Icelandic Chickens

[The Sheriff]

My resident Cooper's Hawk has been tormenting the chickens in the Jail, and Saloon coops. He is sitting in the fig tree over their heads. Once he jumped down onto the netting trying to get in around the area where the net goes around the trunk. I had to run all the way from the barn back up here and throw rocks at it to get it to go. Bjorn has done a great job alerting the birds and both sides have stayed in their coops. I didn't let the Icelandics out this morning. Their auto door just opened so I hope they stay alert. Isi was in the window and saw the hawk and was even alerting from inside the barn coop. This hawk has been stalking us for a couple of weeks or more.

 

[kathyinmo]

Mary,
We are having routine hawk visits here, too. They scare me to death, especially after I saw what they can do. My birds are on constant alert, it seems. Best wishes on no problems with your hawk.

 

[Mahonri]

Hope your birds stay safe. My black Icelandic (sorry, I named her Kola) found a way out of the run. She is the only bird that has ever done that and she is IMPOSSIBLE to catch. I'll have to watch to see where she roosts tonight and then put some more netting up in the one and only spot where she could have gotten out.

Made it up the mountain and back! ...and the pain is not that bad!

 

[The Sheriff]

Sadly, the hawk made it in to my covered run by going in where the net meets the tree trunk. It killed and carried off one of my splash Isbar juveniles. The yard is covered in her feathers and the juveniles won't come out of the coop now. Add that to the 6 incubator eggs I killed today and that is a loss of 7 birds in one day. Michael helped me secure the netting around the tree trunk so hopefully that will help. This is the most persistent Cooper's hawk I have ever seen. I was throwing rocks at it and it wouldn't leave.

Kelly, the bird that was killed by the hawk was the one with the beak issue. I feel bad about feeling relieved about that. I was going to re-home her but never in this manner. I also felt relief that it was the Swedish Flower Hen eggs I killed and not the emu eggs. I am having a bad day.

 

[kathyinmo]

Mary, I had the same experience over a year ago. Very bold hawk. I was within 10 feet of him eating a silkie, and he would not leave until I hit at it with a shovel. He also went into a very small opening. Scott (yard full o' rocks) told of a similar experience of a hawk getting into his pen. He had a very small opening.

I hate chicken killing hawks.

 

[The Sheriff]

I hate em too Kathy. Someone is also on my case on the NYD hatch thread about discarding the Swedish Flower Hen eggs that were unheated for a day and a half, most of it in my unheated office. Good thing I am not a drinking woman.

 

[kathyinmo]

Some people.

I wouldn't want to risk it. Blown up rotten eggs or chick problems..... no, not worth it.

 

[The Sheriff]

Quote:
Agreed and they aren't easy to candle so if they started rotting I wouldn't know it until too late. It is all part of the worldwide conspiracy to keep me from having any thing with a mille fleur pattern!

 

[Jake Levi]

Sorry bout the bad day Mary !!

I've been there and I can relate.

Re Coopers Hawk, SSS. Not much of any other way.

 

[Sushi]

I've heard that having a few black spanish turkeys on the yard will deter birds of prey. Apparently they look a lot like vultures to them.