Ashb0429
Chirping
- Jul 10, 2020
- 29
- 71
- 99
Talk about a roller coaster of an evening - to preface this story, my chickens free range in the front acre of my property. I was aware we had resident hawks when we moved in a year ago but have not seen them for 3-4 months prior to our teenage chicks graduating from the house brooder to the coop outside.
Fast forward to this evening, I walked outside to walk to the next door neighbors and sitting 20 yds away on my fence was a hawk, a quick glance at the coop revealed half of my flock standing likes statues against the outside of the run. I presume they had made it across the yard but were too terrified to run the rest of the way inside.
As I ran to the coop the hawk flew to a nearby pine and joined its mate while I yelled at my chickens hoping to scare the hawks and motivate the chickens to run inside. It only partially worked as my head (and now favorite) rooster stood his ground at the entrance and refused to budge. A quick scan of the yard revealed four of my idiot teenage Orpingtons happily grazing luck nothing was wrong.
What ensued was 3 minutes that felt like an eternity of me trying to keep the run door open, chase the outside chickens in, not let the inside chickens out and scare the hell out of hawks all at the same time.
luckily I was successful and slammed the run door with myself and the last chick to enter inside and started my head count. I was two short. My heart sank. Two silkies short. Of the two Benny was missing. My sweet, regularly egg laying, niece and nephew favorite Silkie hen. Benny was a runt and so I imagined that for as feisty as she was, she was an easy target.
Still I struck out across the yard in search of the two missing silkies, feeling the panic rise each minute I couldn’t find them. Then up by the garage from behind a massive flower pot, a fluffy back head poked out and I ran to scoop sweet Benny up. Lots of kisses and tears were shed on the way back to the coop.
After depositing Benny safely I turned to look for the remaining Silkie. A partridge roo who was never far from his little group of 3 Silkie hens. The girls were all accounted for but he was not. Defeatedly all I found was a large pile of silver fluff and I instantly knew what had happened. The hawks had shared one chicken and were hanging around for a second course.
After chasing the hawks off and doing a second head count of the chickens in the coop I headed to my neighbors to finish my errand. I was sad I had lost the roo but trying to see the silver lining that it wasn’t a hen. Upon reaching my driveway I thought, “just one more look. One more can’t hurt.”
I returned to the pile of feathers in the yard and looked to the left, where a giant rubber plant sits in the yard. As I approached the plant and crouched down, I saw him. A motionless pile of silver fluff deep under the bush. I couldn’t believe it.
He didn’t move at all as I scooped him up, except to poop all down my leg. I cared not at all. This poor traumatized guy had survived a hawk attack and would be reunited with his ladies! I feel insanely blessed to have had all 21 chickens survive a run in with two hawks. Tonight ill feel grateful. Tomorrow will be plenty enough time to worry about how to protect my flock from two hawks who I’m sure will be returning.
Fast forward to this evening, I walked outside to walk to the next door neighbors and sitting 20 yds away on my fence was a hawk, a quick glance at the coop revealed half of my flock standing likes statues against the outside of the run. I presume they had made it across the yard but were too terrified to run the rest of the way inside.
As I ran to the coop the hawk flew to a nearby pine and joined its mate while I yelled at my chickens hoping to scare the hawks and motivate the chickens to run inside. It only partially worked as my head (and now favorite) rooster stood his ground at the entrance and refused to budge. A quick scan of the yard revealed four of my idiot teenage Orpingtons happily grazing luck nothing was wrong.
What ensued was 3 minutes that felt like an eternity of me trying to keep the run door open, chase the outside chickens in, not let the inside chickens out and scare the hell out of hawks all at the same time.
luckily I was successful and slammed the run door with myself and the last chick to enter inside and started my head count. I was two short. My heart sank. Two silkies short. Of the two Benny was missing. My sweet, regularly egg laying, niece and nephew favorite Silkie hen. Benny was a runt and so I imagined that for as feisty as she was, she was an easy target.
Still I struck out across the yard in search of the two missing silkies, feeling the panic rise each minute I couldn’t find them. Then up by the garage from behind a massive flower pot, a fluffy back head poked out and I ran to scoop sweet Benny up. Lots of kisses and tears were shed on the way back to the coop.
After depositing Benny safely I turned to look for the remaining Silkie. A partridge roo who was never far from his little group of 3 Silkie hens. The girls were all accounted for but he was not. Defeatedly all I found was a large pile of silver fluff and I instantly knew what had happened. The hawks had shared one chicken and were hanging around for a second course.
After chasing the hawks off and doing a second head count of the chickens in the coop I headed to my neighbors to finish my errand. I was sad I had lost the roo but trying to see the silver lining that it wasn’t a hen. Upon reaching my driveway I thought, “just one more look. One more can’t hurt.”
I returned to the pile of feathers in the yard and looked to the left, where a giant rubber plant sits in the yard. As I approached the plant and crouched down, I saw him. A motionless pile of silver fluff deep under the bush. I couldn’t believe it.
He didn’t move at all as I scooped him up, except to poop all down my leg. I cared not at all. This poor traumatized guy had survived a hawk attack and would be reunited with his ladies! I feel insanely blessed to have had all 21 chickens survive a run in with two hawks. Tonight ill feel grateful. Tomorrow will be plenty enough time to worry about how to protect my flock from two hawks who I’m sure will be returning.
