Lost a Rooster Today - Graphic!

[sourland]

It may very well have been a hawk. Bottom line is that you have made a wise decision in penning them up. Whatever it was will return.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So sorry to hear this. He must have been a brave boy. Could it be a coyote? I once saw a raccoon chase a chicken at about 3 pm in May.

Thanks. No, I don't think a coyote can get into that big yard the chickens spend most of the day in, at least it's never happened in 10 years. Gracie, our Sheltie, does a good job keeping coyotes off the property. Pretty sure it was a hawk.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

It may very well have been a hawk. Bottom line is that you have made a wise decision in penning them up. Whatever it was will return.

Thanks. Had a RTH earlier this summer. Kept the birds penned up a week or so and it moved on. Might have been the same one, I suppose. Hmmm. Could it be nesting? How long till it hatches its young, then the young fledge and move on? That's how long I have to keep my birds safe.

 

[sourland]

I'm guessing your weather isn't any nicer than here in NJ, and Redtails here don't nest until late spring. This time of year it's the Great Horned Owls that are nesting.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thanks. Had a RTH earlier this summer. Kept the birds penned up a week or so and it moved on. Might have been the same one, I suppose. Hmmm. Could it be nesting? How long till it hatches its young, then the young fledge and move on? That's how long I have to keep my birds safe.

Well, so much for that idea. March is when the eggs are laid around here; mid-July is when the birds leave the nest. I can't keep my chickens in the little pen that long. Plan B. And Plan B is .... I don't know.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I'm guessing your weather isn't any nicer than here in NJ, and Redtails here don't nest until late spring. This time of year it's the Great Horned Owls that are nesting.

An owl wouldn't have been hunting at mid-day, would it?

 

[sourland]

I have had day time kills by GHO, but only on extremely cloudy or foggy days,

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I have had day time kills by GHO, but only on extremely cloudy or foggy days,

Well it coulda been then. It's been extremely cloudy and foggy around here for what seems like weeks. I keep telling myself I like it so I don't go mad. Wait. Might be too late....

 

[Building Bridges]

No pics, just a somewhat graphic description, so if this might trouble you, you may excuse yourself now. We don't lose birds often so this surprised me, it was during daylight hours, probably between noon and two pm. We are isolated, no near neighbors, so not a dog. Conditions were quite cold, overcast and beginning to snow, very light, thin flurries that won't amount to much. I looked out my kitchen window and saw what appeared to be my not-quite year-old rooster, Littlejohn, lying still and dead. This was about 2:30. I grabbed a jacket and went out to check. This is the graphic part. Some of his tail feathers were pulled off, lying right behind him, and about half his head was eaten, starting with the eye. Does this sound like the work of a red-tailed hawk who killed him and then was unable to carry him away? I have seen a RTH in the vicinity lately. The only other daytime predators we usually experience are raccoons, but they typically show up around dusk and carry the birds through the fence. This was closer to the middle of the big yard. It wasn't time to free-range yet. I usually let them out about 3:00.

All the birds were huddled in the smaller pen and hen house with the older rooster, Silverwings. I think he hustled the girls to safety while Littlejohn did battle from the rear. Sigh. Now I need to find another good roo as backup for Silver. I'll be keeping everyone in the two little pens for a while until the RTH moves on again.

Thanks, I think I just wanted to talk about it. Now I'm sad. Anybody near me have a spare rooster that's not a jerk?

So very sad to hear of your loss. Poor Littlejohn.....he was a courageous boy and I know he will be missed.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So very sad to hear of your loss. Poor Littlejohn.....he was a courageous boy and I know he will be missed.

Yes. Thank you.