Is this thing coming after my chickens?

[tomatillo]

My scarecrow cowboy is back in place so hopefully the roadrunner will stay away.

 

[happyhensny]

Just got this quote from http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/greater_roadrunner/id

The Greater Roadrunner is a signature bird of the desert Southwest. During the 20th century, its range expanded all the way to southern Missouri and western Louisiana. A ground-dwelling cuckoo, it feeds on snakes, scorpions, and any other small animal it can catch and subdue.


Be careful-chicks are little and easy to SUBDUE.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

could it be after the chicken feed? the Starlings here are driving me nuts and I am going to have to put up more bird netting.

 

[bald k9]

if you free feed your chickens maybe it is attracting mice or rodents of somekind and maybe the roadrunner knows a rodent will come along, kind of like a restuarant for a road runner but the chicks look big enough to be ok, I would still watch, them

 

[tomatillo]

We are basically in the worst drought in history, and the mice seem to be more attracted to water than chicken feed. The roadrunner likes those rocks near my garden and it is in a very good spot to snag mice, snakes, and scorpions. I think one reason I am able to get near the roadrunner is because it may have learned that when it sees me, I will usually be watering the garden, and when I water, it brings out mice. So seeing me=food. haha

 

[tomatillo]

Quote:
I had a ton of birds when I would throw out scratch. Now I do not throw out scratch at all. My chickens would eat the scratch and ignore the healthy stuff. When I stopped throwing out scratch, no more birds, less mice, and healthier chickens. Made a huge difference with one of my older hen because she was eating only scratch and not getting proper nutrition. I just supplement their diet with healthy veggies, too. And they eat bugs all day.

Or the roadrunner and large snake that was living in my yard could be eating the birds and the mice...who knows! The drought is making everything act differently.

 

[Erin K]

The RR is beautiful.

My solution:
Encourage him to stay to rid you of those scary pests.

Move the young chickens into the house. Let them live in your kitchen and roost on a pole above your sink, so the droppings are easily washed away. When they get big enough move them back out.

Yup, that's what I'd do.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

Quote:
I had a ton of birds when I would throw out scratch. Now I do not throw out scratch at all. My chickens would eat the scratch and ignore the healthy stuff. When I stopped throwing out scratch, no more birds, less mice, and healthier chickens. Made a huge difference with one of my older hen because she was eating only scratch and not getting proper nutrition. I just supplement their diet with healthy veggies, too. And they eat bugs all day.

Or the roadrunner and large snake that was living in my yard could be eating the birds and the mice...who knows! The drought is making everything act differently.

I rarely give them scratch but I do toss the pellets to get them away from the door so i can get in. Mine will swarm me hoping they can sneak out and eat grasshoppers and bugs. But too many fox, coyote and or mountain lions out right now and they don't make it more than a night if I can't get them back in the coop. No free ranging for now.

 

[Illia]

Roadrunners are pests?



Learn something new every day.

They're so pretty, I'm honestly jealous of people who get to see them out in the wild. I lived in a desert for half my life and never saw one.

 

[Cambium29]

meep-meep