neighbourhood. Thankfully, no blood has been drawn (yet). Coco's (new chicken) been swooped as well but will still continue to free range afterwards. Cookie won't stay around for long once she sees the black and white bird. I think the magpie's are getting a little braver as well as even when Cookie is near our feet, the magpies are still willing to swoop her. They don't have a specific time of day, or season to do it. Its happened through winter as well. Whether they're standing on the roof, telephone line, neighbour's roof, garage or fence, they'll always take a chance to swoop my chickens.
Before we got Coco, Cookie would be too afraid to free range (when we first got Cookie, she would free-range around front-yard and backyard herself) and would stay to her area behind the garage where the coop was and would only come out to eat a bit of grass when someone from my family came outside and would run back to her area once we went back inside. Now that we bought her a buddy, she's more willing to follow Coco around and free-range more often, but she won't go alone.
I'm not sure where the magpies live, but I know for a fact that its not near where my chickens normally free range (in the backyard). There's a large gum tree in-front of my neighbours house and a large pine tree in-front of my other neighbour's house but I don't see any nests or anything from what I can see from my house in my neighbour's trees. We don't have any large tree's in our yard. What's even worse is that this season is swooping season, so its the time of year when magpies will attack anyone or anything it sees, so I'm worried for my own safety as well.
TL;DR
(sorry, I tend to type a lot)
Any ideas on how to deal with them without hurting them? And why are they swooping in the first place? Are they hungry? The swooping doesn't happen too often, but its still annoying and they don't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Before we got Coco, Cookie would be too afraid to free range (when we first got Cookie, she would free-range around front-yard and backyard herself) and would stay to her area behind the garage where the coop was and would only come out to eat a bit of grass when someone from my family came outside and would run back to her area once we went back inside. Now that we bought her a buddy, she's more willing to follow Coco around and free-range more often, but she won't go alone.
I'm not sure where the magpies live, but I know for a fact that its not near where my chickens normally free range (in the backyard). There's a large gum tree in-front of my neighbours house and a large pine tree in-front of my other neighbour's house but I don't see any nests or anything from what I can see from my house in my neighbour's trees. We don't have any large tree's in our yard. What's even worse is that this season is swooping season, so its the time of year when magpies will attack anyone or anything it sees, so I'm worried for my own safety as well.
TL;DR
(sorry, I tend to type a lot)
Any ideas on how to deal with them without hurting them? And why are they swooping in the first place? Are they hungry? The swooping doesn't happen too often, but its still annoying and they don't seem to be stopping anytime soon.
Last edited: