Illinois...

[ChicagoClucker]

Did they show up today. ???   In the last 2 week, I lost 2 of my OEGH. Shannon and Limey.   Old age. About 8 years, + or -   Even so it is sad.

Sorry to hear about your girls Shannon and Limey. It's sad to lose them at any age.

 

[chickendreams24]

Did they show up today. ???   In the last 2 week, I lost 2 of my OEGH. Shannon and Limey.   Old age. About 8 years, + or -   Even so it is sad.

Sorry to hear about your losses. It's hard to lose any of them but especially the special ones. Sending hugs your way.




Bad day here yesterday. I'm still sick and miserable. Went outside twice yesterday because the birds were predator calling, both times I saw nothing. The third time I went to walk outside I looked through the porch wind and there with my salmon favorelles cockeral in its mouth stood the largest fox I've ever seen. I ran for the gun it was still struggling with the bird when I got back. I aimed and took a shot, but the fox didn't go down. The scope on the gun is a little off so I probably missed. Amazingly the fox ran a few feet and stopped the bird no longer struggling, his neck snapped, as I ran in the house realizing the gun had only had one round in it. I ran back out and much to my shock the fox stood in the same place starting to pluck the bird. I shot again and it ran. I went after it and shot off a couple more shots as it ran around our entire property and out into the field. It had dropped the bird. I called DH2B and he came home. We waited and watched the fox didn't show back up. We processed put the bird to try and save some of the meat. It was awful and tough from the struggle, when cooked. We tossed it.

It may seem cold to some people but we left the bird out as bait. We are hoping the fox shows back up so we can finish the job. Anything to stop losing birds. Still no sign of Ducky. I think I found where the fox must have gotten Mickey. I'll be looking for a nice little black OEGB cockeral or some chicks, if anyone has spares, or hatching eggs. I would also like to find another silver duckwing pullet as I no longer have any hope for Ducky. I miss my babies. This fox is bold. It must have been out there yesterday waiting in the fog and the mist and hiding every time I walked outside. It couldn't have been more than three minutes that it took to grab the salmon favorelles cockeral. While it still sucks majorly at least the bird it grabbed yesterday wasn't one we planned to keep. We also believe it took a cockeral the day before yesterday as we are missing a mixed color rock boy that was destined for freezer camp, but we never found any signs of that bird.
All in all this brings out total predator losses up to 24 +/- in 2016 and we've already lost 3-4 in 2017. DH2B is proud of me. While I enjoy shooting and grew up in a family of hunters I have never shot at a living thing before. I'm amazed that in the moment I didn't even think of it. I only thought of whether or not I could save that bird.

 

[Molpet]

so sorry for everyone's losses

so far the dog and the turkeys have run everything off.. or alert me so I could get rid of ... 2 possums in the day time in the poultry yard.. missed one but he seems to have moved on... seems that the turkeys tangled w/a hawk, just some missing turkey feathers and terrified chickens

 

[Faraday40]

so sorry for everyone's losses

so far the dog and the turkeys have run everything off.. or alert me so I could get rid of ... 2 possums in the day time in the poultry yard.. missed one but he seems to have moved on... seems that the turkeys tangled w/a hawk, just some missing turkey feathers and terrified chickens

Way to go Turkeys!
Were the turkeys males or do both genders protect their territory?

 

[Faraday40]

@chickendreams24
Sorry you're having such a crummy day. We had a sinus/ cold that lasted most of Dec. Hang in there! Maybe your DH2B can process one of those extra roos & you can make some chicken noodle soup.

We're finally all healthy again, but I had to cancel my after school science classes tomorrow because over 50% of my students have a stomach flu with fevers. No thank you!

 

[Molpet]

Way to go Turkeys!
Were the turkeys males or do both genders protect their territory?

2 nari jakes had the missing feathers, the bbb hen is too slow to do much, but I belive both genders protect,


seems the raptors are not all bad... 8 am this morning ,under a tree 5ft from the poultry yard , the dog found what looks like a weasel or mink head. 2" across... I can see something fuzzy, which I assume is fur, in the branch above .. 3 white bird splats around it, so I think an owl spent part of the night there...
I had put out a fake owl, to try and scare the hawks, I guess the real one is not impressed LOL.

any guesses if a mink? I had seen white weasels in the winter before, but there are several types of weasels around and a creek 150' away.

 

[4stakes]

That is a mink. You are lucky the mink didn't get into your coop, they can do lots of killing. An owl will not scare hawks away. If the owl did kill the mink, it did you a favor. Good luck. I trap and hunt all critters. They have to be thinned out. Kevin

 

[4stakes]

One other thought. Maybe an eagle got the mink?

 

[Molpet]

One other thought. Maybe an eagle got the mink?

could be.. I do see Bald eagles sitting on the comed towers nearby....
I was thinking Owl because it found within an hour or so of sunrise... and wasn't there yesterday.
I live next to a forest preserve so you never know what will show up LOL

 

[Molpet]

That is a mink. You are lucky the mink didn't get into your coop, they can do lots of killing. An owl will not scare hawks away. If the owl did kill the mink, it did you a favor. Good luck. I trap and hunt all critters. They have to be thinned out. Kevin

Thanks for the confirmation
yes mink scare me a lot more than hawks.
as a kid (1970's) I trapped but just caught muskrats, coons and fox... I know mink are supposed to be in my area but this is the first one I seen... sneaky things they are, they probably have been here the whole time.