INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

Yay!! My girls finally figured it out, despite the occasional egg by the feeder. The silkies think under the ramp outside is the nesting box. More time was spent on aesthetics than intelligence when they were created. Cute, but dumber than a bag of hammers.

I Have chickens in other pens that have figured it out, but these ones just dont seem to get it lol. the golf balls dont help them wither lol. They just look at them in amazment and peck them. Lol funny saying, i have never heard that one i have heard dumber than a box of rocks before though. I use it uite frequently, as there are too many stupid people lol

 

[Leahs Mom]

Quote: You are so compliant today!!!!!

Saw a hawk this morning but none since then and I have been to the north east and north central areas surrounding me. I'm hoping by Saturday when weather permitting we plan to be outside I can have the chickens back outdoors. After all I was seeing a hawk here and there this summer too just not in mass like the past few weeks. I did have to combine my two pens of hens in one coop though due to the weather at night. So if I open the gate to free range, it is a free for all adults and young ones all would be out.

I thought they had thinned out. Didn't see them where I usually do for a couple days but then.......

About 1/2 mile from the house I saw 2 of them fly over the road. I wasn't sure what was happening but it appeared like one was chasing the other. They went in a little wooded area and the one that was chasing must have tried to go down on the other which had swooped down low into the trees.

It was actually a funny site what happened next. If I hadn't been driving in somewhat heavy traffic I would have pulled over to watch.

The one pursuing either tried to perch on a branch or got caught on a branch while divine. It got the branch in it's feet and ended up hanging up-side-down, swinging from the branch with wings flapping trying to balance.

So...either it was a pair and one wanted to mate
Or...one was encroaching on the other's territory
Or....?

But it was VERY DISCOURAGING to see both of those HUGE red-tails within a block of the house.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I have read of large hawks eating smaller hawks maybe a smaller red tail was trying to kill a giant cooper. More likely a late fall mating.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I saw a red tail hawk on the way home today about 1 1/2 miles from my house

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I saw a red tail hawk on the way home today about 1 1/2 miles from my house

I have been seeing more and more road kill lately racoons and such. Thankfully most of the time they are at least a mile from my house. While hawks scare me I'm getting nervous about racoons too now. At least we can trap those things and be rid of them.
As for mice, our cat keeps catching and eating them. I'm amazed at how much that cat eats. He even tries to beg free (no hunting for him) food from us. Today I saw him catch 3 different mice and a wild bird. There were a few bird feathers left but nothing else.

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I have been seeing more and more road kill lately racoons and such. Thankfully most of the time they are at least a mile from my house. While hawks scare me I'm getting nervous about racoons too now. At least we can trap those things and be rid of them.
As for mice, our cat keeps catching and eating them. I'm amazed at how much that cat eats. He even tries to beg free (no hunting for him) food from us. Today I saw him catch 3 different mice and a wild bird. There were a few bird feathers left but nothing else.

Unless a hawk can get in my enclosed pen I dont have to worry about them anymore lol. But since I am using chain link fence A coon could reacj through and grab one I guess, but chickens are locked up at nights. My cats are doing a lousey job at catching mice. the other day I saw a little mouse running through the yard. I caught him and pet him and then let him go in the ditch, he was cute. Some people think it is terrible to touch a field mouse, but i have before and am still living lol. He was a cutie, I like muce so it dosent bother me that the cats are slacking.My cats are too lazt to catch a bird. They catch plenty of giant grasshoppers though.

 

[bradselig]

While I'm leary of hawks, I still free range everyday. I figure if a hawk attacks it will only get one bird. When I get home and take inventory of the birds and one is missing (which thankfully has been since late spring) they will get locked up the next couple days. I'm more worried about neighbor dogs, fox, coyotes, etc that can take more than one at a time. Thus far in my chicken owning my only predator has been raptors and cars. Getting rid of the birds that were taught by guineas to cross the road has eliminated the car killings and only one successful hawk attack so fat this year.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I just spoke with someone from the forum here that lost 25 of her heritage birds while away last weekend...to neighborhood dogs.

She's been breeding these for her own flock.

Only has a very few (I think she said 4) left and some chicks.

That's the main reason I've wanted my electonet...possible neighborhood dogs.

Too many preds to worry about

 

[CCCCCCCCHICKENS]

I just spoke with someone from the forum here that lost 25 of her heritage birds while away last weekend...to neighborhood dogs.

She's been breeding these for her own flock.

Only has a very few (I think she said 4) left and some chicks.

That's the main reason I've wanted my electonet...possible neighborhood dogs.

Too many preds to worry about

I had almost the exact sam thing happen. Two neighborhood dogs killed 40 some of my chickens last spring. Left me with 4. Its not fun. They killed over $300 worth of chicks, plus many i was attached to.

 

[SallyinIndiana]

I just spoke with someone from the forum here that lost 25 of her heritage birds while away last weekend...to neighborhood dogs.

She's been breeding these for her own flock.

Only has a very few (I think she said 4) left and some chicks.

That's the main reason I've wanted my electonet...possible neighborhood dogs.

Too many preds to worry about

That is one of the things I'm starting to get nervous about now too. My HRIR flock is a small one so a hawk attack could really set me back a year in trying to get a nice HRIR flock. I learned the hard way that it takes time to replace adult chickens. It is not as simple as oh they grow up in 18 weeks.