Well, I woke up this morning to an awful sight. Three of my month old pullets who had just been put in the big coop two days ago were torn to shreds during the night. They were inside the run but had not yet figured out that the coop is for sleeping at night. Last I saw them, they were perched in a covered area of the run where the feeders are. I had shaken my head, said silly birds, and then went to bed. The last group of 4 pullets I'd put in a week or so ago had done the same thing, and then after two nights, had learned to go inside for the night.
These little ones never had the chance to learn. I was baffled by how they could have been torn up like that while still inside what I thought was a safe covered run. When I opened up the door to the run though, I found a big owl feather on the floor. Apparently the gaps in the covering of the run were big enough for a hungry bird to get through.
I feel really guilty because I ought to have put them in the coop by hand and then locked the door up to make sure they got the idea. Or, I should have made sure that the covering had no holes. I just didn't think for a moment that anything could get in there. Lesson most certainly learned the hard way for these little ones. What's frustrating too, is that the birds were not eaten up, just torn and bits taken off. Why on earth would an owl tear them up like that and then just leave them? Only one was totally gone, apart from a wing. Senseless waste.
The only ray of sunshine on this one was that somehow two of the 5 pullets managed to hide in an empty feed bin and escaped totally unharmed. I immediately put them back into the brooder until they get older, or until I get that run covered completely.
Here's a picture of the little ones that were eaten. This was taken just after I put them in. The two remaining are the sultan and one of the barred rocks. RIP little ones.
These little ones never had the chance to learn. I was baffled by how they could have been torn up like that while still inside what I thought was a safe covered run. When I opened up the door to the run though, I found a big owl feather on the floor. Apparently the gaps in the covering of the run were big enough for a hungry bird to get through.
I feel really guilty because I ought to have put them in the coop by hand and then locked the door up to make sure they got the idea. Or, I should have made sure that the covering had no holes. I just didn't think for a moment that anything could get in there. Lesson most certainly learned the hard way for these little ones. What's frustrating too, is that the birds were not eaten up, just torn and bits taken off. Why on earth would an owl tear them up like that and then just leave them? Only one was totally gone, apart from a wing. Senseless waste.
The only ray of sunshine on this one was that somehow two of the 5 pullets managed to hide in an empty feed bin and escaped totally unharmed. I immediately put them back into the brooder until they get older, or until I get that run covered completely.
Here's a picture of the little ones that were eaten. This was taken just after I put them in. The two remaining are the sultan and one of the barred rocks. RIP little ones.
