My chickens' new buddy!

[DylansMom]

So this guy/gal has been hanging around for about a year now. Every time I spot it in one of our trees, I invariably find my free ranging chickens foraging under that tree. It is a sharp shinned, so probably not a threat to any but my smallest Serama, but she is there with the bigger chickens tempting fate anyway. Are the chickens for some reason attracted to this small hawk? Trying to keep their friends close and enemies closer? Or are they just that dumb? I would think any bird of prey would send them running for the cover of our huge barn, but just the opposite is happening. This guy/gal doesn't really worry me, but we have red tails show up once in a while and I'd rather my chickens not become too complacent and think all these guys are as harmless as this one. My guineas on the other hand will send the visitor packing as soon as they spot it.

 

[Twistedfeather]

When we still had a greenhouse a young redtail hawk was watching our bantam chickens but it was too young to really do much harm. Could this be the case? or is this an abnormalty

 

[DylansMom]

When we still had a greenhouse a young redtail hawk was watching our bantam chickens but it was too young to really do much harm. Could this be the case? or is this an abnormalty

I don't know what is going on. This isn't a young hawk, it's a full grown Sharp Shinned, they generally hunt pigeons and song birds at backyard feeders, so they predate smaller birds, but my serama isn't a whole lot bigger than a pigeon. What I don't get is why the chickens seem to be actively putting themselves in close proximity to it.

 

[66fastback]

The only thing I've ever seen a bird like this eat is mice. But I'm sure he would take a small bird if given the chance.

 

[DylansMom]

The only thing I've ever seen a bird like this eat is mice. But I'm sure he would take a small bird if given the chance.

He's been hanging around for a year and we've seen him take out at least a half dozen pigeons and several wild birds from our feeders. Never saw him with a mouse, but I'm sure he'd take one.

 

[Mahlzeit]

Did you guys give home a name?

 

[DylansMom]

Did you guys give home a name?

We call him that #@%*&$ hawk. At least when the 9 year-old isn't around.

 

[Mahlzeit]

We call him that #@%*&$ hawk. At least when the 9 year-old isn't around.