New Aerial Threat?

[Aunt Angus]

So I'm hanging out with the chickens last night before the bed time routine (I absolutely love watching them get settled in the coop at night).

All of a sudden, Zinnia, my BPR and top hen, let out a terrible "SKWAK" and my chickens all panicked and bolted for cover. I jumped up out of the lawn chair and ran to the middle of my yard just in time to see a dark shape swooping down on the far side of the coop.

I ran over, expecting the worst. We'd seen a couple of red-shouldered hawks hanging around the ranch next to us the past couple of months, and a coopers hawk flew over my yard with a squirrel just the other day.

I get over to the other side of the coop, and there it was: a mylar balloon.


My poor chickens nearly died from fright. They came out from their hiding spots only after several minutes had passed. I had to look for my little Welsummer who just refused to leave the yucca. They went straight into the coop and roosted, even though it was still light out.

Poor chickens.... BUT I was pleased to see their quick reactions and ability to virtually disappear. I was worried that 1) there weren't enough hiding places in my yard, 2) my big, kinda dopey Cochin would be too slow or just freeze, and 3) they weren't sufficiently prepared to react because they have had a pretty stress-free, predator-free life and wouldn't know how to behave in the event of a real emergency. I raised them, after all, not a mama chicken. It's nice to see their instincts are so strong, even in spoiled, brooder-raised hatchery birds.

I'm still freaked out about hawks, but it was a good "drill" to witness.

 

[cmom]

I have had some issues with hawks and owls in the past. I have 2 coops that are open on one side. Hubby and a friend built them for me as a surprise. I wouldn't have left the one side open. I had an owl get in and kill several birds. I have since put a tarp over the open side. I put heavy duty netting covering all of my pens. I couldn't figure out what was killing my birds until I put up a game camera.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I'll get a game camera this week. I'm so curious to see what comes into my yard. But I'm kind of scared to see, too....

 

[wyoDreamer]

I love the "Balloon" Drill story!
I had 4 guinea hens that free-ranged the property - and the neighbors property... My DH got home from work one day and as he walked around the end of the barn of hawk took off. It had wacked a guinea hen and was eating it right there about 6 feet from the chicken run. My stupid birds were sitting on their deck just outside the pop door to the coop - watching the hawk eat. At least they were not lined up at the fence asking for handouts, lol.

 

[cmom]

I'll get a game camera this week. I'm so curious to see what comes into my yard. But I'm kind of scared to see, too....

I have several game cameras on my property and most nights I see a predator, usually a coyote, on at least one of the cameras. I recently bought this one. It takes good nighttime pictures which I like because here most of the predators come out at night. The drawback is that it takes the tiny micro SD card.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073PSM9QD/?tag=backy-20
This is a recent picture of a coyote behind some of the coops.

 

[Kris5902]

Good to know. My layer girls are all fairly predator aware, as are their roosters. Oh, the ruckus they make when my cats get out of the trailer... or the bicycle goes by, or a plane or strange car! But they don’t bat an eye at the Ravens now (they used to alertand flee them)

My meat girls I’m keeping for breeding and the cockerels in with them... a whole different story. Though perhaps silence and stillness is a good defense when there’s a Raccon not five feet away snacking on your spilled leftover feed, and all that is between you is a thin mesh of hardware cloth and some not exactly flush to the ground 2x2’s? I don’t know, either they are very smart or very dumb!